Success rarely begins with perfect timing, unlimited resources, or a clear roadmap. For Samantha Tov and Judy Cuong, it began with long hours, rejection, sacrifice, and an unshakable belief that hard work could change the trajectory of their lives.

In this episode of Go All In: Beating the Odds in Business, Anh sits down with Samantha and Judy, the owners of Portfolio Real Estate, to hear how two very different women with remarkably similar work ethics built successful careers—and eventually an extraordinary business partnership.

Judy entered real estate as a teenager after growing up in a family with very little money. Her path to success included years of cold calling, door knocking, open houses, and thousands of rejections before landing the listing that proved to her she belonged in the business.

Samantha’s journey took her from restaurants in Los Angeles to building a real estate career as a single mother in Sacramento. She brought her children to open houses, worked when other agents took holidays off, studied successful agents, and learned the business through observation, persistence, and sheer determination.

When Judy realized she could no longer do everything alone, she saw something familiar in Samantha: the same work ethic, the same hunger, and the same commitment to doing whatever it took. Their partnership would eventually become the foundation of Portfolio Real Estate.

Samantha and Judy share an unusually candid conversation about why their partnership works, how they handle disagreement, why equal effort does not always mean identical effort, and why trust matters more than keeping score.

They also talk about mentoring the next generation of agents, building a company culture without drama or toxicity, using AI in real estate, navigating motherhood and entrepreneurship, and learning that success means very little if you never allow yourself the time to enjoy it.

This is a conversation about resilience, partnership, sacrifice, and what can happen when you bet on yourself—and find the right person willing to go all in beside you.

You can learn more about Portfolio Real Estate by visiting their website: https://portfoliore.com/

Chapters

00:00 The Work Ethic Behind the Partnership
00:52 Meet Samantha Tov and Judy Cuong
01:24 Samantha's Real Estate Journey
03:42 Judy Starts in Real Estate at 19
05:25 Thousands of Cold Calls for One Big Break
09:20 Samantha's Letter That Landed a Major Listing
12:20 Surviving the Early Years of Real Estate
15:40 How Samantha and Judy Found Each Other
17:10 Why Judy Needed the Right Partner
21:15 Building Portfolio Real Estate
23:30 Creating a Culture of Mentorship
27:00 Conflict, Communication and Business Partnerships
31:00 Why Their 50/50 Partnership Works
35:00 Navigating Real Estate Markets and Building Wealth
37:00 Advice for New Real Estate Agents
41:10 Entrepreneurship Beyond Real Estate
42:30 How AI Is Changing the Real Estate Business
45:40 Motherhood, Business and Finding Balance
52:20 Go All In or Fold: Real Estate Edition

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you found this episode valuable. To learn more about Phoong Law, visit: https://phoonglaw.com

To follow Anh on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoonglaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoonglaw/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoong-law/about/?viewAsMember=true

X: https://x.com/phoonglawcorp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoAllIn-c1u

Go All In is recorded at Phoong Law Studio and produced by Hear Me Now Studio

Success rarely follows a straight line.

This episode, Anh talks with her friend and beauty entrepreneur Sidney Le, to discuss her remarkable journey from doing prom makeup at Valley High School to building one of Sacramento's most recognized beauty brands.

Sidney shares how her passion for beauty led her from MAC Cosmetics to bridal makeup, eyelash extensions, permanent cosmetics, and eventually multiple business locations throughout the Sacramento region. Along the way, she faced skepticism from friends, financial challenges, personal loss, the passing of her father, the pandemic's devastating impact on her business, and the challenges of raising a daughter with autism while running a company.

What makes Sidney's story so powerful is her willingness to discuss not only the victories but also the setbacks. From losing employees and clients to navigating anxiety attacks and difficult business decisions, she offers an honest look at what entrepreneurship really looks like behind the social media highlight reels.

This conversation is filled with lessons about resilience, authenticity, taking calculated risks, and finding the courage to keep moving forward when life doesn't go according to plan.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How Sidney turned a passion for beauty into a thriving business
• Why she ignored the doubters and trusted her instincts
• The impact her father's passing had on her entrepreneurial journey
• How word-of-mouth and social media fueled her growth
• The reality of managing multiple business locations
• Lessons learned from the pandemic and business setbacks
• The challenges of balancing motherhood, mental health, and entrepreneurship
• Why vulnerability can become a business owner's greatest strength
• The importance of staying authentic and ethical in business
• How to know when it's time to pivot and move forward

Whether you're building a business, overcoming personal challenges, or looking for inspiration to take your next big step, Sidney's story is a reminder that success isn't about avoiding obstacles—it's about continuing to move forward through them.

Find Sidney Le on line: https://sidneyle.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction & Sidney's Entrepreneurial Journey
01:12 Discovering a Passion for Beauty
02:22 From MAC Cosmetics to Bridal Beauty
03:02 Becoming an Eyelash Extension Pioneer
04:12 Overcoming Doubters and Critics
06:05 Losing Her Father and Going All In
06:53 Opening the First Studio
08:28 Building a Business and a Legacy
09:42 Growing Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing
11:45 Leveraging Social Media and Influencer Relationships
13:30 The Reality of Entrepreneurship
14:18 COVID-19 and Business Challenges
15:11 Family Struggles and Finding Strength
15:47 Buying a Commercial Building During Uncertainty
17:42 Learning from Business Risks and Setbacks
19:18 The Importance of Vulnerability
21:18 Mentorship, Giving Back, and Community
25:43 Balancing Business, Family, and Mental Health
30:15 Sidney's Advice for Future Entrepreneurs
32:45 Go All In or Fold? Beauty Trends Rapid Fire
34:31 Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you found this episode valuable. To learn more about Phoong Law, visit: https://phoonglaw.com

To follow Anh on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoonglaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoonglaw/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoong-law/about/?viewAsMember=true

X: https://x.com/phoonglawcorp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoAllIn-c1u

Go All In is recorded at Phoong Law Studio and produced by Hear Me Now Studio

What does it take to go from arriving in America with just $20 in your pocket to building one of the most respected McDonald’s ownership legacies in the country?

In this powerful episode Anh sits down with legendary entrepreneur and community leader C.C. Yin to hear the remarkable story behind his journey from war-torn China and Taiwan to owning and transforming some of the toughest McDonald’s locations in California.

C.C. opens up about surviving poverty, losing his engineering career, borrowing money from family and friends, and taking a chance on a McDonald’s nobody else wanted. Rejected at first by the corporation and told he was “totally disqualified,” he ultimately earned the trust of employees, communities, and eventually McDonald’s itself.

But this episode goes far beyond hamburgers and business success. It’s a conversation about resilience, leadership, service, community trust, immigrant ambition, and the belief that helping others is the real key to long-term success.

You’ll also hear how C.C. helped build stronger relationships between McDonald’s and underserved communities, launched APAPA to empower Asian American civic leadership, and created the Yin Ranch and California State Asian Heritage Center as a lasting gift to future generations.

This is an unforgettable story about beating the odds, leading with humility, and building something bigger than yourself.

You can learn more about APAPA by visiting https://www.apapa.org/

00:00 – Surviving Against the Odds
01:00 – Arriving in America With $20
04:20 – Losing His Engineering Career
06:45 – Discovering McDonald’s Ownership
11:00 – Rejected by McDonald’s
14:00 – Earning Trust Through Training
21:00 – Building Success in East Oakland
32:00 – Turning Around Tough Stores
39:00 – Founding APAPA
47:00 – Building the Yin Ranch Legacy
53:00 – Go All In or Fold

Thank you so much for listening. I hope you found this episode valuable. To learn more about Phoong Law, visit: https://phoonglaw.com

To follow Anh on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phoonglaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phoonglaw/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoong-law/about/?viewAsMember=true

X: https://x.com/phoonglawcorp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoAllIn-c1u

Go All In is recorded at Phoong Law Studio and produced by Hear Me Now Studio