Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Kim. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
David, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
Life is extremely hard. Everyone goes through their own personal battles, and we never know what others are going through internally. Seeing everything through a negative lens will just make your day-to-day life harder. Why not have some optimism?
Even though many parts of life, we have no control over. I choose to optimize the parts that I can control and by being optimistic I can hopefully live a more fulfilling and happy life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hi! I am an enthusiast about all things business operations. I am currently a mangement consultant helping large corporations improve business performances, a milk tea cafe (Boba Republic) operator, and a realtor that provides the perspective of an investor!
I have undergraduate degrees in finance and history as well as an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin and have worked in small business operations for over 7 years consecutively. I treat operating a business as an art and always look to improve my craft daily. With that comes many failed projects and ventures but at the same time comes with a tremendous amount of experience and relationships over the years.
I am one of the rare entrepreneurs who absolutely love their full-time W-2 job! I enjoy the work that I do and love the very nature of a W2 job. Entrepreneurship can be lonely and also extremely anxiety provoking while a great W2 job can provide a sense of community and comfortability.
The best part of entrepreneurship however is the ongoing relationships you develop with employees as well as clients. To see employees develop skills and grow their careers and to see clients achieve their financial investment goals makes all the long nights and weekends worth it!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Self Awareness. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, but not everyone’s own ideas of themselves match the ideas that others have for them. It is extremely important to have your self-awareness be accurate and complete. Whether that comes from a mentor or a very honest group of friends, it is essential to be accepting and not be defensive when hearing of unattractive traits of yourself!
2. Empathy. If you have ever been in the hospitality industry, then you understand how you must treat all concerns and feedback from clients and customers. Part of understanding is being empathetic. Employees expect employers to be upfront and transparent. Clients expect vendors and contractors to be attentive and responsive. Treating both parties with empathy will go a long way.
3. Promptness. There will be many changes and failures in life. Being able to notice failures and make prompt changes will be crucial, especially in a small business setting where your livelihood might be dependent on it! Even though long-lasting changes do take time, it is imperative to make plans and initiate those changes in a quick manner.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
One skill that I am currently working on is the skill to delegate properly and efficiently. I knew this was an important skill that I am solely lacking and have made it a priority to improve.
I’ve knocked out 30 minutes every day to work on work instructions (video recordings) on routine tasks that I complete. I have not been as consistent as I’d like to be, but this will be a big point of emphasis for myself personally for the 2nd part of 2023!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.davidjoonkim.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidjoonkim/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidJoonKim
