September 21, 2019 MEETING
September 2019 Meeting: Kevin Yu Discusses Business and “The Itch”
An itch is a curious thing. A frustration that never goes away, at least, until you scratch it. At Yes’s September meeting on Sunday, Kevin Yu talked about his own experiences and how to make a successful product and company. Mr. Yu zoned in on two big ideas, the first being an itch, and the second being learning to incorporate the pillars of your life into your business.
Kevin Yu is the founder of COREGAMI, a very successful formal dress wear company. The clothes he makes are revolutionary, combining the fabric from sportswear with the fashion of formal clothes. But how did he get here?
The answer, according to Kevin Yu, is to find a problem that concerns you specifically and work to fix it, like scratching an itch. Kevin has been a long-time member of an orchestra, and, as he recounted, he would always be sweaty and uncomfortable up on the stage in the bright hot lights in the densely packed orchestra hall. His solution was to create a form of formal wear that utilizes the fabric that sportswear does, allowing him to create more comfortable yet stylish fashion wear.
His process of starting his business was a long one, one that starts from when he first joined the orchestra. It wasn’t easy. Mr. Yu told stories that painted both his failures and successes. He would often get rejected but he would “keep calling” until someone heard him out. his perseverance guided him towards creating the products that compose of Coregami today.
His journey through the orchestras from the University of Texas at Austin to a professional level all influenced his thought in creating this product, as without those years of experience within the orchestras, he would never have thought about such a solution.
His years playing the violin has become a key component of his life, and as Kevin Yu explained, one must try to incorporate their experiences in life in their work. All his experiences, from traveling to love have influenced how he works. His example of an orchestra serves as one of his main ideas about how one must blend life and work seamlessly. The audience was encouraged to think about what concerns THEM, and how they can harness it to incorporate what they create into their daily lives.
Nearing the end of the meeting James Huang, a leading YES sponsor, introduced the logical ideas behind business mission statements and goals, and a new project mirroring the popular show Shark Tank. The project encourages YES members to come together and work to create products that could potentially be groundbreaking in the future. The Youth Entrepreneur Society thanks Kevin Yu, James Huang, Sam Shao, and everyone who put in their hard work for this amazing opportunity for our students.
