Contact

Stories

June 9, 2024

SHARE:

In today’s digital age, the online world is filled with countless content creators and influencers, all trying to make their mark. Yet, only a few manage to create real impact, and Zoe is one of them.

With over 3 million YouTube subscribers under the name “zoeunlimited,” Zoe has built a dedicated community through her insightful content on fitness, fashion, dating, and navigating the complexities of girlhood. Her work has even caught the attention of celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, who stated that she watches Zoe’s videos all the time. In just 14 days, Zoe doubled her subscribers from 1 million to 2 million, when she was creating videos as a hobby outside her 9-to-5 job.

Read through as we learn more about Zoe’s secrets to success as she shares it in detail with Asian Hustle Network.

ABOUT ZOE

I am a multiformat creator navigating girlhood with my Gen Z and Millennial community. My goal is to encourage women to tap into their unlimited potential by thinking critically via my pop culture video essays about beauty, fashion, and confidence.

I grew up in China and Canada and came to LA initially to study Business Economics at UCLA. The different cultural environments I grew up in gave me broader perspectives on the various pop culture topics I’m interested in and inspired me to share that vision with the unlimited community to learn and grow together.

ZOE’S JOURNEY AS A CONTENT CREATOR

Growing up, I’ve always been artistically driven and drawn to creative mediums like fashion, film, and fine arts. Scared of becoming a “starving artist,” I didn’t pursue fashion and studied Business Economics instead, but I always felt like something was missing.

I was very fortunate to discover YouTube as a creative outlet after college and began documenting my life in video format. I always make videos on what I’m interested in at the moment, which was a lot of fitness, college, and even CPA content at the very beginning. Throughout time, I discovered that the central theme of all my content revolves around growth – in becoming fitter, healthier, more confident, more reflective, and so on. My community of mostly women feels like a precious friend group to me and I realized through interacting with them, that many of us are going through similar challenges in our girlhood and there’s much more to share and discuss than just my personal journey.

With that, I began creating my video essay series that served as a discussion ground to think critically about topics many could relate to, including beauty standards, dating, and fashion. Girlhood is such an intriguing and confusing experience in the modern setting, and I just hope to create a community where women feel seen, heard, and not alone when encountering the ever-changing concept of how to be a modern woman. I don’t have the answers but I hope to create a safe space for all of us to explore and reflect!

RAPID GROWTH AND STRATEGIC SUCCESS

Although part of the growth (growing subscriber count from 1M to 2M in 14 days) was extremely rapid, the story before the lift-off was a consistent grind of weekly uploads for 3 years as a pure hobby. The tipping point always feels exciting and amazing, but what truly felt rewarding was 3 years of building something I love.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AND CELEBRATING MILESTONES

I’d say one of the biggest challenges was the lack of initial support and understanding from my family. It was painful for me to see something I love doing creating a chasm in my relationship with the people I love, but I’m grateful that we have cleared past misunderstandings and grown close again. I’m so grateful for the community that stuck with me as well as my closest friends who believed in me even when I had a lot of self-doubt, especially during the years I felt judged and not understood.

BALANCING AUTHENTICITY AND PRIVACY

I love and respect the people closest to me and want to protect their privacy as much as possible online. When it comes to my own journey, I believe my community comes with a good heart, and I see them as good friends I can confide in. So even when it comes to moments that aren’t the most glamorous and the failures I’m not extremely proud of, I do want to share that experience if I know someone can benefit from it by feeling less alone or could simply learn from the mistakes I’ve made.

That’s the goal with my Healing Diaries series, where I share some of my biggest struggles including my health, mental health, and dating. I hope to normalize talking about uncomfortable topics and reduce any shame or guilt for anyone going through a similar experience.

BUILDING “UNLIMITED THOUGHTS” AND A COMMUNITY

The most rewarding moments are the ones when I get to meet my followers in person and learn about their journeys and goals. I’m beyond grateful for a community of kind and driven women who have allowed me to tag along with them on their growth journeys. Some are in college, some just landed their third job, some are going through heartbreaks, and some are creating amazing art and inspiring many people including me.

It was really sweet when a subscriber told me how one of my videos in the “Unlimited Thoughts” series inspired her to write a final paper that got her an A. That brought me way more joy than hitting my personal milestones. The love and passion for turning ideas into something that others can enjoy watching and perhaps benefit from, make all the blocks and times of doubt worth it.

WINNING A SIX-FIGURE INVESTMENT FROM CREATORDAO

I had a major imposter syndrome moment because I entered the contest without expecting to win.

It was a huge encouragement to be more confident in myself as a creator and a wake-up call to think bigger. An advice I’d share with other creators is to trust that you are way more capable than you think. Do not limit yourself.

LOOKING AHEAD

I wish to continue improving my storytelling and critical thinking as a creator to bring hope and joy that people can feel and pass on.  

Whether it comes to future content projects or a brand that I launch, I wish to uplift my community and support them in building their self-confidence and identity. I’m excited to explore many more unfamiliar areas in content I haven’t tapped into yet, including podcasting, to challenge and expand my own limits.

A MESSAGE OF REPRESENTATION AND EMPOWERMENT

When I first began making videos about pop culture, I felt a little out of place given the limited AAPI representation in beauty, fashion, and entertainment. It is exactly for this reason that I must show up more in this space to bring my unique narrative shaped by my multicultural experience of growing up in China and Canada. 

Authentic self-expression cannot occur without bringing forward the full self, and that includes our beautiful heritage, no matter what that is for each individual. As Lucy Liu said at the Gold Gala “You never know how far just a little bit of support can carry you.”

It resonated with me so much because I cannot imagine how far I’d come without that initial bit of support. I hope to be that supporter for my community and help them break out of their previous limiting beliefs.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It warms my heart to see more and more women and members of the AAPI community daring to dream big, not just in content creation, but in all facets of entrepreneurship. I hope to use my platforms to further support these creators and entrepreneurs, who are sharing the spirit of breaking limits and redefining what’s possible.

CONNECT WITH ZOE

YouTube: zoeunlimited

Instagram: @zoeunlimited

TikTok: @zoeunlimited

LinkedIn: @zoeunlimited

Related Articles

Image Source: Social Bella

News

A Millennial’s Gamble Pays Off As Her New Beauty Product Line Has Just Raised Over $225M

When the pandemic struck, all Chrisanti Indiana wanted to do was help her family and create jobs in her community.

Nonetheless, as the pandemic worsened, each day appeared to be a gamble. She gambled on her dreams, created her employment opportunity, and risked everything for her family because she had no safety or security options.

The Indonesian co-founder, and chief marketing officer of Social Bella, surprised everyone by taking her successful online store offline. In 2019, her online beauty and personal care store, Sociolla, already had two physical locations in Indonesia. It currently operates 47 outlets in Indonesia and 16 in Vietnam, making its earnings multiplied by ten by the end of 2021.

It started after Indiana had finished her studies in Australia in 2015 when she moved back to Jakarta, where she conceived the idea for Sociolla.

Chrisanti found that Australia was a great place to stock up on her favorite cosmetics because of the abundance of international brands. There couldn’t have been a bigger contrast with Indonesia.

With a combined $13,000, Indiana, her brother, and a close friend founded Social Bella to provide customers with access to legitimate goods and services.

“Since we started, we ensure that we only work with authorized distributors or brand owners,” Indiana said. 

The three founders of Sociolla had bigger plans than just building an online store. They have expanded beyond offline stores to become a global beauty and personal care product distributor. In Indonesia, they also became an associate partner for numerous international brands.

‘We want to ensure that we are scaling up and reaching more and more consumers. If Social Bella becomes a unicorn, it’s a bonus.” – Chrisanti Indiana shared with CNBC.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: DoorDash

Blogs, Development, Ideas, Stories

What Separates DoorDash Founder Tony Xu From The Rest Of The Tech Billionaire

Learn more about Tony Xu, the co-founder, and CEO of DoorDash, the most extensive service in the US for delivering food. Xu is a Chinese-American tech billionaire who has worked for eBay and PayPal in the past, but he attributes his current success to the experience he gained working as a dishwasher.

DoorDash went public in December 2020 after being co-founded in 2012 by a group of excellent Stanford University students, including Xu. Today, the platform has more than 6,000 employees and more than half the market share in the food ordering and delivery industry. Company earnings for 2021 were reported to be over US$4.8 billion.

Xu shared that he once felt discriminated against when surrounded by other entrepreneurs who were different from him. As the sole Asian-American cofounder of the company, he proudly and responsibly accepted the challenge. He is aware that there are not nearly as many Asian-American CEOs or other types of founders, so he remains a minority throughout this setting. He believes it serves as a gentle reminder always to recognize that and to maintain a lowly but humble attitude.

Not only has Xu found success with DoorDash, but he also serves on the board of directors for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and was named to Fortune’s 40. He is also a huge NBA fan, leading to DoorDash becoming the league’s first official food delivery partner.

As of 2022, Xu’s net worth was estimated at US$1.3 billion, placing him at #2,190 on Forbes’ list of billionaires.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: Paulo Chun / NBC News

Stories

Fifth-generation Entrepreneur Reimagines NYC Chinatown Landmark While Preserving Cultural Traditions

Even though times are tough and New York’s Chinatown is on the verge of dying, there is one place where things appear to be mostly the same as they have always been.

Since Mei Lum started volunteering as a child, Wing on Wo & Co has been run by her family. Brilliant and creative heritage enterprises have withstood generations of economic ups and downs. Mei represents her family’s legacy and New Yorkers and future generations of Chinatown residents.

The 32-year-old fifth-generation owner has bigger plans. Mei revived Wing on Wo’s late-19th-century ambiance. The store was a meeting place, credit union, and informal post office for low-income Chinese employees during the Chinese Exclusion Act.

She wants to run things because she has always wanted to expand the store’s conceptual boundaries. “A business doesn’t have to be so economically driven. There can still be genuine connections, which sustain a community,” she told The Guardian.

Wing on Wo is still primarily run by the original family for over a century. For 30 years, Mei’s father Gary has chatted with clients at the counter. Lorraine, her mother, handles the website and order processing. Her 105-year-old grandmother, Nancy, promotes the store’s hand-painted wine cups, fish-shaped glazed vases, and elegant dinner plates on Instagram.

In 2016, her grandmother intended to sell the family-owned porcelain specialty shop, which was worth close to $10 million. Mei took over the business to preserve it and create a community hub. She was planning to study international relations at Columbia University, but she now wants to run the family business. She wanted the store to be a hub for activists and artists to fight gentrification and displacement.

As a result of the pandemic, Mei decided to focus her efforts on online sales, digital advertising, and social media. To ensure that the business is preserving tradition and shaping the future of Chinatown, she has added several new initiatives, such as youth programs, an artist residency, and a ceramicist fair.

  • 2 min read
Image Source: Korina Sanchez Youtube Channel

Stories

This Street Vendor Selling “Magic Water” Proves That No One Is Too Small To Be Successful

Priscilla Cornejo, better known as Nanay Bebe to the local people (“Nanay” means mother in Filipino), has been selling her magical water to the community since 1980 in the Philippines. She is convinced that her drink’s distinctive flavor is why so many customers seek out her business.

Magic Water, or known to be its local term “Samalamig” is also recognized as a leading refreshing drink in the Philippines. Despite coming from modest means, Nanay Bebe makes it her mission each day to quench the thirst of those hungry for success.

She explained that her drink is not just ordinary cold water. It has clear agar, sugar, mineral water, and tons of ice. When the agar hits the ice, it tends to melt, creating the ‘magic water,’ that will surely quench your thirst. 

Her business may not look like much compared to big companies or restaurants, as she only sells on the street, but it has tremendous growth potential. Nanay Bebe sells her magic water for PHP5 or PHP10 ($0.08 or $0.17) in small plastic bags, cups or some customers even bring their own Aquaflask or tumblers. From what she described, weekly earnings for her business could reach PHP35,000 ($600).

An endless line of curious onlookers from the street awaits to sample Nanay Bebe’s magic water. Many online publications, including those dedicated to food and social news, have featured it. Even today, some people attempt to duplicate Nanay Bebe’s traditional drink formula.

  • 2 min read