Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Yang Luo-Branch, founder and president of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses, the first Arkansas-Asian Chamber of Commerce in the Natural State. Yang shares about her experience as a first-generation immigrant from China and overcoming struggles that many immigrants face, such as public speaking and adjusting to an individualistic society. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Grace, and Yang discuss what it means to be a global citizen, create meaningful connections through conversations, and how problem-solving is a lot like eating with chopsticks.
Show Notes:
(1:12) Introduction to Yang Luo-Branch
(1:51) About the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses
(8:13) Yang’s Origin Story
(10:51) What’s Next for the Arkansas Association of Asian Business
(14:04) The Association’s Reach in Arkansas
(18:41) From Global Citizen to Northwest Arkansas Resident
(21:11) Being Welcomed in Northwest Arkansas
(24:44) First-Generation vs Second-Generation Immigrants
(27:02) Global Challenges
(32:38) Tangible Outcomes of the Association
(38:40) Advice to Younger Self
(39:24) Closing Questions
Links:
Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses – join the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses newsletter here!
Quotes:
“We have an analogy in my culture—we use chopsticks to eat everything, right? The rice, the noodles, the soup, whatever. We just have this mindset of problem solving and using chopsticks to eat everything versus using different shapes of knives, you know, utensils. Very specialized. So that’s how I approach things in life, too, I feel, doing art, doing nonprofit, doing data analytics at Tyson which is the company I work for. To me, it’s just approaching life. Solving life’s whatever needs to be solved and if I can play a role in this whole context, I feel I’m pretty lucky.” – Yang Luo-Branch (10:24)
“We have members writing to us long paragraphs telling their stories from east Arkansas, from south Arkansas, from north Arkansas, definitely outside of these population-dense areas. They just feel passionate about, ‘Hey, there’s something like this existing in Arkansas.’ And they care about us in south Arkansas, too.” – Yang Luo-Branch (14:59)
“I think global citizen, I mean it sounds fancy or sounds like a big word, but to me it’s really just making the best of living wherever you are, wherever you find your place on this earth. That’s just about participating in life wherever in the world. That’s my definition of it. So, today I find myself in Northwest Arkansas, you know, with my husband and my daughter here and all my family is still in China, so what do I do? I need to participate in life in Northwest Arkansas. And I feel probably many residents in this area share that same kind of attitude, no matter if they’re local or from other parts of the world. I think my message would be, ‘Hey let’s all come out and let’s all give back and we can all bring something to the community and make the most of it for ourselves too.’” – Yang Luo-Branch (18:41)
“If I can help [immigrants] to create a channel out to help them connect their little enclave or bubble with the rest of the community who’s so willing to help, if I can be that channel, I’m willing to.” – Yang Luo-Branch (24:54)
“Personally I feel there should be more talks between people to people connection, community to community connections, the geopolitical things. I can see why on an intellectual level but I feel we’re missing out if we just stop talking to each other, if we just stop socializing because the ‘big guys’ are not playing along very well.” – Yang Luo-Branch (28:50)
“Every connection starts with a conversation, so I just see people get connected on LinkedIn due to our event, or people write thank you notes to us and say, ‘Hey, we’ve carried on the relationship after your initial introduction.’” – Yang Luo-Branch (33:40)
Connecting Arkansas and Asia in Business with Yang Luo-Branch
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Yang Luo-Branch, founder and president of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses, the first Arkansas-Asian Chamber of Commerce in the Natural State. Yang shares about her experience as a first-generation immigrant from China and overcoming struggles that many immigrants face, such as public speaking and adjusting to an individualistic society. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Grace, and Yang discuss what it means to be a global citizen, create meaningful connections through conversations, and how problem-solving is a lot like eating with chopsticks.
The Arkansas Association of Asian Business Origin Story
The main goal of the Arkansas Association of Asian Business is to connect and relate Arkansas and Asia. When Yang started the association five years ago, it was out of a desire to create a mutual support group for people who had a similar background as her. Being a first-generation immigrant, there were cultural differences that held her back in the western culture. Therefore, Yang wanted to establish something that would help others navigate that cultural adjustment.
Currently, there are numerous Asian countries represented in the Arkansas Association of Asian Business including but not limited to China, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Russia, and India. The great thing about the association being located in Arkansas is that it has a lower population than most states, which makes it manageable. What’s next for the association is to continue to be a part of the conversation so they can start scaling strategically and obtain funding.
Integrating into a Community as an Immigrant
When it comes to immigrants being included in a society, it takes two parties to make that happen. It takes the migrants themselves and the hosting community. And an amazing thing about Northwest Arkansas is that it’s known for its welcoming culture and the ability to make people feel like they belong. The NWA community as a whole is great at having empathy for individuals who are moving to the area and is more than willing to help in any way they can.
“If I can help [immigrants] to create a channel out to help them connect their little enclave or bubble with the rest of the community who’s so willing to help, if I can be that channel, I’m willing to.” – Yang Luo-Branch (24:54)
Moreover, even though an individual from another culture is accepted into the community, it doesn’t necessarily mean they have an easy road ahead of them. It’s common for immigrants not to speak English, which deprives them of a social life with native English speakers in the community. However, oftentimes, they are able to form tight-knit connections with people across the country who speak their language. Because of this, they have a way of handling life in America that’s not widely perceived by outsiders.
Connect with Us!
Do you consider yourself a startup junkie? Join the conversation by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services?
English 
Spanish 
Korean