Today we’d like to introduce you to Jet Bunditwong.
Jet, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had been working an office job 10 years ago and this gentleman sat at my desk, who had a small business, and basically broke down into tears about how he was struggling in his business and was doing everything on his own. He told me he wished he had support and help from somebody. I remember driving home and thinking, ” I want to help people like this man. I want to make a direct impact.” That’s when I started my journey to where I am now.
I got involved in business insurance, then credit card processing, then chambers of commerce, then nonprofits, then had my own small businesses, then business advising and now my own podcast giving people a platform to talk about what they are going through while pursuing their dreams.
In so many cases, people who are starting a business, running a business, working in a company or just trying to make their hobby into a livelihood, can feel all alone. My goal is to change that perception. I see people who have a strong and positive support system do better in whatever goal they are pursuing and I want to be a part of that in some way. Throughout my journey, up until now, I have been able to meet so many interesting and knowledgable people that have helped inspired and educated me so that I can assist those that are looking for help in their journey.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, absolutely not. A large part of me is glad it was that way. I’ve always been the kid that was shown how something was hot and had to touch it to find out, feel the pain and then learn I most likely will never do that again…I emphasize “most likely.” Because sometimes, you have to feel the heat again just to test things out.
I think in the moments of struggle and despair, there are always good things to take out of it and it builds your personality, your strength and your desire even more. These are the moments that test someone and asks them, “Are you going to move forward or back down?” I feel like I have done well in those moments.
When I started this journey from an office job into finding ways to work with businesses, I had no idea what I was doing or where would be my landing spot. The first year was a struggle with income because I was just learning everything and trying to grow my clientele but I knew if I kept moving forward and learning from mistakes, I would gain ground.
Another struggle was rejection. When I was starting out and trying to grow everything I was doing in the beginning, I had no idea how to connect these products to the people that needed it and often I was told no. A lot. Then I asked for help and mentorship, learned and got better at it. I also had a vision that in order to help and give back down the road, I would need to become better at the front end stuff in order to do the things I wanted to do 5 or 10 years from when I started. Keeping that eye on the goal was very important to my motivation.
I also struggled with feeling like I was on an island at times. I was always in the mindset that you just figure things out on your own, especially in the business sense. It wasn’t until I chatted with people in social media groups, networked, asked questions, researched on different platforms that I learned and grew in the business sense AND realized that there were so many other people in the same place as I was.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At this very minute, what I do right now is a very mixed bag and developing in a multitude of ways. I still do the business insurance, credit card processing, working on my business, business advising with the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) and help the ABA (Asian Business Association), but am also on the board of a nonprofit, Akitso, which aims to help underserved restaurants and also my Podcast, “The Personal Side Of Business,” which shares the journeys of entrepreneurs, business people and people pursuing something they are passionate about.
Over the past 7 years I have had the privilege to meet really amazing and inspiring people, which has led me to new opportunities, which in turn has helped me grow personally and professionally. Fortunately, I get to utilize a lot of what I have learned over the years in what I am doing now, since all of it pertains to some elements in the business world.
Through all of the different work I am doing, they have one thing in common and that is I am interacting with small business owners in one way or another. I might get to help them with a payment system, some insurance advice, business guidance, help them increase their visibility through Akitso or just tell their story through my podcast…but it’s always an interaction that hopefully helps their business in some way.
I think I’m known for helping and supporting businesses at this point in my professional career. It just keeps evolving over time.
I’m proud of the full body of work I’ve accomplished so far. It’s not perfect in any way but I have realized that my journey in all of this isn’t to go down a perfect path but to leave all of this one day better than I found it and I think I’m chipping away at that goal. If I were to say what sets me apart from others is care and connection. I don’t look at the connections and relationships I’ve developed over time as just business, but as friends and some feel like family. I cherish that more than anything and I think it shows in my work.
Any big plans?
I want to keep helping businesses and finding more effective ways. I think that will always be my core purpose. I foresee what I’m doing with my podcast to really assist in that. I have this dream that this podcast will reach a large enough audience one day that it can give back to small businesses, not just in reach but in a monetary way. I know it’s going to take hard work and time but that’s what I look forward too. Along the way, I get to connect with people and share their stories. I have always been a creative person at heart, so this allows me to do many things like educating, having a creative outlet and hopefully changing businesses for the better.
I’m also excited as to where I can help Akitso go. I’ve never been on the board of a nonprofit this early on in its formation. I love that I get to help develop and shape an organization from the ground up with the founder, Anna Sotto and our other board member, Jenna Ryan. It’s not often you get to create something with people who have the same temperament, heart and goals as you. I want Akitso to one day be the leading organization in helping underserved restaurant businesses not only in San Diego, but across the country. It will be amazing to look back on this one day and say, ” I was there from the beginning.”
This is an invigorating time in my life professionally and I can’t wait to see where it’s going to lead to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://personalsideofbusiness.com/
- Instagram: @personalsideofbusiness
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jet-bunditwong-50937a4/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PersonalSideofBusiness
- Other: @jetgobusinesssolutions.com, Akitso.co
Image Credits
The professional photos were done by Gavin Ha, Vizual Rhythm
