Alice Kim is the Founder and CEO of PerfectDD (pronounced “perfected”) and a proud member of NMSDC for the past 10 months. Alice shares her testimonial on the power of our network and the impact on her business journey.
The Power of Coffee Connections
As someone who thrives on building relationships, the Coffee Connections in-person event was invaluable. I met key players, in person, including:
- Terrence Clark, the president and CEO of NYNJMSDC who immediately offered to personally send my caps statement to his contacts.
- Dora Reddick, the master of ceremonies – what would I do without her reminders?! She feel like an extension of my team, always helpful and responds right away!
- Trung Tieu, the ultimate connector and cheerleader, who nominated me for this opportunity!
ALL of whom opened doors I was unaware of. Being a part of the community is great but learning how to navigate the vast resources is half the battle and if you reach out, people are there to help. I was also able to meet with other small biz to learn about their journey and connect with them to collaborate!
The Wirecutter Article & Selling Out
One of the most exciting moments for my business came when my T-Shirts were featured in a NYTimes Wirecutter article. Almost overnight, we sold out of our inventory! While that success was thrilling, it also brought challenges—managing customer expectations, coordinating with the factory on restock, and handling the unexpected volume that 10x our revenues.
At the time, I was a part of WeAmplify and my mastermind group helped me navigate thru this growth. I’m an overachiever and signed up to WeThrive at the same time so learned the EOS system to best lead and hire a team. Overwhelming but I needed guidance in these areas and these programs couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Value of Community
I can’t emphasize enough the value of community because the members truly want to see each other win. Fun story, someone from my mastermind group was at the NYNJMSDC Business Opportunity Exchange Conference that I didn’t attend. She pitched her business to a corporate member (Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts) and he was honest that they were not procuring for her services. So she took the time to pitch my business instead knowing that I wanted to get into the hotel industry for uniforms. Fast forward, I had the call with MGM! Who knows where this will lead but it got me one step closer to achieving my dream and scaling to new opportunities.
What makes this network special is the spirit of sharing knowledge and resources. We celebrate each other’s wins, push each other to grow, and offer support on the tough days. As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to feel isolated, but here, I’ve found a community that genuinely wants to see each of us succeed.
I know I’ve only scratched the surface of leveraging this community but I can say already say: it’s transformative. The relationships, opportunities, and support have been instrumental to my growth as a business leader and entrepreneur!
For more information on PerfectDD, please visit: https://perfectdd.com/ or follow them on LinkedIn and Facebook.