We were lucky to catch up with Lina Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Like most people, if you are thinking about stepping outside of the social norms, it can be a bit unsettling. You can’t really predict the future, and in all honesty, many self made businesses never reach self sufficiency. Having a good plan and a fair amount of emotional as well as financial backup can mean the difference between making it, and falling flat. Not everyone is cut out to do there own thing, and it’s probably best to figure out ahead of time which side of the street you’re on.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Born in Perak, Malaysia and raised in Penang, Malaysia. I moved to the U.S. about 22 years ago to marry my husband, and to be perfectly honest, at that time I was not much of a cook. My background was in mechanical engineering and I worked for 15 years for a German Engineering company in Penang Malaysia which was rewarding, but not really what I envisioned myself doing as a lifelong occupation.

A good deal of gratitude goes to my husband who never ceases to amaze me with so much love, encouragement, and support that he gives me. When things get rough he’s the one that continues to push me and let me know that it’s okay to hit the reset button and start over if you have to. I also want to shout out to my family in Malaysia as they are my biggest supporters throughout my culinary journey, and are very proud of me and that makes me feel amazing.

Last but not least my 28 year old daughter deserves a good deal of credit for my success. I suppose in retrospect, if I had one person to thank for my success it would be my daughter as a driving force. Now that she is a young woman and having her own life and success, I am grateful that these lessons of dedication have carried over.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I lived in Malaysia many years ago I had a 9-5 job working for German Engineering Company. It was good to have a steady income in those days as I had a young child and needed the security. Eventually I moved to the states and never really felt the need to take on a regular job. I did grow a bit weary of not having a regular pattern to fall back on and so I explored a couple of ideas as to how to make an income, including importing Malaysian tie-dye and catering for parties. As it sometimes takes time to figure out what is going to work for you, and I enjoyed the idea of hosting parties for friends we knew, that lead to the idea of making sauces, pastes and bake goods with a Malaysian flair!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Everyone who creates their own occupation knows that they will need to seperate themselves from the competation. It’s the most important part of “owning” your business. It is a good idea to come to this “ah ha” moment in the beginning, so you will have the best chance of succeeding. For myself, I decided to make authenic Malaysian sauces/pastes/cookies for the Malaysian people living in the U.S. At first I did not know if I would be completely unique, but as time wore on, I realised I had made the right choice.

Contact Info:

• Website: My website is under construction at the moment. I can be reached via email at [email protected] I typically respond within 24 – 48hrs.
• Instagram: Jars of Joy by Lina / mrs.lina.thomas
• Facebook: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/lina-thomas-192
• Twitter: https://x.com/jarsofjoybylina
• Youtube: mommylina.newyork
• Yelp: Lina T.
• Other: TikTok: mommylina.newyork

Image Credits

Image credits: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas