Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ly Thuy Mai. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ly Thuy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Am I happier? In general, absolutely.

Becoming a business owner is hands down the best decision I’ve ever made—I know this is what I’m meant to be doing.

But no one is happy every single day running a business. That’s just reality.

This ‘job’ is filled with uncertainty, constant problem-solving, and moments where you’re just trying to figure out how to get over the next hurdle.

Happiness isn’t the best gauge of success in entrepreneurship, because this lifestyle doesn’t come with the things that naturally ease stress—like stability, predictability, or a guaranteed paycheck. And you don’t always get to do what you love most. But what it does come with—is the opportunity to have what’s most important to you— for me, that’s freedom, flexibility, and the ability to create something on my own terms.

Over the last nine years—juggling multiple businesses, single parenthood, and all of life’s chaos—I’ve learned that entrepreneurship isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle.

The real question isn’t “am I happy as a business owner?” but “am I happy with how being a business owner supports my life?”

When this lifestyle aligns with your personality, your risk tolerance, and your season of life, it feels right. But when those things are off—when you’re raising a newborn, dealing with financial stress, or just burned out—entrepreneurship can feel horrible.

The times I questioned it the most were in the early years. The instability of not having a paycheck was terrifying. I had never had to create my own structure, set my own deadlines, or hold myself accountable to deliverables because in a traditional job or school, those things are given to you—you just follow the system.

Suddenly, I had to build the system from scratch. Everything was a learning curve, and that’s when a steady job seemed most tempting. I missed the paycheck, the built-in structure, and the sense of community. But all of those struggles forced me to create those things for myself.

Then, in 2022, after the pandemic shut down my business, survival mode took over. I spent nearly two years raising my son as a single mom, relying on unemployment and food stamps, and trying to keep everything from falling apart. I was burned out and had nothing left to give my business, so I stepped away and took a ‘regular job’.

At first, it felt like a relief—the steady paycheck, the structure, the stability. But within five months, it became clear: I had outgrown it. After years of working for myself, making decisions quickly, and adapting on the fly, going back to rigid systems and someone else’s expectations felt suffocating.

The lack of flexibility was impossible to ignore—something as simple as getting my son on the school bus at 8 a.m. turned into a daily stressor because my boss required an 8 a.m. check-in. I was constantly trying to fit my life into a mold that no longer worked. Walking away wasn’t scary—it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.

Entrepreneurship isn’t always easy but in general, it’s always made me happy.

Ly Thuy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I got my start in marketing through event planning. Event planning actually goes way back to when I was a kid— I was always the one throwing talent shows for the neighborhood or helping to plan prom in high school, or parties in college. In my early career, I helped restaurants host events, and eventually, I landed in corporate conference planning. It was something that felt natural to me—I’m the oldest of four siblings, so organizing was just in my DNA.

But what I didn’t realize at the time was that the success of my events wasn’t just about the planning—it was about the marketing and promotion. I was great at creating buzz and getting people excited about the events I was working on. That led me to realize that my true passion was in online marketing.
When I hit a ceiling in my corporate career and couldn’t move into marketing, I decided to make the leap. I had been thinking about starting my own business for a while, and the lack of growth in my job pushed me to start thinking about finding a new job.

But after seeing so many young mothers in the corporate space struggling to find the freedom and flexibility they needed made me realize I didn’t want to be in that situation when I eventually had kids. So, I decided to create something for myself, and that’s how my business started.

After four amazing years of event marketing, I shifted gears and rebranded into digital marketing. This was a natural transition, as it had always been my background.

I had been helping others with digital marketing projects for years, and I quickly realized that my true passion was in helping women in business. My clients, many of whom were just like me, were the women I had always been eager to connect with.

Now, I help them with their marketing so they can grow their businesses and feel confident doing it. I provide them with the tools and strategies they need to succeed and ge their names out there.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I’m still unlearning—is to stop being a people pleaser.

I grew up in a culture where young girls were expected to smile, behave, and show respect—people-please no matter what. In many ways, I appreciate the social skills it gave me, but the downside was that boundaries and trusting my own gut weren’t taught.

Over the last couple of years, this lesson has really shown up as I’ve started working with more competent, more established clients. These clients know exactly what they want, and they’re going to get it.

As a business owner I’ve had to unlearn a lot of people-pleasing tendencies and stand up for myself, my process, and my team—even when I know it might cause some friction with clients.

Most of the time, these conversations end up being real and genuine, but sometimes, it’s meant letting go of a client or figuring out how to end a contract early.

It’s not always pretty, but what’s been powerful is that every time I stand up for myself and let go of the urge to make everything nice and peaceful for everyone, I feel grateful and strong.
It’s like I’m moving in alignment with what I know is right.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

This may sound like an odd answer, especially since I’m in the business of online marketing and sales, but I can honestly say that the best source of new clients for me has always been face-to-face networking.

What I help my clients do is build their online presence through Instagram, email marketing, and funnels to get more clients, and while these systems work really well for me and my clients, there’s something about in-person connection that can’t be beat.

There’s just something powerful about someone being able to meet you face-to-face, feel your energy, and decide for themselves if they believe in you, your business, and your services.

It creates this waterfall effect—either they feel comfortable enough to become a client, or they become aware of what you offer and start sending referrals your way.

This method of purposeful networking, relationship-building, and genuine connection has been a tried-and-true source of growth for my business.

Every time I’ve had a big growth spurt, it’s always been tied to meaningful, in-person connections.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.7thirtycreative.com
• Instagram: @itslythuy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lythuymai
• Other: Instagram (Agency) : @7thirty.creative
  Instagram (In-Person Events) : @empowered.her.collective