 Welcome to Beyond the Lines. I'm Rusty Komori. We broadcast live on Mondays from the Think Tech Hawaii TV studio in the Pioneer Plaza in downtown Honolulu. This TV show is based on my book also titled Beyond the Lines, which is about leadership, achieving and sustaining success, and finding greatness. His guest is Emma Woh. She was crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 2008, and Miss Hawaii USA in 2015, and she is a very successful entrepreneur. Today, we are going beyond pageants. Emma, thank you for joining me today. Thank you so much for having me. How's everything been? Very well. Yeah? I want to know about your youth when you were growing up on Oahu. Can you tell me about it? Absolutely. So I was born and raised here on Oahu. I had a really kind of normal, I guess, childhood, but I was in tons of activities. So everything from AYSO to Girl Scouts and selling those cookies, and I competed in volleyball growing up as well, and piano, and voice lessons, and I was kind of in everything. So yeah, I had a great upbringing here in Hawaii and loved every minute of it. Fantastic. Now, when I was growing up in my room, I had a Snoopy tennis poster, and the thought above Snoopy was it doesn't matter if you win or lose until you lose. So I know I'm a very competitive person. Are you a very competitive person? I am a pretty competitive person. I think in volleyball that kind of brought that competitive spirit out of me. And you know, I wasn't quite good enough at volleyball to play in college, but then I found pageants, and that kind of brought that competitive spirit out of me as well. So I was able to compete in that too. Great. Now, I know that you went to Scripps College in California. Why did you choose Scripps? Well, aside from it being a really wonderful school to go to, it's a great All Women's Liberal Arts College in Claremont, California, but I kind of didn't want to go to Scripps because both of my older sisters had gone there, and I was like, I'm going to carve my own path. I don't want to go to the same school that they went to. But then I would visit them on trips, you know, spring break or fall break or whatever it was. And it was such a beautiful campus. The classes were exactly what I knew I wanted to do. I majored in media studies, which has a lot to do with where I am today. So I think it was a great fit, even though initially I had a little bit of skepticism. Now, did you do any graduate schooling or did you get your master's degree? I did. So I actually just moved back to Hawaii in October about of last year. And prior to that, I was living in New York City, getting my master's degree in marketing from New York University. So that was a wonderful experience and so cool to live in New York City, the fashion capital of the world as well. Now, your parents, Buzz and Kitty, are great, amazing people and incredibly successful. What are some important things you learned from them? I mean, we only have 30 minutes, so I don't know if I can go into everything, but I guess one thing would be there's just no substitute for hard work. I think that they always taught me, you know, pursue your education was the most important thing. So yes, even though I played sports and yes, I did all these other things, I always came first. So whether it was undergraduate studies and they really encouraged me to go get my master's degree, which I'm super grateful for, you know, hard work is key. Now you're the youngest of three sisters. Yes. Tell me about the special bond that you have with your sisters. Yeah, well, I'm so grateful to have two sisters, especially two older sisters because they could kind of, they did everything before me and I could learn from not only their successes, but also their mistakes, small mistakes. But, you know, I could learn from them and they've been kind of these two built-in role models in my life and they're so different. We're all so different, which is the funny part, but kind of learn from them as I went. So it's great. Now you're the granddaughter of the legendary Maurice Sullivan, who is the founder of Foodlands. Can you share with me about how he was as a person and his legacy? Yeah. Well, I think that so many people knew my grandfather for his entrepreneurial endeavors, but I just knew him as my grandpa and he actually passed away when I was eight years old. So I didn't get to know him into my adulthood, but what I knew of him was he was just such a kind person and he really followed this, you know, do unto others as you would want unto yourself kind of mentality. So he was so giving and he was such so involved in different charities and the Rotary Club and the Hawaii Rotary Youth Foundation and so many things that I try to kind of still stay involved in today just to kind of keep a piece of him in my life and of course Foodland is still alive and well and doing really well today. So it makes me really proud to not only be his granddaughter, but it encourages me to be successful because I know that so many people in my family have had these great careers and great businesses. So it sets a high standard for me for sure. Oh, definitely. Now, Foodland has been around for over 70 years now. Yes. Why do you think Foodland is so successful to today? I think maybe two things. One is that we are a family company and still family owned today. So I think that people in Hawaii want to support local and they want to shop local. And if you want to shop local in Hawaii, you know, at a supermarket Foodland is the place to do that. So we definitely have so much community support. And then secondly, I just think that the company has evolved with the times we just opened a store a couple of years ago. Foodland Farms at Alamwana. I love it there. I love it there too. They have great pre-made food and everything like that. But yeah, I just think that adapting to the times and listening to what people want has helped the company really grow. Awesome. Yeah. Let's shift to pageants now. You won the Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 2008. Yes. Why did you enter that pageant? My mom and I have conflicting stories on why I entered the pageant. I mean, it was so long ago now I almost can't remember. It was like 11 years ago. So I think I just wanted something new and I wanted something different and I wanted to flex my muscle a little bit in the pageant space. And I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, really, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't know any of the girls competing. I didn't even know all the phases of competition, but it was a kind of fun thing for my mom and I to prep together on. And then the personal transformation that I went through, preparing for Miss Hawaii USA and then preparing for Miss Teen USA was like addicting. I mean, it was so cool to be so empowered, especially as a young woman who was just finding her way in this world to develop those confident skills and interview skills and things like that. It was addicting. And I think it's why I decided later on to run in the Miss Hawaii USA pageant as well. So what what kind of insecurities did you have and what did you end up learning about yourself through that teen pageant? Yeah, I learned so much. Not only those public speaking skills, I mean, now I can walk into a room and I'm not scared to do public speaking and I'm not scared to do a job interview or something like that. One of that I was previously so terrified of. I mean, growing up, I was pretty shy and pretty introverted, I would say. So those skills are definitely something that I learned through competing in that Miss Hawaii Teen USA pageant. And then also, you know, the friendships that I gained through the pageant. It sounds so cliche. You know, people are like, I don't not doing pageants to make friends, but you are though and you make you meet so many people that are like-minded and have similar values to you. And those are just invaluable to me still today. You OK, so you had a goal of wanting to be Miss Hawaii USA. Right. What what? Tell me some insight into your pursuit of this goal. Yeah, so I wanted to be Miss Hawaii USA because I think that that feeling of personal transformation that I experienced when I was trying to be Miss Hawaii Teen USA. Again, it was so addicting and I wanted that feeling again. And not only that, but I wanted to meet new people. I wanted I had just moved back to Hawaii from completing my undergraduate degree. So it was a nice, you know, kind of reentry into the Hawaii community. But actually the first time I ran a Miss Hawaii USA in 2013, I did not win that pageant and I came in second runner up, which is actually another gift, I think. To to not win something that you work so hard for is really an important lesson to learn. And I actually went back and realized, oh, you know, there were X, X and X that I could have done differently. And then I went back and did it. And I think that when I finally won, it made it that much sweeter. Resiliency is a great thing for everyone to have. Absolutely. As Miss Hawaii USA, what kind of platform did you have and how did you help people? Yeah, so in Miss Hawaii USA, you don't need a official platform that you run on. But there are so many things that I had the opportunity to do once I had won the title and before one of those things was Dress for Success with the YWCA. And because I have this passion for fashion, it really made that cause so relevant to me. So what we did was help to style women who were getting ready for their first job interview after having kids or some time in their life when they needed a little bit of guidance. And that was really fun for me because it mixed fashion with giving back. And that was a great cause for me to champion, I think. And then also working with the Susan G. Komen Foundation and we did a lot of feeding at soup kitchens and things like that. And just the variety of organizations I got to work with was so rewarding. Sounds like those experiences are priceless. And, you know, I mean, so positive. Now, would you encourage other young women to enter pageants? Absolutely. I think without question. Why? I think it's because, again, the personal transformation that you go through. Recently, we were just chatting about Miss America and how they removed the swimsuit competition from their pageant. And I was kind of bummed because I think that getting on stage in a swimsuit is such a terrifying thing that you work really hard to get fit and to get healthy and in shape. And just the pursuit, just the act of being on stage in a swimsuit is overcoming some kind of fear. And that's what pageants are all about is here's this really scary thing and I'm going to prepare and then I'm going to overcome it. And I'm going to do so awesome that it's going to make me feel amazing. So I think the pageants are not always about winning that crown, but about the personal work you need to do to get there. And so when they eliminate certain phases from competition that are so important to personal growth, it makes me a little bit bummed. But the Miss Hawaii USA pageant still has it and the Miss USA pageant still has it. And I think it's important. I had Alicia Michioca as a guest last week and she's, you know, the owner of the Miss Hawaii USA pageant. And it just seems that, you know, for her winning her pageant and then becoming extra, you know, successful since then. And then for you winning these pageants and then becoming more successful after that. I mean, it's kind of like a pattern is going on here. Well, I don't think it's by coincidence. You know, I think the pageants, they teach you all these really real world skills. Public speaking, job interviews, sales skills, you know, all these things that you really end up needing in your career. Sales. Sales. Yeah. Alicia mentioned about how, you know, girls have to sell tickets and things for the show as well. Yes. When I, I was big on selling because I thought that it'd be important to have a huge crowd of familiar faces. You were in the crowd when I won. And I still can remember hearing you cheer me on. I think I was the loudest, right? I think you were. I think we all decided that you were. And I was proud to be the loudest. And I think I sold the most tickets of any contestant that year. And I really felt it. And it was awesome. And then you also sell ads in the pageant book. So you have to reach out to local businesses and ask them to support you. And all those selling skills, I think, are so important later in life when you have to ask people for a paper. Now, since you won the pageants, you know, you're a very, very successful model. You're very photogenic. How do you, how do you like the modeling industry? Well, I will say, I like to call it a joke that I'm a little bit semi-retired. Because, you know, just celebrated my 10-year high school reunion. You know, I'm getting up there. But it's wonderful. I think that the relationships that I've built through modeling, not just with fellow models, but with brands, with companies, with my agent and everything like that, has been so rewarding. And it's just fun. It's really fun. What type of modeling do you like the best? I mean, there's so many different types of modeling. But what type do you like the best? My favorite is runway, hands down. Because I think that it's so fun. You feel like you're giving a performance. I can't dance. I can't sing. But I can walk. So that part is really fun for me. It feels like I'm performing for a crowd. Awesome. Yeah. Well, we're going to take a quick break, Emma. And then we're going to get into why you're so successful as an entrepreneur. You are watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii with my guest, Emma Wu. We will be back in 60 seconds. Do you want to be cool? Watch my show on Tuesdays at 1 called Out of the Comfort Zone. I sang this song to you because I think you either are cool or have the potential to be seriously cool. And I want you to come watch my show where I bring in experts who talk all about easy strategies to be healthier, happier, build better relationships, and make your life a success. So come sit with the cool kids at Out of the Comfort Zone on Tuesdays at 1. See you there. Hello, I'm Cynthia Lee Sinclair. I have a show called Finding Respect in the Chaos. It's all about women's rights and gender equality. It's a place for survivors of abuse to come on and tell their stories. And a place for advocates to come on and share important resources. So that people can get past the abuse and into the hope and healing that's on the other side. I hope you'll join me every other Friday at 3 o'clock for Finding Respect in the Chaos. I'm Cynthia Lee Sinclair on thinktecawaii.com. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines. I'm Rusty Komori. In case you are just tuning in, my guest today is Emma Wu. And she was crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA in 2008 and Miss Hawaii USA in 2015 and is a very successful entrepreneur. Emma, thank you so much for being here and sharing all of those things about the pageants, the insights to it. I wanna focus now about your success as an entrepreneur. You have a passion for fashion. I do. And I like saying those words, passion for fashion because of you. And you've worked at Vogue Magazine in New York City. Share with me the experiences that you've had working at Vogue. Well, I actually interned at Vogue Magazine for one summer while I was in college and talk about a dream internship. I mean, I was between my junior and senior year living in New York City as a 21 year old and I don't think it gets better than that. So I was actually interning in the fashion closet. So what we would kind of be doing was we'd be trafficking samples. So things would come in from different designer brands and we would take pictures of them and just retain an inventory. But by doing that, I got to see all these beautiful gowns and pieces and from time to time, they would allow us to come on a photo shoot. So I still remember going on a photo shoot with Carly Kloss who's a major supermodel and just being completely starstruck and awestruck by the experience. So I actually caught a couple glints of Anna Wintour as well. I would kind of take the long way around the office and just see what she was up to. And so it was just a wonderful experience that I will always cherish. What else did you learn from interning at Vogue during that summer? I learned that in New York, you have to work your butt off. Yeah, there's just, I mean, like I said, there's no substitute for hard work. You really can't skip any corners in New York City. And there were so many other interns that I interned with as well that I'm still friends with. So I was able to take away some really cool friendships with people that were also passion for fashion. So yeah, it was a wonderful experience and I'm really glad to have had it. And yeah, it was cutthroat for sure. If I didn't do something wrong, they told me. And that was good. Honest feedback. Honest feedback. I'm all about honest feedback. In my book, I talk about honest feedback. I don't give good feedback or bad feedback. I give honest feedback. But it's meaningful because whoever you're talking to, they're going to know that it's real, whatever you're saying. Absolutely. Now since Vogue, after that experience, you also worked at E-News in Los Angeles. How was that experience? Working at E-News is also a great experience. I went to school in Claremont, California. So I would have to do, because it was an hour away from LA, is I would wake up at five in the morning and I would drive in rush hour traffic all the way until anyone who's lived in LA knows that traffic is terrible. So I wanted it that badly. I would drive two hours into the city and then I would work for a full day and then I would drive two hours back to Claremont. And I just wanted to be in that environment. That was kind of around the time where I thought I wanted to be in broad-capital journalism. So I would kind of shadow E-News. And at the time, it was Julianne Oransic and Ryan Seacrest talk about a dynamic duo. And so it was just really cool to get inspired and learn what that environment is all about. And I didn't end up going into traditional fashion role or I didn't end up going into a broadcast journalism role, but anyone who asked me about those internships, I say, do everything. See, finding out what you do like is just as much about finding out what you don't like. And while I did like those experiences, there were certain parts that go, okay, I liked that part of it and maybe I didn't like that part of it. So I did those two internships and I also did seven more. And so it was all about finding out not only what you do like, but what you don't like to do. You really have a lot of experience in, you know, work and hard work. Now, what other internships did you do, just if you can name maybe one or two more that you've done? Yeah, so I not only interned for my family's company, the Sullivan family of companies. I worked at PBS Hawaii, KITV4, MVNP all here in Honolulu. And they were fantastic experiences and I can't say enough good things. I think that it's so important to have great mentors and that's a great way to find them is through internships. Well, I know that a lot of young women now who entered the Miss Hawaii USA pageants and the teen pageants, they look up to you as a mentor and as someone that they respect. And I think that's a great thing. Now, you are the owner of thealohababe.com. Yes. What is that? Can you share with the viewers what that is? Absolutely. So thealohababe.com is my personal style blog and I share everything from makeup tips to outfits of the day to what have you, my thoughts on life itself. So it's just kind of a platform that I use to share my life and share my thoughts and it's wonderful. Actually, the reason I started a blog was because my sister, Liza, kind of encouraged me to do it. She had followed up a bunch of other blogs and she was like, you can do this. And I think that in life, if you don't have the experience for a particular role that you want, you can create it. And so part of creating my blog was in order to get an internship at Vogue. I knew I wanted to work at Vogue Magazine in the fashion capital of the world and I created that experience by journeying my personal style story through my blog. And then when I applied to Vogue, I actually put my blog in my cover letter and I don't know if they viewed it or not, but I would like to think that they saw my real true passion for fashion. Well, you know, how many followers do you have on that blog right now? Do you know how many? I do check my unique visitors from month to month. On Instagram, I have more than 60,000 followers on Facebook. I think I have a couple thousand on Twitter as well. So it's definitely growing. I'm putting a lot of time into it now that I'm back here in Hawaii. And it's so rewarding. I've met so many other fashion bloggers and influencers through it. I'm able to connect with them through direct message or email or these things. And it's a wonderful community to be a part of. I noticed because I looked at your Instagram and it's over 60,000 followers, like you said. That's fascinating. In addition to being the owner of the alohabebe.com, you also recently started your own marketing company. That's correct. What type of marketing do you specialize in? And can you share with me some of those details? Absolutely. So it's called Aloha Social Co. And we specialize in social media. What else? I mean, I've learned so many tips and tricks and strategies growing my own social media accounts that when I moved back to Hawaii, a couple of previous PR clients said, hey, Emma, do you have any capacity to run our social media? And I said, actually I do. And took that opportunity and kind of started from there. So we started with just one client and now we have over 10. So I think that in the last nine months, it's been such an adventure. But I think that anyone can start their own business. You just have to find that one thing that you're super passionate about and that you have the skills for. And it's going great. I'm so happy to be doing what I'm doing every day. In the taxi industry, people were complacent with taxis. And then all of a sudden Uber and Lyft comes along. And it just kind of shakes things up and kind of improves things. Now, a lot of traditional marketing companies, they might be complacent. But you have all this fresh energy, this, you know, just all these experiences that you've had with social media and everything. How do you think potential clients would want to connect with you with your new marketing company? That's a great question. Well, we only specialize in social media. Oh, wow. At least right now. So we're going super niche. I think that a lot of other companies, they do it all. And they are great at so many different things. But we have narrowed down to the one thing that we think we're the best at. So we live, eat, and breathe social media. And I think that because of that, we really drill down to the things that can make a huge impact for brands. So, you know, engagement is huge. So we've developed these strategies that we can really get engagement way through the roof and way above the average. So I think that by focusing on just one thing, it's allowed us to really grow in that space. And also the power of social media is so huge. I previously worked in public relations and sometimes you go through the media in order to get your message out to consumers. Now you can start a social media channel of your own and you can go straight to your consumers with your message and not just once a month but literally every single day. So I think it's such a powerful tool and we've only scratched the surface of what social media can do. I think people are going to buy things on social media. I think that there's so many new avenues that social media is going to take. So we're just keeping an eye on it. You're an expert in social media. How has social media helped you? Social media has helped me greatly. I mean, social media is a way that you can tell people about your personal brand. Whether or not you have social media or not, you have a personal brand. So why not take the reins of that and tell people exactly what you're all about? So I think it's allowed me to tell my own story, speak in my own voice. People don't have to wonder what I'm doing because they can just check and I'll tell them. So it's a way for you to kind of champion your own personal brand and tell your story. I wanna ask you one more question, Emma. What is your biggest accomplishment so far? That's a great question. You have so many. I have a couple of things I'm really proud of, not only my pageant titles, but starting my own business being the most recent thing I'm excited about and my degrees from Scripps College and NYU. But I think the thing I'm the most proud of actually is my personal transformation. I know not everybody knew me as an awkward 15-year-old girl, but for me, my transformation from adolescence all the way into adulthood, now owning my own company and being a little bit fearless too, that fearlessness that pageantry gave me, I think that's what I'm most proud of is the transformation that I've overcome and that I can see. Yeah, that's amazing. It's incredible to see the growth, your growth tremendously through the years. It's really amazing. And you've accomplished a lot of great things and I believe you're just scratching the surface of many more great things that's along the way. But I really wanna thank you for being with me today on set. It was awesome. Do you have any final words? I don't, I just thank you too. Thank you as well for having me on. It was such a pleasure and I'm so excited to be here. Great, thank you, Emma. Thank you, Rusty. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. I'm Rusty Kamori, reminding you to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Until next Monday, aloha.