**This event will be online only**

Founders Susan Chen (Madame Susan Sauces) and Teresa Ging (Sugar Bliss) share their transitions from corporate careers to building successful CPG food brands.

Topics covered include:

• Brand Building: Learn how they approached storytelling, marketing, and connecting with their audience to grow their businesses.
• Challenges & Opportunities: Hear about the unique experiences they faced as Asian American female founders, including funding and industry representation.
• Financing & Scaling: Discover how they navigated capital challenges and managed costs while scaling their businesses.
• Advice & Future Plans: Get valuable advice for aspiring AAPI entrepreneurs and insights into what’s next for their businesses.

About the Speakers:

Megan Nakano is the Executive Director of the AACCIL, a free resource supporting Asian American and minority-owned businesses. With 25+ years of experience in strategic partnerships across public, private, and non-profit sectors, she provides pro bono management consulting, specializing in minority certification and procurement. Previously, she led the Asian American Alliance SBDC, worked in community banking as a commercial lender and CRA Officer, and supported supplier diversity programs at the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council.

A Chicago native, Megan attended Francis W. Parker School and holds a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University.

Susan Chen is the founder and CEO of Madame Susan Sauces, founded in 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. Her philosophy is to create a brand that has global cosmopolitan influences, but is also local in values. She creates her line of Asian-style sauces by hand in New York. Madame Susan’s goal is to help people achieve restaurant-flavorful food at home. She looks to promote a culture of eating fresh, healthy, local, and sustainable; a nod to the brand’s start at farmers markets.

Teresa Ging is the CEO and Founder of Sugar Bliss, a Chicago-based bakery specializing in baked goods, catering, and corporate gifts since 2007. Sugar Bliss also offers packaged

cookies sold at retailers including Walgreens, Compass Group, and Macy’s. The company is committed to sustainability and donates a portion of proceeds to support women and minority entrepreneurs.

Teresa holds a BA from the University of Chicago and transitioned from a six-year finance career to studying pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She has received multiple awards,

including the WBENC 2025 Star Award and the BMO Harris Celebrating Women Award. Teresa is a Board Member of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and the

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce SBDC.

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