Staring at the long list of numbers, I was overwhelmed by the amount of furniture and the

number of transactions my father’s business handled daily. I watched the bustle as my dad and

his colleague picked up ringing phones, talked with in-store customers, and hastily wrote down

orders. The place wasn’t big or luxurious, but it was efficient; people came in looking for

furniture and went home with what they wanted. This was my family’s furniture store.

On days I did not have school or activities, I would commute with my dad in the morning

to help out at his store: I loaded the delivery truck with customer orders and prepared the store

for opening. Throughout the day, I picked up phone calls and translated customer orders from

English to Mandarin for my dad, and before closing, we waited for our delivery truck to return to

collect invoices. I learned how to talk to customers and how to confirm their orders.. I learned

that talking to customers can be either enjoyable or painful. Maintaining a friendly and

professional customer interaction was a top priority, and whenever I needed help dealing with

customers, my dad’s colleague was there to mentor me. I learned more about the customer

inquiries while also gaining experience with bargaining tactics. I also learned to proficiently sell

a wide range of furniture. While my responsibilities were increasing, my dad asked me to create

a company website. With close to no experience in website creation -- or in business at all -- I

knew it was a big task to accept. To me, it was like my dad passing the torch to run his business;

it was him treating me as an adult. The website put a lot of pressure on me because I was the

only creator, and I was scared of disappointing both my dad and his colleagues.

Looking back, that was the moment when I was truly immersed in the world of business.

Working on an E-commerce website felt like speaking a foreign language. I quickly learned all

the serial numbers of the furniture and different types of material used, as well as the prices and

sizes of each piece of furniture. Doing so, I developed and implemented an interactive shop on
our website, giving the customer convenience in ordering and picking up from home. This was

especially important when COVID-19 hit and all businesses were closed for a period of time:

online ordering became crucial to our small business.

As I mastered this foreign language, not only did I learn more about creating a website

but I also gained more insight into my dad’s business. Learning more about inventory,

bargaining, and finances, I never knew that my dad was so multifaceted. Moving here from

China and knowing minimal English, he ran a successful business while balancing family and

social responsibilities. With my dad being the sole provider of the family, the website I created

mitigated his burden and shouldered some of the weight he had been carrying.

The experience of working for a business and creating a website was eye-opening to me.

It made me realize that I want to enter the business field and spend more time with my family.

While working there, it felt like my dad was allowing me to experience something that I would

never have in school. I helped optimize sales and operational efficiency through innovative

thinking and achieved a new means to market our products. These skills have opened more doors

in other aspects of my life, and I intend to study economics and business as I continue to pave

my future in the field.