That is a reward that humbles me: the fact that immigrants coming to America, much like I did, can come into a Forever 21 and know that all of this was started by a simple Korean immigrant with a dream.

When I first immigrated to the United States, there were not many jobs that stood out. So I worked at a gas station, cleaning.

Our target customers are people in their 20s. Old people wanted to be 21 again, and young people wanted to be 21 forever.

Because I didn't have much money, I bought a small shop that fit my budget. The previous six owners had closed their business in three years. The store had no people traffic and, because of that, I was able to focus on figuring out how to provide a better service to each and every one of the customers that did come through.