(Applause)
I have learnt so much and discovered myself. I reconnected with my roots and I remembered how happy I am peeling shallots. I discovered that YOU like Thai food like how I like it; it took me 6 years living in the United States to discover that. I have also found some confidence to be true to myself.
[Picture of food cart]
This is what my food cart looked like when I first got it, it was listed on Craig’s List for 800 Dollars, anyway I ended up paying 1300 for it and it was filled with old kettle corn bags that were there when the owner showed it to me.
(Laughing)
So that’s the first memory of being a food cart entrepreneur, empty Kettle corn trash.
I have this idea of making something really, really welland chicken and rice was my choice. I saw some potential in it; I also wanted to be different. It makes sense to me in Thailand to do one dish and you do it really, really well and you can make a living out of it. So I would come home every day and make chicken and rice, chicken from a different market, I used different rice and I tried to perfect the sauce, all in my kitchen apartment. I didn’t even know if it was going to work but I tried it anyway. None of my family members are entrepreneurs so when I told them about starting my own business, no one supported me. I used all the money I have got, it’s not JUST chicken and rice….. when you come to buy my food, I want to make sure that you are happy, comfortable and also fast, not fast cooking but fast service.
In the beginning all I would do is try and perfect chicken and rice and a year and a half later I have learnt that to be successful, just making chicken and rice is not good enough. I had to learn other things too like how to run a business. Like it or not I have to be a leader and people started calling me “Chef Nong”.
(Applause)
I used what my mom taught me…… to give first. You give and then you will receive, respect your customer and never forget to smile. I made a lot of mistakes being an entrepreneur……. it wasn’t easy. I have 19 incredible people in my team and without them I am no one.
What I have learnt is that what got me here today is that I always wanted to be perfect, I have learnt now that I will never achieve that, in fact I am so far away from it but the journey is incredible. The more interesting part is that I find it never ends; the bar is always higher and higher. No matter how bad the situation you are in ……..believe in yourself…… believe that you can do it and more importantly do it.
One day if you get the opportunity make it BIG, make it more than what people expected and you might be surprised at the outcome.