A couple of weeks ago, I received multiple messages across a few different platforms from someone claiming to be from the Office of the VP. We thought it was spam. But it turned out to be real! The Office of the VP had been trying to get ahold of me to replenish an order for a product I had long since discontinued by a company I had founded, and shut down ages ago.
Some background
A long time ago, I started a business manufacturing shoe liners for women who wear shoes without socks - think ballet flats, heels, loafers. The product is ultra-thin — NOT designed for comfort — but rather an alternative to no-show socks, to help absorb sweat, kill odor and prolong the life of shoes. My target audience was working professional women who are in their dress shoes all day long (pre-covid).
I had some successes with my business — I was accepted into an accelerator program in Chile, I won first place in the NYPL Business Plan Competition, the product was featured on the Today Show and in T Magazine of the NY Times. And, the then California AG (now VP) had been a repeat customer! But eventually, I couldn’t close funding and ran out of money. I took a job at another company, thinking I would run this business on the side and come back to it in full force later.
But I think I lost motivation for it. Getting a full-time job was a really hard step for me. I felt like a failure. I had let not just myself down, but also others who believed in me, like my dad who had proudly told his friends about my venture. My identity and my little startup had become so intertwined, that in the end, I think I just wanted to move on and distance myself from that period of my life.
So you can imagine my surprise when Nia, assistant to the VP (the V P !), reached out to restock. I’ll be honest — I felt flattered and maybe a bit redeemed that my startup wasn’t a total failure. At least I had one very loyal customer who happens to be a BFD and a trailblazer for many — the first female, the first asian and the first black person to be the US Vice President.
So of course, I managed to locate some remaining inventory after calling my mom in California who made a few phone calls to track down some boxes.
The AAPHNI Night Market
From that interaction, Nia so kindly invited me to the first-ever Night Market at the VP’s residence (at the US Naval Observatory) in celebration of Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AAPNHI) Heritage Month.
Kim was my plus one. We met some cool peeps from AWS Public Sector (had no idea that was a division of Amazon). Kim also got to meet the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy.
And, I got to meet the VP! White House photographer, Lawrence Jackson, snapped this pic of us.
(Btw, my dress is Tory Burch, courtesy of my husband :). We went shopping a few days before — he insisted I represent the brand and wear something “in season”.)
Upon meeting, the VP actually hugged me! (I don’t think I can wash this dress now.) She remembered our phone call from years ago when I took her phone order. We also discussed her commitment to small businesses and her support for minority and women founders. One such business that she loves and supports is Voyage et Cie by Melanie Apple-Fields. The VP gave me one of their candles, customized for her with the “Madam Vice President” scent.
As daughter of immigrant business owners and as a founder myself, I can appreciate building a support network for small businesses. I believe it can lead to greater future economic activity and output.
The Small Businesses Boom and the Biden-Harris Administration
The VP’s support of minority-owned small businesses is part of a larger small business growth strategy by the Biden-Harris Administration. In concert with the Small Business Administration, they are on track to deploy $250B in lending across 500,000 small businesses by the end of the decade. Business applications have soared since they entered office.
This year alone, they have already approved 20,000 7(a) loans under $150,000 each through the Small Business Administration, double what they lended out in 2020.
Black-owned and Latino-owned businesses have also seen a surge in government-backed lending, resulting in the fastest growth rate in 30 years of black entrepreneurs and the fastest ever of Latino entrepreneurs.
Back to the Night Market
The AAPNHI Night Market was another example of support for small businesses, this time celebrating and supporting Asian-owned restaurants and vendors. Japanese Taiko drummers performed at the onset to greet arriving guests, and there was a Lion Dance and Hawaiian Dance performance later in the evening.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff kicked off a series of speeches, and the Vice President gave final remarks before opening up the Night Market to the 300 guests in attendance. We consumed many small plates provided by 20 Asian restaurants in DC and around the country.
Food highlights for us were:
The red bean ice cream with almond cookie from Ice Cream Jubilee
The Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Al Pastor tacos from Moon Rabbit
And this Red Snapper sashimi in ponzu sauce from a Japanese restaurant based in Las Vegas - wish I remembered the name of the business!
A Shoe Liner Do-Over?
I am definitely still on a high from the whole experience. Like I just tried a miracle cream that faded my decade-old scars and rejuvenated me. I guess the question is: should I revive the shoe liner biz and get back into ecom? At the encouragement of both my husband and co-founder, I’m exploring…
The competitive landscape is not terribly different, but there are some new, good products out there. Some competitors even borrowed my tagline!
But, how would this do-over be different?
I feel I’m starting from a better position - wiser from my mistakes, supported by my family and business partner and better resourced for cash runway.
There are more tools, platforms and marketplaces I can leverage for small guys like me to launch products and tap into large audiences.
I’d launch with multiple products (instead of just one) to test alternatives and appetite, rather than putting all my eggs in one basket. More expensive for sure. But also more feedback and potentially more avenues for marketing and sales.
I am better connected with potential manufacturing partners and suppliers, and I think I’d be able to make a superior product.
For now, I’m in the research phase. There’s a lot I don’t know still, but I’m gathering some of that info. I’ll keep it at that for now, but I will update if we make any progress or go-forward decisions.
I do wish my dad were still around for me to share this with him. He would have been over the moon to hear I met the VP… after all those years of printing shipping labels and sending out packages!
- Jenn & Kim
Reference:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Small-Business-Boom-Report-2024.pdf
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/29/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-kicks-off-nationwide-economic-opportunity-tour-in-atlanta/