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Cassey Ho

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2022-10-13
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2022-10-13
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  1. “I think about that every single day, and it's actually one of my goals to be able to grow my brands without my influence. Of course, it's leaning on me right now, but my goal is for PopFlex especially to become a legacy brand that lives on past when I die, like for hundreds of years. And I want that same ethos of like helping women find the joy of fitness, like to still be there. I need to figure out how to make that happen. But I think if I continue with the innovation, really testing the limits of fashion and pairing it with fitness, like we will get there. So yeah, I think about that every single day.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  2. “The start has to be with your intention, you have to stay true to that. What is your why? I mean, whether it's a fitness journey, a career journey, whatever you're pursuing, you have to know your why. Because when things get really hard, you have to be able to fall back on that and let it pull you out. That's number one. Secondly, if you're going to be creating content, what value are you providing to other people? People aren't just going to watch you to watch you. Like maybe some people, like some really cute people, like, yeah, maybe. But if you're going to build a brand you're going to be giving something to people that's either entertaining, it's shareable. It's educational, like something. And that expertise is what's also going to allow you to create a service or a product one day when people want to get in deeper with you. So, I mean, that would be my advice. I know it's like kind of higher level, but like if you can answer those questions, then you're on the right path.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  3. “I have been able to spin criticism or just hate comments in my favor a few times in my life now. And one of them, I remember being so upset about the way people were attacking my body that I screenshotted all of them and I created a video about, okay, well, what if I Photoshop my body to exactly how you wanted me to look like? And I had those words pop on screen as I made my waist smaller, my boobs bigger, my butt bigger. And that video went crazy viral. And people love that. They love seeing you defy this negativity and this hate. And so I guess that's one of the ways that I've dealt with it. But let me tell you, it is hard when I have to go look at those comments because I'm searching for something that I need to use in my video. Like it's really, really hard, but I have to go in with like a steel heart and just like take a deep breath and be like, okay, let's do this.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  4. “And it's happened to me on every single platform. And every time it hurts just as much. But how do I deal with it? I just have to remember that what I'm doing is true to me. I'm not here to hurt anybody, regardless of what lies they're trying to spread. And at the end of the day, there are way more people that I'm impacting positively than negatively and the negative ones, I mean, that's a story that they want to spin. And I just can't dwell on that. And it's really hard. I mean, when you get a negative comment or negative videos about you, like you can't stop thinking about it. So I'm still working on how to have a tougher heart, but I'm just sensitive in my soul. And so it's something that's really difficult for me.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  5. “I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with it. I'm a very emotional and sensitive person and it still hurts me. And yeah, like it's interesting because having been in the public eye for 13 years now and having been on different platforms, I see the same cycles happening.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  6. “For me, and maybe it's that immigrant mentality that my parents raised me with, like, you just have to keep trying, like, keep going. Like, that's why I just, I never stop trying to change things up. And it keeps it fun for me too.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  7. “Right, I built my audience on the free content. Most people know me as a fitness instructor. I've changed people's lives and bodies through it. And that will always be the core too. And I don't think my business would be as big as it is right now without that home base that YouTube gave me. But now I have this opportunity to transform my content as well. And it's seeming like that's what people are wanting as well. So it's just really interesting. How it's changed because I've been in this industry so long, and you'll see people get really big, really fast. And then you'll see them, you know, I'll have personal chats with people and they'll say like, oh, the algorithm's working against me doesn't like me anymore. But the truth is, nobody knows what the algorithm is. You just have to keep evolving so that you stay relevant. Yeah.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  8. “Yeah, oh my gosh, so many people would tell me that. Other trainers would be like, why aren't you making people pay for this? They need to pay for it. And like, interestingly enough, those people who told me that still don't have an audience. For me, it's like the workout videos are to connect. And for me also, the marketing, right? Like I'm using my mats. I'm using my bags in the videos. And like people see that and they also want it. I'm creating content that is either that is valuable to people or shareable to people or entertaining to people and that is what helps you grow and connect and then once you're able to make that trustworthy relationship then maybe they they want to explore you a little bit more get a little bit deeper into your world but blogs has grown a lot because of the free content”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  9. “Million on there now, and when I joined TikTok and I was teaching Pilates and workouts, there were so many people being like, oh, a tricep dip, that's so cool. It was new to them. And I actually saw that audience transfer over to my YouTube channel and actually decrease the age of my average audience. Like you have to keep exploring and trying and not being afraid to fail. Otherwise, you're going to get stuck.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  10. “The strategy that has worked for me for the past 13 years is really The intention, and from the beginning, from that first YouTube video, my intention was to connect with my students. And because I started in a time when there was an ad revenue, there weren't sponsorships, there was no like being famous and having followers. You just like, you did things because you did it and you connected with the people. I think that has really allowed me to stay relevant this entire time. But also in terms of like, was there a viral video or something that really pushed me? Like, no, there wasn't. Actually, it was like really steady growth. And because I'm also willing to change with the times and change with the algorithms and change platforms or explore platforms so that you don't become stagnant. And I remember like just a few years ago, prior to the pandemic, TikTok was becoming a thing. I had no idea how to use it, but I went on there and I gained a whole new following. I have like 2.8.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  11. “They began to be supportive, but prior to seeing those bottles being sold like crazy, it was constantly when are you getting a master's? When are you going back to school? So they were supportive, but the thing with our family or maybe Asian families is that it's still never enough.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  12. “When we move to the warehouse, my parents agreed to help me in the beginning just to like get that set up. And then later as Blogoladis and PopFlex started to grow, I needed to hire a team around me to help, you know, do more, obviously. And that was probably around 2013, 14.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  13. “I think I always just kept serving the fans. If they ask for a bottle, I would try to make a bottle, and then it got to a point where, like, and I had moved back to California at this point because I had quit my job and I wasn't really making any money. And so I had to move back into my parents' house. And I remember we were shipping out of their garage. And then... Started growing to a point where it was like, okay, now I'm selling 30,000 bottles a month of one design. And we had to get a warehouse. It just kept growing and growing and growing. And the things I was designing, like people wanted it. It was so crazy.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  14. “I was able to sell something because people wanted to become a part of the journey, the story, and they really trusted me as an instructor and hopefully at that point beginning to trust me as a designer as well.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  15. “I do remember the tipping point, and it wasn't so much on the content side. It was never the views or the followers. It was more how it translated into merchandise. So I remember in probably like 2011 on Facebook, fans were asking, hey, we want to buy a shirt. And I'm like, what kind of shirt? And they were like, one that says Blagalatti's on it. And I was like, you want a shirt with my screen name on it? Why would you want that? Like, go buy this yoga bag. That's a real brand. And then I held a little design contest and we ended up printing these shirts on like some rib shirts that I bought at Forever 21. And I remember posting it on Facebook and they like completely sold out within like a couple minutes. And I was like, oh my gosh. Like people actually want this. And so I tried like another design. I tried another. And that for me, that was the moment I knew this was a brand and that.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  16. “Doing this DVD in my bedroom all shy by myself because I don't even know what a gym is or how to get a membership. Like, you start to build confidence. And so what I found is that Blagolates is kind of like the gateway into fitness for people to get a feel for what this is, begin to understand their body, what it's craving, and get stronger than, you know, maybe move on to different things. Like I've met fans who started with Blagalotes and now they're professional bodybuilders. Like it's such a beautiful community.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  17. “So I don't think that Blogilotes became big because of Pilates. I think it has continued to stay relevant because of the way I teach and I'm able to connect with my students. I mean, I'm good at Pilates. I like doing it, so that's what I'm teaching. But whether I'm teaching how to cook or how to dance, like whatever it is, it's about that connection, that friendship that you're fostering with people. And so, yeah, Pilates wasn't that big back then. It's still not super huge today. But the beautiful thing about Blagolates and the workout videos that I put out is that they're all equipment free. So it creates a low barrier to entry. And a lot of girls who are just like me when I was 16”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  18. “It was started with the blog. Oh, actually, no, it started with that first YouTube video that I uploaded for my students in LA. And then people online were like, well, what do you eat? And I'm like, okay, fine. So I just write about it. So then I wrote about it. And then my blog started drawing a lot of traffic. And it really was like an open diary. So yeah, I started sharing parts of my life online. And it was really fun in the beginning.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  19. “Oh yeah, I was not thinking that Blogilottes was going to be the business. It was always going to be my designs. And I really was just doing that Blogali was like on the side for fun. That's what it was because it kept me entertained.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  20. “That's right. They start to watch the video, then they start asking for a butt version and an ab version and an arm version. And so in my free time when I wasn't at work or on the weekends, I would film a little video for those people. And I really didn't even understand what fans were, what subscribers were. But it was like a little hobby that I did on the side.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  21. “Yeah, it actually said the website. It said the website. And the crazy thing was people like typed it in and they actually bought the bag. Like I saw like a teeny uptick in sales. It was a sign enough for me to just go and do this. And so I quit my job the following week. I bought a ticket to China on Friday, left on Sunday so that I could attend the Canton Fair, which is one of the biggest manufacturing fairs in the world. And I said, I'm going to find my manufacturer and I am going to do this. Because if I don't give myself the 100% chance to succeed, I'm always going to regret this. Like I would rather fail and fail hard than not know at all what could have been.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  22. “Yeah, I thought I was going to be living my dream career. I thought this was it. And it most definitely was not. I got there and the culture just was not right for me. But this was the crazy part. I was sitting, this was eight months into my job, completely miserable, and I'm telling you, I would cry before I went to work every day. It was terrible. I get a text from my sister, and her finger is pointing to a picture of something that looks like my bag in a magazine, and I ask her, what is that? And she's like, I think your bag is in shape magazine. And I'm like, wait, what? So I run out to the nearest target during my lunch break and I'm like sifting through all of the pages. I'm like, oh my gosh, where, where, where, where? And the moment I saw my like no name, nobody bag, like in a real magazine, like I started crying and I was like, this is a sign. I have to go.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  23. “Yeah, it could hold your mat plus towels, shoes, like everything. It was super glamorous and luxurious. And another thing that happened at that time prior to moving out to Boston was that all of my students at 24-hour fitness were like, well, who's going to teach Papilates now? No one is teaching this format. And at the time, I was the only one doing pop music to Pilates. It was normally like classical and very slow. And so I thought, all right, well, why don't I record a short workout video for just these 40 people? And I'll upload it to this website called YouTube. I don't even know what it was. And I put it there. It was for 40 people. And yeah, that was the beginning of the Blog A lotti's channel.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  24. “To Boston, to Boston for my first job. I actually did send out a few bags to some magazines and each one was like gold. And I just prayed that someone would write something about it. And I sent it out.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  25. “Be a fashion buyer, right? To understand that side of the business. And I actually got accepted into one because that was the closest thing I could get to fashion without having that design degree. But before I moved out there, that bag that I had designed”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  26. “Yeah, I also dropped out of organic chemistry. It was the last class I needed to take the OCEM. And I was like, my parents aren't listening to me. They don't listen. I'm going to do something to make sure that they do listen. And so I dropped out of OKM, messed up my entire timeline, and my parents were like, you are bringing so much shame to the family right now. And I was like, you know what? I need to live this life for me. And so, yeah, I ended up graduating with an honors in biology because, you know, my parents taught me if you're going to do something, you might as well be the best at it. So I did that anyway. heart wasn't in it but i did it and then i applied for some um programs that would teach me how to become a buyer”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  27. “While I was in school, because I couldn't stop doodling in the sidelines of my notebook, I was sketching a solution for a problem that I had. So because I was teaching Pilates, I had to bring all this gear to class. I had to bring a yoga mat keys, CDs, towel, water bottle, and I didn't have a cute bag to put everything in. And so I decided to make my own. And when I brought that super glam like bow bag with gold chains to class, everyone was like, what is that? I want that. And basically, I decided to find like a tiny, tiny manufacturer in Oakland, actually, who would be willing to accept my small order. And I shipped up closeout fabrics from downtown LA to have him help me create those bags. And it was that experience too that was like, this is something that I really want to do.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  28. “And she was, you know, this is one of those points in my life that really was a turning point because she believed in me. She paid for my certification. And had she not done that, I really don't think I would have, you know, been on the path that I'm on today. So, yeah, and I taught at that gym to just a few ladies a time, and then I remember when I got hired at 24-hour fitness, that was such a huge deal to me. And I was teaching to rooms full of like 50 people, and I remember putting the microphone on and like shaking. Like, I was so nervous. But it brought me so much joy because, you know, no matter how you feel when you get into that room, you're there for the people there. And so the energy that you bring to the room, the energy that they give you back by the time you get out of there an hour later, you just feel so good.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  29. “So I was. I was actually continuing to do Pilates, but in the common area. And so a bunch of girls would walk by and be like, what are you doing? Can you teach us? And so I ended up teaching for fun to a couple girls. And then I was looking for a side hustle to distract me from how much I was hating school. I was on Craigslist. And I saw there was an audition for Pilates instructor. And I obviously was not certified at this time, but I thought, why not just go and audition anyway? And so I went to the gym. I did my little routine for the gym owner. And at the end, she was like, wow, that's really amazing. You're hired. And I was like, awesome. She's like, can I see your certification? And I was like.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  30. “I don't know how it came to me, but ever since I was like six, I would carry a sketchbook with me everywhere, and I would just draw things, and particularly evening gowns and red carpet dresses. I just love romantic, beautiful things. And so you'll see a lot of that in my designs today with the active wear. But I just love sketching and creating. So that's what it started with. And, you know, fashion magazines, yeah, like I read them here and there, but that wasn't what got me. It was the creation of it, like the sewing, like that got me more excited than looking at the photos.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  31. “Tennis for me was like you're here to beat someone, you're always beating someone. But with Pilates, what I found after I begged my parents to get me the DVD and they finally let me, I would do it in my room every night and I just felt like I was just trying to compete against who I was yesterday and just trying to be better and get stronger and more flexible and you know what used to make me sore no longer is and now I can advance onto the next move and that was really the moment I discovered fitness and the joy and fitness that you know I try to spread with people today with the videos that I do.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  32. “Yam. Okay, so when I was 16, it was the weekend, I remember, I was watching infomercials on TV and I saw Mari Windsor, and I saw this lady like coaching two other ladies doing these beautiful moves. And I was like, I want to do that. And at the time, I was, you know, captain of the tennis team. I'd been playing tennis ever since I was six. And I was athletic, but I would not say I was an athlete or that I enjoyed what I was doing. I did not discover fitness until I discovered Pilates.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  33. “He literally said that to me, and it scared me. And I was a very obedient kid. Like I did everything my parents said. I was in all the AP and honors classes and I was like, okay, all right, fine. I'll do medical science. I'll go to school to become a doctor because that's what you want. But my heart was so hollow when I was in college.”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT

  34. “That's right. So I'm Chinese and Vietnamese American. My parents are both immigrants. And for them, stability and having respect with your career is a really, financial stability is a huge thing. They came over to this country with nothing. And so in my bones, I always wanted to be a fashion designer, but it's not one of the three careers that are allowed in our culture. And so when I told my dad that I wanted to become a designer, he told me I had three choices. I could either be a doctor, a lawyer, or a failure. I know”

    2022-10-13 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Blogilates: Cassey Ho · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT