WomenCo.

WomenCo. Professional Woman of the Week (Archive 3)

Name: Rachel Cho

Role / Company: Rachel Cho Flowers Location: New York City, NY

1. How did you get where you are today?
I grew up helping my mother at her flower shop during holidays and vacations and always had a appreciation for beauty and flowers. After gaining work experience in various industries, such as marketing, fashion, and health and fitness, I decided to go back to the my mother’s flower shop with the intention of starting my own flower business catering to events and servicing corporate accounts. I launched my flower company Na Mu in January of 2005, and have recently launched a subset of the company as Rachel Cho Flowers.

2. What challenges did you face along the way? How did you overcome them?
As a young small business owner, my biggest challenge was gaining initial trust and perception of myself as a professional, as I am always told that I look much younger than my age. I overcome this particular obstacle by constantly pushing forward, being consistent, and treating others with respect and professionalism. Another challenge is making decisions in every aspect of my job. Making wise decisions comes with experience and time. I ask opinions and advice of others (family, friends, people of the industry), and ultimately I go with my gut instincts, taking into consideration others’ views.

3. What are the strengths that you, as a woman, bring to your job?
Being soft, warm, and friendly, adding a warm “womanly” touch to work and relationships while remaining strong-willed, independent, and persistent.

4. What do women need to do to get to the next level in the professional sphere? What is holding them back today?
Personally, I have never felt that I was held back because of my gender, and I have been lucky to not be jaded by sexism or gender discrimination. However more woman need to take change and believe that they are just as capable as anybody else, female or male, to accomplish what they are passionate about and have bigger dreams and goals. Perhaps more woman than men rely on others around them to do well, and cannot see themselves as being able to become incredibly successful, so I encourage women to think bigger and better, so that their greater drive can put them ahead.

5. How do you maintain a work-life balance?
Having a vast interest in many things such as music, fashion, home decor, reading, working out, eating healthy, enjoying good food and company. Having many loving, caring, positive-minded, working professional friends. Having a great network of friends and family giving each other support in each of our careers and filling our non-work times with fun!

6. What’s next for you?
Continue growing my business and gaining a name for myself in the industry, having a full multiple- employed operation with consistent influx of business and maintaining existing ones, never becoming complacent, always creating new ideas and revamping to improve the business, the branding. Never losing sight of the quality of work, ethics, building relationships.

7. What advice from your experience can you share with other women out there that aspire to be successful professional women?
Don’t be scared to take the plunge. While being mindful of competition, hardship, and obstacles, don’t be afraid to take risks, although not making quick rash decisions. Be smart about your decisions and feel good about them. Don’t think too much as it might be discouraging, daunting, and intimidating. Just do it! (very cliche but it’s so true!)

Check out Rachel’s Site here

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