Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Guodong Zhang, founder of Loongese, located in Laval, QC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Loongese is a reliable supplier for high-quality and diverse loose teas, a retailer of Leonidas Chocolates from Belgium, a relaxing tearoom for Gongfu tea ceremony, and a boutique for exotic art wares and diverse paintings. Our customers are authentic tea lovers, delicious chocolate lovers, art lovers, culture lovers, and life lovers.

Tell us about yourself

As an explorer of life & art, I have been focusing on cultural industry and organizational behavior since I studied at university. After getting an MBA degree, I established a consulting company in Beijing. I worked as a team leader of cultural management consultants for eight years. I traveled around China, experienced various cultures and customs, and accumulated impressive experience on successful projects during this period.

In 2011, I immigrated to Canada. Based on my experience in Chinese cultural and creative projects, I built the website of Loongese in 2016 to distribute Eastern culture. Furthermore, aiming to connect the East and the West cultures and provide healthy, natural, and delicious products to the community, I built the physical store of Loongese in Laval in 2019.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Live freely in a friendly environment, think freely, do what I like to do, share some healthy and beautiful things with my neighborhood and friends, and enjoy life.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The business was established just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The current difficulty is to reach the targeted customers. To be known, be found, be recognized, and be loved by our potential customers are the hardest parts of a new business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Choose what you like.
  2. Provide values.
  3. Serve the clients and the community.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Our slogan is “Enjoy tea and life sip by sip.”

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.loongese.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loongese/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loongese/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guodongzhang/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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