Meet Sun Kim | Co-Founder

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

Hi Sun, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Alex and I both come from a design background in the ad agency and consulting worlds. We realized we wanted to use our joint experience to create something one-of-a-kind, with the power to impact people on a personal level. In short, we wanted to see how our fun, unique designs could be shared with others to enjoy. After some trial and error in learning how to create a product, we managed to produce our first collection of Story Spark graphic tees — all inspired by the intersection of art and technology. Since then, we’ve participated in numerous events, both online and in person, in order to connect with others who appreciate our message and care to share it with others in their lives. This truly inspires us to continue the process of creating distinctive designs, and sparking smiles where we can.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Like every small business, we’ve had many obstacles to overcome. Some were more significant than others, but they all became valuable learning lessons in the end. Some struggles even came from our own misconceptions, such as thinking that we could easily connect with others by solely being online. After much frustration, it soon became apparent that a more effective way to connect would be by branching out in real life. We started close to home (Torrance, CA) and participated at local fairs to see what worked and didn’t work. Fortunately, we met many amazing people from customers to fellow small business owners who helped us form a strong, supportive community. It was this experience that truly reminded us why we started Story Spark in the first place. Now, we participate in fairs all over the state and meet as many people as possible! Our brand is all about connection, and meeting people is one of the best ways we’ve found to do exactly that.

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.
Los Angeles has so much to offer on where to visit and what to eat. One of our favorites to visit is DTLA, where there are museums like the Broad where you can spend an afternoon for free! Or Grand Central Market, where you can choose from any number of delicious eateries. One of our favorite places to eat is Yuko’s Kitchen in mid-city, which is an amazing Japanese restaurant.

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?
The Lange Foundation is a non-profit animal rescue organization based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by Gillian Lange in 1993 with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and provide forever homes for abandoned and at-risk animals, primarily dogs and cats. It is where we adopted our favorite family member!

Website: https://storyspark.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyspark/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/story-spark

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/storyspark

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyspark

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/storysparked

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@storyspark

Image Credits
Nick Sutjongdro Alex Louie Patchwork Show