PPB October 2020

says Ho. “We said ‘yes,’ and we dabbled a little bit on the distributor side. At the same time, a lot of distributors like Lee Wayne Corporation [now HALO Branded Solutions] and Geiger reached out at a time when CDs and DVDs were still popular, and we actually signed up as supplier.” In 2013, the couple sold their CD and DVD business to a local competitor. They were ready to move on fully into the promotional products industry. “We took a year off, and we thought about what we could do,” says Ho. “We thought that there is always going to be a company that wants to put their logo on an item; it might be different types of items, but there’s always going to be a demand for promotional products.” Garuda Promo and Branding Solutions opened in January 2014 as a minority and woman- owned business. For Ho, the most enjoyable part of the job is the people he meets, especially those through some of the business networking groups of which he’s a member. “I like to network, meeting people and tying it into the business, too. In my inner circle, there are industries I am not exposed to,” says Ho. “For example, before networking, if you needed to talk to a lawyer, you’d spend $500 an hour, but with networking, I can learn and ask them questions, ‘What type of product would you like to receive?’ So, I am actually doing research while I’m networking. I have access to lawyers, plumbers and doctors, and each of them has a different mentality.” In addition to running his business, Ho also serves as an ambassador for two local chambers of commerce. “Now whenever I have a challenge, problem or I’m struggling in the business, I can reach out to the chamber,” says Ho. “Also, with the chamber, I have learned about opportunities and possibilities for business within the city of LA. By knowing how the money moves, I know which industries are doing good and which industries are not doing so good.” Ho’s biggest challenges now are the current government regulations on imports. “I like to buy within the U.S., but especially with my background and my last name, customers want to go oversees for a better price,” says Ho. “But finding clients the right option for what they are looking for is always the most challenging aspect. Sometimes, I have to bring them back to the table because all they want to talk about is price. I’ll tell them about the golden triangle: either you have the price, the turnaround or the quality, and you can only pick two.” Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, Ho travels to Hong Kong every summer to look for what’s new and popular in promotional products, and to bring those ideas back to the U.S. “I look at different industries to see what they’re using that we don’t have in the U.S.,” says Ho. “In 2013, it was power banks, so I contacted the manufacturer and they were not yet in the promotional products industry. During Christmastime in 2014, we had a lot of orders for fancy and unique power banks that you don’t see here. With my background, I want to look for uniqueness mixed with other cultures.” PPB spoke with Ho to learn more about how he connects with his community and clients. PPB Tell me how your experience as a sound engineer and former owner of a production company influences your day-to-day work. Ho Since COVID, I think it all comes together. I’ve been a sound engineer, [I was] trained for that, and worked in a recording studio. During my time in the CD and DVD business, I worked with a lot of film directors, so I learned a lot of tricks in video production. Since COVID, a lot of people have had a hard time doing video marketing. If you are on social media, the number of videos there have skyrocketed, and I’ve started doing our own video marketing. I started a show on Facebook called the Small Business Show where I interview people I’ve met through networking who are successful entrepreneurs or experts in their field. For example, I know a style and wardrobe expert, and I asked her how you should dress and represent yourself on a Zoom call, and that was our most popular video. With the contacts that I have and the know-how that I have in audio and video, I am able to put together that show with the best of my abilities, and I am using it to also market our business. PPB When did you get certified as a kettlebell instructor, and in what ways does this improve your life and work? Ho I got certified in February 2019. Always into fitness, I actually trained for a little under a year for the certification. What “Finding clients the right option for what they are looking for is always themost challenging aspect. Sometimes, I have to bring themback to the table because all they want to talk about is price. I’ll tell themabout the golden triangle: either you have the price, the turnaround or the quality, and you can only pick two.” | OCTOBER 2020 | 93 CONNECT