We were lucky to catch up with Series Thach recently and have shared our conversation below.

Series, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

Our brand provides free and affordable resources for people with a mission and consult those who are unclear of what steps to take after the “grass roots” stage. We host live zoom classes, 1:1 in person classes, and affordable virtual courses for people to advance by teaching them the pre req’s of branding and marketing. Most of the people we serve are adults from neighborhoods with failing school systems and high crime. The motivation came because I did not have teachers for 5th, 7th, and 8th grade which hindered my learning process because I did not know how to read until the age of 28 years old. After attending college for undergrad, one of the professors took his time to help me understand the fundamentals of a sentence. That same year, I launched my first business using $0 and learned how to read and comprehend business basics from Youtube and books. Our classes are easy to follow and straight to the point and teaches viewers how to build an empire from scratch using $0, and brand and market the right way. Our team members are required to enter a three month internship period to volunteer their time helping grass roots businesses build the bones of their business structure. After this is completed, a virtual course gives people the break down step by step on how to brand and market your mission to impact your audience.

Series, 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 got into the beauty industry first, at the age of 14, out of necessity. I grew up in a household where I had to pay bills and mortgages early on. My parents were refugees and at the time, self medicated themselves, so I had to raise myself as well as make adult decisions for them since the age of 8. I was able to start my mobile nail business at the age of 28 with $0, and retired from the beauty industry 6 years later. I gifted my sister the beauty company and now she runs the business and the building. I went to discover my own calling and always had a heart to help others. Although I was living in poverty and abusive home, I saw myself more privileged than the children I met back home in Asia who had no clothes nor food to eat. This encouraged me to want to help others find solutions and thrive which naturally led me to consulting. I help my clients discover their inner business wo/man using a mindfulness approach. I also help people revive their businesses that have not been structured to pivot post pandemic. I am most proud of having the knowledge and skill to teach others to get out of poverty using $0 ; it gives a different kind of hope and opportunity for those back in the hood.

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

The resilience stemmed from my parents being refugees of the Khmer Rouge Genocide which also punished them further because we are Southern Cambodians (Khmer Krom) who lived in Vietnam, or indigenous people of Ho Chi Minh City. My father was a monk at the time Vietnamese soldiers chased him out of his temple where he had to fight for his life in the war. When my parents arrived in America, I was the first born so I naturally felt the responsibility of their relying on me. I started translating English to Khmer for my parents since I was 8, grew up in poverty, and lived in a house full of abuse. I played a lot of sports growing up so that I did not have to go home. On the weekends, I’d rarely see my parent’s faces and had to figure out my life on the streets. Growing up in the streets was not easy, especially as a stand out young brown skinned Asian girl in the mix where stray bullets flew and drug transactions were in high demand. I lived in a “wild style” life abundant with violence, drugs, and alcohol and thought that was what my life was supposed to be like. However, when an ex-boyfriend nearly took my life twice, I knew that this was not the life for me. From there, I physically, mentally, and emotionally ran away from that street life at the age of 22. At this time, I am still raising myself, figuring out my own bills, and moved into my own home at 24. Still making poor choices, I decided the one good thing I was going to do is attend college and become the very first in the entire lineage to do so. From there, I learned how to read, and the rest became history. With the resilience I had, I pushed my way through poverty and literacy and got into Howard University’s MBA program just under two years ago.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A huge lesson that I had to unlearn is that my parents raised me to “limit” myself. I had to learn that it was not their fault because they came to America without any English nor help, and recently learned that there are no translators at the citizenship facilities. Because of this bridge, my parents raised me to think that I had to be a “blueberry picker” or “nail tech” the rest of my life. My parents did not know any better nor had aspirations to do better due to their ignorance. They said that as a “poor brown person,” that our place in society is to work the fields, similarly to how it would look back home in Asia. In 2018, I announced to my father that I was going to start a mobile nail business. Instead of “supporting,” he called me crazy and said “just work a regular job and pay the bills.” At first, I was upset but later realized that it’s only because he has never ever seen it done, EVER. Realizing that motivated me even more. Because I was the first born in my entire lineage here, AND the first college grad, of course as a natural overachiever I was going to start a business without having any money to my name. And ever since I unlearned limitations, I am able to create even more ideas and dreams that can positively impact society.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.baushausllc.com
• Instagram: @sareykunthea
• Linkedin: Series Thach

Image Credits
Rights to Baus Haus Network