We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Hui and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
This is a loaded question! It took many years of seeing what I brought to the table for the companies I have worked for, and owning who I was and how much more I am worth than what I was being paid for. The stability of the income, and working in a structure environment was safe, but no longer rewarding. Making good money was no longer enough. I felt there was something my clients kept returning to me for, and it wasn’t just the products I was selling. It was my expertise, personality and the relationship I have built with every single one of my clients. Long story short, the universe made me let go of many things that were not serving my highest self such as my marriage, and corporate job. Leaving my ex husband was one of the most liberating action I took for myself in my life. I chose to love myself, by leaving a toxic relationship, even though it was financially stable. I was putting up with a lot of abuse at home, and I realized I did not deserve any of it. I am worth more, and planned for my exit. Shortly after, the company I was working for was restructuring and let me go. Another way of the universe, pushing me to my edge to strip my label as a wife, then as my profession of 11 years. I went from being a wife and successful Stylist to being nothing. Then with all the time I had to rethink my life. I went inward and did a lot of personal development work, and realized I am nothing because I was chasing after all the wrong things. I was reaching for goals such as being married by 30, make over $200k a year and own a home by 28, have children by 32. I am so glad the universe put a pause to me creating a life, and I dodged a bullet and found out the things I did that made me decide to leave my husband before involving a child. I had to realize that to be happy, wasn’t to be married, or become a mother, or have money and a home. I mean, all of that can bring you joy but it wasn’t just about that. I had to accept and love myself and do what I desire, and stop living for others. I had to fight for myself and live for me! That is when everything started shifting. I believed in myself, and turned my pain into purpose and founded my first company Fit and Flair, LLC. I took all my loyal clients that’s been with me for years. I met with the director of stylists of south coast plaza and got on the board. Who lead me to get on contract with all the boutiques in the plaza so I get paid commission for all the sales I brought them. I no longer worked under a corporation where I was just a employee that clocks in and out. I was just a numbers report to them. I was making the company 6 million a year, the store #1 in sales, yet I was easily someone they can just let go. I saw this as the universe’s way to align me to the life I was born to live. One where I run things, where I am the boss of my own schedule, and I make my own rules and am appreciated by my clients. It is so much fun to do what I love but under my own terms. Once I started my first business, opening my second, third and fourth was so much easier. The key is to just believe in yourself, plan well, do your research and to just start! Whatever you don’t know how to do, find someone who does, set a meeting with them and pick their brains! If you don’t like doing the marketing, or the email campaigns, or the website design, you can always outsource and pay someone else to do it. I just stuck to what made me the most excited, and kept doing what I loved. Then everything else just falls into place. You just got to wear many hats as a business owner and strategize, network and connect with people that you can collaborate and co-create with and go for it. I have really mastered being in flow state ever since I started trusting and surrendering into my art. I just started magnetizing what is in alignment to me instead of forcing what doesn’t. It’s been such a beautiful dance!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have founded my own companies doing beauty transformations from wardrobe makeovers, to yoga events, to women’s circles + clothing swaps. I have decided that helping women shop and buy material things were just a temporary fix to create confidence and joy. During the pandemic, when people were locked down and all the shopping plazas closed down. I discovered that I wanted to create something more sustainable for women to feel beautiful on the inside, so that they can radiate their beauty outward. That’s when I got my Yoga and Reiki Certificate to go deeper within and learn about how to have inner peace and joy. Then I also founded Inner Outer Beauty with Petra where we see how having supportive women in your community that are like minded and also going through similar life journeys is so important. Seeing the vision of healing the world and creating a more beautiful world, starts with healing yourself. It was not easy, and every thing is a trial and error. You learn from each mistake, and you get better from them. The feeling of achievement after every event feels like such a win! Because you see the joy in all the faces of the women, and you know that this movement is bigger than us, it is a creation for the collective. We all see this going global and we are making moves to hire on a team so we can have an online and social media presence to market ourselves better. So far, we are making impact in our communities in LA and OC. We are in no rush, but see how much more grand this will be in the future. The deep connections of sisterhood with all the women has been involved is so powerful. We are bonded and stronger together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love taking my friends to nature on a hike with a view. We just came back from camping in the Channel Islands, and it was in fucking credible. So I would take her there, so we can go on hikes, go kayaking and see all the seabirds, sea lions, dolphins and whales. There are foxes, blue jays and ravens all over the campsite. Then we would go back to the city and get a hotel in DTLA for a day and night to explore Little Tokyo, for ramen and sushi, Urban lights and Griffith Observatory for great photo spots, check out architecture like Bradbury building and Walt Disney Concert Hall, maybe even hike up to the Hollywood sign. Another day and night near Melrose/Beverly Hills/Hollywood area to one of my favorite restaurant Republique, then desert at Lady M, stroll on Melrose and Rodeo Dr and Hollywood hall of fame. Another day in Venice, to eat at Butcher’s Daughter and stroll on Abbot Kinney, maybe rent a bike and ride along the venice beach, all the way to santa monica pier, then we can drive up PCH to Malibu for a hike at Escondido Falls, then have a well deserved sunset dinner there at Geoffrey’s with an ocean view.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When I was on my journey to finding myself after my divorce. I reconnected with my cousin Petra that helped me see my highest self before I was able to see her myself. She is an empowerment coach/spiritual + emotional healer that has such incredible insights to how to build deeper relationships and teaches people how to clearly communicate with ease and grace. She guides people on their journey to discover their truth and be able to authentically express themselves so they are fully seen and heard, understood and stand tall to being who they are without any judgement. I am literally more free than ever, for knowing this woman. I am so happy I get to call her my cousin, best friend and my business partner in shine for Inner Outer Beauty!

Website: https://www.fitnflair.com

Instagram: fulloflife11

Other: ig: @fitnflair ig: @sunsetflowdotorg ig: @innerouterbeauty.love ig: @ritual_adornments

Image Credits
Darion Ko, Giovanelle Alessandrini, Valeria Bentson

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.