We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Payal Lohia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
PAYAL, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
My journey into creating this platform started in a pretty relatable way. You could say I’m the designated organizer among my friends and at work – you know, the one who always knows where to go and what to eat, no matter who’s in the crowd. A few years back, my obsession with finding the perfect spot led me to create an elaborate Excel file. It wasn’t just any list; it included everything from dietary-friendly menus to parking situations, price points, and even whether our furry friends were welcome. It worked great…until it didn’t.
As life took me to different cities and adventures, the list grew cumbersome, and the dream of a simpler solution was born – somewhere over the clouds on a flight, scribbling down what would become the first draft of my business plan, I realized my knack for organizing data could actually fill a gap in the market.
I also understood that far too many of my friends, like myself, were struggling and frustrated with the inconvenient & cumbersome ways to find a cost-effective place to socialize.
HHQueen.com was born from my genuine desire to streamline the search for the perfect happy hour.
What excited me most about this venture was the idea of offering a clean, easy-to-understand approach that combined convenience, accessibility, and thoughtful guidance.
I believe in a better way to unite us over great food, amazing deals, and the joy of discovering new places together. I strive to create a community where individuals can find places tailored to fit their unique lifestyles. So, whether you’re planning a night out with friends, looking for a cozy spot that caters to your vegan diet, or just in the mood to explore, I created HHQueen for YOU.
My goal? To ensure you spend less time searching and more time enjoying the moments that matter.
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?
My name is Payal Lohia and I’m excited to share more about myself and how I got here! With a background in digital product development, partnerships and project management, my professional journey has been comprised of designing innovative, customer-centric products that solve operational problems and generate new revenue streams. I’ve worked at Capgemini, DIRECTV and AT&T to name a few companies — more details on my LinkedIn!
I have always lived at the intersection of technology & innovation and I believe that is the reason that I’ve always been drawn to creating solutions for everyday problems — enter HHQueen! It truly did start with a problem too often encountered by my friends, family and me. I believe my ~20 years of work experience had prepared me to handle all the aspects of being an entrepreneur while also humbling me to show me that I had so much more to learn!
When I’m not working my 9-to-5, I spend my time volunteering with organizations & serving on Boards that are working to drive impactful changes in the areas of mental health, animal welfare and domestic violence. One of the accomplishments I am most proud of with HHQueen is building a brand that fosters genuine connections and encourages positive change. While HHQueen.com is a digital service enabling easy access to happy hours at your fingertips, I am proud to use my platform to bring people together and give attention to causes that make the world a better place.
It’s incredibly rewarding to see how HHQueen positively impacts our clients’ lives! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us! Please check out our upcoming events on Instagram and do not hesitate to message me to get involved.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I believe in the power of continuous learning and personal growth. Every morning when I take my rescue dog, Penny, for her morning walk, I listen to a short podcast filled with positive affirmations. I believe in harnessing the power of positive thinking. The two in rotation at the moment are MyCBT with Dr. Julie Osborn and Affirmation Meditation Podcast with Bob Baker. I take in their words and when I hear something that I know I would like to be better at believing about myself, I write it on a post-it and stick it on my bathroom mirror. I look at those positivity-filled notes when I’m brushing my teeth and this might sound cheesy, but now I believe those things about myself. You know what you’re doing is working when even strangers comment within minutes of meeting you that “you look happy.”
I say all this because for me, it translates directly to how I think (and perform) as a leader & build teams in my corporate positions but also all my entrepreneurial endeavors.
From an execution standpoint, I like to listen to podcasts centered around scaling businesses and growing sales. The stories & lessons of accomplished business leaders helps me refine my sales techniques and social media strategies but also emphasize adaptability, resilience, and the importance of vulnerability in leadership. Here are a few podcasts I have in rotation, providing valuable insights and practical advice to help me thrive: The Game with Alex Hormozi, Networth & Chill with Your Rich BFF, Acquired (Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal) and How I Built This (Guy Raz).
By integrating the lessons learned from these resources (and more!), I’ve been able to build a business strategy that prioritizes empathy, innovation, and authentic leadership.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Building a social media presence is an ongoing journey for me and HHQueen. While it is an essential component of growth, my primary focus has been on developing a strong product that can stand on its own and I have been securing solid partnerships in parallel. This strategic approach ensures that our brand grows authentically and sustainably.
For those just starting to build their presence on social media, my advice would be to focus on creating genuine value and meaningful content that resonates with your audience. When I started posting early on, the content that showed my authentic personality had the most engagement. The second most engagement was on content I collaborated on with businesses that had a loyal & engaged follower base. My collaborations to-date have always aligned with my value system which continues to showcase more and more of who I am. I partnered with the LA Kings hockey team to organize DEI events and hosted happy hours afterwards; I partnered with city of Sacramento to promote their Sunset Sips summer happy hour series; I partnered with HIT Living Foundation animal rescue to host an adoption “yappy hour” because that is how I got my start into fostering dogs and happy hours are more fun with dogs :) These are just a couple examples of events that helped me grow not only my social following but also my email database and my clientele.
While social media is important, ensure that it complements other growth strategies, such as building a compelling product and forging key partnerships. By doing so, you can create a well-rounded approach that doesn’t solely rely on social media for success.
On this topic, follow us at instagram.com/hhqueen.official
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hhqueen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hhqueen.official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hhqueen.official
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/91368545/admin/dashboard/
- Other: TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@hhqueen.official
