Chieh Huang

“Life, especially the life of an early-stage entrepreneur, is full of gigantic ups and downs. Make sure you don't let yourself get too high or too low. It's a marathon, and you just have to keep your legs moving at a steady pace.”

“Everyone wants to start a business in their garage - they think it's sexy - but when you actually sit as a 30-year-old in a garage, it's not so sexy.”

“There's always a booming market somewhere in tech - you just have to find a good idea for that market.”

“Parents will be parents. Even now, my mom asks me sometimes, 'When are you going to go back and get a real job?'”

“I'm a firm believer in karma. By doing good, good things eventually find you. I don't have an American Express Black Card, but I like to think that I would if I could fill it with karma points.”

“Automation is great for profits, but it's a real potential trouble area for society.”

“I still remember sitting in my parent's basement playing 'Final Fantasy VII' in middle school. When Sephiroth came down like LeBron James on Aerith with that sword, I couldn't talk for a full 20 minutes.”

“Growing up poor taught me a lot. It instilled in me the ethics of hard work.”

“I start the day just with the family. I don't check emails until my commute, and I make sure my phone isn't close to me until I'm out the door.”

“All these retailers these days are under pressure. Why? It's because... for the last 30 years, value equaled price. But now, value equals price, convenience, and a little bit of brand.”

“Every person who starts at Boxed does shifts at the fulfillment center. It doesn't matter if you are the general counsel or the COO.”

“Most entrepreneurs are very gut driven - they have to be because the odds and data are often stacked against them. If your gut says something is the right thing to do, then do it.”

“It was tough times in Ohio when we lived there. My dad was between unemployed and just selling random knickknacks at a flea market. My mom was a cashier at a Chinese food restaurant. They both had awesome careers back in Taiwan, and they came here for my sister and I.”

“I grew up loving to go to Price Club, and later Costco, with my parents.”

“The best advice I ever received is that there is a difference between urgency and importance: Urgent tasks seem important, but they're not. Important things need to get done.”

“Email knocks me off my game. It's just for the morning commute and end of the day. Some might think I'm slow to respond, but those who need to reach me know to send me a text during those hours.”

“I personally pay, through the majority of my stock and through cash, college tuitions of our full-time employees' kids. Life-changing events are generally covered by Boxed as well.”

“When I put my mind to something, I get it done.”

“I stopped taking calls when I'm with my kids. It's either work time or family time.”

“Working at a fulfillment center is definitely not the most glamorous job. I know because, in the early days, that's what I did, day in and day out. I had a tape gun in my hand, and I taped boxes.”