Jing and her partner launched their first restaurant with no prior industry experience. She admits that not knowing how difficult it would be was a key advantage, as it allowed them to take a leap of faith without the paralysis that often comes with deep industry knowledge.
Facing criticism and online attacks, particularly around price and authenticity, Fly By Jing's team adopted a lighthearted, trolling-the-trolls approach. This tactic not only disarmed critics but also empowered their loyal customer base to join the conversation and defend the brand's mission.
After spending her childhood trying to assimilate, founder Jing Gao's adult rediscovery of her Sichuanese roots through food became the authentic core of her brand. This shows that a founder's personal journey of self-discovery can be a powerful and resonant foundation for a brand's mission.
Instead of traditional funding, Jing used Kickstarter to pre-sell her product. This not only raised capital but also proved market demand and built a community of understanding early backers who were patient with initial production delays, a crucial buffer for a new CPG brand.
Confronting the market's expectation for "cheap" Chinese food, Fly By Jing launched at a high price point. This was a deliberate strategy to reframe the cuisine's value, using high-quality ingredients to justify the cost and directly combat the "hierarchy of taste" that devalues certain immigrant cuisines.
When the first Kickstarter orders were shipped in flimsy envelopes and arrived shattered, Jing panicked and proactively emailed every customer. This raw transparency, rather than defensiveness, turned a potential business-ending disaster into a moment that built immense trust and long-term customer loyalty.
Instead of demanding customers learn traditional Sichuan cooking, Fly By Jing drove adoption by showing its product's versatility on familiar, Western foods. This "meet them where they are" approach lowered the barrier to entry and sparked consumers' imaginations, making a niche flavor profile widely accessible.
Fly By Jing's success didn't just build a brand; it created a new market category. This visibility inspired other founders and signaled to retailers that a demand existed. This demonstrates that forging a new path can create a "rising tide" that grows the entire market, benefiting everyone involved.