90 - From Humble Beginnings to National Expansion, Working with Celebrities and Raising over $400,000 for Charity with Chau Lui Co-Owner of Paris Jewellers

Danielle interviews an incredibly inspiring Woman, Chau Lui, the co-owner of Paris Jewellers, a Canadian -Vietnamese sister-owned jewelry company focused on celebrating customers’ stories through jewelry, community partnerships, and supporting women.

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

Danielle interviews an incredibly inspiring Woman, Chau Lui, the co-owner of Paris Jewellers, a Canadian -Vietnamese sister-owned jewelry company focused on celebrating customers’ stories through jewelry, community partnerships, and supporting women. We talk about motherhood, giving back,  partnering with celebrities and so much more! Chau also opened up so vulnerably about some of the challenges that she faced while growing the brand as a Vietnamese Woman.

More about Paris Jewellers:

Humble Beginnings: Started in a 400 sq. ft. space in St. Albert, AB and with Chau’s leadership has grown to 23 stores across 4 Canadian provinces with over 200 employees.

Giving Back: Paris Jewellers aims to spread joy while making a difference in the community. During the pandemic, they have raised over 100,000 meals for Food Banks Canada and over $400,000 for Make-A-Wish® Canada, Asian Solidarity Fund, The Matriarch Movement, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Working with Celebrities: Paris Jewellers created engagement rings for 3x Emmy Award Winner Derek Hough, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, Lana Condor as well as fan favourites Bachelorette/DWTS S29 Winner Kaitlyn Bristowe.

Other Features: Chau is on the Board of Directors for The Canadian Jewellers Association, was Global’s Women of Vision, one of Edify’s Top 40 Under 40 and was a featured speaker in 2021 at the Women + Wealth Gala and MOMFest. Paris Jewellers has been featured in notable publications including People, FASHION, The Knot, BRIDES, Hello! Canada, Page Six, National Post, Popsugar, and ET.

Connect with Paris Jewellers:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/parisjewellerscanada/

Website: www.parisjewellers.com/luxediamondbands/

Connect with Chau Lui:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/chautlui

From Immigrants to Entrepreneurs - the heart behind paris jewellers

Chau Lui shares her story as the co-owner of Paris Jewelers (a Canadian-Vietnamese sister-owned jewelry company with 23 stores across Canada) and wife and mother of two girls. She talks about how her family immigrated from Vietnam when she was young and how she grew up seeing her mother work hard to provide for the family, including starting as a goldsmith at a jewelry store and eventually opening a small, modest store in St. Albert, Alberta. 

Chau Lui’s involvement in the business developed over time and the vision for the business grew over time.

Perseverance is the Key

Nothing stopped Chau Lui’s mom - she even used a Vietnamese-English dictionary to communicate with customers before she could communicate effectively in English. 

It's important to have something that you hold dear to yourself when people don't believe in your dream. She also talks about how her family created a "map of dreams" and put stickers on cities that they dreamed of having a store in and how it helped them to continue to believe in themselves when challenges came their way. 

Chau Lui shares that the company had the honor and opportunity to work with celebrities such as Kaitlyn Bristowe, and her advice to others who want to have similar opportunities is to go for it and keep trying, because if you don't, you're giving yourself a no.

Support is also key! Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and be intentional with your time. 

Moving Forward

Paris Jewelers will continue to focus on growth and expanding our reach across Canada, but also to focus on strengthening and enhancing the customer experience in our existing stores. Growth means the sisters can continue to give back to communities and charitable organizations through their business and be a responsible and ethical company. 

They are also focused on continuing to support and empower women and create a positive work culture for their employees.

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TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Danielle Wiebe: Welcome back to the business babes collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe. And I am so grateful that you are here today. And I'm so excited for you to tune into this conversation that I have with Chau Lui, who is the co-owner of Paris jewelers, a Canadian Vietnamese sister own jewelry company, focused on celebrating stories through jewelry, community partnerships and supporting women.

[00:00:25] You are going to absolutely love being a fly on the wall with my conversation with. Paris Jewlers started with humble beginnings and it has grown to over 23 stores across Canada with over 200 employees. I love our conversation.

[00:00:41] We talk about motherhood. We talk about giving back. We talk about partnering with celebrities. It is just such an amazing conversation. And I'm so excited for you to tune in. And one of the things that I'm just so grateful for is the fact that she opened up so vulnerably about some of the challenges that she faced as well.

[00:00:59] [00:01:00] And we also get to talk about giving back and why it's so important as business owners for us to have a focus on giving back. I am so inspired by chow and Paris jewelers. They just have such a focus on giving back. During the pandemic, they were able to give a hundred thousand meals to food banks across Canada, and they've raised over $400,000 for incredible organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish foundation.

[00:01:26] So I think you're gonna just be so inspired by our conversation. And I just wanna say, thank you for tuning in you guys are the reason why we can continue to produce this podcast and have incredible guests like Chau Lui on the podcast. So if you could subscribe to the podcast, leave us a rating and review, and also share it with a friend or share it on social media.

[00:01:49] That is just a huge way that you can support this podcast and for myself and our team, to be able to continue to produce this podcast for you completely free. [00:02:00] I love that we are able to produce this two episodes a week, and we can do that because of your support, because you are sharing with your friends because you're subscribing because you're rating and reviewing. It is just amazing this community that we've been able to build through the podcast. So I just wanna say, I know I say this all the time, but I am grateful for you and I love you. And without further, ado, let's go ahead and dive in.

[00:02:23] Welcome to the business babes collective podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Wiebe. In this podcast, you'll learn tangible business tips and strategies on how to grow successfully and sustainably. We'll also interview seasoned entrepreneurs, so you can listen in on their stories and see behind the scenes of what it took to grow and scale their businesses. Let's dive in, as we discussed the wild, exciting, crazy, challenging rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship.

[00:02:54] Welcome Chau Lui to the business babes collective podcast. I am so excited to have you here and I [00:03:00] can't wait for our community to learn more about you and what you do. So welcome.

[00:03:04] Chau Lui: Thank you so much for having me. I'm just so excited to be here. I'm actually so excited to learn from you too.

[00:03:09] Danielle Wiebe: Aw, you're so sweet. Um, I've been very inspired, just by what I have seen online, but then also just what I've read about you. And so can you tell us a little bit more about you and then also your business?

[00:03:21] Chau Lui: Yeah, yeah, for sure. So first and foremost, I am the mom of two girls. Their age is 10 and eight. Sometimes when I say 10 and eight, I can't believe it like that my youngest is now eight. I keep calling her a baby, but she's like, mom, I'm really not a baby. Forever. You'll be my baby.

[00:03:36] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah, I'm the youngest. So I know my mom calls me a baby still, so

[00:03:40] Chau Lui: for sure. And my husband's name is Matt and he's crazy about hockey. And then I also, uh, co-own our company, Paris jewelers of my sisters. So we are, uh, national jewelry, retail brand with 23 stores and four provinces across Canada.

[00:03:54] Danielle Wiebe: Amazing. And can you share with. Did you always know that you wanted to [00:04:00] build this business? Did you, is entrepreneurship something that you've always known you wanted to pursue? Tell us more about kind of the backstory of how you got to this place.

[00:04:10] Chau Lui: That's a really great question. So I think in my gut, I always knew I wanted to, to see what I could achieve and to see if we could put together a team to rally around something and to create something great. But I mean, I think it's easier like to say that now, in hindsight, when I look back and where we started, I mean, our family immigrated from Vietnam when I was a very young age and you know, my mom was just you know, coming to Canada to try to build a better life for us.

[00:04:34] And when we came to Canada, we didn't speak English and we didn't have like, of course, like, um, any money. And, uh, I, I grew up seeing my mom working really hard, like two or three jobs at the same time. And she didn't speak English when she came here.

[00:04:47] And so I would see her work a lot and go to English as a second language class. And, um, I just saw that growing up and I thought, wow. That's so incredible. Like her perseverance to really just like take care of her family and make things happen was great. So then [00:05:00] she started trading as a Goldsmith at like, what is now a competitor's jewelry store and she got really good at it and then had the opportunity to open one small, very modest store in a community called St. Albert, Alberta.

[00:05:12] And when I say modest, I mean, like, it was not a pretty store. It was 400 square feet. We didn't have a lot of merchandise because surprise, surprise when you're new and you don't have a brand or a name, people don't really wanna sell you merchandise, but we opened it. And at the time she didn't know how to speak English still.

[00:05:29] So she bought a Vietnamese English dictionary and that's what she used every time a customer to come in, that's how she'd communicate.

[00:05:36] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, my gosh. That is so cool. That is amazing. And so tell us a little bit about how you got involved and did you see this vision? Cause obviously you, you guys have been able to grow and scale your business to multiple stores. And did you have that big vision going into it or is it something that has kind of developed over time?

[00:05:54] Chau Lui: It's absolutely developed over time, but I do remember I was in the store a lot growing up, my [00:06:00] sister and I were always in the store. Um, just because, you know, after school, we'd just go to the mall, we'd do our homework, you know, in the food court, we'd wander the mall and we'd just see the customer interactions.

[00:06:10] But I started, you know, very young just working part-time at the store. And I just remember assisting customers, uh, find their jewelry piece and remembering that joy and the, and the wonder in a customer's eyes, when they found that perfect piece, that they were gonna celebrate that milestone moment. And it was a feeling that never left me and I thought, wow.

[00:06:32] That is incredible to be selected and chosen because I knew, growing up, very quickly that customers have something we don't have. They have choice. They can choose to go anywhere. So when they choose to come in our store and trust us with this, that's a big deal. And that's kind of what started that spark in me to think, oh my gosh, like what more could we do to be a part of these customer stories?

[00:06:53] Danielle Wiebe: That's so amazing. I love that so much. So tell us a little bit about the journey, [00:07:00] because obviously, you know, it's, it's easy to see like, okay, so this is the starting point. This is where you're at now. It's easy to assume that oh, This just was an easy kind of gradual journey of getting from where you are with that first store in its very humble beginnings, as you said, to now having 23, 23 stores across Canada.

[00:07:23] And so tell us a little bit about that journey. What are some of the challenges that you have faced in growing this business from this small store to now all across Canada and what were some of those initial things that you had to overcome? I would love to hear kind of that transition phase of when you first thought, okay, this could be something big. What was that like?

[00:07:46] Chau Lui: I think like for us, like we already had some stores, not a lot of stores. And then when I came into the business full time, we were the first store that I actually like, kind of took under and opened on my own was in Saskatchewan. It was in Regina. And [00:08:00] I thought this is our first time in Saskatchewan.

[00:08:02] It's a pretty big deal. And I remember just failing forward a lot. I think the transition was transitioning from, we are just a small business with a few stores to what does it look like to be a national chain? And when we talk about failures, oh my gosh, there's so many, like how much time do you have?

[00:08:16] There's so many, but I think like for us, it was learning along the way. One of the biggest challenges, I think, um, for me personally, was being a woman in this industry. Gosh, and it's so good to be able to talk about it now, because I, I think like maybe like 10 years ago, I probably would've never talked about it even like seven years.

[00:08:34] I think, like growing up this industry, I didn't see a lot of people that looked like me. I didn't see a lot of women. I didn't see a lot of like Asian immigrant women. So I think one of the biggest things for me was you know, when we were opening stores, we were so excited, um, to think like we could open in different stores.

[00:08:52] And I remember this was a huge lesson for me. We had really wanted to be in this property. And so we made an appointment with like someone [00:09:00] from leasing there and like our whole family got in our car and we drove there and were so excited, like to meet with this person. And then they looked at us and this was probably like 15 years ago and said, Like you're, you're actually your brand, I don't even know what your brand is. You're not even from here, you're not from Canada. What do you know about opening stores in different malls?

[00:09:22] Danielle Wiebe: Wow.

[00:09:23] Chau Lui: Um, and I was like, Oh, my gosh, you know, like in your head, you're like feedback is a gift. Feedback is a gift, you know, but like, I wanna be polite in every interaction.

[00:09:32] So I was like, okay, thank you. Can you give me like some feedback that I could actually use? Because like, I can't change that I'm not from Canada. Like we're not a big brand, you know? And, and then they proceeded to like, take us around the mall and say, well, look at these brands, this is who we want on our mall.

[00:09:47] So then I said, okay, like, thank you. And then we left. And I remember that night. Like I was crying, you know, those tears that you cry and your face is all wet, and you don't know if it's from your nose or from your eyes. Like that was me all night, but then I really thought about it and I woke up and I said, you know what?[00:10:00]

[00:10:00] I can't control anyone's opinion of me or what they think about me, but what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna work super hard. Because I believe in our gut that we can have a national retail brand and I'm gonna work so hard to do it and not to prove this person wrong, but I wanted to prove myself right.

[00:10:16] Danielle Wiebe: Yeah.

[00:10:16] Chau Lui: I remember that was the first really hard lesson that I was like, maybe we're not good enough. You know.

[00:10:21] Danielle Wiebe: Wow. Wow. Thank you for sharing that because, oh man, such a pivotal moment of like, you could have just thought, Ugh, you know, I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw in the towel and I, I, I don't wanna try anymore cuz that cuz that's hurtful.

[00:10:36] It's not just like discouraging, but it's, it's truly hurtful. Um, and I think that often, you know, We think about business. And I don't know, like I I'm, I'm thinking of moments that I've had when people have said something to me that just like really cut deep and like has been so hurtful and moving forward from that.

[00:10:56] And I love the mindset that you [00:11:00] had. I want this for myself and I wanna prove that we can do this because you actually believed that you could. And I, I absolutely think that is so vital for any entrepreneur. It's like believing in your own vision, even when you experience those big like setbacks or those big challenges.

[00:11:18] So thank you so much for sharing that. Now that you've been able to push through and you have now become a national brand. And that example that that gives for other people, right. It's for other business owners or people that have a dream of their own that they wanna pursue and, and for, and for your kids too, right?

[00:11:37] Just like that perseverance is so, so key. So thank you so much for sharing that. So do you think that that perseverance has been really what. Helped you to grow the business to where it is.

[00:11:48] Chau Lui: Oh, gosh, like anybody who has a business knows that it's, you know, nothing in life that's worth having that you really want is ever gonna be free or easy, but I'll tell you like what our family did, because a lot of the time, like we have to realize that people are not gonna [00:12:00] believe in our dream and that's, that's totally okay.

[00:12:02] I think I had to get over that really quickly, but what we did when people kept saying like, you know, like, cuz I was like, oh, like, okay, we have 10 stores. What would it mean to have 15. Like, what would it mean to have 20? Maybe we could hit 20 stores. And when we would tell people they wouldn't, they wouldn't necessarily think we could do it because the jewelry space is so competitive.

[00:12:19] So really, I think it's so important to have something that you look at, or you can hold that's really, that's really dear to you. So what we did as a family, when people said they couldn't believe in us is we did the only thing that we thought we could do. We bought a giant map from this store, like it was giant.

[00:12:34] And then we just put it up on the wall. And then we would dream big and we would put stickers on cities that we would dream that one day we'd have a location. And when we'd open the store, we'd change the color. So we call that our map of dreams. And now it's hanging up in our corporate head office in our boardroom.

[00:12:51] And every time I think, like when I was like, my resolve was fading where I feel like I didn't believe in myself, I just like went in front of the map and I looked at it and I thought, you know, [00:13:00] We just have to continue to believe that what we're doing is so much bigger, because if you believe that when challenges come your way, you're gonna work hard to overcome them. So I think for somebody, for anybody to have something that they really hold dear is so vital.

[00:13:14] Danielle Wiebe: So amazing. Oh, I love that so much. And not only have you been able to, you know, grow to all these different stores, but also you've had some really great, amazing opportunities just to be featured and also for working with some celebrities.

[00:13:30] um, so can you tell us, can you tell us a little bit about that? What have those opportunities meant to you and for people maybe looking at that and being like, wow, that's amazing. So inspiring. They would love to do that one day or they would love to have those type of connections or collaborations. What would your advice be to them? If they're looking at that, man, how did she do that? .

[00:13:51] Chau Lui: Oh, for sure. Like what an honor and a blessing. And sometimes I can't even believe it because I always believe people have choice, but I always say go for no, [00:14:00] because if you don't try, then you're giving yourself a no. And I think that that's so tragic.

[00:14:04] So we just always try. So like one of the biggest honors, and it was so exciting for us to do Kaitlyn Bristowe's engagement ring. For one, she's from, you know, LeDuc, Alberta, like so right from my hometown. I'm from Edmonton. And I'm such a huge fan of hers. I think she just shows up super authentically.

[00:14:21] So I remember when she first started, um, dating Jason who's now her fiance, I said to our team, cuz like we're like big bachelor fans. Right. I was like, I could be so cool if we did her engagement ring and the team was like, yeah. Okay Chau Lui, like, right.

[00:14:35] Danielle Wiebe: I love it.

[00:14:36] Chau Lui: Like, you know, they're like sure. Like I have a lot of crazy ideas. Like Monday morning in the office, I actually like run to everybody's office. I'm like, guys, guys, I have an idea. And they're like, okay, first we need coffee because like, I have no idea.

[00:14:49] Danielle Wiebe: Let me get my coffee then your ideas.

[00:14:52] Chau Lui: yeah. Yeah. So then I thought. Why not. And I think, I thought, okay, let's just reach out and see, I, I thought like there were give you a less than 1% [00:15:00] chance, and then we get a call back and I hop on a call, um, with Jason, who's like one of the nicest human beings and we really hit it off.

[00:15:06] And then I designed her engagement ring. I don't know what else to say, but I think. You have to believe that it can happen and you can't be discouraged when it doesn't. Just go for no, like, that's it.

[00:15:16] Danielle Wiebe: That's amazing. I love that. You said that because it's so true. And I think a lot of times we just kind of look and we, we think that things just happen super organically and sometimes they, they do. And there's something to be said of like building that momentum and then more and more opportunities come as you've had other opportunities as well.

[00:15:34] But it's really like setting that groundwork and, and going for it and, and pitching yourself and, and being like confident enough to have those big dreams and then to like, actually go and work for it. Because I think a lot of people say like, oh, well, I, I, I wish I could be connected to that person. Or I wish that I could have that opportunity, whatever that is.

[00:15:55] But often it's because the business owner has been, had that on their vision [00:16:00] board and, you know, had those big ideas, like you said, you have these big dreams and ideas, and then you actually take action on them, right? So that's like such a great lesson, I think for any, any entrepreneur who's, who's looking to build something or who maybe has things on their dream board.

[00:16:15] Yes. There's something about dreaming about it, but then what are the tactical steps that you're gonna take towards that? I would also love to dive in and talk a little bit about how you guys have such a passion for giving back, because that is something that is so, so important to, to me as well. And I think, unfortunately not a lot of businesses really have that built into their business. So can you share with us, like what makes you so passionate about that? Why is that important to your brand?

[00:16:45] Chau Lui: I can share. Um, and thank you for asking this question. So as a family that immigrated from Vietnam, we, you know, grew up, very humble beginnings, very modest. Um, Trang and I didn't grow up having a lot of fancy things.

[00:16:56] We didn't grow up having birthday parties or anything like [00:17:00] that. Like I didn't. Yeah. And I just think of this town, this community of St. Albert. And how we opened a small store. We didn't know how to speak English. We didn't have a fancy store, but for some reason, this community decided to support us. They gave us a chance.

[00:17:16] They were so kind to us and they really said, they're not the fanciest store, but I think we made them feel good when they came in. So they supported us. And that's why I know that every community has a choice. So when, you know, we get to open and be a part of a community it's so important for us to give back and we are really focused on, um, children's and women's charities.

[00:17:37] Well, for one, our company is 90% female. And, um, so, you know, being 90% female there, we have a lot of babies. There's a lot of kids in our company, one of our, the, our biggest partnerships in charities and make a wish foundation. And this is really dear to me because, when my eldest Layla was born, she was born quite premature.

[00:17:55] She was a little bit over three pounds at birth. And we were in the hospital for about a month with her. [00:18:00] And, um, I just remember being in that ultrasound room with the technician and, and I was really early and I, I thought it was a routine of ultrasound and they're like, okay, you're gonna have to like go to the hospital now.

[00:18:11] And I said, what are you talking about? They're like, I can't talk to you cause I'm just a technician. They were so kind. But they're like, okay, like go to the emergency. They're waiting for you. And I was like, okay, what is going on? So I go there in a panic and then the doctor's like, okay, like, you know, we do have concerns.

[00:18:25] And I said, should I be scared doctor? And he goes, yeah, like, I'm gonna be honest. If I, I were you, I'd be scared. Your baby is really small and, um, could be born with half a brain, we just don't know. So I was like, okay. So I remember during that month, When I was with her in the hospital, she was tiny and I was just looking for rays of hope.

[00:18:43] And that's what the Make-A-Wish foundation does. They give hope and joy to families and children that are facing like threatening or terminal illness. So that's why we're super passionate about that charity and just children's and women's focus charities. Cuz for me personally, it does resonate with me just because of my experience [00:19:00] and a lot of the experiences with the moms in our company.

[00:19:03] Danielle Wiebe: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that. And that's so beautiful. And I think when it comes to having this passion for charities, why was that important? Cuz obviously you have that passion and maybe it was something that, you know, you personally wanted to support, but why do you think it is so important as business owners that we have a focus on giving back, not just, not just personally with our, you know, the personal passions that we have, but through our businesses, actually being able to, to have that as a vehicle to, to give back?

[00:19:36] Chau Lui: I just, I think maybe there's for as a, a responsibility because, and not a responsibility, it's really an honor because people in our communities have chosen to support us. I also think that, honestly, my sister and I talk about this and I probably shouldn't share, but like, we're not really driven by money at all.

[00:19:54] Like I'm driven by, of course a business owner has, we have to be profitable, but for me, like I wanna be [00:20:00] super profitable so I can like do good. So my daughters see me and, you know, when they ask me, what, what did you do at work? I don't wanna say, oh, like I sold jewelry today. That's not what we're about.

[00:20:09] Yes. We celebrate moments through jewelry, but it's because that we can create that environment we want and that future we want for future generations. So I, I do think it's really important. I think that it feels good. And I think that any time that we have any type of platform, and whether you are one small business or 23 stores or a hundred stores, every interaction you have, it leaves a footprint and it leaves a mark.

[00:20:31] So if someone comes to my store and we can raise awareness for the Make-A-Wish foundation, I think that that's an impact that could be created, whether it's we're donating money or just making people aware of what make a wish does. So that's why it's really important that we talk about it throughout the company.

[00:20:46] Danielle Wiebe: Oh, I love that. I think that's so powerful and it also gives the greater why and mission to the brand as well, which is so great. Right. And I think often when you're probably even [00:21:00] in moments where you have had struggles in your business. You know, if your why is really strong and there's multiple layers to that, obviously first and foremost, like you said, like having a profitable business so you can support your own family, people that you're employing all of those things.

[00:21:14] But then also the fact that you have this mission that's even greater than, than yourself and your own business that you're giving back. It creates this more passion too, and more excitement and, and purpose behind the work that you're doing. And, you know, and maybe on days when you feel like you wanna give up or you're like, what is even the point of this as I'm sure

[00:21:34] Chau Lui: for sure.

[00:21:34] Danielle Wiebe: You maybe experienced, I know I have, I know many of the people that are listening have it. I think that's a really cool way that we can think beyond ourselves and, and really have that greater purpose for, for the work that we do.

[00:21:49] Chau Lui: Yeah. For sure. I promise you I will work so much harder. Like, so if we have a goal to hit like $25,000 for a charity, our like we're gonna work so much harder to hit that goal as a team and as a [00:22:00] company, because we wanna make that difference. So you are so right.

[00:22:03] Danielle Wiebe: So, so good. Ugh. I love it. So tell us a little bit about, what is your mission now? What is your vision? Do you see yourself growing to more stores? Do you see yourself just like really honing in on the stores that you have? I would love to hear kind of like your vision going forward.

[00:22:19] Chau Lui: So I, I can tell you that we were, have been focused on growth, um, for a long time and growth used to be like our number one priority is opening stores. It has shifted a little bit. We have opened a store, like we did open a store in Edmonton during the pandemic that being said, and I was super proud that we did that.

[00:22:38] Um, we had signed this lease. And then the pandemic happened and I was, and then honestly, I was like, oh my gosh, what are the chances? And I was scared. I was so scared, but we opened it and it's been so great. And I just feel again so grateful that the community and our teams choose chose to support us or now growth means so many different things to us.

[00:22:56] It doesn't necessarily mean more stores, even though I'm open to it. [00:23:00] If it was the right opportunity in the right time, I would absolutely do it for us. It means right now, Becoming consistent. So my dream and my goal has always been the same from day one, as we've grown our business, and this is something we're working towards every day. But it's like if any customer could go into any store and have the same happy and memorable experience where they feel really honored and celebrated regardless of the city, the province, or the district, I feel like that would be us living our values and vision.

[00:23:27] So right now growth to us means consistently really focused on training. So actually we've like tripled and quadrupled our training budget in the last two or three years, even throughout this pandemic, to ensure that our teams were set up for success every time a customer walks in, because I just believe that customers work so hard for their money.

[00:23:45] They deserve to have that great experience. So that for us is part of our growth strategy that we wanna ensure everybody's set up and really trained to provide that excellent experience every time. So that's a huge part of our growth right now.

[00:23:57] Danielle Wiebe: I love that you mentioned that because I think often [00:24:00] we just think of growth as just, yeah. How many stores are you opening up? Or how how many clients do you have? Or like all the kind metrics that are traditionally seen as growth, let's say.

[00:24:11] Chau Lui: Yes,

[00:24:11] Danielle Wiebe: but I love that you said, actually it's the training of your own team so that the experience of the client who, who are the ones that are supporting the business at the end of the day, right? Like our clients are the ones that make our business what it is. And so I love that you shared that and you shared that, like, that is actually a huge focus because also, and, and I know that this is something that I've shared with my community before, but like just the huge power of what referrals can do for your business, which I'm sure in your industry as well is, is huge.

[00:24:47] So having like everyone walk in and feel special and feel cared for, I love that that's such a huge priority. And I think it really speaks to, you know, the value that you bring as, as a brand. So that's amazing. [00:25:00] Love that.

[00:25:00] Chau Lui: And like growth. Okay. So every people do like, this is such an interesting question. People ask me about growth all the time. And I, what I can tell you is during the growing phases, um, where we were expanding so much, that's when we also failed the most.

[00:25:13] Danielle Wiebe: Yes. Oh yes. Cuz so many things can go wrong, right? So many moving pieces and so many risks. And especially with your business where you're opening in person stores, there's so much invested in that.

[00:25:27] I would love to ask you because you've been able to accomplish a lot through your business and, and giving back. What are you most proud of, of your entrepreneurial journey so far?

[00:25:37] Chau Lui: You know what, um, that's a really great question. So I think like for us to be able to build this business, um, You know, as a family, as my sister and I, and really be mindful about the culture that we wanna create.

[00:25:50] The proudest moment for me is when I am in a store like it, I'm doing a store visit and an employee comes up to me and says, I applied here um, because of your [00:26:00] story and thank you for creating a really safe workplace, because this is my first job in Canada and I'm an immigrant and I wanted to work here because I wanted to show up as myself.

[00:26:11] Those are without a doubt, the proudest moments that I have in our company, because, I know what it's like to come from a different country and start new and start fresh. And the fact that people want to work for us and feel safe doing so. And they know that we're gonna put in the time and the training to help them succeed. There's nothing for me that would be a bigger compliment than someone saying that to me.

[00:26:32] Danielle Wiebe: That is so beautiful and I love that you're creating that safe space for yeah, your team. And then that also, I think really resonates with the customer as well, because I think they can feel that I think people can sense when people love their jobs and they feel supported and they feel safe in their jobs. And that always resonates with the customer as well. So that is so beautiful.

[00:26:54] And I, I didn't actually plan on asking this question, but I wanna ask it now, cause we were talking about it at the [00:27:00] beginning before we hopped on, but with your kids, how has that experience been in raising two kids and being an entrepreneur and you know, all the things that come along with that, I would love to hear your thoughts, maybe challenges or, or things that you've maybe learned along the way through that experience.

[00:27:17] Chau Lui: Oh gosh. I think support is key. I swear I would not be able to do any of this if it wasn't for my husband. He is just such a great dad and a great partner and so supportive, truly, truly of everything in our business. I think that we have to ask for help.

[00:27:32] Danielle Wiebe: mm-hmm, yes.

[00:27:32] Chau Lui: Not easy, but I think raising hand in saying, okay, like I really need help here has been, uh, a game changer. I used to be the one that's like, I have to do everything if I can't do it all, then that means that I'm, I'm not good. And I would measure myself by how, like how successful I was and that like, that's so bad.

[00:27:50] Danielle Wiebe: Right.

[00:27:50] Chau Lui: Um, so I think. I want to always show my kids that, um, work ethic, I think is really important, cuz I always say like, that's the one thing someone can't take away from you is your [00:28:00] work ethic and your intention there. Think in terms of building a business and being a mom that balances hard, I've never found it. But what I have done is really try to be when I'm with them, I'm super intentional with them. Like this is our time together and I really make a big deal out of spending one on one time with them too, like cuz I have two kiddos.

[00:28:18] So I might take, you know, the eldest one on a dinner date and it's like, it's just me and you time. And then the youngest one and have me and her time and truly try to be, and I'm not 100% at this, but try to be in the moment with them, even if it's like 20 minutes so that they know that in that moment, nothing's more important to them. I think that's been a game changer.

[00:28:36] Danielle Wiebe: Right.

[00:28:36] Chau Lui: And then we have like a journal, like I do the five minute journal and then I bought a three minute journal for them where we journal together. So I can hear their thoughts throughout the day. And that's been great too.

[00:28:45] Danielle Wiebe: That is so beautiful. I love that you do that with your kids. That's so inspiring. I'm gonna take that one, tuck it away for later, later. Aw, well, thank you so much for joining us. I am so grateful just for your, your story [00:29:00] and also the inspiring journey that you've been on for growing this business and your transparency of sharing, you know, some of the struggles that you've, that you've been through and I can't wait to see where your business goes.

[00:29:13] And I think it's so amazing that you know, the more your business grows that the more you're impacting other people too, which is such a beautiful part of your business as well. So thank you for being here. Thanks for being on the podcast. Can you tell everybody where they can find you have stores across Canada, but is there any way, for example, that they can connect online? How can they be a part of your brand?

[00:29:35] Chau Lui: Absolutely. And again, thank you so much for having me. It's been such a pleasure. So people can find us at parisjewellers.com or Instagram is @parisjewellerscanada and me personally @chautlui on Instagram.

[00:29:47] Danielle Wiebe: I love that. Well, thank you so much for being here and looking forward to connecting you with you very soon again,

[00:29:57] if you love this episode, make sure you [00:30:00] screenshot, post, and tag us on Instagram @businessbabesco. Want to know when the next episode goes live? Subscribe on your podcast app, and while you're there, leave us a review. Until next time, keep dreaming big, setting goals and taking action.

Danielle Wiebe