Mary Nhin understands the hardships many entrepreneurs face within the enterprise world as a result of she confronted them herself. She struggled whereas launching two companies however in the end prevailed to turn out to be a co-owner of a restaurant chain and writer of a youngsters’s guide sequence.
She is the CEO of Nhinja Sushi, a five-location restaurant chain and CEO of Ninja Life Hacks, an e-commerce enterprise that sells instructional books for kids. She can be a second-generation Asian American and a mom of three.
“When my husband and I first started our entrepreneurial journey, we wanted to open a restaurant,” Nhin stated. “We applied to 11 different banks and got 11 rejections. I just remember feeling like I was alone on an island with no one to help me because I didn’t have a mentor, an advisory board. I didn’t have an Asian chamber to lean on. And now I stand here, 19 years later, and we serve over 2,000 people daily with five Nhinja Sushi locations.
“In our first year of business with Ninja Life Hacks, we lost $200,000,” Nhin said. “It was a lot of money, but we stuck through and figured out what worked and what didn’t. Now three years later, we have sold over 3 million books in 12 different countries.”
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After overcoming those difficulties in her own business ventures, Nhin hopes to empower other entrepreneurs and lead them to success through her work as a founding member and Vice President of the Greater Oklahoma City Asian Chamber of Commerce.
The new chamber’s board members announced the organization’s grand opening at a press conference Jan. 25 at Grand House China Bistro. In attendance were Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, notable business owners, chamber sponsors and many other professionals supportive of the cause.
Every seat in the banquet room was taken and the remaining guests stood for the ceremony and filled the room.
THN Insurance Solutions owner and CEO Thuan Nguyen said there is a specific reason why Grand House was selected to host the kickoff event for the chamber. It was the first Chinese dim sum restaurant to open in Oklahoma City, and it serves as a successful business model and inspiration for the Asian entrepreneurial community.
Nguyen has an inspirational story himself, as he and his mother immigrated from Vietnam when he was 4. They had to leave his father and two siblings behind and were not able to see them again until he was 16, but he has worked to establish himself in the Oklahoma City business community through his participation in programs like Leadership Oklahoma City and he was appointed by the mayor as an urban design commissioner.
The Asian Chamber is the newest addition to a roster of Oklahoma City-focused chambers of commerce. The city is home to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma, Northwest Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. All aim to support the interests of member businesses.
Why was there a need for an Asian Chamber of Commerce in Oklahoma City?
Oklahoma City is home to more than 50,000 Asian Americans, which is about 55% of Oklahoma’s total Asian population, according to Census data. Those individuals account for many of the 5,300 Asian-owned businesses in the Oklahoma City metro. And those businesses generated $203 million in payroll and $1.25 billion in sales in 2020.
An Asian-focused chamber of commerce has been a long-awaited venture to establish a formal way of supporting the community in its business matters.
“It’s so critically important that all communities of the city are a part of our story and the Asian community is thriving,” Mayor Holt stated. “There is so much more that is yet to come and today is a major milestone in that journey.”
Chamber President Scarlet Le-Cao is a co-owner of an actual property and growth firm known as Omega Investments. During the ceremony, she shared the 4 pillars of the chamber, that are:
- Connect, strengthen and advocate for Asian companies and professionals within the higher Oklahoma City metro space.
- Recruit Asian-owned companies and Asian abilities.
- Facilitate truthful and equitable entry to alternatives for Asian companies and professionals.
- Pursue instructional and cultural initiatives for the higher Oklahoma City Asian communities.
“We want to make our younger generations feel proud of being Asian Americans and to hold on to our roots and our cultures,” Le-Cao said. “We’re building strong foundations and confidence for them to be successful in life.”
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How did the brand new Asian chamber get its begin?
Last yr, a small group of enterprise homeowners and neighborhood leaders, together with Le-Cao, Nhin, Nguyen and others, met to handle the wants of the Asian neighborhood in Oklahoma City. They felt an Asian chamber was the lacking link. That dialog advanced right into a devoted group of 15 board members working to launch the chamber.
“At the first board meeting we asked everyone, ‘Why are you willing to support Asian businesses?’ and everyone answered with the same sentiment,” Le-Cao stated. “They are passionate about serving their communities and proud to be Asian Americans. We want to reunite all the voices we have.”
Collaboration has been key to their success. The board members stated they really feel very lucky for the neighborhood help throughout their work to launch the chamber. They additionally stated they need to work with different minority chamber organizations within the metropolis.
“Diversity is like a rainbow,” Nhin stated. “It’s what makes us beautiful.”
The Asian Chamber is already receiving neighborhood help from different companies, together with Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company, Paycom and the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Jan. 30, the Oklahoma City Thunder acknowledged “Asian-American Oklahomans and their influence on the cultural fabric of our state” throughout a sport in honor of Lunar New Year.
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