Welcome to TALENT TALES – Daniel Eun
Originally from LA, now living Hong Kong. Meet Daniel Eun, a graduate from NYC is the Beverage Director of Westside Hospitality, including 11 Westside, the Wilshire Bar, Westside Taqueria, Obp and Dama Noodlebar, creating a new sophisticated dimension of mixed drinks for the city of Hong Kong.
How did it all started for Daniel?
It all started 6 years ago. Daniels’ friend, his current business partner, has asked him if he wanted to start a bar in Hong Kong. He said yes! And now, his bravery and tenacity have led him to a new journey that he never could have imagined.
Daniel loves what he does. He said if he didn’t love it, he could not have done what he did in the past 6 years. The inspiration came when Daniel came across Milk & Honey- a cocktail bar founded in New York City and it was their cocktail drink that triggered the love of cocktail for Daniel and inspired him to create a career out of it.
Bartending is like being an athlete. There is a timeline on it. There are only so many hours you can work and the amount of physical labor you can do. Due to this reason, Daniel told himself by the time he turns 30, he would go into ownership. By 35 he wants 10 restaurants and now at 35, his goals have all came into fruition.
What is Daniel’s Biggest Daily Challenges?
Managing Cash Flow is the hardest thing for Daniel, he said. He came across with financial statements, balance sheets and how to evaluate the value of a company in school but going into management made him realized that the only thing that matters is how much you have in your bank account and how much cash you have to pay that day.
Operating in the scale and speed of the companies like Daniel’s can be challenging but learning how to navigate and accelerates are the art of entrepreneur for Daniel.
#DreamFearlessly is a belief that we pursue and endeavor every single day. We asked Daniel what it means to him and this is what he replied: “Dream Fearlessly is about having a vision of what you want to do and just going for it”. It Is always the little thing that becomes the big dreams and even the small steps you have to be fearless.
We asked Daniel what Hong Kong means to him. His reaction was Hong Kong is an incredible city, so dynamic, so international with so many personalities and stories. The city is a meshing between the new and the old. When he first came to Hong Kong, he felt the futuristic city reminds him of the movie Bladerunner and Tron, extremely futuristic and vibrant.
Pandemic
The pandemic has affected so many people globally and the luxury of living in Hong Kong with very little cases in the past two years, we asked Daniel what his experience was like and how he dealt with it physically, mentally and emotionally.
To him, there is a concept of a third space. Your workspace is your second space and your third space can be your local bar and restaurant. With the hit of the pandemic at the beginning, many of us have essentially lost our second and third space and the idea of losing your third space can be difficult for many people. For Daniel, exercising has helped him staying put and balancing the hectic speed and the unpredictability of the pandemic.
