After Hour Projects

Rick Hu, founder and CEO of Midas Wealth, a private wealth management firm, shares his story becoming the youngest Managing Director at Northwestern Mutual at the age of 25.

In this special episode for Asian Heritage Month, we discuss his journey becoming himself, becoming successful, and becoming a father and a son.

Leo Chan, founder of Levitate Style, a men's style and travel blog, shares his story coming from an immigrant to the USA to becoming a fashion influencer.

We discuss how he employed an immigrant mentality of being the best in his professional work and business, doubling down on Levitate Style in his free time outside of work, and his advice for pursuing projects on the side.

Gruvi executive Nikolaj Mathies shares his experiences at a growing startup and what it means to move forward in this space.

We discuss his progression through Gruvi, a data project they are working on, and the future plans for Gruvi.

Rocketship jobs founder Henry Johnson shares how he created a job board for startups by open-sourcing his own research.

We discuss Henry's experience in startups, networking and building an audience on Twitter, and questions to think about when evaluating opportunities at startups.

Life coach and yogi Jessica Lin shares how compassion, integrity, and accessibility keep her centered.

We talked about mental health, decolonizing yoga, and the value of holistic health.

Software engineer and Litt founder Harry Moreno shares what it’s actually like working on something on the side.

We talk about the origin story behind Litt, Harry’s latest project building a community for solo founders, and some questions to think about when deciding whether to continue on a project or not.

TAXMAP founder Elusio shares how he applied blockchain technology to his field of tax compliance to eventually start his own company.

We cover how Elusio first discovered blockchain technology, the various iterations he went through with his company – particularly dealing with an emerging technology, and the necessity for belief in oneself as a founder.

Professor Brian Hanssen of NYU discusses experiential learning and how it applies to his nonprofit, Social Impact Scholars.

We cover the current state of online education, the story behind Social Impact Scholars to provide students with access to opportunities, and the transferrable skills professionals can apply early-on in their careers.

Stan Rosenberg, Founder of Trip of a Lifetime, shares ways to apply perspectives gained from work and travel to your After Hour Project.

We cover the story behind Trip of a Lifetime from Stan's transformative travel experience in high school to him building the organization, continuing throughout college and post-graduation plus much more on professional development.

Dr. Vivian Tran shares how her experiences growing up shaped her mindset in taking advantage of each moment, as shown through her various projects.

Technology executive David Segura shares his story founding Giant Media - taking an idea and running with it, pushing through to eventually sell the company.

We cover David's unique transition from his first job in consulting to the world of startups, his experiences with side projects, and the one conversation that led to what would become Giant Media.

E-commerce entrepreneur Dave Nash walks us through his journey running businesses, eventually scaling a 7-figure beauty company.

We discussed how Dave got his start in entrepreneurship right in middle school, how he ran a fashion e-commerce business throughout college, and his application of the “Nike for X” business model as co-founder of Mount Lai while working full-time.

Founder, investor, and advisor Ken Huynh highlights the factors behind an After Hour Project including one’s support network, market positioning, and macro and micro trends.

We talked about the importance of building a support network, evaluating markets prior to entry, and the evolution of the New York City tech scene. 

In December of 2018, I landed a job that checked all of the boxes and simultaneously got promoted to become one of the youngest people in my 50,000-person bank with the title of Vice President. 

But I couldn’t have gotten there without the help of side projects. 

I share about my experience with side projects, why I’m starting this podcast, and what to look forward to in the upcoming episodes.