At the age of 10, Jenny Woo became adept at deciphering nonverbal social cues, a skill she honed out of necessity after immigrating from China to Houston without knowledge of the English language. Her ability to connect with her peers relied heavily on what she now identifies as emotional intelligence (EQ), observing their body language and tone of voice to understand their emotions and reactions.
Over the years, Woo transformed her EQ talents into a successful career, working for esteemed corporations such as Deloitte and Cisco, where she specialized in training managers on effective communication strategies. She also dedicated time to managing her children’s Montessori school in Southern California.
During her pursuit of a master’s degree at Harvard University in 2018, Woo took a significant leap by investing $1,000 from her savings to launch Mind Brain Emotion. This venture focuses on selling EQ-oriented card games on Amazon. According to CNBC Make It’s review of documents, her side business generated $1.71 million in revenue last year, with an estimated 40% profit margin.
Balancing her side hustle with three other income streams—lecturing at the University of California Irvine, offering an online EQ course, and providing freelance business consulting—Woo’s weekly workload fluctuates between three to 30 hours, depending on the season. Her diversified revenue streams afford her the flexibility to disconnect completely when her children are at home.
Woo, now 42, emphasizes her mission to democratize knowledge, skills, and attitudes for widespread accessibility. Yet, she also views her ability to support her children as a crucial measure of success.
Reflecting on her decision to operate as the sole founder, Woo cites her past experiences in the corporate world and at Harvard Innovation Labs, where co-founder dynamics sometimes led to discord. Maintaining control over her schedule and decisions, particularly as a parent, remains a priority.
Looking ahead, Woo envisions scaling her business globally as her children grow older. While she acknowledges the eventual need to delegate and expand her team, she emphasizes the importance of selecting individuals with the right skill set.
Addressing the replicability of her side hustle, Woo asserts its accessibility, noting the nominal cost of a professional Amazon seller account. However, she underscores the importance of mastering advertising campaigns, and SEO tactics, and staying abreast of platform updates to stand out among the millions of products available.
Woo also reveals her strategies for advertising, including keyword targeting and leveraging competitors’ platforms. Despite generating less revenue, she diversifies her sales channels by also selling through Walmart, Faire, and her website.
With five degrees and a decade of corporate experience under her belt, Woo offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs without similar pedigrees. She emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and self-motivation, drawing from her own experiences of overcoming language barriers and setbacks to cultivate resilience and perseverance.
