I knew this, but I didn’t fully KNOW it until I lived it — your personal life disappears. Between my day job and working on Salvos.shop, I have not watched a TV show in almost a year. I have no me-time, and I’m getting burnt out. Being successful and productive also means blocking out time to do absolutely nothing at least once a week.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Cecilia Wong.
Cecilia Wong is a News Producer in broadcast television. While reporting on the symptoms of climate change, such as severe wildfires, hurricanes, drought, she started researching what she and other people can do to combat it. Cecilia has teamed up with Gurwin to create a brand that would be a consumer’s destination for all sustainability-related content and products. Cecilia is a UC Berkeley alumnus and now based out of New York City.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in Atlanta, where I was one of only a few Chinese Americans there at the time. My parents are artists, and they moved from New York City to the South for my dad’s painting business. They went from an urban and frugal lifestyle to suddenly a suburban and financially stable situation. With our newfound wealth and low cost of living in Georgia, our McMansion soon was a place to hoard as many material goods as possible. Buying used items was unheard of for me when I was growing up. It was quite the culture shock when I grew up and realized — what my family had been doing — was killing our planet.
You are currently leading a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
At Salvos.shop, we are trying to bring the most sustainably sourced home goods to one spot. Sure, similar options are popping up at Target right now, but here’s this thing called “greenwashing,” where a company claims the product is eco-friendly, but it may be not. It’s the same with the whole gluten-free craze where food items that generally don’t even have gluten are marketed as such. We want to take the detailed research away and connect notable sustainable companies to the consumer. My co-founder and I believe knowledge is key to a lifestyle shift. So, on top of selling environmentally responsible products, we are using our social media platforms as a place to research the most timely sustainability-related topics and bring that information to our followers.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to feel passionate about this cause initially?
It all started when I took an AP Environmental Science class in high school. My teacher had a very dry humor, and he would teach my fellow students and me about the doom and gloom of our Earth with a smirk on his face the whole time. To me, it seemed like he was saying, “there’s nothing I can do about it now, but it’s up to your generation if you care enough.” I remember feeling so much anxiety about the future, but because I had other things a teenager had to angst about, I stopped thinking about it for a few years.
It wasn’t until I moved to California where policy collided with sustainability. As a broadcast news producer, we’d often keep track of how wildfires become more severe; we would cover the abnormalities of whale migration, changing landscapes, and worsening drought. Every expert we interviewed pointed back to one thing: climate change.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
All the experiences mentioned above were just seeds planted until the day in San Francisco I would never forget. It was the day the sun never came up — I woke to pitch dark orange skies caused by raging wildfires. It was during the pandemic’s peak in September, and it was right before the presidential election. That was when I had an epiphany — the end of the world doesn’t happen quickly and instantly to take us all out of our misery. It would take years of suffering, unbelievable mental toil (like we all went through during the pandemic) before humankind ends. I can’t do it. I barely went through a year of the pandemic without going crazy. I knew I had to do something.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or actions you took to get your project started?
For me, I did not start the organization from scratch. That was indeed my intention until I did some research and found that someone else (Gurwin Ahuja, my co-founder) had started Salvos.shop, and it had the same mission as mine. I reached out to him and found out it was only him running the start-up. I started off pitching ideas to him, which he liked, and then submitted freelance work for the site. Eventually, he brought me on as a co-founder.
The first year of Salvos.shop was mostly Gurwin gathering products and putting them together for the site. I wrote blogs for each section, briefly explaining why bamboo is a better alternative to wood, and hemp to cotton.
Now, we’ve hired a PR company to help get our branding out to media outlets and blogs. A lot of the things we are doing are following an intelligent, trial-and-error approach.
Can you share the most exciting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
It’s not much of a story as it is an experience. The most exciting part I did not expect to be delving into is Tik Tok. It’s a social media app I had turned my nose up against because I thought I was too old for it. But because some of the most eco-conscious people out there are Gen Z people (and the primary demographic on the app), I had to learn how it worked in order to upload our content. Fast forward to a year later, and I absolutely LOVE the app because it allows for a lot of organic interaction with random people. I hope that our message about the importance of sustainability will reach people beyond our networks.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
It’s only funny to me — thinking that I could do it all while still having my day job as a news producer. I was signing onto making social media and branding content multiple times a day. I ended up getting discouraged because it wasn’t getting the views or likes I wanted. It messed with my mental health. I wanted to go viral so badly because, to me, that’s “free” advertising. I should have known that being an eco-friendly influencer wouldn’t be easy.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
My co-founder is my biggest inspiration and mentor. Gurwin Ahuja has an MBA degree from Columbia University and at least a decade of experience working under the Obama administration. He is very humble yet very informed about the risks we should or should not take.
My boyfriend, Connor, is also someone I go to for advice and is my sounding board for ideas. He had started a company with his friend before he even graduated college, so he has a lot of invaluable knowledge.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- We are trying to solve getting the consumer to ditch plastic and single-use products for more sustainable options.
- Politicians need to push for policies that favor sustainable products and subsidize companies that take the extra effort to do so while penalizing companies that kill our earth.
- Society as a whole needs to do its part in realizing every action — no matter how seemingly minuscule — sets a more significant ripple for a bigger change. Society needs to be more receptive and aware of the consequences of some of our actions.
- The community can encourage one another with social pressure that single-use plastics are bad for the environment. Instead, people can exchange items they no longer want or need or support companies like ours instead of big box stores.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
In existential terms, having a planet to do business on, with healthy customers to market to, would give us a chance to be profitable. On a more practical note, with President Biden in office and sustainability at the forefront of his agenda, consumers will start shifting away from cheap but harmful products. Salvos.shop charges a few dollars more than big box stores to ensure every product is manufactured, packaged, and delivered sustainably, and we plant one mangrove tree for every order. I believe this business model is appealing to consumers.
We aren’t quite there yet, but an anecdote from past successful businessmen should be helpful. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were born at the right time to take advantage of the internet. If they had been born too early, when technology wasn’t quite there yet, or born too late, they would have missed the opportunity to strike it rich. I equate our start with Salvos.shop the same way. Our society was not ready for sustainable products in the past, but times are changing. We want to start now to be able to catch and ride the wave. Once sustainability becomes the norm and everyone starts hopping on the bandwagon, we don’t want to be left in the dust and miss our chance to cash in.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- I knew this, but I didn’t fully KNOW it until I lived it — your personal life disappears. Between my day job and working on Salvos.shop, I have not watched a TV show in almost a year. I have no me-time, and I’m getting burnt out. Being successful and productive also means blocking out time to do absolutely nothing at least once a week.
- How much trial and error is involved — and that’s okay. There was a time when I thought company founders had everything figured out from the get-go. They had a business degree, so I figured the school gave them a blueprint to follow, and as long as the idea doesn’t suck, it would work out. In reality, things are not as clear-cut, especially in an industry that is still trying to figure out its identity.
- You need passion to keep going. I love what I do with Salvos.shop. I spend hours thinking of ways to evolve the brand or edit to make it better. Without this passion, you can’t tirelessly toil away at it, and you have to with a start-up.
- How important it is to work with someone you respect and like. With so much uncertainty during a company’s starting days, frustration and disagreements are inevitable between you and your co-founder. Gurwin and I are lucky enough that we are both diplomatic, cool-headed people. We communicate ideas well with one another and rarely disagree. We are both always open to new ideas and trying them out
- Be flexible. Your first idea will not be your last. Don’t get married to a particular concept; always be open to shifting as needed. But one thing that shouldn’t shift is your integrity and why you’re starting the business. Don’t stray away from that, but be flexible with everything else.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
If you could change just one person’s mind to help the environment, to help a greater good, why wouldn’t you try? Even if you fail, if you have enlightened just one person, you’ve done your job.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Something I had seen online really changed how I approach my life. It was about the 12 laws of the universe. The most common one people know is the Law of Attraction. There’s a law called The Law of Divine Oneness. It says all humans are made from the same “fabric,” that we are all one-in-the-same. This means if someone could start a company, I can too; it is possible because a human being achieved it. I know this is oversimplifying a lot of things and assuming everyone has the same opportunities. But for me, it gave me the confidence to create a sustainability brand — Salvos.shop.
Is there a person in the world or the U.S. with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I’d like to have a private meal with Oprah. I’ve briefly “met” her during my time as a news producer in Santa Barbara. She is such an iconic person, but also intelligent and a successful businesswoman. I’d love to pick her brain and hear her wealth of experiences.
How can our readers follow you online?
@shopsalvos on all social media platforms.
This was very meaningful; thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Cecilia Wong of Salvos.shop Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.