Simon Yi
Who was your first customer and where did you find them?It was August 1, 2002, the very opening day, the first customer was a man named Mark, a computer programmer. He became an avid customer of the Sushi House and kept coming almost every day for a year and a half.
Where did you find your first employee?I was going to hire from local, but it was not easy for me. I had to bring my friend from California. He lives now here. After him, I have hired many from local community.
Where have you turned to find capital to grow your company and which institutions have provided it?Since it was a small business, I wasn't able to borrow any money from local banks. It was a big problem for me in the beginning.
What are some of the advantages to doing business here?I was trying to introduce something new to Michigan. California style sushi menu was a big hit first time in Michigan. Also less competition in Michigan is helping me now, even though it was hard to start a new business here. There was no organization helping me starting a new business.
If you could change one thing about this region, what would it be?I would like to open a few more stores in the growing cities, but there are not many cities in Michigan with growing population. I would like to see more people in this region.
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