IAM802- Founder Supports Creatives Through Mentorship

Ting Lin is a multitalented and creative entrepreneur in the DMV area. She is a fashion consultant for Ting Lin Fashion, specializing in wardrobe audit, personal shopping, and fashion styling. She is a singer-songwriter for Ting Lin Music, creating and performing original songs with multicultural and cross-genre elements. She is the founder of The Ting Times, striving to support creatives who want to pursue unconventional careers, by providing resources, mentorship and opportunities.

• CEO Hack: I have a to-do list and try to stick to the goals for the day and I get them done
• CEO Nugget: Be patient with yourself, you will get there
• CEO Defined: A mindset, taking charge and being a leader

Website: www.thetingtimes.com
www.tinglinmusic.com
http://www.tinglinfashion.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetingtimes
https://www.facebook.com/tinglinmusic
https://www.facebook.com/tinglinfashion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetingtimes/ (@thetingtimes)
https://www.instagram.com/tinglinmusic/ (@tinglinmusic)
https://www.instagram.com/tinglinfashion/ (@tinglinfashion)

Full Interview:

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Transcription

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[00:00:02.20] – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

[00:00:29.69] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Ting Lin of the Ting Times. Ting, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:39.50] – Ting Lin

Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

[00:00:41.70] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Ting so you hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Ting Lin is a multi-talented and creative entrepreneur in the DMV area. She's a fashion consultant for Ting Lin Fashion, specializing in wardrobe audit, personal shopping, and fashion styling. She is a singer and songwriter for Tingland Music, creating and performing original songs with multicultural and cross-genre elements. She is the founder of the Ting Times, striving to support creatives who want to pursue unconventional careers by providing resources, mentorship, and opportunities. Ting, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:20.90] – Ting Lin

Yes. I am.

[00:01:22.20] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit here, a little bit more on how you got started, and we'll let you start with all the awesome things you're working on.

[00:01:31.79] – Ting Lin

Well, so I'm an artist. You know, that's me that's where my heart is at. And all of these things kinda took shape throughout the years. It wasn't just like I woke up and I'm like, okay. I'm doing all these things.

[00:01:43.40] – Gresham Harkless

Mhmm.

[00:01:43.79] – Ting Lin

And because I'm somebody who loves doing so many creative things, I had to kind of say, well, what am I most passionate about? And that's fashion and music and also community. So that's why there's Tingling fashion, Tingling music, and the Ting Times. The Ting Times is basically an umbrella for everything that I do. But eventually, it will morph into an organization that supports other creatives that want to do what I wanna do, you know, creative things. So yeah. I mean, you know, I wanna have a career, doing things that I'm passionate about because I have been into the retail world. I have been in the corporate world, and I realized I'm the happiest when I, you know, do my own thing, have my own business, and do things that I'm truly just passionate about. So this is why, you know, I kind of started all of these different ventures.

[00:02:40.59] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I definitely appreciate that. And I think when we first connected, I talked about, you know, the creativeness of entrepreneurship at its heart, and I believe that creatives are the people that are most able to figure out how to solve these problems, how to sometimes merge different, talents and interests into one that can kinda help and create that that, that movement or that, I guess, solution for certain problems that we have in life.

[00:03:06.50] – Ting Lin

Exactly. Yeah. I mean, I think creativity isn't just for the artist. I think creativity can be a lifestyle. We also talked about this where I feel like, a lot of people think of creatives as just artists or or musicians or fashion designers or graphic designers or, you know, like, all of these boxes that people think creatives are, and I don't believe that. I think creatives exist in every single industry, in every single field as long as you're somebody who thinks outside of the box, who wants to solve, problems in your industry creatively, and, you know, who just wanna be change makers. So I consider all of those people creatives. And, you know, creativity can be brought into daily lives where you're not so, like, stubborn at solving a problem in one way, where you are more flexible and, like, well, let's consider other options, or let's consider other people's opinions or let's consider other aspects or perspectives and looking at a problem. So, you know, creativity, I feel like it's a way of life.

[00:04:11.30] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And I love how you said that it's a way of life because I think so many times we get the I guess the worst thing you can do is tell a creative that they need to fit into a box, and they need to check off those boxes, so to speak because I think that not only limits their creativity, but I think it also limits the impact that they can have on the world. Because I think so many times we get so focused on doing things one specific way, but it's the creative. It's the person that is able to kinda do it in a different way or look at it in a different way that allows that opportunity to create these innovations and these things that really we're even using in this very, moment.

[00:04:47.19] – Ting Lin

Yeah. I mean, you know and also being creative doesn't mean you have to do everything originally. Like, there are a lot of things that already exist, but as long as you do it your way and you bring something different to the table, it doesn't mean you can't do what other people are doing. It doesn't mean you have to come up with something totally original because, in this world, it's really hard to just say everything that we do is original. I feel like we're all inspired by someone. We're all influenced by different people that have come before us. Right? So I think people shouldn't be afraid to be like, well, I don't have anything original. It's like, no. Just do it your way. That is original enough. You know?

[00:05:24.89] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. I often say, if you run your own race, you can't lose because nobody can run your race like you can. So

[00:05:31.19] – Ting Lin

That's right.

[00:05:32.10] – Gresham Harkless

I know you're running your race, and you're at least a triple threat that you mentioned. Could you talk a little bit more about the different aspects that you have, you know, in your business, what you're doing, and how you support those clients you work with?

[00:05:43.69] – Ting Lin

So, yes, I definitely do things my way. You know, for my fashion clients, I can talk a little bit more about it. So the way I kind of treat my fashion clients is that I'm pretty much their friend. Because when I look at fashion, it's something that's very personal. It's not just about the clothing it's a mindset. It's about their confidence. It's about their self-image. It's about how they feel about their body, and how they feel about themselves. So the fact that they come to me and, like, they're vulnerable and they're expressing all of these inner feelings they have about themselves, to me, I can't really treat it as, oh, you're my client. I am your fashion consultant. I kinda open up, and I'm like, I'm your friend. I'm here to listen. I'm here to support you, and I'm here to help you however you need me to help you.

Right? So, you know, I treat my clients as friends. And the way we work is, like, you know, I listen. I'm very patient with them. I customize my service based on the client. There's no, like, one box fits all kind of thing. So because I wanna tailor my service, you know, to them specifically so I can really help them. And it's not about, like, pushing my fashion sense onto them. It's about helping them discover their own fashion sense and help them develop their individual styles. And, yeah. You know, to me, it's very it's an honor to be able to work with my clients because they're just so honest with me about themselves and about what they need. So yeah.

[00:07:19.60] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. No. I definitely appreciate that. And I think, you know, when we definitely connected to, like, the, I guess, the symbolism of fashion as well too, I think so many times we forget, like, oh, I'm just putting on this shirt, or I'm just, you know, dressing up in this, but what it represents is so much more. So I love that, obviously, the customized approach that you have, but I love how in tune you are to that aspect as well and not just seeing what the clothes are, but what the clothes represent and how it creates that forward momentum.

[00:07:46.10] – Ting Lin

Yeah. I mean, a lot of the clients, they already know they already know something about fashion. A lot of them, they're like, oh, I don't know anything about fashion. I'm like, you've dressed yourself for so many years. You know something about fashion. You know? But it's about building up that fashion knowledge, and that's kinda where I come in where, you know, I'm not necessarily telling a client, well, I don't like this or I like this for you. I explain to them why I like this on them, why I don't like something on them, why they should keep something, why they shouldn't keep something. So kinda bring in that expert knowledge because I've worked in fashion retail for, like many years, you know, throughout college, throughout my career, and I've also studied fashion design.

And I just have been in the industry for a long time, and I've been an executive assistant too, working alongside, like, executives and overseeing the whole process of creating a garment. So, you know, I've seen a lot. And that's kind of the expertise I bring in is, you know, kind of telling someone, you know, why certain color works for them, why certain silhouette works for them, and also encouraging them to not follow trends, but mainly focus on their own style. Because when you follow trends, a lot of the trends are not for every single body type and for every single person. So it's important to kind of see what really works for you instead of kinda just chasing what's the newest item, you know, I have to have in my closet.

[00:09:09.89] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. Yeah. I appreciate that so much because I think kind of like what we were talking about with business where so many times you can get locked in on one specific way of doing things. A lot of times you can lean on the expertise of others, and a lot of times, like I said before, when you start to run somebody else's race, that's when you lose that's when you don't stay true to yourself. So looking for answers externally when really we should be looking for answers within and then kind of learning more, sharpening the saw, and going forward from there.

[00:09:37.00] – Ting Lin

Yeah. I mean, it's about, like, learning about your body type and learning, you know because some people do experience some changes in their body types. A lot of clients I talk to, they're one body type, and then they're like, well, I'm working towards this other body type. So just kinda, like, being patient with yourself through that throughout that journey and knowing what really looks good on you, be really honest with yourself, know what you want to show, know which part you don't wanna show, just kinda have that internal dialogue. So then when I come in, you know, you're honest with me and I can really help you. And, you know, I work with my clients' comfort zone, but I'm also there to push their boundaries a little bit because you don't really learn if I'm just saying yes to everything that you like.

[00:10:20.60] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. And you don't grow unless you get outside of that comfort zone, and that's definitely for sure. So I wanted to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce. And this could be for yourself or your business, but what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

[00:10:35.10] – Ting Lin

I mean, I feel like a couple of things set me apart. I think one is that you know, my passion for what I do. It's pretty apparent because I have all the energy and all the time in the world when I'm doing something that I love. So I bring a lot of passion into, the way I interact with my fashion clients or music or other creatives. You know, you can feel the passion and you can feel that now that I'm genuinely, you know, loving what I do. And I'm providing a lot of honest opinions, a lot of good information. So I think my passion is one of one of my secret sauces, I would say.

And then definitely what I touched upon is the personalization of my services, so there's not like, you don't feel like you're getting treated the same as everyone else, just like a cookie cutter in a cookie cutter way. I kind of tailor my services to you personally. I would say that more for fashion. For music, you know, for me, it's again, passion is there, but, for music, I'm there to push boundaries. So it's not so much, oh, what does everybody else like? It's kind of like, what does everybody else need? You know? What isn't out there already? How can I do things my way and make it interesting, make you know, make it sound good but different?

[00:11:57.60] – Gresham Harkless

And, I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an Apple book or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:12:10.10] – Ting Lin

So one of the habits that I do have is that I like to finish everything for that day on that day. So what that means is that you know, we have to-do lists for every single day. Right? And sometimes we don't get to all of it, and that's fine. But I set some goals of what I wanna accomplish in one day, and I try to stick to those goals and get them done. You know? And it's it might sound overwhelming, but my strategy is that, you know, every day we'll have more things to do. So if we finish, you know, some things that we set for one day, then on the next day, we can work on something new and, you know, other things on the to-do list instead of feeling overwhelmed and feeling like the list never gets, you know, gets shorter. And it's it's worked for me so far.

[00:13:02.70] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely love that. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget, and this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. It might be something if you hop into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

[00:13:13.79] – Ting Lin

If I can hop in a time machine and tell, I guess, my younger self being, I guess, in the twenties, you know, maybe when I was twenty-one, that's kinda when I moved to New York and had all these big dreams, you know, in the fashion industry to tell myself that you will get there. Just be patient with yourself.

[00:13:35.39] – Gresham Harkless

Appreciate that. And so now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So, Ting, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:13:46.60] – Ting Lin

Being a CEO isn't just a title. Being a CEO is a mindset. It's about taking charge. It's about being a leader. It's, again, kind of everything I said, like, chain being a change maker, being a problem solver. I guess, kinda seeing whichever industry that you're in, kinda seeing what is needed. And if there's nothing there, take charge. So being a CEO, I think, is less about, a title, especially in the corporate world, than a mindset in the entrepreneurial world. So I think anybody can be CEO. And, you know, and you can be CEO in every field possible. It doesn't have to be in a corporate world. But you have to make sure you have what it takes. You have to make sure that you're willing to, put in the hard work, finish what you've started, be humble, and learn, and collaborate with people, make all the connections. And you are the CEO. Then you are the CEO.

[00:14:51.29] – Gresham Harkless

Truly appreciate that, Singh, and I appreciate your time even more. What I wanna do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

[00:15:03.89] – Ting Lin

Awesome. Well, if you wanna learn more about the Ting Times if you're creative or you know someone who is creative, then definitely check out w w w dot thing times dot com, t h e t I n g t I m e s. And, also, the Instagram for that is the ting times. And then if you wanna learn more about my fashion consulting services, if you're a brand or just an individual who's looking, for me to style a photo shoot for you or to revamp your www dot tinglin fashion dot com. And on w w w dot tinglin fashion dot com. And on Instagram, that's Ting Lin fashion. That's the handle. And if you wanna learn more about my music, it's, w w w dot tinglin music dot com. And on Instagram, it's Ting Lin music. And I'll definitely have a couple of very exciting things coming up. So definitely stay tuned.

[00:16:09.70] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Thank you so much again, Ting. We will have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate you so much for all the awesome things you're doing and the time you spent today, and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

[00:16:22.10] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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