Heroes in Business - Dr. Sarah Sun Liew for U.S. Senator, Interview BJ from Tech Therapy P Election

Episode Date: September 4, 2022

Dr. Sarah Sun Liew for U.S. Senator, Interview BJ from Tech Therapy P Election review and announced run again 2022 Congressional D33 in this episode of Today America and the World.

We're here today with Dr. Liu, an accomplished businesswoman and politician. Dr. Liu, you've run for Congress, you've run for Senate, and you have further ambitions in the future, right? Yes, I do. What's next for you in the political arena? for you on in the political arena? Oh yeah, I already registered as a candidate in 2024, congressional district third, which is my community. So keep on in a fight for the community issue. So your goal is to be one of the congress people representing California for your district. Yes, I'm the job that 7-1 next level like congressional. We have a two sheet for congressional. One is senator, one is for the you know house represent. So, Senator, I already election this year, so coming 2024 is your elections coming,

yeah. That's a, it's a long time to prepare, and you've got a lot of work cut out for you, but since you've done this before, one thing that I really wanted to know was about the team that supports you. When you run for office, whether you win or lose i mean some people you probably want to keep with you because they're on your team but uh does your team evolve a lot from one from one race to the next yeah you know i since uh i learning sports often uh congressional First of Congressional District, the 2019. I have the same, you know, teams until right now. Yeah, it's so great teams I have it. One thing, you know, there are people like they want to volunteer.

More than 300 people last elections. And more and more, but I, you know know i using my stem more than volunteer but next elections you know i'm i have to really welcome to all the volunteer as well as all the donation because two elections i funded myself you know spending last elections over $100,000. This election also over $100,000. So I think myself, I can cover, but I think more like the people, they want to sometimes participation, volunteer and donation.

So this time, I will open to the people like participation for that part too. Yeah. Well, running an organization that large really takes some serious leadership skills. And, you know, you were telling me that you've run businesses in the past. About when did you start your first business or become the boss of your first business?

First, my business is Pintech business. So that time no one had a fintech like I do. So I am running a fintech company like Merchant Service POS, which we can support entrepreneurs, small business startups, or big corporations. My main company is first the MPC was the number one credit card processing MPC, a bank of America, bank of America, you know, go to the another processor,

you know, MPC. Is that the thing where you tap your phone and it does the transfer? Yes, yes. That's really useful technology. Yeah, there is more than 50 different terminals. We have it like a polyphone and, you know, many, many other like manufacturers. manufacturer.

Before, it was a beautiful only one, but now it's several other terminals, manufacturers we are dealing together. We are processing credit cards. I've been 28 years that I need an MPC. The MPC

now belongs to WorldPay FIS because FIS bought Pentevo and WorldPay FIS because FIS, they bought Pantivo and WorldPay and MPC. So we have four names, four companies. We're working together to support merchants, support businesses. So I understand those small businesses, what's going on as a candidate or as a CEO, as an entrepreneur. what's going on as a candidate or as a CEO, as an entrepreneur. So totally understand them to what we should do and what is next we needed to do. Yeah, it's so helpful when you're going to be making economic decisions for millions of people

to be able to see life through the eyes of a consumer, through the eyes of a leader, through the eyes of a business owner, and all the other roles that you've filled. I think it's great that you have so many perspective points that you can think from when you're worrying about problems that are as big as the country. Yes, I agree with that. Yeah. So I guess that's how you funded a pretty expensive campaign. That's a really big deal i i hope you get you know a lot of uh a lot of more volunteers and more donations like you were saying um how is your strategy changing to uh take take more advantage of you know other people's help oh you know first of all you know

i look at the politics you know they are they are spending, like, example, president election, they're spending million, million dollars. I was told, you know, why don't you spend money using to for our issue, education, as well as the homeless, as well as the entrepreneur, you know? So they're spending million, million dollars for election. I don't like that. You know, I don't like that. So that's why I decided to, I don't want to get any donations because of, you know, why people using those big money

to, why not issue? First when I election 2019 and 2022, same thing, you know, I am not like open mind the same thing because why election money? Like why we have to spending

too much money for election? I think we need something change. If I go to the Senate, maybe one people, I had $10,000 limited to spending and then all that money, you know, go to the spending to other things. So I did think that, well, my strategy, why change it?

Because people like, even they donation me, I was return them. You know, I'm thinking because of a senatorial congressional, it's a lot of money spending. I'm spending my own campaign. It's a lot of money spending because to win, we need some more money. But now that is a reason, one reason because of people they want. They want some real good candidate. They want to win yeah you know why the they ask me why you're not asking donation if we want to you win and then you know

we need asking donation but i say campaign manager you know uh not not uh getting any donation because i want to people even people sending me volunteer, like 300 more than people say, I say, don't asking them because I wanted them to work harder. Their life, not too much, you know, like movement. I don't want to like crowd things to not clear things to, you know, people too much crazy. So, well, my strategy changed because, you know, too much crazy so well my strategy changed because you know i'm learning uh my company even i learning non-profit life is not changing so i find uh during i working

in harvard kennedy school how about uh you know education school how about business school how about law school like four years uh you know life, our life is changed by many things, by politics, you know? So, you know, who has become like good politics, who are appointed as good positions, they have authority, they have responsibility. So if they exercise that good, you know, people's influence, good, and it's exercise better, people's struggle. Now is we have, you know, Biden administration, we have inflations, many, many other issues because people bother. So I see that I decided to, you know, if

I can get more volunteers because they have hope, they have heart. You know, they want to ask me to, I want to hold, you know, hold like a meeting to my house, say I'm okay, I'll do myself, I do myself, I can do it myself. So, you know, luckily God gave it to me, the business, so I can, you know, handle some of the funds, but $100,000, you know, it's, I can't available, but, you know, people's people's, you know, politics is not learning by myself, because politics is, I've been four years in the office, because politics is, I've been four years in the office. Like I learned that people's politics,

people to people, not myself, like spending my money, my effort, my issues, because that's why I think I don't really want to spend in people like crazy to like million dollars, the $2 million, $3 million campaign. But, you know, I are some good candidate. Not only me, I would just support, you know, I would just support community. Same thing like, you know, why, why just open mind to, you know, get a donations, get a volunteers, you know, to win and influence real good politics.

You know, we have to always team, always have a community support, always, you know, our own team. Yes. Yeah. Because I mean, doing something your own on your own, isn't political when you get other people involved, then it can be political, you know? So if you're trying to make something happen on a large scale and a bunch more people want to help out, I mean, politics is essentially people doing something collectively. So if you're going to let other people, you know, join you,

and just like you're putting your money into it, you let them put their money into it. You're putting your voice forward. You're going to let them put their voice forward, that sort of thing. So my weakness is that because I'm a pastor until my age, 19 years, I always giving, you know, the things is why I'm not receiving, you know, those donations. The thing is why I'm not receiving, you know, those donations. My life is always giving. You know, I don't want, I feel like on my own something, if they donation me, but I changed my mind because that is not owned. That is, we have to support to the community together.

Yeah. Thank you. Because this can be their way of giving. This can be their way of following their values, just like it's your way of following your values. I think when people want to do something together and they want to do it voluntarily, that that's the best way that it can possibly go. So it's a big organization, but you've got, you know, some leadership experience, not just some, like you said, 28 years or more of leadership experience. And you're going to be able to, you know, get more people involved, allow them to donate time and money and their voices, which may be more important than never.

Everybody's communicating by social media. Everybody's, you know, that's the town square nowadays, so to speak. A lot of people use that analogy. Do you use social media or other modern tools more in your campaign? Or is it more people meeting at houses and things like that? Yeah, of course. You know, as you said, I have so many connections to my company. Even I serve like a church in our community. So even I ask the church, they can support. Even I send it to my merchants, to thousands and thousands of merchants,

they can vote for me. Even I send it to my merchants, to thousands and thousands of merchants, they can vote for me. But I didn't do it because I want to do, you know, same like equal opportunity in the order like a candidate. What I was trying to press, you know, which is I always, it's just no one knows me yet. And then I go to the marketing. I have like Facebook, Twitter Twitter Instagram for the campaign account so we hire marketing company a very first marketing company we send a million million email to the people and then texting that is usually really a million emails or yeah we did a million emails several times yeah wow I've never sent a million emails? Yeah, we did a million emails several times.

Wow. I've never sent a million emails in one go. All of my marketing campaigns are usually something in the hundreds or thousands, sometimes the tens of thousands. But a million is a lot of emails. So, I mean, there are like 40 million people in California. They're like 40 million people in California, but are you trying to reach all of them? Are you trying to reach people closer in your district or strategic specific people? Who are you targeting? Yes. That time I sent a million emails the specific related to my business,

the example owner, business owner, for why we need to fight for the business right now because of COVID. And then as well as a professional person, you know, doctors, lawyers, brokers, because I'm a professional person. So I know those areas, you know, those issues. So I wrote, you know, the Pacific University issue or professional medical health issue and the education issue. So we choose those people and then we send it to them,

as well as, you know, several other categories to elderly, you know, several other caravans to elderly who needed those elderly services like Asia or like specifically we have related issues

so we did choose that. I think eight different caravans we choose and we send it to the email. Okay, so the people you think are going to be most receptive to your message mostly small business owners professionals um because the regulation that they're facing and i've seen some of your messaging i well i've looked at two different websites that you made um Your messaging is very pro-business, it sounds like.

Yes, because I've been in many businesses. I own 10 different kinds of businesses. I need five corporations. So, you know, I'm a businesswoman. I've been in almost more than eight years of business school, like master and doctor, postdoctoral, as well as include Harvard, you know. So I'm a book smart and study smart.

You know, every entrepreneur have to do. So I'm learning nonprofit tools, helping entrepreneur and job creation, economic group for this California and America and all of globally. So that's why I want to support entrepreneur. I want to support business owners, even, you know, there is a different skills, different strategy, different marketing. So they needed to know more.

Like we need more support. The government to say that, you know, business is always, you know, our backbone, but the business had to pay too much tax, you know, business is always, you know, our backbone, but the business had to pay too much tax, you know, too much regulations, too much cost, you know, and they pay all their wage, tax, and the rent. They don't have that much money to, you know, develop their worker, you know, training. So my plan to entrepreneur support center program and job creation center program,

able to helping those entrepreneurs dreams, vision to make more like a contribution, their life to their community. Cool. Well, staying in, you know, staying in touch with all these people through modern methods, email, social media, and, you know, staying in touch with all these people through modern methods, email, social media, um, and, you know, using, well, managing your team, um, are sort of, well,

they can be done in the same place. I've known people who manage teams through say a Facebook chat group or something like that. But, um, you know, our team we're, uh, we've used Slack in the past. We've used a to-do list app called ClickUp or something like that. Is there a specific sort of team management software that you use? Usually, I'm using many software to technology in my business. We need to require minimum, many, many software. There are no white people, they don't know, but I have so many software in technology in business. Those is usually main company they handle. We can just join their management, all the sales

staff and the income and expense, you know, all the budgets, those things we can use. As well as campaign standard, because we have specific software that, you know, budget analysis data also. We have several like campaign software to using that, team volunteer management and donation management and then also budget management as well as strategic management. We are using those all the software but that is belong to the we hire uh election company marketing company and we have um you know so they are they give provide that and then we using that as well as we can buy that you know so we have

like a non-competential like we have agreement to confidential to not to sell some of the software. That's why I'm not talking about detail to which one. But anyway, we are. I don't want to give away your competitive advantage, right? Yes. Yeah. But that's who wanted to could run for office. And of course, there are sometimes some limits, like you have to be a

natural born citizen of the United States and be 35 years old to be the president, or to run for Congress or for Senate in most areas, you have to live there. You know, sometimes there are specific rules, but generally speaking, anybody who wants to can run for office. And the way that the company, the campaign management company that you work with, has it figured out makes that even more possible. it figured out makes that even more possible. Because if I'm going to run for office, figuring out which software to use to manage my campaigns and get my volunteers all coordinated and all that sort of thing, having to figure that out would create a barrier that would be worth learning if I were running for office. But if you can outsource that, that's really impressive. So that's a, it's an interesting business model that I've never considered, but I think it's amazing.

When you were, when you decided to work with this company, and again, you don't need to tell us who it is, were there a few different companies that came to you saying, let's manage your campaign? You know, many, many people, they call me to they want to work on me but uh you know they have only one senate that they can work so they are not uh they are not working like uh competitors you know other senate is that because of a law or is is that just oh they are they own their own you know their own company policies. So many, many companies, they call me because they choose me as the best candidate.

They are not called another candidate. Most of them said, because we choose you to work, because we only work one campaign for the sanitary, one campaign. Every race, we can only choose one candidate to vote on. So many people, they say that, and then, you know, who is calling open? Who is really responsible? Who is really, like, had a, you know, track record to working with a good candidate. So how many wins? We check up so many things.

So I got like 20 different companies call me, different fee, different teams, different level. But I choose the best company, which is a fit for me, company, which is a big for me because I'm not say best company to the other candidate about to, to, I can trust to be comfortable, like collaborations. They understand me. I understand them. So I think that I got like a one best, you know, companies. Yeah. I will work with them. Keep on doing it. That's great. I'm happy to hear that. It constantly fascinates me, the different ways that no matter what you're doing, some kind of technology, and very often a new technology, is going to help you do it. It's just fascinating how everything is evolving so quickly.

What would you say is the newest kind of technology you're using? I noticed you've recorded a lot of videos for your sites, and that's impressive. And right now, we're streaming a podcast. Well, we're recording it using our computers. But if there's like something special that you feel like is impressively inventive that you're using right now, I'm very curious. I'd love to know.

Yeah, so because election, when I was in 2019, you know, 2020 election, I hired 200 steps and then let them call, let them email, let them texting. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of time. But this time, you know, we find out who can texting, who can email, who can call for us, you know, same money to be spending.

They just one day they can can send 1 million emails. So if we, same like I did, like 2020, 200 step, they send the email, they text, they calling, it take like, I have to managing those teams as well as a campaign manager. It take a lot of time, but this time I can hire less than 200. Those, you know, even help of them because of another help, you know, quickly. Just one day they can send a million. One day they can send the texting. You know, that is technology is a little bit more developed than 2020 than 2022 so even we was contacted 2020 like they

have limited they cannot send 1 million just right away they can send the right maybe thousand you know 2000 so that's why i decided to just redo my ourself you know but now it's 1 million just one day and we can do. That is, as well as, you know, we the links to our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. So we can post there, you know, the place to, you know, intention to the voting good candidate. So we try because there is many media, we can communications, even one Facebook, you know, we can send a message. It's just a thousand, thousand people, like just a uh facebook you know we can send the message just to thousand thousand people like just a second you know so that that is great great easy make easy to us to the learning uh business and as well as learning to election yeah yeah yeah it's very interesting you bring that up i mean i've i've gotten political emails for 15 years, I guess. But 2020 was the first time I ever got political texts. I was getting texts for specific candidates, texts with surveys in them, asking how likely I am to vote and different things like that. So that really is, I mean, it's as, you know,

new technologies go for voting, that certainly is one. And, you know, it's kind of tough to make texting work. I've worked with a texting company before. I mean, I worked for one. And the unexpected challenges that they have can really be a surprise. But, you know, if you've got a bunch of dedicated volunteers sitting there tapping on their phones, that can be really valuable because the human interaction, I can kind of tell, not perfectly, but when I respond to a text, if it's an actual human being on the other end. And that really, it kind of feels good to have that real human attention it's i think it's very good for your brand and of course if you write emails in a really personable way that comes across too but somehow it feels a little different to me yeah so you know i one thing why i hire 200 people to calling in person you know instead, instead of like robocalls. Last four years ago, when first time, you know, intentionally, people like robocall company call me to buy their product, but I did not buy that much because I have a personal

like intention to call that time district of California, you know, the Beverly Hills area that, you know, many district, there is a small city. We wanted to connect with them directly by in-person. Sometimes people connected and then I answer, I talk to them. I think you catch your point, you know, even we have so many programs, you know, to election of our business.

The first thing is in person to in person because we are human. We feel more like deeply involving election of our business with those human communication. Well, that's great. Usually, this is where the podcast episode would end but since you are running a campaign and i really haven't let you talk much about your position if you could give us one or two minutes of your uh your campaign positions that you're pushing for i'm sure everyone's curious by now what it is that you're running for uh for your for your 2024 race yeah already i have a much experience since 2019 until like even good for the 2024 my issue is most my fighting is

same thing like business support because you know many candidates said to i can like a contribution on my life to other area what they are not doing because we are starting from community i mean already community as business owner stem medications you know i'm a technology university uh you know uh principal also you know same thing, like more like, you know, STEM educations, as well as through technology, helping entrepreneurs. I have a number of it, you know, entrepreneur educations, business, legal, and advertising, many, many other things we do. So my focus on, you know, people had a talent from God,

which is we have a talent. That talent should, you know, support through community, which is I'm ready to really improve their life better, their business better, their future. So my, you know, I think my expert is business education, as well as I was in health age, even 14, you know, I was an assistant Sunday school teacher. So I think my fighting is very, you know, very focused on the people, which is, you know, the people who need really helping from government, helping from non-profits. So my other campaign is I want to support non-profits like church, as well as many non-profits who are involving education or any non-profit there really need the support. I'm learning non-profit.

I know the non-profit need to start up funding and many educations, not only business. So that is my most of focus. You know, when I even go to the senator, I wanted to support in business, you know, tax cut, deductions, easy regulations. As well as I'm a study at the politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. So, and then, you know, I'm a professional politics, you know, made a lot of already sample, many, many case, you know, we study at the Harvard Kennedy School. So I think, you know, more like now it's politics, you know, we need more like a study. Even they don't go to the one class is politic.

They become politic, but it's okay because they can represent their level. But I'm really, you know, my target audience or target people is I can be from, you know, children, you know, even zero to a hundred. So that's my goal, you know, children, you know, even zero to 100. So that's my goal, you know, that's my goal. I can communication everyone, immigration and American first, America said it to America first. So I understand that. So everything's, you know, i think i can communication to through the issue through my education background i you know study law study business study accounting study finance study politics

study medical like study uh you know most of i started four years, eight years doing my business. So I am ready to fight. And then I want to really support community. You know, someone in Bible said, someone who are blind, who blind cannot read you correctly. But, you know, we need to really qualify for the, you know, those positions, ready for the education, ready for the issue, ready for the life experience. But I have really, you know, life experience, those are all the issues.

And then I'm, after that, I am preparing all the answers. And then, you know, preparing four years, you you know even i have a three doctorate degree 2006 i got a doctor of business automation and another year another year postdoctoral phd uh already finished a long time ago piece but i come back to study at the harvard luckily i admitted that because of what i am spending money my time and I you know to fighting real issue to life changing because this is for the people's life because good politics make thousand thousand people's life bad politics they can you know make bad policy they can you know make our future generation even our our generation, people die,

you know, so that's why spiritual die over. So that's why I'm really wanted to, not only politics candidates, you know, I already had so many non-profit company, you know, any times, anywhere in your home, in your company, in your community, learn, you know, times anywhere in your home in your company in your community learn you know office is mean it's not just learn office you know open office learn office mean is you know always influence good influence we have bad influence we good good influence in your home in your company in your church in your community that is real real politics. So I think that anyone really to, we are all the politics, you know. We are all the politics,

not even myself to running office. We are all the politics. So we need to really support community. We need to really support America. You know, America already great. I think America is great. I've been travel all over the world. You know, I always thinking when I travel all over the world, I come back.

I'm thinking I'm so thank you for living in America because America is the greatest, you know, greatest country that, you know so that's why i really really uh thank you for i'm you know even you know california is very very you know very very uh opportunities there so i'm so thank you for when i travel all over domestic even i'm living in california i'm living in america that's the mean you know we are starting point everyone to we are proud of ourselves. And then we are like support each other make more strong America, more strong California. That's my reason to learning business, learning to elections, learning to, you know, nonprofit. All right. Thanks, Dr. Liu. It's been great talking to you today. You know, learning more about what it's like to manage such a significant effort. And I'm sure everyone was

edified hearing what you had to say about the challenges you're trying to overcome right now. So thanks for joining us. Thank you so much. Invite me. Thank you. Have a wonderful day.