Entrepreneurship at 35
When I first moved to Seattle from Michigan almost 2 years ago (what! where did the time go?!) I noticed how Seattleites love their stickers. No matter the age, gender, ethnicity, or profession, Seattleites love themselves some stickers whether it’s about how great the Pacific Northwest is, or the national parks they have visited. After spending time vacationing in California and Oregon, I can now say with confidence that the sticker obsession is a west coast phenomenal. That’s one of the many things that made me fall in love with the west coast and its people—authentic, playful, casual, engaged, and pretty vocal about things they care about. I quickly adapted to the lifestyle and started decorating my car, laptop, and iPad with stickers. I became the consumer of the very item I was looking for. It didn’t take long for me to realize that there is some significant lacking in the market. Many of the stickers on the market either didn’t have the design or missed the humor. This is also around the time when Freddy started spending more hours at school and I was looking to pivot from my Instagram travel content. I was the right person during the right time who happened to be at the right place, and just like that, Millennial Feelings was born.
Like many millennials, I have a lot of feelings, and many times I feel misunderstood by people from other generations. That’s why I named my sticker shop Millennial Feelings— “let me tell you how I feel one sticker at a time”, and of course not all stickers express my personal feelings but rather a more collective sentiment among my generation. I adore my generation—we are often described as selfish but I think we are open-minded, determined, creative, and have faced economic turbulences with a great sense of humor and resilience. I want to dedicate this brand to my generation’ state of mind as well as my love for travel and exploration.
I’m turning 35 later this month, and I’m aware that I’m much older than most people who are starting their own businesses. And that’s ok because everyone has their unique stories—there are benefits and challenges of starting a venture when you are fresh out of college and there are different sets of benefits and challenges of starting a venture when you are a bit older and already have your own family. Gabriel and I actually tried out entrepreneurship before we graduated from college (a blog for another day I promise)—we really needed money for tuition at the time and started an import-export business from our living room in Toronto, Canada—we made money from the business but I wasn’t passionate about what I did—it was like a job, the kind we all have had to get by—a way to make money to pay for our daily needs. At 35, through my social media presence and the newly launched sticker business, I can finally say that I’m doing something I’m passionate about.
One of my newest designs is “We build our cities, afterwards they build us”, I truly feel these words in my bones—after almost 2 years living in Seattle, the city has in many ways built me into the creative person I would have never imagined to become. I can’t quite explain it, but the American west coast is like a magnet that makes you have the most daring thoughts and transform into the most innovative version of yourself, no wonder why this is where the most advanced technology and the most edgy storytelling come to life.
I’m writing this blog to let you know how the business idea of Millennial Feelings came to life. However, regardless how it came together, it’s just a new adventure like many new chapters and experiences in life. Immigrating to a new country is an adventure, switching profession is an adventure, moving to a new city or visiting a place you have never been are all adventures. As a family of new immigrants who have changed professions and moved cities, you know how we love adventures—may they build us, may they break us, may they challenge us for the better and make life worth-living.
Oh, and don’t forget to check out the dedicated Instagram account @millennialfeelings