The SocialRay Podcast: Stories of Entrepreneurs & Influencers

In this episode, I talked with my friend Esa Fung who is 26 years old like me and started off on Vine making funny skits around Asian culture and mannerisms.

He first blew up when he showed his mom a failed math test score and she went off on him and since then has found his niche in the Asian American market.

He was part of the 1 million followers Viners club with popular influencers like King Bach, LeLe Pons, and others.

Fortunately Esa was able to take his following onto other platforms like Instagram and YouTube so when Vine shut down he still had his remaining followers left.

What most people might not know about Esa that he shared in this interview was how he used to be bullied a lot for being Asian but instead of letting these insults and hate get to him, he used them as ideas to create humorous content and skits around them.

He mentioned that as someone involved in the social media space, he gets a lot of hate comments and negativity but he said the only way to get through it is if you have tough skin and keep persisting despite what other people may say or comment about you.

As long as you know what you're doing is fulfilling and helping those around you in some shape or form, you shouldn't let other's opinions deflect you from your path in life.

That part resonated with me because sometimes as someone who is trying to do something different and create content to help others, it can seem as if your work is not doing much or is not getting the kinds of numbers that you see other influencers and content creators getting.

However it's in those times that you need to ask yourself why you started doing what you're doing in the first place, was it for the views and for people's praise or was it for something more meaningful than that.

Hope you're able to take a bit of your time to listen to this interview with Esa not only so you can learn about social media and how to grow but also to ask yourself what it is you truly want to do with your life and whether you are making the necessary actions and commitments to making that a reality.

Nothing worth having comes easy and it won't be easy for you to get off the well-worn path to do something different, but you have to trust in yourself and intuition to lead you down the path that you know to be right for you even if you might not have all the answers.

Hope you enjoy this interview with Esa Fung and you can follow him on Instagram @esafung, on YouTube as EsaFungtastic, and on Twitter @esafung

You can also find me on Instagram @ray.ahn, on YouTube, and signup for my emails to stay up to date on the latest updates, interviews, and advice on social media.

In this episode, I talk with my friend Terry Song who has built over 1.7 million subscribers as of this point and has done this all himself by posting reaction videos.

Now he is posting content he is truly passionate about and putting out content that is his own original work such as animations that depict parts of his life and teach lessons to the viewers on the lessons Terry learned growing up.

He gets real and vulnerable sharing about times when he was bullied and had to eat by himself at times because others wouldn't want him to be a part of their group, but he still shares these kinds of stories through animation to give hope, encouragement, and to let others know that there will be a better day if they just hold on.

I was able to record this interview live at Terry's home and in his own studio where he records his own YouTube videos and you can checkout the interview through video on YouTube by clicking the link here.

What I was most impressed from this interview was Terry's willingness to share about his life to people even the parts that may not seem so great but he does this so others viewing can know that they're not alone and that they can also overcome the challenges and difficulties that they are facing currently.

Check Terry's YouTube as TerryTV on YouTube and on Instagram as @terrysongtv and me as @ray.ahn and send us a DM if this interview has helped you in anyway.

Also please leave a review of this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere you found it.

And you can signup for my email list by clicking the link here and you'll also get a free infographic sharing with you how you can increase your engagement on Instagram and where I'll be sharing with you some of the tips and advice that can help you boost your engagement from my over 2 years being in the Instagram space.

Thanks so much for your support and for listening. I appreciate each and everyone of you and hope you know that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was helping those of you out there looking to better yourself, find your purpose, and live out your true calling on Earth.

Please don't hesitate to send me a DM on @ray.ahn would love to connect with you and see how I could support.

Thank you again and hope you enjoy this interview with my friend and brother Terry Song.

In this episode I talk about my journey as an entrepreneur and also the realities of how it's not always easy and enjoyable. It's a short episode where I share my thoughts on how important it is to take a chance to pursue what you love while you have time and to also take steps to creating the life you want by taking action. It's different from my other episode since I'm the only one talking in it but hope it encourages you and helps push you towards the life you want to live and create for yourself.

In this episode I talk with Christian (@christekton) and Ladi (@londoniangaga) about how they were able to scale their on-demand printing business Tektonland (@tektonland) within a year and work with influential celebrities, athletes, and influencers.

They've been able to work with people like Drake's dad and others in the celebrity and influencer space because of how quickly they can deliver their on-demand products within 24 hours of sending the design they want printed on any clothing item.

They are based out of LA and can print anything on-demand onto any clothing and color. They are disrupting the on-demand printing industry with how quickly and efficiently they are able to produce products for their clients.

Also they don't just mass produce on-demand printing but can produce clothing even if it's just one piece so it's consumer-friendly.

In this interview we talk about the importance of not giving up even when things seem rough, how the only person you need to compete against at the end of the day is yourself, and how success will come if you are patient and working hard and smart towards it.

Hope you enjoy this interview with Christian and Ladi and check them out on Instagram @tektonland for more information about their services.

And please leave a review of this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you found it and send me a DM @ray.ahn if you have any questions or want to chat further about Instagram, podcasting, or any other things you may be curious about.

In thie episode I talk with Sarah Rav, a 20 year old medical student and social media influencer with a network of over 2 million followers in the food and fitness space.

We talk about how she got into the social media space and how she was able to build such a massive following in such a short amount of time.

We also talk about personal issues that Sarah had to overcome even in her journey as a medical student and social media influencer, issues that not many people share on social media because of what others might say or think about.

She talks about how she had struggled with anorexia and at one point weighted 30 kilos. Her university had to even suspend her from attending school so she could attend once she had achieved a healthy weight.

Eventually Sarah was able to get her mindset back on track and she shares how she was able to do that with the support of her close friends.

She is open to sharing about her struggles and difficulties she overcame so others may be encouraged and can feel free to reach out to her for support.

She has impacted and changed many people's lives and perspectives with her posts and vulnerable sharing and continues to do so with her personal instagram @sarahrav.

Check out the full interview on the SocialRay podcast and hope you're inspired and empowered to share your own story to help others who might face similar issues.

Also if you want to apply for my private and group Instagram coaching please message me on my Instagram @ray.ahn and I can send you more information on that.

In this episode, I talk with Chef Kang, a restaurant owner in Koreatown Los Angeles and his journey of how he went from making millions in real estate, living lavishly, and spending money like water to going broke from his gambling habits and realizing that something needed to be different in his life.

Chef Kang shared personal things like the passing away of his sister which led him to realize he was becoming a person that he wasn't proud of and that he needed to make changes in his life if he wanted to live a happy, fulfilling life.

From having gone broke from gambling to now running his own successful business in Koreatown, Chef Kang shares the lessons and insights he's gained from living life. He shares lessons like how in order for healing and change to begin, you need to blame yourself and not anyone else for the condition you are in today.

He used to blame the fact that his father left him at a young age to cover the fact that he was destroying his life but once he began to blame himself for his condition and realize that his life was a result of the actions he decided, the healing process began and he began to take control of his life again.

More than just learning about how to be an entrepreneur, this interview is about the life lessons and advice from someone who has been at the peak of success and to the depths of financial loss. 

I hope you are able to take away some key life lessons from this interview and checkout Chef Kang's restaurant on Instagram @chefkangfoodrehab and me as @ray.ahn.

Also you can book a free 15-30min call to talk about Instagram, podcasting, or anything you want. Link is in my bio and also here. calendly.com/socialrayPlease DM me on Instagram @ray.ahn to confirm that you've made the call and so I can send you the link to chat with me.

In this episode I talk with Jay Williams, also known as Jnetics, who has built a successful fitness brand training and coaching movie directors, athletes, and celebrities like Antoine Fuqua the movie director of Training Day, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Ali Woodson from the Temptations, and many more.

He is a Michigan native who came to California to start a new life and with no money and had to live homeless for awhile living under pickup trucks, shielding himself with cardbox boxes from the cold winds at night, and didn't know how he was going to eat the next day.

Jay talks about his story of how he remembers being called a bum and from since then has decided to never judge someone else because you never know what someone's going through or their story before you get to meet them.

Now he has worked with many influential people and has transformed over 3000 lives with his 90 day Jnetics fitness program helping people lost weight and transform their physique and mindset.

Many people call Jay Muscle Mentor because he not only coaches people on the proper ways to train and helps them overcome their limiting beliefs that get in the way of success both physically and in life.

This has been one of the most powerful interviews I've done so far and you will see why as you listen to this interview and hear Jay's story and heart to want to help people.

You can follow Jay at @jnetics on Instagram and me as @ray.ahn and also make sure to checkout his website jneticstrainingacademy.com to check out his gym in Southern California.

And please leave a review on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you found this podcast if it has helped you so more people can hear

In this episode I talk with Joon Lee, an Asian American YouTuber and Instagrammer who makes comedy skits based in Atlanta, Georgia. We talk about his journey of how he broke from the norm of Asian American paths of pursuing a law or doctoral degree and began to pursue creating comedy skits to make people laugh.

He had his roots starting off doing comedy skits at church retreats and later on went to create Youtube and Instagram video content based around Asian American culture. 

Joon didn't know how far his comedy skits would take him but he has slowly been building his influence online through his humorous content and topics.

He has hosted at the Kcon event in New York and is also going to be a host at the Kcon event in LA. 

We also talk about some of the insecurities Joon had in pursuing his dreams of becoming a comedian actor especially in the entertainment industry. However instead of being discouraged from the fact that there aren't many Asian actors in the space, he looks at it as an opportunity for him to shine in an area where not many Asians are prominently known.

I hope you're inspired and encouraged by Joon's story to pursue your own dream, passion, and purpose in life whatever that might look like and to know that creating the life you want for yourself can be possible if you just take a chance on yourself and try.

Checkout Joon on Instagram or Youtube as @joonleecomedy and me on Instagram as @ray.ahn.

Also checkout my webinar that will be on how to grow your Instagram, value, and network this Saturday at 11am pst. Link to join is here.

https://events.genndi.com/register/818182175026320159/0676312b65

Sean Kelly is the founder of Jersey Champs, the largest jersey selling store in North America, and he has revolutionized the jersey industry by selling jerseys to not just sports fans but also to music fans, entrepreneurs, and celebrities.

Sean is a 21 year old entrepreneur and in two years has built Jersey Champs to over 1 million Instagram followers and has worked with musicians and influencers like Logic, Khalid, and Mark Cuban from Shark Tank.

Sean has always had the entrepreneurial spirit in him even as a 5th grader selling candy to his peers and was suspended for selling his own candy at school.

He has had a different way of thinking apart from the school system and left college as a sophomore to pursue building Jersey Champs full-time.

Now he has a team and staff in charge of expanding and growing Jersey Champs at the young age of 21.

Sean's life and business is an example and story that shows you that there are ways to build your dream life and business by educating yourself, taking massive action, and choosing to act even in the face of fear and uncertainty.

Check out his story on the Socialray podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Soundcloud and follow him on Instagram as @seanmikekelly and @jerseychamps.

Also I will be hosting a webinar teaching you how to build your Instagram, grow your network, and increase your influence online and you can sign up using the link below.

https://events.genndi.com/channel/socialray

In this episode I interviewed Cole Hatter who is a speaker, investor, author, and the organizer of the entrepreneur event Thrive hosted every year.

We chat about how many entrepreneurs focus so much on the money they forget to focus on their dream life.

Cole recommends that you build your dream life and then build a business to support that because if you make enough money but don't have the time to enjoy time with your friends, family, and loved ones, then what is the point of having all the money in the world?

We also talk about the importance of having the right mindset before going after the money and also how important it is to know how valuable it is to know yourself, know what your values are, and to know what contribution you want to make to the world before the money.

Cole himself is a multimillionaire and he didn't organize Thrive for the money but for the mission of helping entrepreneurs make money and to make their money matter by using their money as a vehicle to live the life of their dreams and to give back to others.

I hope you take away some nuggets of wisdom that you can apply to your life through this interview and that you checkout the Thrive conference which will be hosted this September.

Check it out at attendthrive.com and you can use the code GRATITUDE for $100 for this event. 

And I will be hosting coaching on Instagram on how to build out your profile, grow it, and to use social media to network with high-level influencers and entrepreneurs in your industry. 

If you're interested please send me a message on Facebook at Raymond Ahn or on Instagram as @ray.ahn. 

Thanks for listening and please leave a review on this podcast and share with those you think might benefit.