November 2017
Since my project focuses on social enterprises in the area, I get a chance to hear a lot of success stories from socially aware businesses. However, this month, I would like to hear from a person behind those success stories which is why I decided to interview Jinah, the owner of Sunhee’s Farm & Kitchen, about the dynamics inside her business. Jinah Kim, who is 27 years old, is the owner of Sunhee’s Farm & Kitchen in Downtown Troy. In college, she studied in international studies major with minor in ethics and social justice. Besides running a restaurant, she also serves as a board of directors at Downtown Troy Business Improvement District (BID): a non-profit organization which advocates the economic growth and community improvement of Downtown Troy. At the restaurant, Jinah is responsible for overseeing the operations in the restaurant and bar, developing the education services, recruiting new employees, giving an orientation, and marketing. With the knowledge that many of her employees are refugees in mind, I asked her to explain more about the educational services. “Workplace is a safe environment to learn,” she began. According to Jinah, the interaction between the owner and employees is more than boss and workers, “it depends on the hat I’m wearing.” Jinah aims to foster long-term development of the staff and their skill set which includes language classes, computer education, dinners, and holiday parties. Jinah stresses that workplace should be an opportunity to learn and empower. On the other hand, Jinah admits that she constantly learns from her employees. “I’m young,” she said, “I get to work with people with richer experience here.” One of the most important thing she has learned is “resilience” from her employees. She explains that her employees are refugees who have overcome many obstacles despite of the fact that they have no family here or what might happen back at home. “They look at the brighter side,” said Jinah. Finally, I asked Jinah to tell me something that she valued the most in doing business. “This goes to every industry,” she started, “the people: employees, family, customers, everyone who brings something to the table.” “Be flexible when going into business” was a piece of advice from her. The interview with Jinah has put an emphasis on one of the most important aspect of social entrepreneurship: the awareness of the community in which we are in. Photo credit: Instagram @sunhees95ferry
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