From someone who grew up in child labor and in a family factory without toys and strollers to a Queen of improved bicycles, from Cinderella with dusty face to the queen of bikes. Even her classmate's mother told her daughter to "not play with her" because she looked dirty. With all that hardship turning it to an owner of a medical beauty center, a women's business in Hacienda, Los Angeles County. Melody Hsieh has become a winner of the 2022 Golden Crown Award of the World Chinese Business Women's Association.
Melody Hsieh first came to the United States from Taiwan at the age of 17 to work hard. Coming to the United States without knowing English was difficult but also the cultural differences. Her father encouraged her to take over the family business, but she had bigger goals to accomplish. She took on the role of a mother, taking care of her younger brother while finishing high school.
Child laborers and Taiwanese immigrants share their stories in the Golden Crown Award-winning novel "Melody".
Melody said, "I was a wild child with messy hair and dirty hands when I was young." She lived near the factory and can still see the images of mice infestation from her childhood. She spent her childhood working in a factory. The sound of the punching machine and seeing the complete exhaustion of her mother became her motivation to work hard. She said,
"I see my mom working until 12 pm every day, and I want to change the situation even more which strengthened my belief."
When she heard her classmates' mother say, "You see how dirty she is, don't play with her," Melody felt incredibly sad. She worked harder than ever to live a wonderful life. She had to overcome a lot of obstacles and prove to everyone that she could do it with her business.
Melody once imported scooters from Taiwan and sold them in the US. The orders were full, and she was running out of supplies. However, as the popularity of scooters subsided, she went bankrupt with a $300,000 turnover. Melody found it hard to lower her quality or cut prices, instead of walking away she worked hard to maintain excellent quality bikes for low cost.
She realized that she needed to create her own unique value, so she went back to school and studied more professional knowledge.
Melody Hsieh was the first of her family to graduate with a college degree, she was determined to put her degree to beneficial use. She is now thriving in her Mobo Cruiser business and expanding to other opportunities as well.
Mobo Cruisers Bicycle Company
Melody made it to the Business Management Institute; she learned marketing and packaging concepts through classwork and on campus, and she also met her future partner.
When Melody Hsieh's parents were always busy with work they had never taught her how to ride a bicycle. To pursue childhood happiness and make up for her childhood shortcomings, she made affordable bikes for children.
Melody Hsieh has a deep understanding of the manufacturing process, going from the moment of mold opening to a product's final sale. She can turn an idea into a product and can sell it around the world.
Melody Hsieh focused on the US toy market. The saturation in children's tricycles and other toys inspired them to create a two-in-one Trojan Horse and Tricycle, which is easy to combine or disassemble. This idea earned Melody Hsieh a toy design award.
Mobo's products include all age groups, from children to the elderly. There was a young man with autism who lived in Orange County and was incredibly sad about losing his tricycle, which Melody Hsieh upgraded for him.
How did Mobo Cruiser Bicycle Company win a Golden Crown Award for the best company?
Melody learned about marketing and packaging at the USC Business School. She had never ridden a bike and as a result, created the concept for her children's bike brand.
Melody understands the process of mold opening to manufacturing better than anyone.
Children's bikes are quite common and as such, you need innovative ideas for them to be noticed. She designed a "two-in-one" Trojan Horse and Tricycle which is easy to combine and disassemble. The idea originated from the fact that there are so many toys at home which take up too much space. The 2 in 1 Trojan horse tricycle not only saves storage space, but also extends the use time of the toy - 2 or 3-year-old children will soon stop riding their horrid horse, but they can still enjoy riding their trike. Melody's creation won her a toy design award.
Toy Design Award
Mobo Cruiser products, which include tricycles made for all age groups, can accommodate the needs of anyone. For example, Melody shared a touching story of Robles, an autistic child in Orange County who lost his tricycle. To help Robles have a Merry Christmas and make sense of the loss, the company gave him an upgraded version of the toy car.
A preview of what is to come Melody's expansion
Toys R Us closed in 2017 after declaring bankruptcy, but they opened a new store in China that Melody became the CEO of.
Previously, Melody would see a drop in profit when big crises occurred in the toy industry. However, during the 2020 epidemic, her profits were not impacted because she had already prepared for the pandemic and was able to make use of innovative marketing strategies.
Unlike Mobo (go ahead), Melody opened a medical beauty center in 2012 with more than 20 employees. She opened this medical institution in hopes that women could feel confident in their appearance and not feel inferior.
You cannot just pass up pursuing imitation. Plastic surgery is not always the best option to pursue, but you should still be sincere with how you present yourself.
"Melody said that dreams, persistence, and good partners have brought her to where she is today." She can do it and so can everyone.
When the epidemic hit, medical beauty centers could not open for a while. But Melody was not discouraged by this. She studied laws and regulations, and then applied for public subsidies to help get it up and running again.
Finally, she negotiated with the Hilton Hotel and opened her new center at the public swimming pool. The ingenious way of redefining herself as an epidemic-style business helped guests feel fresher walking in, with business gradually improving.
Success is not easy
The success of Melody is not something that she achieved overnight. Her success came with a background of challenging work. She starts her day by exercising in the morning and then takes her kids to school. After dropping off the kids she goes to her job on Mobo Cruiser then goes to a medical beauty center for work in the afternoon.
Entrepreneurship needs to maintain a clear goal, and then stick to it. It is important to stay focused on your work despite setbacks in the process while maintaining enthusiasm. It is also necessary to establish a close partnership with your employees and outside companies like factories.
Melody is often advising entrepreneurs on how to make their companies thrive. She overcame a lot of obstacles and now likes to share her knowledge and mistakes with others.