How Asian- and Minority-Owned Businesses Grow in New York City
Here in New York City, there are a couple of industries that Asians find themselves gearing towards, namely the food, education, and beauty industries. This article is an in-depth analysis on how these companies grow from the ground up and maintain that growth over the years.
The Food Industry: Wok Wok Southeast Kitchen
In high school, when I went to Stuyvesant in Lower Manhattan, this home-y Chinatown spot was a frequent place to gather after clubs ran late. It was a cozy go-to spot where classmates didn’t feel overwhelmed, and didn’t have to pay a fortune for authentic eats.
One of the most successful business strategies that Wok Wok used is: go viral among a big group of the targeted audience. This was the case because Wok Wok had actually had an offer that swept all of the Stuyvesant students and got them going back every Friday evening. They had free Thai Iced Teas if you shared their Yelp page or checked into Wok Wok on Facebook. This allowed the widespread awareness about the business and also very quickly-generated new leads.
Another thing that happened (probably accidentally) to Wok Wok was that they became a meme. This is a hit-or-miss strategy, but this was definitely helpful when students or people of a younger demographic use social media more and more, it was a funny thing to see “Was At Wok Wok Southeast Asian Kitchen” commented under people’s posts. This was another way that Wok Wok drove foot traffic to the storefront.
During the pandemic, they were able to keep their restaurant open because of the long-time supporters and fans of the restaurant. Like they mention, Wok Wok is located in a basement, so there’s not a lot of visibility, but that’s why word-of-mouth is so much more important to them. And now, all of Stuyvesant knows about Wok Wok Southeast Asian Kitchen.
Here are some tips that I’ve gathered from reading into the food industry, particularly in New York City:
Have an extensive menu catering to all different tastes and palettes of your perceived target audience.
Have a home-y vibe, ensuring that people feel the authenticity of your dishes and the story behind why you started.
Create an offer where people will quickly gain awareness of your restaurant, especially if it’s in an area of low visibility.
Do interviews and stories that get your name out there.
The Education Industry: A+ Academy
A+ Academy has been a widely used resource for students, especially of Asian descent to get access to test preparation for big exams like the SHSAT for specialized high schools in New York City, as well as the SAT for colleges. A+ is particularly well-known because they were one of the first to have these services and cater specifically to a target audience that really wanted something like this. Prep classes, especially when I was in middle school and high school were extremely sought after. After receiving results, they advertise that they were able to get “408 of [their]students access to specialized high schools.” In addition, they also have full language assistance, knowing that the majority of people seeking these services are Asian.
Here are some tips for starting in the education industry in New York City:
Finalize the niche audience. This is extremely important because A+ was really successful, meaning that there are a good amount of competitors now out on the field.
Make sure you have the proper language assistance if you’re catering to a non-English-speaking crowd! This can be the difference between closing a sale and losing a sale.
Have a few major selling points to set yourself apart from the competition.
Keep track of statistics so that your academy is more credible; this helps with maintaining sales down the line.
The Beauty Industry in General
The beauty industry is hard to break into, as with all industries here in New York City. But these are one of those areas where Asians and Asian-Americans mostly gear towards. However, these are also one of those areas that have so much to give: hair-grooming, facials, nails, hair, eyebrows, face sculpting, you name it! There are so many creative directions to take it, and you can never go wrong with selling the ideal self. Without further ado, here is how you gain traction as a startup in the beauty industries in New York City:
Sell an idea, bettering oneself, achieving an ultimate self-esteem goal. A successful example of this is Chillhouse, which made a name of itself creating beauty services, like a sauna steam room, mani-pedis, facials, and much more, all in one space.
Network, network, network. From personal experience, going out, speaking to potential customers, and learning more about others can really benefit taking your business to the next level. Five Star Beauty Supply NY Inc., a wholesale beauty supplier, is a great example, because it mainly grew from networking in Chinatown, Flushing, and Brooklyn, and has expanded into other areas too, like Long Island, The Bronx, and New Jersey, due to word-of-mouth.
Have an Instagram-worthy touch to your interior designs. You never know where that word-of-mouth could take you!
Draw attention to self-care to a whole other level. Bits and pieces of fine customer service is sure to get your name onto social platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Take it online! E-Commerce brands founded by AAPI founders like Then I Met You and Tower28 have no brick-and-mortar stores, and it shows how successful the internet can really be.
In the end, it only takes one person to spread the word in order for your business to be successful, and that all depends on you. With the Asian community especially, word-of-mouth is easy to come by, but good word-of-mouth truly is earned.
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