We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Wilkinson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
John, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?
I had always known that the conventional 9-to-5 job was not where my heart truly belonged. I had a desire to become an entrepreneur, and make a mark on the world.
In 2018, I had just started a job, but very quickly it became evident that the corporate environment and the tasks at hand were not aligned with my passions and aspirations. Management could clearly see that, and fired me after only working there for two weeks.
With newfound determination,I embarked on a transformative journey. I made the decision to change my lifestyle to better suit their goals. I moved in with a friend to share expenses, cut back on unnecessary spending, and focused on saving money to invest in my entrepreneurial venture. It was a challenging adjustment, but I knew that sacrifices were necessary to chase my dreams.
I started producing my own events centered around Kpop, called Kpop Nite. As fate would have it, just as I was getting started & only a few months in to hosting the event, the world was hit by an unforeseen pandemic. While the circumstances were daunting, I refused to be deterred. I used the unexpected downtime to refine my business plan, research my target market, and develop a strategy to navigate the uncertain times ahead.
Drawing upon my marketing skills and creativity, I started producing virtual events that catered to the kpop audience. I would play music videos & chat with whoever entered the chat. This is where I first got to know the people who were attending my events, and we had a ton of fun & came up with a lot of inside jokes.
As time went on, and restrictions began to ease, the events expanded beyond the virtual realm. With careful planning and adherence to safety protocols, I started hosting in-person gatherings again.
Word of mouth spread, and the audience began to grow steadily. What started as a single step towards entrepreneurship had now blossomed into a full-fledged venture. My commitment, combined with their adaptability and hard work, had paid off in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Looking back on the journey, I couldn’t help but appreciate the twist of fate that led me to be fired from that initial job. It was a wake-up call, a catalyst that pushed me to embrace my true calling as an entrepreneur. The challenges I faced, from financial constraints to a global pandemic, had only made me stronger and more resilient.
If you have a willingness to adapt, anyone could turn adversity into opportunity and create a path to success that is uniquely their own.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an event coordinator that specializes in events for the Kpop community in central Texas called Kpop Nite. During our events, we have a DJ (usually me) playing kpop music video requests, activities, performances from local dancers, and vendors selling kpop merchandise.
Earlier this year, we opened up a bubble tea food truck called Howdy Boba. We wanted to open this food truck as a place to host events, and to more frequently connect with our audience without having to worry about a venues schedule. At these events, we give away custom kpop-themed cupsleeves with drinks, make themed menus, host vendors & play kpop throughout the day. We’ve added new things to the menu, such as poke bowls, and will soon be adding desserts & boba-themed candles!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important skill that anyone can have when you’re trying to be an entrepreneur is to adapt and be persistent. Nobody has the answers, we are all guessing. I learned that pretty quickly. Even the biggest corporations are just guessing what will stick with an audience. If you’re able to adapt to things out of your control, and to what your audience’s tastes are, then eventually you will find the winning formula.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I have had several people help & guide me since I’ve started becoming an event coordinator. The owner of Sterling Event Center in central Austin, Larry, heard about my event, Kpop Nite, that was being hosted in Pflugerville at the time, and showed up to offer me an amazing new venue to host the event at, as well as helping me to develop other events with him over the past few years that have been a ton of fun, such as jazz nights, vendor markets, etc. We’re now looking to start a new business venture together helping theater productions create a fully immersive experience for their audience with themed food, beverage, pre-show & intermission activities & more.
When I was wanting to start my bubble tea business, Howdy Boba, I had never worked in the food industry, not even as a server, cashier, etc. Sitthiphat & Jason of Gotji’s Kitchen, a Thai food trailer in downtown Buda, not only offered me one of their trailers as a home for the business, but also taught me so much about the industry & have offered me an immense amount of knowledge & guidance that I can’t begin to thank them enough for. Hopefully in the future we can open a brick & mortar so we can host events without having to be at the mercy of the weather!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://howdyboba.com, http://kpopnite.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/kpopnitetx, instagram.com/howdyboba
- Facebook: facebook.com/kpopnitetx, facebook.com/howdyboba
Image Credits
John Wilkinson
