Angela Phung on Fashion, Business, & Believing in Yourself

Are you ready for a long, hard laugh with the Cast of Creators? Today’s guest is serial entrepreneur Angela Phung (AKA Hubby), owner of Happy Sundae and aka.THESTORE. Nelson and Casie are chatting with her about self-image, confidence, real estate, and fashion. There is also lots of laughing!

Welcome to a high-energy conversation that navigates its way from topic to topic as crazily as Angela has navigated her career in food, fashion, branding, TV, and everything else. This is organized chaos that makes perfect sense as a Cast of Creators episode where you, the listener, are left wishing you were there in the Hvr studio with them.

From unpacking wardrobe space to getting rid of gift cards, cutting up clothing, and what Angela’s dad taught her about business early on – and then from getting started in fashion to hard lessons learned in real estate – this is a poignant and hilarious insight into the entrepreneur, the creator, and the singular dynamic personality that is Angela Phung.

I had this passion for fashion — it was not celebrated. I remember growing up there’d be many times when my mom was so angry at me deconstructing my clothes and like gluing them back together (cos I didn’t know I had to sew it at the time). I was maybe in Grade 8 — and I wanted to be like Madonna.
Angela Phung

In This Episode:

Casie explains the backstory to the tattoo on her hand
How magic happens when you step outside of your comfort zone
Creating space in your wardrobe for new fashion sensibilities
How Angela’s father shaped her business acumen (but no longer speaks to him)
Starting a central kitchen where you make sauces the same way
The pitfalls of being involved in a family business
The challenges of being raised in a traditional Asian household
Wanting to be like Madonna and getting started in fashion
The time Angela’s mom cut up all her creations
Studying business to appease your parents and not bring shame to your Asian family
Being approached on the street to sell boutique clothing
How Angela learned to feed her creative instincts
Angela gets into real estate at age 25
The downside of becoming a property owner when you can’t evict a tenant
Why you have to go confidently in the direction of your dreams
Starting an indoor playground brand in London!
How Angela got into television
Trust your gut and starting aka.THE STORE
Owning an ice cream business, Happy Sundae!
Where does the name Hubby come from?