Jenny Poon

The daughter of immigrants, Jenny Poon understands and has benefited from the American Dream, but she also recognizes the shortcomings of American systems. She grew up working hard in her parents’ restaurant, made very pragmatic choices about education, so as not to accrue debt, and worked as a designer before going on to co-found CO+HOOTS, a highly lauded coworking space in Phoenix, Arizona.

Through her own experience and through working with the entrepreneurs at CO+HOOTS, Poon sees how entrepreneurship can change people’s lives, but has a clear view of all the barriers that are in the way of people being able to start and grow businesses. The complications brought on by 2020 only further highlighted the challenges our systems create for people, but Poon also makes note of the resilience and creativity people displayed in the face of the health, economic, and social crises the year threw at us.

Q: It was obviously a big step to re-open CO+HOOTS, given all the safety protocols you had to put into place. Why did you feel like it was important to provide entrepreneurs a coworking space, in a time when so many people are working from home?

It was important because we wanted to make sure our community knows we are still there for them. As more businesses face closure, it was important for them to know there are resources for them and to continue on.

We also had to pivot, and in doing so, we launched a new arm for our business. We partnered with local governments to package all our community building, resource sharing, and technology knowledge into a city-wide platform that connects entrepreneurs to all the resources in their own community.

For our coworking community, we made sure those who couldn’t work from home for any reason, could still work at CO+HOOTS and feel safe doing so. We exist to solve entrepreneurs’ problems. Through this pandemic, we did that through supporting our community with a safe physical space and a digital platform aimed to build stronger, more resilient businesses.

Q: What stories have you heard from the entrepreneurs that you work with about adapting to the challenges and opportunities brought on by the pandemic?

My favorite story is my parents’ restaurant (Camdi Restaurant, which serves Chinese and Vietnamese food). Through the pandemic they had to close and have yet to open for dine-in service – I’m not sure they ever will. They are located in downtown Minneapolis and were at ground zero of the George Floyd protests. They had to board up and close for several days. Recently, they have been at the center of some anti-immigrant hate messages.

Through COVID they switched to delivery only which has actually been better for them, since they’re older and it is hard for them to be on their feet all day serving tables and washing dishes. As business slowed, my mom started launching new dishes, and that has become a hit. And lastly, with the most recent racial attacks, they have gained a lot of attention with their “clap-back” response, which led to a huge outpouring of support and brought 100-plus reviews and a ton of new customers in just a five-day period. I’m not sure what will stick with them, but it was yet another example of just surviving through the pandemic. That is all we’re trying to do this year, survive.

Q: In your previous essay, you talked about the abundance mindset most Americans have, versus the scarcity mindset brought by immigrants. How do you see that playing out, given the hardships of 2020, when we see the “K-shaped” recovery – some people are doing just fine, and others are suffering?

That’s tricky. I think the wealth gap is widening to levels that will make it incredibly difficult for us to build a middle class. And no amount of “abundance mindset” will change your situation if the systems that have been built, are built to keep you out. So, I think what we’re seeing is the result of a society that has not been built with an equity lens. And that is what we get to change now.

My immigrant parents have navigated this pandemic just fine: to them we aren’t living in a war zone. But they did call me and remind me to go stock up on rice and toilet paper.

I will say that the scarcity mindset thrives in times of crisis. By that I mean, the scarcity mindset also means that there is no other option, you must move forward. And so, we see many people innovating quickly, pivoting to new business models and coming up with new ways to build businesses around new needs. This is what a scarcity mindset also brings, fast innovation.

Q: What “new normals” – good or bad – do you see or anticipate coming out of this year?

The Good: A higher awareness of the inequities that exist today, because they just can’t be ignored any longer. Across all industries, we saw everything get pressure cooked. From race issues and financial crisis, to our healthcare and education systems. And out of that, we saw what was built for resilience and what wasn’t. The good is more people who are aware and willing to take action to right the wrongs.

I saw developers reach out to local schools to help them shift to online learning, leaders join forces to make sure restaurants had resources during closure, and local governments get really innovative with how they utilized their resources by quickly delivering grants directly to people.

I think businesses, schools, medicine will continue to lean hard on technology, I think online ordering and touchless pickup may be here to stay. (I am loving getting my groceries delivered). Also, more homes with bidets in the world (due to the toilet paper shortage). Big Win!

The Bad: I think governments and local businesses have been set back pretty hard. It will take a long time for the revival of small businesses, especially in communities of color. I also think banks have been pulling back, and this makes it even more difficult for people start new businesses and build a livelihood for themselves.

Q: Has anything in the past year changed your mind on your view of the world?

I knew this before, but teachers are incredibly underpaid. Through the pandemic, I have also seen great collaboration between governments, local leaders, and entrepreneurs, and I truly believe there is something special there. If we can get more funding to local governments and get that funding to small businesses and entrepreneurs, that is where we can accelerate change.

Q: As we look for hope in the New Year, where do you see opportunities to rebuild society’s systems better?

Over these last six months, we saw government reach out and get really innovative, and rewrite whole lending practices, build more public-private partnerships, and experiment. We all need to take an entrepreneurial approach moving forward to recover faster.

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