Meet Jo Koy: he taught me the importance of believing in myself

Inspired to share stories of people I've met in my journey to let them know how much they've impacted my professional growth. I've learned that we never truly do it alone: some people open doors, give advice, support projects, and are my life teachers. This will be a series I call Happy Work.

I've been enjoying these reflections and love reading your responses. I hope they are giving you insights into your own journey. And encouraging you to reach out to those who've positively impacted your professional life.

Today, I want to talk about my entrepreneurial journey. I consider myself an accidental entrepreneur: the goal was to return to work after my backpacking trip. I was being recruited by executive headhunters. I didn't end up taking any of those opportunities. Instead of going back on the traditional path, I started a blog (jasonvitug.com). The blog was an attempt to share with family and friends what I would do next: I wasn't quite sure. I mean, it's fascinating leaving a 9-5, but reality hits hard when you return from a yearlong hiatus, and people ask, "well, what's next?" I also wondered what would be next.

But the other question people asked was, "how could you afford not to work?" So I started another blog (phroogal.com) to share money tips which mostly focused on shifting mindset. I learned how much our beliefs affect our money. I had an unhealthy relationship with money. I spent to make myself feel better, which only compounded the issues that led to more spending to feel better about the issues. It's a doozy. What came first?!

But, I learned and improved, which got me to where I am today. I learned to spend money to affect my wellness. I spent money to change my life situation and environment. Instead of coping and buying a luxury car (that would require monthly payments and keep me at a job to afford those payments), I bought experiences that made the impossible, a possiblity.

I don't know if a 10-year-old me could imagine writing books and being paid to speak.

Anyway, this is about my entrepreneurial journey (money does play a role), I want to focus on motivation against all odds. I started thinking about this after hearing fellow Rutgers alumnus Sheryl Lee Ralph 's speech at the Emmy's: you must believe in yourself and keep doing the work. What an inspirational moment!

When I started phroogal, I pitched to venture capitalists and did all the "things" one does to build a startup. I had dozens of meetings and lots of "no, thank yous." I even applied to the famed YCombinator in Silicon Valley and was rejected twice (2014 and 2015). Those were grueling years: I cried a lot and questioned myself. But, I still had a voice inside my head that believed in my work. So, I persisted and kept going. I also learned to make adjustments.

There's a saying by Albert Einstein, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”?I had to do things differently.

Years later, phroogal continues to operate in profitability and employs freelance writers and virtual assistants, whereas many of the companies that got into those startup accelerator programs (with their million-dollar funding) no longer exist. This isn't to bash the programs, VCs, or accelerators: my goal is to encourage entrepreneurs to continue believing, assessing, pivoting, and persisting.

My 9 year entrepreneurial journey had many ups and downs and twists and turns. I had many sleepless nights. I had many ugly moments. But, now, I have the power of hindsight. I am thankful for those rejections: they allowed me to chart my own way.

This brings me to the time I met Jo Koy at The White House. I don't think I would have sat next to him if I had walked the traditional path.

We were both invited to a Filipino America Leadership conference in 2014. I gravitated towards him because there was something about how he engaged with other people. He was purposeful, intentional, and funny. I knew I wanted to keep in touch. There was only one photo I took that entire time in the White House, and that was with him. He wanted to hold the phone because you know "better angles."

I told my brother I met a comedian and he should check him out. My brother, Jeffrey, got excited: he knew of Jo Koy. He's been watching his sets on YouTube and was a big fan. I was totally missing out.

This was before Jo Koy's Netflix special that catapulted his rise to fame. He's probably the most well-known Filipino-American artist (okay, there's Bruno, H.E.R, Saweetie–many of us).

But many people don't know his full story. Here's an unedited draft from my next book:

Most people don’t know how Jo Koy risked his financial health to pursue happiness. Before the rise, his pitch to studios for a comedy special was rejected seven times. His growth mindset would not allow him to give up. Jo Koy used all of his money to create a comedy special to show the studios why he deserved space at the table. He smashed the performance, and Netflix bought his special. That led to multiple deals and the movie Easter Sunday.?

The Happy Money lesson: Jo Koy bought happiness through better work instead of buying stuff to cope with the rejections. He went from a retail job to selling out arenas worldwide, becoming the most recognizable comedian of our time.

During an interview, Jo Koy shared that as the crowd laughed at his punchlines, he was thinking how broke he was. He cried while sharing the story, and I could see the psychological effect of choosing happiness.

Jo Koy bought happiness by changing the trajectory of his career (occupational). I made a similar change and bought a life experience: backpacking around the world (emotional). My yearlong journey exposed me to new ideas and concepts. It transformed me. It’s why this book is in your hands.

Money plays a role in our lives, but so many use it to buy stuff, believing it's happiness.

Jo Koy taught me about the importance of lifting others up as we move our way up. He continues to open doors for others and believes, "if you can help someone, why not help them."

As I watch his professional success from afar, I am motivated and inspired to continue sharing the stages, offering seats in panels, and connecting people with my resources, so they too have an opportunity to make the world laugh.

What's your lesson?

What do you want to accomplish in life? Stop spending money to cope with disappointments and rejections. Use your hard-earned money to fund your dreams. There is nothing wrong with a quick pick-me-up to boost your morale, but not addressing the underlying reason why you're unhappy is what makes going after a dream all the harder. Many get into the cycle of buying stuff to feel better short term instead of spending on things that can make them well long-term.

What if you don't know what you want in life? Go out there and gain experiences or spend time exploring your interests. Build your network. LinkedIn is a great resource.

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Why the Happy Work series?

So much has happened in the last few years I realized how important it was for me to share these stories of people who've impacted my professional career and life. I want them to know they've left a legacy within me. I will share these stories once a week or more. Many people are part of my journey, and I want to honor them.

In my upcoming book,?Happy Money Happy Life: A Multidimensional Approach to Health, Wealth, and Financial Freedom, I've written about some of these people. In the book, I shared the happy dimensions that make us whole: mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, occupational, environmental, social, and financial. I specifically focused on how financial health impacts other parts of our well-being and how we can improve our finances to affect other areas positively. My claim:?You can buy happiness by spending on wellness.

Learn more about the book:?phroogal.com/happy

Preorders are available online via?Bookshop?(support independent booksellers),?Amazon,?and other retailers.

I ask you to support local bookstores and small business owners in your community. You can also find a local bookstore through?IndieBound.