Jenny Song's path to opening a business in Ann Arbor falls more under the path less traveled compared to most entrepreneurs.
Song, who holds a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, received her MBA from the University of Chicago in 2011 and then turned that into a corporate job in brand marketing. A year later she moved back to Ann Arbor to open the
SONGBiRD Cafe with her mom.
"I wanted something more hands-on," Song says. "I have always known I had an entrepreneurial spirit."
It helps that the mother of the Ann Arbor native (Huron High School) ran her own Korean restaurant on the north side of Ann Arbor (
Be Won) when Song went to college. That helped inspire Song to open a cafe that "specializes in fresh, artisan quality lunch/brunch fare with an extensive coffee bar," according to the business' website.
"We are a local, more artisan Panera," Song says. "We have a high attention to detail with our food and drinks."
The nearly 1-year-old business now employs nine people.
Source: Jenny Song, managing partner of the SONGBiRD Cafe
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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