Thankful Registry with Kathy Cheng

“Worry is a great motivator!”

Are you someone looking for a gift registry beyond the usual linking to your favorite commerce site but instead want to create a registry for giving? Just in time for the holidays but truly for any special occasion in you life where you may want to set up a registry to donate to your favorite causes or organizations. Meet, Kathy Cheng founder of Thankful Registry and for many English speaking community members in Taiwan she is also known for her work with Tricky Taipei an English platform providing great eats and travel since 2016. Read more below to learn more about Kathy and in celebration of her 10yr anniversary relaunch of Thankful Registry I took the opportunity to ask her a few Q&A!

Curito:

Hi Kathy! Can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Kathy:

Hi, I’m Kathy. I’m a writer, an entrepreneur and I’m a mum! I’m the founder of Thankful Registry and I also have a few side projects that focus on my life in Taipei. The one I’m most proud of is “Hey Taipei”, the English-language kids book I wrote and produced alongside a local publisher.

Curito:

What were you doing prior to starting Thankful Registry?

Kathy:

I was working in New York at a design consultancy. I was a copywriter there working on product design innovation projects. Before that, I worked at a brand identity consultancy in Chicago. I was also a copywriter there. I enjoyed both of those jobs so much. The camaraderie, the problem solving, and the creative side, of course. I grew up in Sydney, Australia and it was a dream to go work in the US.

Curito:

Why did you start Thankful Registry?

Kathy:

The line that I tell everyone is that an old friend got married and I hated their Macy’s wedding registry, so I wanted to build something better. But the reality is that it took about two years of thinking and talking about the concept before I thought to myself, “If I don’t do it, I’ll always wonder.” So I knew I needed to make it happen, some way somehow.

Curito:

What were some of the challenges you faced when you initially created Thankful back in 2014?

Kathy:

There were many, many challenges. The biggest one was that I wasn’t a “technical founder,” meaning I didn’t know how to code. I had to find a partner to design and build the entire site. 

Curito:

How did you overcome the challenges that you faced? In celebration of its 10yr anniversary, what made you decide to revamp and relaunch it?

Kathy:

To be honest, I’ve learned that the more I persevere, the luckier I get. I’m very much a believer in just sitting down and doing the work. Part of that is knowing and accepting what I’m good at, and more importantly, what I’m terrible at. After working on Thankful for 10 years, I have a very strong point of view when it comes to what the product should be. That vision was probably what made me decide to start the long road to relaunching the entire site. 

Curito:

Can you tell us what Thankful customers are like?

Thankful’s users are amazing. They’re predominantly in the US and Australia. I think we attract people who are more socially conscious and thoughtful. They’re making the choice not to have a traditional department store registry or Amazon registry. So many of them request nonprofit donations to causes they care about. And I’m always surprised by how kind they are. In the past, whenever we’ve had a technical issue or a bug, they’re been understanding and reasonable. I’m a big fan of our customers. 

Curito:

Besides for Thankful, you also have another platform Tricky Taipei, which many people refer to you as Tricky Taipei Kathy! Could you tell us a little more about why you started Tricky Taipei and what has that shaped you since you created it.

Kathy:

It’s funny that a lot of people only know me for Tricky Taipei. That started to happen in late 2015 and 2016. I moved back to Taipei and began writing a blog covering the design and food scenes here. This was before Instagram and YouTube took off so it wasn’t that hard for people to find it. But these days there are so many great food and travel accounts to follow on social media. I do love writing, so the blog was an outlet for me to dig into topics about Taipei and Taiwan that I thought were interesting or important to cover for English-language audiences. Let’s just say the quality of independent English media in Taiwan isn’t great. 

Curito:

You are based in Taiwan now, was it difficult for you in the beginning for you to transition from living in Western countries to move to Taiwan? Has running your business in Taiwan been more challenging or easier for you?

Kathy:

I very rarely think about how my day-to-day life has changed, but it definitely has from the first or second year of moving back. For starters, my Mandarin has improved a lot. But the biggest change is I’m a single parent now. There’s less time for self-reflection. I try to spend my spare time and energy thinking about the future and I worry a lot, like every parent does. Worry is a great motivator!

In terms of work, I have friends who don’t really know much about my career before Taipei. That’s been great in the sense it’s a very clear work-life separation. I can really just switch off. It’s also the nature of the business I’m in. Thankful doesn’t have any users in Asia because people typically give cash gifts. 

Curito:

Being a parent and entrepreneur is no easy task, what keeps you grounded on a day to day to find time for yourself, run your business and be present for your family?

Kathy:

I think any working parent will agree that productivity levels skyrocket when you have only a few hours of uninterrupted time to get stuff done. But I think my superpower is that I get really good sleep. I can doomscroll for hours like the best of us, but once I put my phone down I’m out like a light. I also really like to cook and eat at home. It’s a big part of our weekly routine. 

Curito:

What are some of your favorite books, podcasts, mentors or resources who have helped you along the way providing advice and guidance for you that you would recommend to others?

Kathy:

I hadn’t really thought about this before, but I try to absorb creativity and inspiration through entertainment. For instance, I’m inspired by people who succeed in sports and in the arts. I’m a huge fan of Anthony Bourdain. I watched Insecure by Issa Rae and couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. It’s like that famous saying: “we’re the average of the five people we spend the most time with.” I try to apply that to the entertainment I consume. 

Curito:

What 2 cents would you tell other women who are running small businesses or want to start their own small business? 

Kathy:

I’m awful at giving career advice, but something I really believe is that you just have to do it, and keep doing it, to find out what happens on the other side.

Curito:

Thank you Kathy for sharing your story and helping those who want to create a kinder gift registry have a platform to do so! For those who may have recieved a “Hey, Taipei” book from me for your little ones, they were written by Kathy back in 2018 with an updated version in 2019, follow this link to learn more about the book and where you can purchase your copy! Follow Thankful Registry on IG as well we Tricky Taipei on IG for more updates and information!