The Art of Business: Why Creativity and Emotional Intelligence Are Superpowers
Growing up, I realized I was more right-brained than left-brained. I’ve always been creative, sensitive, and deeply drawn to art. It’s who I am at my core. For a long time, people around me—even some I worked with—saw this as a weakness in the business world. One business partner even told me outright that I was an artist, not a businessperson. But here’s the twist: I out-businessed him on every level, and I’m proud of it.
How? By leaning into my creativity and recognizing that business is, in fact, an incredibly creative process. It’s not just about numbers and spreadsheets; it’s about vision, innovation, and adaptability. Creativity allows me to visualize new ideas, think outside the box when challenges arise, and create solutions that others might overlook. In my experience, being creative isn’t a weakness in business—it’s a superpower. But of course my bookkeeper runs the numbers and I ask my mom just to make sure!
Emotional Intelligence: The Unsung Hero of Leadership
Another key to my success has been having a high EQ (emotional intelligence). Business isn’t just about products or profits; it’s about people. Whether it’s building relationships with staff, connecting with customers, or navigating tough situations, understanding emotions and motivations is invaluable. Emotional intelligence has helped me build strong teams and know where my strengths end and where I need to hire others to fill the gaps. For instance, I’ve made it a priority to bring on a great bookkeeper and an incredibly organized assistant to balance out areas where I’m less strong.
The Power of Resilience
I’ve never subscribed to a victim mentality, even though I’ve faced challenges and moments where I’ve felt like one. Yes, anger and frustration are natural parts of the healing journey, but the key is not staying in that place too long. Instead, I’ve learned to dust myself off, learn the life lessons, and keep moving forward. I’ve always believed that success and happiness are the best forms of “revenge”—not actual revenge. Dwelling in negativity doesn’t serve anyone.
No Regrets: Living and Working with Purpose
In both business and life, my motto is to never live with regrets. I don’t want to look back one day and think, “I wish I’d done this or that.” So, when I set my sights on something, I give it my all. If it doesn’t work out, at least I know I tried, and that’s enough for me. This mindset has served me well over the years and has kept me focused on moving forward rather than getting stuck in the past.
Creativity in Action
Eighteen years ago, I came up with the idea to create tea latte powders. At the time, most people didn’t even know what matcha was, let alone a tea latte. But I intuitively knew it would be huge one day, and I began the exciting and creative process of finding suppliers, developing recipes, and building a brand. That was the fun part. Then came the grueling day-to-day realities: dealing with buyers, navigating listing fees, handling chargebacks, facing copycats, managing cash flow, and tackling bookkeeping and taxes.
It was a massive learning curve, but my creativity helped me push through. I visualized the possibilities, thought outside the box to solve problems, and kept my vision alive even when things got tough. This creative edge has been a driving force behind my business success.
Building a Strong Team
Part of being a good leader is knowing your weaknesses and filling those gaps with the right people. I’ve surrounded myself with team members who complement my strengths—like my detail-oriented bookkeeper and hyper-organized assistant. This has allowed me to focus on the bigger picture and keep growing my business without getting bogged down in tasks that don’t play to my strengths.
Final Thoughts
To me, business is both an art and a science. It’s about balancing creativity with strategy, emotional intelligence with resilience, and vision with execution. It’s about taking risks, learning from failures, and never giving up. Most importantly, it’s about living without regrets and knowing that you gave it everything you had. If I’ve learned one thing in my journey, it’s that being creative, sensitive, and determined isn’t just a recipe for success in business—it’s a recipe for a meaningful life.