Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke

Giovanna Pang Garcia accepting the Asian Heritage Award. July 10th 2010_Copyright 2010 Dominic Lee

Giovanna Pang Garcia has won the 7^th annual Asian Heritage Award in arts and literature by popular vote.  The award was presented on board the USS Midway on Saturday, July 10 in front of a crowd including Congresswomen Susan Davis and Judy Chu, Rear Admiral Ron MacLaren, representatives from Governor Schwarzenegger’s office, the governments of Thailand and Taiwan, Habitat for Humanity, and Ford Motor Company.  Giovanna is the author of Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke: Real Life Stories and Proven Keys for Success, a book which explores the reasons for her own success as a bootstrap entrepreneur, as well as the successes of 100 trailblazing Chinese American women whom she interviewed for the purposes of her book.  Giovanna attributes those successes to the application of Chinese core values in the waters of American freedom and ingenuity.

Award winning Author Giovanna Pang Garcia with Congresswoman Susan Davis

Congresswoman Judy Chu is one of the 100 trailblazing women interviewed by Giovanna in the book: Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke

Rear Admiral MacLaren, the 3rd highest rank officer in the U.S. Navy

The Asian Heritage Society, a nonprofit organization, collected nominations from the community for recognition.  Other categories for the Asian Heritage Awards included business enterprise, cultural preservation, entrepreneurship, government, health and medicine, humanitarian outreach, innovation and technology, legal affairs, media, military and performing arts. The 72 nominees, including educators, doctors, lawyers, scientists, artists, corporate leaders, community activists, journalists, engineers, writers, philosophers, scientists, singers, playwrights and military service members, were selected by the community and their names placed on an email ballot that was uploaded to the websites www.asiamediainc.com and www.asianheritageawards.com.  Last year, more than 46,000 votes were cast.

The USS Midway lent an appropriate stage for the presentation of the award because of its historical connection to Asia. The carrier began its service off the coast of Japan at the close of World War II and served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

2010 Asian Heritage Award, USS Midway

Inspirational Author & Speaker, Giovanna Pang Garcia will be at Warwick’s on Wednesday, May 12 at 7:30pm to discuss and sign her new book, Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke: Real Life Stories and Proven Keys for Success.

Warwick’s Book

Wed, May 12th at 7:30 p.m.,
7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla, San Diego
858-454-0347

“If you have a big vision and big plans, read Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke: Real Life Stories and Proven Keys for Success. Take action on what you learn, and you will transform your dreams of success into reality.”
                                                                                                                                                                          Ivy Chin, vice president, QVC

In the book Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke, Giovanna Pang Garcia tracked down 100 of the most successful and influential Chinese women in America, convincing them to share their secrets of success.   Garcia’s book explains how their core values and commonsense practices can be utilized by anyone willing to invest in hard work and persistence.  These women became successful not because they were lucky, but because they found the balance between the Chinese core values they were raised with and the freedom and opportunities that America provides.  They persevered, were driven by an indefatigable work ethic, possessed an unstoppable desire for success and never quit pursuing their dreams.

Among the women featured in the book are presidents, vice presidents, and top executives at Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, IBM, AT&T, Qualcomm, Allergen Inc., State Farm, Bank of American, Citi, Merrill Lynch, State Street, and United Commercial Bank.  Others are highly respected educators at top-notch universities, including Harvard, USC, Cal Tech, UDSU and Columbia.  Leaders in the political and legal fields, such as ambassadors, congresswomen,  U.S. attorneys, and a police chief, round out the list of remarkable women who have discovered the balance for success.

2/17/2010

Title: Author turns to local Asian women for secrets of success
By Maria Connor

There are thousands of stories about immigrants who have come to the U.S. in search of the American Dream. Some of those stories end happily; some do not. For Giovanna Pang Garcia of Oceanside, the story was something of a fairy tale. Inspired by the opportunities she created for herself and motivated by a desire to help others achieve their own definition of success, Garcia has recently released a book that explores how Chinese-American women combine traditional values with American freedom and innovation to move past economic, ethnic, gender and educational obstacles.

“Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke” is based on interviews with 100 influential Chinese women, including many from San Diego. They represent all areas of industry and business, including politics, medicine, broadcasting, retail sales, banking and others. In sharing her own story and those of other accomplished Asian women, Garcia hopes to remind her audience of seven core values that have allowed generations of immigrants – from all backgrounds – to succeed in America.

“These are universal truths for anyone to get to success in whatever success is for them,” Garcia said. “If you want to be healthier, if you want to be more wealthy, if you want to be happier, you apply the same seven keys.”

At age 16, Garcia emigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S. by herself. Married and divorced by 20, she found herself undaunted by an uncertain future. From early childhood, Garcia had worked in her parents’ toy shop, learning the ins and outs of buying and selling. She built on that entrepreneurial experience to launch a computer company with just $300, making 100 cold calls every day. In six months, the venture had outgrown her tiny Orange County condo. Twelve years later when she sold the company, Garcia’s $300 investment had multiplied into millions of dollars.

“I later learned only 10 percent of businesses make it the first two years,” Garcia said, “and then 90 percent of those fold in five years.”

Happily remarried with a toddler to raise, Garcia planned to retire on the fortune she had built. But after just four months, a nagging sensation left her feeling unfulfilled.

She said she found purpose after being invited to give an inspirational speech to a group of business professionals. Many times after speaking to a group, individuals would contact Garcia, confiding that while she had motivated them to make a change in life, after just a couple of weeks they found themselves back in the same rut.

“I felt if I could put it down on paper, then people could find their way,” Garcia said. “Perhaps if they made it over the two-week hump, if they saw some results, they could make it two months.”

As she compiled notes for a book, Garcia recognized that many of her driving principles stemmed from her upbringing. That realization made her wonder if the same thing was true for other Asian women.

Exploring the myth of Asian success

Describing herself as “not a potato but not a rocket scientist either,” Garcia felt her concept would have more merit if it was backed up by similar tales of success among Asian women. She tried to locate such individuals via the Internet but found very little information. That convinced her there was an even greater need to explore her idea.

Garcia reached out to Chinese organizations across the country and eventually identified 100 talented, accomplished, educated, well-respected Chinese-American women to interview. She includes anecdotes, advice and stories from these women in her book to illustrate common cultural ideals, as well as how their upbringing shaped them for success.

“There (were) a lot of stories that they shared with me that were much broader and bigger than my own experience,” Garcia said.

One of the key differences Garcia found between immigrants and Americans is work ethic. Individuals raised in a culture of convenience – seven-minute abs, lose weight by swallowing a pill, buy a house with no money down – seem to have a kind of “drive-through” mentality about success.

“Successful people know how to be a farmer,” Garcia said. “It’s about knowing what kind of crop you want at the end of harvest time and being able to work toward that every single day, not worrying about not getting that harvest today, but what you will get at the end. All successful people know that and understand that.”

An example of this philosophy is a Chinese-American woman from San Diego who initially found work as a housekeeper in Rancho Santa Fe. She cleaned for other clients on her days off and attended night school to obtain a financial management degree. After completing her education, she returned to the people whose toilets she had cleaned and asked for their business, saying, “They know my work ethic.” That woman is now considered one of the elite businesswomen in the wealth management industry.

“It seems simplistic to answer with the cliche, hard work, but it’s true,” said Anne Chao, a senior planner for Qualcomm. “In China, by virtue of the huge numbers of people competing for everything, one must work very hard to succeed. My father emphasized being smart – going to school, getting good grades, becoming well educated – equals success. My mother taught by example: ignore hardship, overcome challenges, sacrifice, do whatever you must to succeed. I continue to use these lessons in my daily life.”

Besides “working the right way,” Garcia’s seven core values include harnessing your passion, creating a mind-set for success, connecting and communicating, understanding money, living with integrity and continual growth.

“What I realized is not so much the difference in the culture that makes the Chinese women more successful, but we tend to be more connected to what we’ve been taught,” Garcia said. “We tend to hang on to those core values much longer.”

Maybe surprising, maybe not, a common challenge for many Chinese immigrants is overcoming the need to “Americanize” themselves. Garcia battled ethnic and gender discrimination, and one of Chao’s top bits of advice to peers addresses self-worth: “Don’t be intimidated by tall, blond, blue-eyed men or women. Petite, dark-haired Chinese women have the same intrinsic value as anyone on Earth.

“My message is so important, not just for Chinese, not just for women, but for everyone. America is still the best place for anyone with a vision and the willingness to work for it.”

Meet the author
- Book signing: 7:30 p.m. May 12, Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla; warwicks.com
- Reception: 5:45 p.m. May 13, Art Expressions Gallery, 2645 Financial Court, Suite C, San Diego; www.artexpressionsgallery.com
- Web: www.whychinesewomenarenotbroke.com

To view original article, go to
http://www.lajollalight.com/life/268568-author-turns-to-local-asian-women-for-secrets-of-success

Title: Oceanside entrepreneur pens book for ‘Success’
by Tom Morrow

Oceanside resident Giovanna Pang Garcia has inked a new book on women’s entrepreneurial success. In her “Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke,” Giovanna tracked down some 100 of the most successful and influential Chinese-American women, persuading them to share their secrets of success.

Eight women are local San Diego County Chinese-American trailblazers whom Giovanna profiled, including Carol Lam, former U.S. Attorney, Dr. Flossie Wong Stall, the Florence Riford chairwoman of AIDS research at the University of California at San Diego; and Dr. Lilly Cheng, managing director of the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University.

Giovanna, herself, emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States all alone at the age of 16, speaking no English. She suffered many difficulties in her first few years in the U.S. However, with a lot of hard work, and strength of will, Giovanna quickly became successful.

She started her own computer company with only $300, turning it into a multimillion dollar corporation by expanding the company into a computer network and consulting corporation, which she sold before she was 40.

Her book is available through Amazon.com and at www.WhyChineseWomenAreNotBroke.com.

I had the honor to be invited to speak at the “Focus on Women — Solutions to Success” event, put together by Lions Club International and YWCA Becky’s House. On March 27th, at the La Jolla Marriott Hotel, in San Diego, California.

Giovanna Pang Garcia and Julie Crawford, District Governor-Lions Club International

“Giovanna spoke at our Focus on Women’s Forum and she was absolutely Excellent! In her Inspirational talk, she shared her own life stories. She made us laugh and motivated us to reach our goals. Her book Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke: Real Life Stories And Proven Keys For Success takes the reader on a wonderful journey, filled with the necessary ingredients that are essential for a successful life.”
            Julie Crawford, District Governor-Lions Club International

Title: Realizing the American Dream

In her new book Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke, Giovanna Pang Garcia, a Chinese immigrant and highly successful entrepreneur, reminds readers what it takes to achieve the American Dream.  She tracked down 100 of the most successful and influential Chinese women in America, convincing them to share their secrets of success. The 208-page book outlines how their core values and commonsense practices can be utilized by anyone willing to invest in hard work and persistence.  Not surprising, their core values mirror the core values that have made American immigrants successful for generations.

            Among the trailblazers profiled is Carol Lam, former U.S. Attorney.  Here are some of Lam’s reflections on what has made her a success…

On Education . . .

            Carol Lam grew up seeing her parents work hard, and she was taught the importance of an education. “I think I was pretty spoiled,” Carol says good-naturedly, but her parents clearly emphasized the importance of education to her and her siblings. “My mother wanted us to focus on our studies and our music. She really wasn’t much of a taskmaster when it came to housework. I suppose you could say we were lucky in that regard. We were able to do pretty much what we wanted to do. My parents were not overbearing. They did not try to tell us what to do as long as we kept up our standards and our studies.”

On Perseverance and Taking Nothing for Granted . . .

Carol Lam, former judge and U.S. attorney, has become successful because of how she defines success itself.

            Carol Lam’s story and philosophy teaches us something beyond the work ethic we’ve looked at so far, though. Carol is currently senior vice president and deputy general counsel of Qualcomm Incorporated, and she is also a former Superior Court judge. She was one of the first two Asian American women to become a US Attorney.  She was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush to the job in San Diego, California, a state that had two Democratic senators at the time, so it was a politically charged and very tough position to be in. Through it all, though, she persevered, and from talking to her, I’m convinced that it is her very Chinese attitude of taking nothing for granted that has enabled her to succeed in life. When I asked her what it takes to be happy in life, here’s what she had to say:

            “You can go down the list, from the theoretical to the concrete. If you have your health and the health of those around you and everybody’s issues are well in the range of normal, then you’re way ahead of where you might be. That itself is a great blessing. Then add to that the fact that you have a roof over your head, you have a good job, you have satisfying work, you have some things you really enjoy. For me, there’s nothing that compares to sitting in a hall and listening to my kids play music on the stage. It’s incomparable. For other parents, it’s watching their kids play baseball, or soccer, or football, or reading their poetry. You have stuff like that; you have a good marriage. You’re comfortable enough that you can take a vacation now and then; you have a nice car. At that point, you’re so far ahead of most of mankind—how can you possibly complain about anything? I had a kind of funny bump in the road a couple of years ago with the whole US Attorney thing, and sometimes people say, ‘How did you handle that stress?’ It was stressful, but it was a job and there are so many huge tragedies and difficulties that people have to deal with in their lives, who am I to complain? Everything just has to be taken in perspective…. This recession has taught me a lot. It was convenient to go out to dinner a few times a week, but if I have to stay home and make hamburgers, that’s kind of nice too, and so what? I think a lot of people sort of figured out in this recession that happiness is much more of a 360-degree thing than money or status or power.”

            I saw this same type of attitude in all the Chinese American women I spoke with—the attitude that we should not take anything for granted, that we should work hard and appreciate what we have. The truth of the matter is that no one reaches success in life without hard times, and you require this kind of attitude to persevere through the hard times. As Dr. Dawn Liu, who we met earlier, says, “Chinese are very tenacious people. They do not give up. That is very important to Chinese success. If you’re talking about the characteristic of Chinese, it has a very water-like quality to it; it flows. No matter what, stick to it. That’s perseverance.”

On Selflessness vs. Selfishness . . .

            Carol Lam, the former judge and US attorney, has become successful because of how she defines success itself:

            “I really believe the saying that you can’t assist the village unless your own house is in order. There are many steps towards success, but the way I would define success is really understanding yourself and figuring out what a satisfying life means to you. I think everybody has different definitions of that, so I’m not going to define success too narrowly. I think that you do things better when they are things you are both good at and very interested in. Figuring out what that is and then pursuing it—I would call that successful. I don’t want it to sound entirely self-centered, but I think it’s partly a necessity that you feel comfortable in what you’re doing and you find it satisfying in order to contribute to others and the success of others. If you feel dissatisfied with yourself, or if you’re insecure with where you are, you aren’t in a position to assist others. Money is wonderful, but it is not the answer to success.”

On Confidence . . .

“As for being one of the first two Asian women to hold the position of US attorney, I didn’t feel a lot of extra burden or weight because it was a job I felt so comfortable doing. I knew that job so well—and this is something that is important to me; I don’t like taking on jobs or responsibilities I don’t feel qualified to do. If I know what I’m doing and I’m qualified, I have no hesitation whatsoever and it doesn’t matter what race or gender I am. I can do the job very well, and that’s how I felt in the US Attorney position. I never worried about being a disappointment or anything like that. It was a very natural job for me to take over. I don’t think a lot about being Asian or female. I’m aware of it, conscious of it, and proud of it, but I think if you’re too conscious of these things, they begin to color what you do and how you perceive yourself and your job. To me, it’s just how you do the job. I think I’m lucky that I’ve been born during a time when people are willing to judge you based on how you do the job.”

            Excerpt from “Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke,” by Giovanna Pang Garcia © 2010. Used with permission

Giovanna Pang Garcia emigrated from Hong Kong to the U.S. alone at the age of sixteen, speaking no English. She started her own computer company with only $300 and turned it into a multimillion dollar corporation. She now tours as an  inspirational speaking.

www.dailyjournal.com

San Diego Author Giovanna Pang Garcia Explores Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke in New Book That Marries Chinese Core Values and American Ingenuity

Eight Local Trailblazing Chinese Scientists, Educators, and Entrepreneurs Featured

            For her new book Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke, Giovanna Pang Garcia tracked down 100 of the most successful and influential Chinese women in America, convincing them to share their secrets of success.   Garcia’s book explains how their core values and commonsense practices can be utilized by anyone willing to invest in hard work and persistence.  Among the eight local San Diego County trailblazers profiled are Carol Lam, former U.S. Attorney, Dr. Flossie Wong Staal, the Florence Riford chair of AIDS research at the University of California at San Diego; and Dr. Lilly Cheng, managing director of the Confucius Institute at San Diego State University.

            These women became successful not because they beat the odds, but because they persevered, were driven by an indefatigable work ethic, possessed an unstoppable desire for success and never quit pursuing their dreams — core principles that come from being Chinese women.

            Garcia herself is an apt candidate for the list.  She is Chinese immigrant who came to Southern California by herself at age 16 with no English training, started a business in her living room with $300, and ultimately sold her multimillion dollar computer consulting business before age 40 — without ever graduating from college.      Since she sold her business, Garcia has been concentrating on inspirational speaking and workshops that provide practical advice for those serious about improving their lives.  Garcia’s book grew out of her love of helping people succeed.

            “I wanted to leave my audience with a real blueprint for success,” she said, characterizing the book as Chicken Soup for the Soul meets The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

            Garcia emphasizes that the keys to success are applicable to all people.  “While I interviewed Chinese women – because that is my heritage – these same values have been brought to America by immigrants from all over the world.  For hundreds of years people have come to the United States with suitcases of hopes and dreams.  They also brought a willingness to work hard, take risks, persevere in the face of setbacks and live with integrity,” she said.

            As she collected her stories, Garcia discovered a common thread and in her book writes that “despite adversity, limited opportunities, modest backgrounds and gender stereotyping, every single one of these women succeeded by combining their Chinese values with the freedom and abundance of opportunities here in America.  That key to any success, she added, is to embrace ‘the same core values.’”

            Among the women featured in the book are Diane Tang-Liu, vice president of research and development for Allergen Inc.; Sonya Gong Jent, vice president of operations for State Farm Insurance; Jennie Chin Hansen, president of AARP; Jenny Ming, president of Charlotte Russe; Ivy Chin, vice president of QVC; U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu, former San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong, and U.S. Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch.

Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke

By Giovanna Pang Garcia

A Chinese immigrant and highly successful entrepreneur reminds us of what it takes to achieve the American Dream

Giovanna Pang Garcia emigrated from Hong Kong to the United States all alone at the age of sixteen, speaking no English.  She suffered many difficulties in her first few years in the U.S.  However, with a lot of hard work, and strength of will, Giovanna quickly improved her lot in life.  She started her own computer company with only $300 and turned it into a multimillion dollar corporation by expanding the company into a multifaceted computer network and consulting corporation, which she then sold before she was forty to retire financially independent and start a family with her husband, the love of her life.  

All of our forefathers were immigrants… sometimes it takes an immigrant like Giovanna Pang Garcia to remind us what it takes to achieve the American Dream they came searching for.

Sharing her secret

Giovanna has made it her goal to help others achieve success in their lives, so she is sharing her secrets of success in her newly released book, Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke: Real Life Stories and Proven Keys for Success. She attributes her success to a creative mingling of the core values she learned from her heritage and good old American ingenuity, creativity and entrepreneurism. After interviewing 100 trailblazing Chinese American women, Giovanna confirms that this same alchemy led to their successes as well. She writes about her experience and theirs, and the valuable lessons they have all learned in Why Chinese Women Are Not Broke.

Balance of Chinese Core Values and American Freedom and Ingenuity

*Discipline vs. Freedom *Humbleness vs. Assertiveness

*Conformity vs. Individuality and Innovation *Selflessness vs. Selfishness 

Giovanna has shared the stage with many of the country’s top inspirational speakers.  She has spoken at events such as Summit in San Diego, California, the Corp Event for executive development center in New York, San Diego, and Los Angeles, Empowerment ‘09 in North Carolina, The More Heart than Talent Mindset Conference 2010, and Braveheart Women Global.

“There is no Drive-Thru to success.”