Bios of Bay Area Business Owners:
Hugh Lau, Co-Founder and Product Designer of a traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine company based in the East Bay
Hugh was working as a freelance designer when he seized an opportunity to bring traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine to the U.S. Together with his three siblings, he decided to start a business where healing would be top priority, even over profit! They established a set of strict quality control measures (at the time, the industry had none), including regulating heavy metals at a measure close to the standard for U.S. pharmaceuticals. Keeping in line with their vision of healing over profit, any products not meeting their standards would be properly discarded. Hugh’s company was the first to have Chinese Herbal Medicine products covered by health insurance in the U.S., making it available to more people who needed it. While they remain a small company (34 employees in California), they express big ideals. In addition to strict product standards, they have used profit from their big strides in the industry to support non-profit healing centers, volunteers in disaster relief areas, and long-term care in Nepal, Africa, and the U.S. Where does he get the energy for all this do-gooding? Well, from his own product of course.
Heather Hana, Founder of Bend Yoga Studio in San Francisco
Heather knew early on that she wanted to work in the Health and Wellness industry but ended up working in Human Resources for a media company instead. Luckily, fate was on her side. As part of her job, she had to manage a Pilates, Yoga, and Massage program. Though she had tried and disliked yoga in college, she decided to give it another shot in her onsite corporate class. This time, she fell in love. A year later, she found herself lying in shavasana in a class taught by Darren Main. He said that “shavasana is like practicing dying, completely surrendering and letting go.” It suddenly dawned upon Heather that she couldn’t let go, that she’d been living her life with so many things left unsaid and undone. From that point on she decided to reinvent herself, to create a life that left her feeling more fully alive and complete. She wanted to leave the world a better place than she had found it. That is when Bend Yoga Studio began. Bend is more than a yoga studio, it’s a “tight-knit community of genuine, open-minded, loyal customers,” a place where people can share their passions and thirst for life. By being honest with herself and aligning with her passion, Heather has launched a space where others feel welcomed to do the same, and they love her for it.
Jan Mills, Co-Owner of Outlaw Dogwalkers in San Francisco
Jan Mills founded Outlaw Dogwalkers following the axiom “heal yourself to heal the world.” After accepting that she was a “self-righteous, antagonistic employee who liked to solve problems immediately and creatively without checking in first,” she began to pursue an MBA in hopes that it would provide direction. Once there, she realized she had to turn within for the answers she was seeking. She had a few non-negotiables: a flexible schedule, the ability to be outdoors, and the freedom to indulge in an afternoon nap when absolutely necessary. One day, it occurred to her that she could apply her passion for dogs to her desire for self-employment and thus Outlaw Dogwalkers was born. Jan stopped searching for the right fit and began creating a life she loved instead. She feels grateful to be able to assist dogs in unleashing their wild and playful side through hiking excursions outside the city—outside leash laws’ bounds. One of her friends noticed how happy she was and decided to also become a dog walker. A couple of years in, her friend’s business is also thriving. Jan is proud of her influence on the world and doesn’t worry about competition—there are plenty of dogs in the City!