EDITOR’S NOTE – Spring has sprung and it’s time to forego winter hibernation and return to the workforce refreshed and eager to excel. I feel especially motivated this month as we bring to you a cover story on Jenny Q. Ta, a woman who personifies what it means to be a fearless, roaring Lioness!
Ta was a self-made millionaire by age 27, a far cry from living off welfare as the child of a single mother in California. She’s a first-generation Vietnamese-American who fled her homeland after the Vietnam War, along with her mother and older brother. Ta was motivated right from the moment she arrived in the U.S. at about 8 years old, learning English in primary school, going on to earn her bachelor’s degree in just three years, followed by a master’s degree. She has more than 20 years experience working on Wall Street and is currently focused on her third entrepreneurial endeavor, Sqeeqee (pronounced squeaky) a social networthing site that allows users to monetize their various social media profiles while earning funds at the same time.
I have to admit that my experience interviewing Ta is one I’ll never forget because she was remarkably candid right from the start. The interview also lasted more than an hour, which is almost unheard of in my field, especially with successful, wealthy entrepreneurs and CEOs such as Ta. I trust that you’ll enjoy reading the article as much as I did writing it and speaking with Ta.
Also not to be overlooked are this month’s features on Dédé Wilson, founder of Bakepedia; Natalie Slater, creator of BakeandDestroy.net; Mallory Kievman, founder of Hiccupops; and the women behind HopSkipDrive: Janelle McGlothlin, Joanna McFarland and Carolyn Yashari Becher.
Wilson has turned her once unfulfilling factory-like baking career into a passionate, baking and dessert website, providing cooks and bakers of all levels with tried and tested recipes for success.
Slater, a Chicago-based baking and punk rock enthusiast, has taken her love for vegan cooking and blended it into a forum for others to rock the kitchen! She’s even upped the ante by creating Sugar Slam, a popular pro wrestling-themed online bake-off.
Kievman is a 17-year-old high school student in Manchester, Connecticut, who decided to cure her severe hiccups with her own invention, Hiccupops. They’re lollipops made from sugar and apple cider vinegar.
The women of HopSkipDrive in California have taken the concept of chauffeuring to a new level, creating a business that allows parents to have their kids driven to activities by a professional driver, all while being tracked in real time via a mobile app.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this month’s issue it’s that there’s a market out there for an infinite number of valuable products, no matter how obscure they might seem. We just have to break out of the winter doldrums and get to work!
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