Meet Ellen Cho | CEO

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

Hi Ellen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I started my business, I was mostly just looking for a new hobby. I really like anime and pets so I started making bandanas for my dog. As I kept making/telling my friends about the bandanas, more and more people wanted them. Then, I decided to launch as Kickstarter to see if I would be able to successfully turn this hobby into a business. Ultimately, the Kickstarter did not succeed, but whoever supported me then helped me to grow the business to how it is now.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I started my business, I had just graduated from a four-year university. By the time I graduated I had already had over 10 jobs and internships. I believe that my life/work experience helped me to success in whatever I choose to dedicate my time on. One important thing that I learned is to appreciate whatever experience may come to me, whether it is a success or a failure, and to learn and take those lessons on my journey.

Starting a business was definitely not easy. I learned early on that for every success I had to gone through I had so much more failures. Even today, as I am producing my products, I am always going through a trial and error to enhance the quality of my goods.

I feel like many small business owners and entrepreneurs go through a similar mindset which is even if we fail we always try to find new ways or adapt old ways to succeed. No matter how hard the struggle may be, I feel as though I am able to move on and push forward.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend came in town, I would take her to eat at a Korean restaurant we used to always go to after classes called Seoul Haus. I would also take her to try one of my new favorites called Noodle St. Noodle St. has taiwanese/chinese soups and dishes that tastes really good. My friend also loves thrift shopping so I would take her to some thrift shops in the area. For some entertainment, I would take her to Irvine Spectrum for some more shopping and Round One for some games and bowling.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, the success of my business lies within the people that support me. I am very grateful to my friends, family, as well as the small business community. Without my friends and family, I would not be able to have grown my business to the extent that it has. The community of vendors and people who are just working to be the best they can be inspires me to be even better and to put my best foot forward with my business.

Website: www.senpai-inu.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/senpai.inu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senpai.inu/

Image Credits
@JASMYNBPHOTOGRAPHY @JOYI_CO