Super excited to introduce Tricia Ling of mydiylab - our newest sponsor of Hey Yeh! I met Tricia in college at a dumpling making party ..of course haha.. and immediately bonded over the love for our hometown, design, parties and food. We ended up hosting many events and parties together and kept in touch after college! I've been super inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and her energy to continuously learn.
Read on to spend 5 minutes with Tricia to find out what cool stuff she's doing and get the 20% off discount code below for some awesome goodies from her store!
My name is Tricia, and I am from Hong Kong. I graduated from Syracuse University with an Interior Design degree. After I graduated, I moved back home and worked at a vintage shop that focuses on mid-century design. I decided to quit to run an online craft supply shop called mydiylab full time.
What was it like to quit your job and start your own company?
It was scary quitting my job. It was lurking around my mind for a while when I was still working, but you know how it is when you have a full time job. It's easy to just keep putting things off. So when I finally decided to quit, opening the shop became my first priority.
What were some things you were nervous about?
I was nervous about everything - like if I'm good enough, if I priced everything right, if the photos look OK… literally everything. The final push was when my boyfriend bought me a new mac book air to show his full support. I knew I had to start.
Before I started, I did a lot of reading. I read a couple of books about selling on etsy, and many blogs on running an online shop. Those really helped me guide my way and give me a starting point.
What is your goal for mydiylab?
I want to be able to bring a well-curated DIY supply store to my customers with a friendly price. I want my products to look modern, sharp and strong. Ultimately, I want to work from home and be able to juggle family and work life.
What are you working on now?
In regards to mydiylab, I am expanding the collection to more than just paper products. I've been contacting a lot of vendors to test out new products and I am starting my own line of supplies.
I've also been looking for another creative outlet outside of running the shop, and recently discovered my love for web coding. I dived in head first, and am getting better at it!
Do you have any advice for people who want to start an online shop or go freelance?
I just want to say to anyone who is thinking about it, it sounds a lot scarier than it is. There is never a better time than now. You will never be more ready than you are now.
The first leap is always difficult, so you can ease into it by starting at your full time job. Once you have a steady stream of customers and you are ready for irregular income, do it.
Use Discount Code: heyyeh at checkout for 20% off at mydiylab!
