We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Echo Zhan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Echo, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In June of this year, I made the decision to quit my design job at a tech company to pursue building my lighting brand, KĀDNS, full-time. It was my first job after graduation, offering me the chance to experience design roles within a large corporation while providing the financial stability to support product development for my lighting designs on the side.

For a year and a half, I balanced both “jobs”—working in tech while simultaneously building prototypes, collaborating with factories, and showcasing my designs at trade shows and design fairs. Throughout this period, I learned a lot about the lighting industry, got a sense of market reactions to our products, and understood how much more effort it would take to make the brand succeed.

When I finally decided to quit, it wasn’t so much about knowing exactly what I wanted to pursue, but rather knowing what I wasn’t willing to give up. I could live with the uncertainty of leaving behind a stable career path and financial security, but I couldn’t live with the thought of never fully testing the potential of my lighting designs and the brand I deeply believe in—simply because I didn’t have the time or energy outside of my 9-to-5.

Echo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I studied industrial design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where the education was primarily project-based and very hands-on, allowing me to truly learn by doing. Along the way, my passion for designing experiences that foster emotional well-being became clear. I also discovered the magical power of prototyping, which later became the heartbeat of my design process.

“Revolve” was one of my final projects in school, marking my third attempt to incorporate the goal of fostering mental health into a design. Drawing insights from people’s experiences of fatigue and stress due to spending extended periods in the same environment during COVID, I designed a peaceful moving light. This light serves as a gentle reminder for people to pause, take a breath, and find their rhythm. This project planted a seed in me to continue designing experiences that encourage and assist people in taking care of their emotional well-being.

Now, my friend Viola Huang and I are building a lighting brand KĀDNS. The name of our brand, pronounced as “cadence”, is rooted in the belief that everyone has their own unique rhythm amidst the noise of the world.

Using light as a medium, Kādns blends technology with artistic expression to help people transform their spaces into environments that resonate emotionally with them.

We believe lighting has the power to transform a space, evoking a range of emotions—from calm and joy to curiosity and beyond. At Kādns, each light is born from a unique feeling. We hope that when people welcome our light into their spaces, they invite more than a tangible object; they embrace the emotion woven into the illumination.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I would recommend the book <Build> by Tony Fadell. It’s an honest, fact-based guide on how to create exceptional products, build a meaningful career, and grow a company. The book provided me with invaluable insights into product development—reminding me that even the most obvious principles can be easily overlooked in the chaos of building something new. There’s always so much happening, and Fadell’s advice helped me stay grounded.

I highly recommend this book to designers, entrepreneurs, managers, or anyone early in their career looking for practical advice on how to navigate their professional journey.

One of my favorite quotes from the book, which really resonated with me, is about choosing your career: “The best way to find a job you’ll love and a career that will eventually make you successful is to follow what you’re naturally interested in, then take risks when choosing where to work.”

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is when the audience connects with the story you’re trying to tell through your product. When people feel the emotion you’ve embedded in the design, that’s when it truly resonates. The greatest reward comes from seeing others connect with your creation on a deeper level—it’s that shared experience and understanding that makes the whole process worthwhile.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kadns.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kadns.co/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/echo-zhan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ooohce

Image Credits
Louise Huang, Bryson Gill, Viola Huang, Echo Zhan, Michael O’Neill