BUSINESS

The Young and The Restless by Cindy Ng

No, it is not an article about your favorite soap opera. It’s an article that is literally about the young people and the restless people. My name is Cindy Ng and I run Finger Magic / Origami Bijou as well as an origami design boutique based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am young, I can pass for 18 years old and it gets worse, my voice sounds like Mickey Mouse! Despite these “unique” qualities, I am a restlessly hardworking individual who started running my own business 5 years ago. I believe I am highly qualified to start a discussion about my squeaky voice, youth and how that plays out in the professional arena.

To begin, the voice stigma became most apparent when I was 14. I was working at my father’s print shop and had to call the bank - the customer representative would not speak to me and actually asked to speak to an adult. I was offended because I couldn’t get my job done! I am now 26 years old, and sad to say that still happens today and I still have the high-pitched voice.

Next, comes the problem of my age. There might be some truth where small business owners that just started are ignorant or inexperienced, but that applies to everyone regardless what age you are. In the first couple of years, companies would ask me to design origami pieces or brainstorm ideas with them. Of course, that made sense since I also have a business degree in economics from UC Davis. (But knowing your 4 P’s in marketing is completely different from executing the concept!) Right off the bat, it would often appear to be a nice collaboration, until it was too late. CINDY WAS WORKING FOR FREE!!!

It may seem that a young age coupled with a youthful voice is not quite the winning combination to running a business or climbing the corporate ladder. I think quite the contrary. With young age, comes the abundance of energy, innocence, aspirations, idealism, enthusiasm and joie de vivre! Yes you may get taken advantage of when you are young, but that applies to a lot of other budding businesses. I agree that with age we will grow emotionally and with this we will be able to adapt to problems and deal with human interactions better, at a sophisticated and more civil level. But age does NOT hinder my ability to produce work, my industrious work ethic, or my determination to grow and succeed.

Hence, empower yourself! Once you start respecting yourself, you will able to demand your worth! Nobody should ever work for free, no services should be traded, and that products should never be paid with meager back-page endorsement or tiny 1-line editorial print feature. The last five years have been a road of self-discovery. As an entrepreneur and a designer, I have learned to accept that though I may not be able to change people’s common perceptions but I CAN change and grow myself. I know I am equally qualified and as smart as everyone else in my industry. I simply needed to let go of my own self-limiting thoughts.

Yes it may take an extra effort to impress a fellow professional or a possible client, and convince him/her that I am no longer in high school or college. But one trick I’ve learned that works quite well is that I do not speak unless it is of VALUE. Talking out of my ass is wasting other people’s time, and worse - my own time.

Essentially, I’ve come to embrace my perceived negative qualities and turn them into assets. Today my squeaky voice is my most valuable and distinctive asset. Many individuals I encounter now say, “Oh! I remember you!” It really is part of my brand recognition when I stand out among a sea of competitors.

In regards to coming to terms with my vibrant youth, I lovingly tell myself, “I am always the youngest and most responsible owner at a tradeshow, while most of my friends are having hangovers from a rough Friday night out clubbing.” And THAT is truly as young and as restless as you can get!

Note from BACE:
We thank Cindy from writing such a beautiful and sincere heartfelt piece. You can also check out Cindy’s Origami Blog here.

© 2008 BACE - Business & Creative Exchange.