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Stories

July 4, 2023

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Mai Hlee’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience and hard work.

Mai’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from her mother, who taught her life-long skills. Mai’s resilience is evident in her journey to paying off her student loans, living frugally, and raising a family of 6. She started her first online business documenting her journey on her blog where she shared savings tips to help others save too

Despite experiencing mental health challenges and social anxiety, she found strength in vulnerability and persevered to become a public figure in her community. Her tenacity and resourcefulness show that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.

THE HUSTLE STARTS EARLY

Born in a refugee camp in Thailand after her family fled the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Mai’s parents and older siblings swam across the Mekong River in the middle of the night to escape to Thailand, where they lived in a refugee camp for seven years. Mai was born in 1984 and when she was 3 years old, Mai and her family were accepted into the United States. Mai became the first in her family to receive a full public school education.

Mai learned to hustle at an early age. Her dad was a machine operator and made $6 an hour while her mother found odd jobs and became a seamstress while taking care of her and her other 8 siblings. Mai had to learn how to use a sewing machine at an early age so that she could help her mom. While she was sewing letters on college sweatshirts and hoodies alongside her mom, other kids her age were playing outside. “Now that I look back, I am so grateful for the life-long skills that my mom taught me. My entrepreneurial spirit comes from her,” Mai said.

TURNING ADVERSITY INTO MOTIVATION

When her parents were able to buy their first personal computer that she had to share with her siblings, she took the opportunity to learn how to code in HTML. And at the age of 12, she secured an internship at Ohio.com.

But despite how hard she worked, she still struggled financially in college. There was a time when she had no more than $5 in her pocket and faced the dilemma of using it to either buy gas or get a slice of pizza. You could say that she starved most days.

During her childhood, church people would knock on their door on weekends and bring giant, clear trash bags filled with donuts. Donuts that no one else wanted. It was one of her best memories as a child because she never got to eat sweets. Only to find out that all those years, she has been eating expired donuts. “I came home one night crying my eyeballs out and telling myself that one day I would never ever be poor again or allow my future children to experience what I did.”

FROM FRUGAL LIVING TO INFLUENCER SUCCESS 

After graduating from the College for Creative Studies with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007, she already had a full-time job as a Web Designer lined up for her at an advertising agency. She used the money from her job to publish her own cultural Hmong magazine, with 10,000 in circulation at its peak, and eventually, she went to work for a startup company as a Frontend Developer. She took on side jobs, building websites, designing logos, and doing photography.

When she was pregnant with her first daughter in 2011, she still had over $50,000 in student loan debt, and was paying the bare minimum. She wasn’t taught or prepared to manage her own finances and her parents worked so hard to provide for a family of 11 that even they were stretched thin.

She made a promise to herself to pay off all her loans before her daughter started her own educational path. So she started to live as frugally as possible. She sold anything she had that was worth anything, learned how to extreme coupon. She documented her journey, shared deals and saving tips on a blog and on social media. She amassed a 170,000+ following on Facebook and 50,000 on Instagram.

Before the term Influencer even became popular, she was already working with brands like Nestle, Pampers, Kellogg’s, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. She was able to make multiple six-figures in passive income from Amazon, Google Adsense, and other sources. Eventually, she was able to pay off the full amount of her student loan, and even took her kids to Disney World twice.

Just last year, Mai received two scholarships and a fellowship to attend Harvard University and Michigan State University to further enhance her public speaking and leadership skills. This year, she became an honorary Ambassador and was chosen to travel to Japan to learn about the culture, economy and its people.

FINDING STRENGTH IN VULNERABILITY

Despite her digital and online success, she was diagnosed with PTSD due to a harrowing situation that caused her to have social anxiety and mental health problems, including self-doubt. “Meeting my husband saved me. While others pointed their fingers and laughed at me, he was my protector and my biggest supporter.”

While Mai was in college, she entered a Hmong pageant and became the Miss Lao-Hmong Wisconsin in 2004 without any experience or formal training. The pageant became a platform for Mai to advocate for her community while bringing awareness to the Hmong genocide in Laos. She joined two more pageants after that but shortly after the last pageant and in the summer of 2008, Mai became the victim of a cyber stalker.

Her perpetrator used social media to harass, terrorize and sabotage her life. He had spent weeks gathering images of her, from creating a fake social media account to friending her, lifting and gathering photos of her, and making video collages with explicit messages to taunt her. 

Mai couldn’t trust anyone around her because she had no idea who it was. She just knew it had to be someone who had been watching her for a long time. She reached out to the police but they were unable to identify the cyberstalker.

One night, she decided to use her technical background in Web Design to track her cyber stalker, and the perpetrator was eventually found and arraigned. However, Mai faced backlash from her community when they found out her cyber stalker was a Hmong man. Relatives that supported her initially turned against her, and the woman she had interviewed for her magazine’s front cover dropped out. Mai’s parents were pressured by the Hmong elders to drop the case. Traditionally, Hmong girls are taught to be quiet, timid, and domesticated at an early age.

But Mai was their daughter, so they supported her. Mai had to face her stalker in court and be judged, after a year of waiting for her case to be brought to a trial because the cyberstalker did not budge or take a plea.

The case lasted one week, and the jury found the stalker guilty.

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

After a decade of healing and overcoming her anxiety and fear of being around people, she was voted by the people to be a public figure in her community. Mai now oversees a more than a billion dollar annual budget, attends conferences, public events and is proud to share her experiences with others.

Overcoming PTSD and her mental health challenges made Mai a more resilient person. After the cyberstalking, becoming an outcast in her community, and facing a grueling trial, she looked back on her life and what she went through and realized that she came out as a stronger person. There was nothing anyone could say or do that would hurt her. She had been at the lowest of the low and now, there was nowhere else to go, but up.

During the trial, Mai met her now husband, Adam. Although he knew what happened to Mai, his kindness and support for her never wavered. While everyone was quick to judge her and cast her away, he protected her.

Mai’s parents didn’t live long enough to see her success, and her husband lost his parents when he was younger, so raising their family has been challenging.

But despite all the hardships she has been through, Mai has overcome adversity and continues to thrive in her personal and professional life through hard work and determination.

“When my darkest clouds lifted, I saw just how beautiful the sunlight really was. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.” -Mai

TIPS ON PASSIVE INCOME

  1. Define your niche. Usually, it’s what you love to do or what you’re very interested in. For me, it was personal finance.
  2. Be consistent. Just like a full-time job, show up on time and schedule your tasks and get them done, consistently  
  3. Show up as your true self and you’ll build the right audience –people who are eager to know you and be in your circle
  4. Pitch to brands that you’re passionate about. I would look at things I already have in my house and look up the brand’s story, the founders, and identify what I can bring to the table to make them even better
  5. Automate or outsource anything that you don’t like to do so that you can focus on the things that spark your passion

ADVICE FROM ONE HUSTLER TO ANOTHER

Don’t ever let people tell you that you can’t do it. Don’t let people define your future. Listen to your intuition, that inside voice that is telling you what feels right. When you get rejected by clients or hiring managers, ask them what you can do to be better next time and the kind of person they’re looking for. 

Forge a different path: when people are “Zig-ing” –you “Zag.”  

CONNECT WITH MAI

Facebook: Mai Hlee

Instagram: @maihleex

Website: maihleex.com

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4 Creative Ways Trysen Kaneshige Uses Art to Keep Aloha Alive

Some artists create for attention or fleeting trends, but Trysen creates with intention, guided by a deep sense of responsibility to the culture that shaped him. Growing up in Hawaiʻi, he learned that Aloha is not just a feeling, but a way of living rooted in care, respect, and connection.

That belief now guides both his art and his creative studio, Inspire to Create Media. Through murals, design work, and storytelling projects, Trysen uses his business as a platform to protect culture while helping others share their stories with intention.

1. Reviving Local Stories Through Murals

 

Photo courtesy of Trysen Kaneshige, Founder of Inspire to Create Media

At the core of Trysen’s work is listening. On Kauaʻi, he spends time learning from residents about their histories, struggles, and sources of pride before creating any artwork. This approach reflects the values he also brings into Inspire to Create Media, where storytelling always begins with people.

The murals that follow are rooted in real voices. They transform blank walls into visual records that help locals feel represented and allow visitors to understand the island through the community’s lived experience.

 

2. Designing With Aloha in Mind

 

Photo courtesy of Trysen Kaneshige, Founder of Inspire to Create Media

Aloha influences how Trysen collaborates, how carefully he considers each element, and how much intention goes into every decision. Design, for him, is about respect as much as aesthetics. That same mindset shapes the design work produced through Inspire to Create Media. 

Whether creating branding, apparel, or custom visuals, his goal is to make work that feels warm and grounded. Each piece is designed to reflect care, balance, and a sense of home rather than fleeting trends.

 

3. Empowering Youth and Community Spaces

 

Photo courtesy of Trysen Kaneshige (fourth from left), Founder of Inspire to Create Media

Beyond client work, Trysen uses both his art and his studio to invest in the next generation. Through partnerships with schools and wellness programs, Inspire to Create Media supports projects that turn shared spaces into places for expression and growth.

By involving young people in the creative process, he helps build confidence and identity. These initiatives focus less on the final product and more on giving youth a voice and a stronger connection to their roots.

 

4. Building a Global Bridge From Island Roots

 

Photo courtesy of Trysen Kaneshige, Founder of Inspire to Create Media

While his work is deeply rooted in Hawaiʻi, its reach continues to grow beyond the islands. Through collaborations with global brands like Volcom and OluKai, Trysen shares an authentic island perspective with a wider audience.

These partnerships amplify his message without compromising its foundation. By staying grounded in culture, he shows that it is possible to connect with the world while remaining true to where you come from.

 

Photo courtesy of Trysen Kaneshige, Founder of Inspire to Create Media

 

Carrying Aloha Forward

At its core, Trysen’s work—through his art and his studio, Inspire to Create Media—is an ongoing act of care. Through each project, he honors his home, uplifts his community, and uses creativity as a way to carry Aloha forward with intention, respect, and lasting impact.

More than anything, his work reflects a belief that culture is something you actively protect and pass on. By choosing collaboration over ego and meaning over trends, Trysen ensures that Aloha is not only preserved, but lived, felt, and shared with future generations.

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📍Facebook

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  • 3 min read
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From Jackie Chan’s Assistant to Building Paire: How Nathan Yun’s Vision for Better Essentials Became a $15M a Year Brand

Nathan Yun did not start his career thinking he would one day build a consumer brand. His early years were spent on film sets and in editing rooms, learning how stories are shaped and how audiences respond to them. Working as an assistant to Jackie Chan gave him a front-row view of storytelling at its highest level. He watched how a single film could reach millions of people and create a shared emotional moment across cultures.

Yet over time, he noticed something that stayed with him. The inspiration was real, but it faded quickly. Once the credits rolled, people returned to their usual routines. That contrast made him question what lasting influence really looked like. Was it found in big, unforgettable moments, or in the small things people interacted with every day?

Paire grew out of that question, built not around trends or marketing tactics, but around everyday essentials, starting with socks. If stories could move people for a moment, Nathan believed products could shape how they lived every day.

From Film Sets to Daily Habits

Nathan came to understand that while stories stay with people selectively, habits are formed through repetition. Clothing, especially everyday essentials, plays a quiet but constant role in daily life. When something feels uncomfortable or wears out too quickly, people notice it immediately, even if they never say it out loud.

This insight marked a turning point. Nathan no longer wanted to create something people felt for a moment. He wanted to build something they could rely on every day. From the beginning, Paire was shaped around that idea.

Instead of chasing trends, the brand focused on fit, fabric, and longevity. The goal was simple: to make essentials people would reach for again without thinking.

Nathan Yun (right), Founder of Paire

Learning How to Build Before Building His Own

Before launching Paire, Nathan spent five years at furniture startup Brosa, where he learned what it takes to grow a business beyond an idea. As the company expanded from a ten-person team to more than one hundred employees, his role evolved from content creation to leading brand and marketing.

During that time, he saw how forecasting affected inventory, how data guided growth, and how pressure increased as operations scaled. He also witnessed what happened when demand moved faster than systems, and how costly it could be to build those systems too late.

Those experiences shaped how Nathan approached entrepreneurship. He did not want to build Paire on instinct alone. He wanted a clear understanding of supply chains, margins, logistics, and customer behavior before committing to his own brand.

Nathan Yun (far right), Founder of Paire

The Trip That Made the Mission Personal

The purpose behind Paire became clear during a trip to India. Away from polished storefronts and online campaigns, Nathan saw the fashion industry in a very different light. He witnessed environmental damage near production sites and spoke with workers whose livelihoods depended on high-volume manufacturing.

“That experience made it clear something needed to change,” Nathan explains. What stayed with him most was how disconnected these realities were from everyday shopping habits.

Much of the damage he saw came from clothing treated as disposable. When he returned home, Nathan reached out to his longtime friend Rex, a textile expert. Instead of launching a wide range of products, they chose to start small. The focus was on improving a single item and making it last.

Nathan Yun (left), Founder of Paire

Earning Trust Through the Product Itself

Nathan understood that values alone would not earn loyalty. The product had to prove itself in everyday life. The team spent months refining fabric blends, improving breathability, and testing durability through repeated wear and wash cycles.

Pricing a pair of socks at twenty-four dollars came with risk. Most consumers were used to buying socks cheaply and replacing them often. But once people tried Paire, many returned. Nearly seventy percent became repeat customers, not because of marketing, but because the product became part of their routine.

By focusing on quality and longevity, Nathan Yun built a $15M-a-year brand that shows meaningful change does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes, it begins quietly, through the simplest things we rely on every day.

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What the Creator Economy Really Needs in 2026

The creator economy is no longer a niche corner of the internet. It is a $250 billion industry, powering modern marketing, culture, and commerce. Yet for the creators at its core, the experience often remains unstable and fragmented. Inconsistent rates, shifting platform demands, and “gifting” budgets paired with outsized expectations have left many navigating an ecosystem that hasn’t caught up to their value.

As we look toward 2026, the industry is approaching a tipping point. Growth alone is no longer enough. What creators need now are standards, systems, and support that allow them to build sustainable careers—not just viral moments.

Below are five critical shifts shaping the future of creator work, and the standards Meraki is building to support a stronger, more intentional industry.

1. Stronger Structure for a Growing Industry

 

Photo courtesy of Vivian Kwan (center), Founder of Meraki Group

While creator content has never been more polished, the backend of the industry remains disorganized. Uneven pay scales, scope creep mid-campaign, and unclear paths to professional growth are still common. Creators are often met with constant brief changes or “gifting” requests that require high-level deliverables without fair compensation.

The gap: There is no shared structure defining fair rates, clear deliverables, or realistic timelines across the industry. Expectations are often implied rather than stated, leaving creators to absorb last-minute changes, unpaid revisions, and expanded usage. Over time, this places most of the financial and emotional risk on creators instead of being shared evenly with brand partners.

The Meraki solution: Meraki builds every partnership on clarity. Terms and rates are established upfront, expectations are clearly defined, and communication stays transparent throughout the process. By setting strong boundaries early, creators are protected from underpayment, and brands begin each project with a shared roadmap for success.

 

2. Education That Powers Careers, Not Just Content

 

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The biggest challenges creators face are rarely creative. They are structural. Pricing work correctly, understanding usage rights, and identifying harmful contract clauses remain major pain points—even for experienced creators.

Too often, creators are expected to learn these lessons the hard way.

The gap: Most creators enter the industry without access to professional guidance that supports long-term career growth. Knowledge around contracts, licensing, and negotiation is often gatekept or learned through costly mistakes. As a result, many creators stay stuck in short-term cycles instead of building sustainable paths forward.

The Meraki solution: Meraki focuses on training ethical, creator-first managers who act as true career partners. Through negotiation support and education around contract red flags, creators are equipped to think beyond the next deal and toward sustainable, multi-year growth.

 

3. Standards in Negotiation and Contracts

 

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A significant number of creators still undercharge for their work, and 26% report needing help navigating contracts. Without standardized deal benchmarks, creators are often left guessing their worth—leading to pay gaps, rights misuse, and legal risk.

The gap: Negotiation norms vary widely, with no clear benchmarks for fair compensation or usage terms. Many contracts are written in dense legal language that creators are expected to sign without full understanding. This imbalance leaves creators vulnerable to losing control of their work and long-term earning potential.

The Meraki solution: Meraki empowers creators with defined negotiation standards and the confidence to secure fair, market-value deals. By demystifying contracts and usage terms, creators can focus on their craft knowing their income and intellectual property are protected.

 

4. Work Models That Protect Wellbeing

 

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Burnout has become one of the industry’s most pressing issues, affecting more than half of full-time creators. The always-on model—driven by algorithm shifts and last-minute deadlines—is no longer sustainable.

Creativity cannot thrive under constant urgency.

The gap: Many campaigns are built around speed and volume rather than realistic creative timelines. Creators are expected to be constantly available, adapt instantly, and produce under pressure without recovery time. Over time, this erodes both creative quality and mental health.

The Meraki solution: Meraki advocates for structured planning and sustainable workflows. Campaign timelines are built to protect both creative quality and mental health, proving that high-level output does not require constant exhaustion.

 

5. Representation Rooted in Voice, Not Trends

 

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Creators are increasingly resistant to being reduced to labels or treated as trend-driven checkboxes. True representation starts with understanding a creator’s voice—not forcing them into a predefined brand narrative.

The gap: Many partnerships remain transactional, prioritizing short-term relevance over genuine alignment. Creators are often selected to fill a category rather than for their perspective or long-term vision. This leads to inauthentic work that disconnects creators from their communities.

The Meraki solution: Meraki begins every partnership by listening. By understanding each creator’s goals and vision, Meraki aligns them with brands that share their values—fostering long-term relationships that feel authentic to both the creator and their community.

 

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The Next Era: Purpose Over Pressure

As we look toward 2026, the transition from a “Wild West” to a professionalized industry requires more than just better tools—it requires a fundamental shift in how we value the humans behind the content. 

Meraki sits at the center of this new era, bridging creative passion with real professional growth. By pushing for fair standards, ethical representation, and sustainable careers, Meraki does more than manage creators; they help protect the future of creative work.wi

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  • 5 min read
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Joeydolls by Samantha Ong: A Story of a Daughter’s Search and a Mother’s Mission

Where Identity Begins

Growing up in Australia as part of a small minority shaped Samantha’s early understanding of identity. It taught her what it feels like to search for belonging, to look for pieces of yourself in the world and not always find them. Those early lessons sat quietly in the background as she moved into adulthood.

Her career began in finance, a path she chose for its stability and predictability. But creativity eventually led her in a different direction. She built a thriving wedding photography studio—one that grew from passion, long nights, and the joy of capturing love stories. It was a life she couldn’t have imagined at the start.

Then the pandemic arrived. Overnight, hundreds of thousands of bookings vanished. The business she had spent years building collapsed in an instant. And in that same period of loss, another reality weighed heavily on her: the rise in anti-Asian hate. As a mother, the headlines and the stories hit differently. Samantha began thinking deeply about the world she wanted for her daughters—what they would grow up seeing, feeling, and believing about themselves.

That led her on a simple search: dolls that reflected her daughters’ culture. But what she found were options that were limited, stereotypical, and often too expensive. It was a moment that crystallized something important. Realizing how quickly children learn about who they are, the idea for Joeydolls began to take shape—quietly, but powerfully.

Turning an Idea Into a Brand

An idea, however, is only the beginning. Turning it into a real toy brand meant stepping into a world Samantha knew nothing about. She had to learn everything from manufacturing to product design to e-commerce—starting from zero. There was no roadmap, just persistence and a mission that felt too important to abandon.

The timing made it even harder. Pandemic rules slowed communication. Shipping delays stretched out timelines from weeks to months. With very little funding, every decision mattered. Every misstep cost time she couldn’t afford to lose.

Then tariffs on goods from China jumped to 145%, and suddenly even the future of the business came into question. There were moments when it all seemed impossible—too expensive, too complex, too overwhelming for one person to navigate.

But Samantha kept going. She kept refining the vision, pushing through setbacks, and holding onto the mission that started it all. And she didn’t do it alone. Throughout the long nights and the uncertainty, she was supported by a husband working multiple jobs so she could stay focused on building the brand their daughters—and so many other children—deserved.

A Brand With a Bigger Purpose

Today, Joeydolls has sold over 15,000 dolls and earned major recognition. But those numbers only tell part of the story. At its heart, the brand is Samantha’s answer to a question that began during one of the hardest moments of her life: How do we help children grow up seeing their cultures celebrated, not erased?

Joeydolls stands as that answer—a way for children to see their cultures reflected with pride, dignity, and everyday joy. What started as a search for her own daughters became a mission to help thousands of children feel seen, valued, and connected to where they come from.

A single doll can seem small. But for many families, it’s a beginning. And for Samantha, it’s proof that representation—when created with care—can grow into something far bigger than one person’s story.

Learn more about her story here: https://www.joeydolls.com/

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