Overcoming Rejection and Staying Motivated with Vivian Chen

Vivian Chen was always meant to be an entrepreneur.  Growing up in an American Midwest immigrant family, Vivian discovered her passion for business at an early age coupled with a natural sense of urgency and ambition, channeling these traits to find work in the fashion and beauty industry. But when her friends started venturing into tech, Vivian found it immensely difficult to follow suit; during this period, she submitted over 150 applications with no responses.  The challenges she encountered throughout her many job hunts led Vivian to create Rise and Heyo; two startups that help professionals across a variety of industries to make connections, showcase their abilities, and find meaningful work. In this conversation, Vivian talks about creating her own playbook as a woman of colour that has helped her to secure funding. We also cover the most important tips for increasing your productivity as an entrepreneur by embracing the freedom of working for yourself, and how to overcome unique challenges commonly faced by visible minorities in the startup space. Learn more about Rise and Heyo.SPECIAL OFFER for our  listeners! Companies, get 1 free job post on Rise. Email hello@joinrise.coIn this episode, we cover:The unique entrepreneurship challenges faced by visible minoritiesChanneling pressure as a child of immigrants to succeed as an entrepreneurThe importance of adopting a growth mindsetThe top tips in Vivian's playbook for persisting through periods of rejectionWhy your company shouldn't be a reflection of youQuote of the Week:“I've stuck to my guns in finding people who believe in me. [Securing funding is] about finding the unicorn who will want to be on my side." - Vivian Chen  Hosted by Katherin Vasilopoulos. Made by Cansulta and Ethan Lee.Music by © Chris Zabriskie, published by You've Been a Wonderful Laugh Track (ASCAP). Songs used in this episode include: "Air Hockey Saloon," "Cylinder Three," "Short Song 012323," "You Fiddle, I'll Burn Rome,"  "I'll Stay Here Tonight," "The Oceans Continue to Rise," "Out of the Skies, Under the Earth," "Pick Up a Convict On Alcatraz."Used under the Creative Commons 4.0 International License