Meet Kiana Fong | Student & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiana Fong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiana, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In the summer of my fifth-grade year, I started making little clay figures for fun. I figured that I might be able to sell them to others and earn some money doing so. Over time, I started selling more, creating more products, and attending more business fairs and pitches. It is really neat that I could turn my hobbies of arts & crafts into a business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I believe that I have three different points that make me stand out from other art-related small businesses. The first point is that all of my products are completely handmade by me. Secondly, I am currently a high-school student who has been running my small business for seven years. Lastly, 100% of my profit gets donated to my organization Thousand Smiles for making care packages for kids in the hospital. I have been donating all of my profits for over 5 years, and I have donated over 1,000 care packages to Long Beach Memorial Children’s Hospital. During quarantine, I was unable to attend craft and business fairs, which affected my sales. Instead, I decided to sew and donate hundred of cloth masks to essential workers. In order to lift the spirit of people during the pandemic, I also offered free art classes online. The classes had over 200 students through both Zoom and Facebook Live. The goal for my business is not just to make money, but to use the money I earned to make a difference.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area, I’d bring her to a lot of fun local shopping areas or centers. I would like to bring her to the Bead Factory since we both love making jewelry. After buying our beads, we can go to my house to listen to music, make jewelry, and paint. Afterward, I’d bring her to all of my favorite childhood restaurants. It is necessary that we go buy boba at a different boba shop each day-Yifang, Gong Cha, Sharetea, Sunright, 7 Miles, and more. After the long day, we would stay over at my house and pack some care packages together. I would also take her to visit Knotts Berry Farm to ride the Xcelerator, watch a movie at the beach, attempt to break out from an escape room, and show her around my high school.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my friends who supported my business over the years and continued making the entire process fun and something to look forward to. Furthermore, I’d like to thank my mom for being there for me since the beginning and especially for helping me start my small business.

Instagram: thousandbamboos

Facebook: thousandbamboos

Other: non-profit care package donation instagram & facebook: thousandsmiles1k