We recently had the chance to connect with Claire Li and have shared our conversation below.
Good morning Claire, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
For me, energy is the most important, because it is the true starting point of everything. When we have strong inner drive, we naturally take action, and action is what leads to real results. Without execution, ideas remain only ideas. Through my experiences over the past two years, I’ve learned deeply that consistent execution is what turns vision into reality
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Claire Li, the founder of Ronlaire. After moving to Atlanta, I turned my passion for cooking into a growing food brand that brings authentic Chinese baos and shumai to local markets and festivals. More recently, I launched Lil’ Coco, a dessert line featuring Asian-style coconut puddings made with organic, natural flavors. For me, food is not only about taste, but also about storytelling and building meaningful connections across cultures.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
The internet has taught me the most about work. Over the past decade, it has been my greatest resource for learning, whether it was teaching myself how to film food videos years ago or later researching recipes and business strategies to build my own food brand. Online tutorials and shared experiences allowed me to avoid many mistakes and to adapt solutions to my own challenges. For me, the internet represents both a classroom and a community that has shaped how I work and grow.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Since moving to the U.S., I’ve faced many challenges in both daily life and work. Over time, I realized that problems only exist if I choose to see them as problems. When I treat them as obstacles, they drain my energy; but when I turn them into motivation, they push me forward. Instead of letting difficulties consume me, I now use them as fuel to keep building and moving ahead.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what really matters to me is staying true to my vision and following through with action. They know I’m someone who doesn’t just talk about ideas, I put in the work to make them real. What drives me most is creating something meaningful and sharing it with others, whether through food, culture, or simply building genuine connections.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I only had 10 years left, I would stop draining myself with overthinking, because it wastes energy and creates unnecessary stress. Instead, I would spend that time on meaningful things, building my business, traveling to see the world, enjoying nature, cooking good food to share with family and friends, and cherishing moments with my cats. Those are the experiences that feel truly beautiful and precious.
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