Do I Qualify?
Samantha Choi's avatarPerson

Samantha Choi

CEO | Chief Creative OfficerManual Labor Studio

New York, NY

Member Since April 2023

Skills

Brand Design and Strategy
Brand Building
Creative Strategy

About

Born in Seoul, Korea, I immigrated to the US with my family at the age of 4. While assimilating into New York life, products like Wonder Bread and Kraft Cheese became symbols of what it meant to be American. Though I didn’t know it then, this was my first experience with the power of brands. After decades at Ralph Lauren and Gap, in 2012 I launched the creative and marketing agency Manual Labor. With a mission to “Do Great Work with Good People,” my team and I help companies unlock brand value, identify the “why” behind their existence, and build the ideal customer experience. I didn't know it then but I inherited the entrepreneurial spirit, from my immigrant parents, allowing me to build a company rooted in diverse backgrounds and ideas — diversity that shapes Manual Labor’s present and future.

Published content

Rethinking the advice given to leaders and CEOs

article

I’ve been flooded with advice on “how to be” a CEO or leader. This advice from the current ruling class of CEOs has been helpful—but only because I did the opposite. 

Making a change to your product or service? 12 steps to take first

expert panel

Consider these best practices before your loyal audience is thrown off by the company's latest innovations. If you're thinking about upgrading your legacy product or service that loyal customers have come to recognize and respect, it's okay to make some necessary tweaks to keep up with the times, but it's also more crucial to engage your audience in the conversation about potential changes. This will help you better understand their views from a user's perspective.  To help company leaders maintain their credibility while staying relevant in the marketplace, 12 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss other steps business professionals can take to develop an innovative mindset when it comes to revamping a traditional item or creating a new one altogether.

Is your business’s creative content becoming too bland?

expert panel

Here's what you might be missing when it comes to attracting and retaining new audiences. In the business world, content is king. This is especially true when you're trying to capture a long-term, loyal audience of potential clients and customers who can help your company grow. But it's not just about promoting your brand of products and services. Being too salesy too soon is often a turn-off for most potential customers. If you take the time to get to know them and their company on a deeper level, you'll have a better opportunity to turn your business into one that is worthy of their long-term trust and loyalty.  To better equip content teams in the coming year, 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each share one detail to help them understand how to create relevant content that speaks to their potential and current customers—whether it be through the company website, social media channels, video blogs, or email newsletters.

14 tips for strengthening brand identity and reputation

expert panel

Implement these strategies for start-up success. It's tough out there when you are trying to build brand recognition and rise above the noise. When you are just starting out in the marketplace as a business owner, how do you attract loyal clients and partnership deals? Below, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss the most important factors in developing the brand identity that you want to be known for. Once your leadership team establishes that, it's essential that you continue to stand on the reputation that you want to build.

Why team collaboration is the key to stronger leadership

expert panel

Giving every staff member a seat at the table can increase business morale and business growth. It takes a village to build the type of team morale and trust it takes to lead a company to innovative success and long-term profitability. So if you are trying to strengthen staff relations and foster a better work environment that enables every employee to have a voice, don't go it alone, be willing to have an open mind and lean on them for support.  By encouraging regular brainstorming sessions with your team to guide your decision-making process, you'll be a better informed, confident leader, knowing that your staff is working together (and truly has your back) to elevate the company further in the years to come. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share other reasons why employee feedback and collaboration are fundamental in helping leaders make better all-around business decisions.

20 personal life lessons that build stronger business leaders

expert panel

Industry experts weigh in on the tips that keep their companies (and mindsets) growing successfully.  As a business owner or manager, who is responsible for leading a team to successful bottom-line results, quarter over quarter, it's easy to get stuck in a silo mindset or let fear and anxiety take over—having you falsely assume that every other company or leader has the secret to business growth and high-performance teams all figured out. On the contrary, you are not alone in your ability to face and overcome various obstacles head-on. And you'll be grateful for it along the way. To prove the point, a panel of experts from Fast Company Executive Board admits to having their fair share of ups and downs throughout their career journey to leadership. In this topic of discussion, they share one personal life lesson and what it has taught them most about how to become a better leader for the staff members and companies that they represent.

Company details

Manual Labor Studio

Company bio

Manual Labor is a creative and marketing studio rooted in the mission to "Do Great Work With Good People.™ " We sit at the intersection of brand and business helping brands accelerate growth through strategy, purpose and execution.

Industry

Marketing & advertising

Area of focus

Brand Marketing
Creative Agency
Marketing

Company size

11 - 50