INTERVIEWS

John Yeh
Gaithersburg, Maryland
jtcyeh@viabletechnologies.com

 

1 Q: Why are you involved as a consultant with Webby Nation?

 

A: Yes, I did make an investment in the company because I was motivated to see a Deaf-owned business succeed. The purpose and intention of Web Nation is to provide services and benefits for the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

 

 

 

2 Q: How involved are you with Webby Nation?

 

A: Yes, doing it right. Remember that I am not here on a day to day management basis, but I do come to see what their vision and plan is and to provide consultation as to what would be in their best interest and give them strategies for success or advise them as to how to grab opportunities so they can move forward.

 

 

 

3 Q: What is Webby Nation?

 

A: As for the history, Web Nation has been in existence for three years. It began, or was developed by two people originally, two young people by the name of Joel and Jed Barish. They had an interest in Internet service and they then became interested in adding multimedia which could be brought in as an expanded way of bringing information to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. It grew to about 7 or 8 employees, but over the years some changes have been made so today there are about five people who are full time employees of this company, Web Nation.

 

 

 

4 Q: What was the most challenging obstacles you had to overcome to be successful in your career?

 

A: Okay, that's a long story and goes back quite away. When I finally obtained the level of higher education, with a master's degree in computer science, I felt that I should have good job opportunities. However, I faced many obstacles, for a variety of reasons. This experience gave me the motivation I needed to start my own business. At the time, I was curious and basically starting out with no knowledge at the entire business world. For example, I didn't know anything about payroll or tax rules, nothing at all, but I learned through experience as I was operating my business. As the company grew, the reputation of the company grew, and the technology was in high demand. I took the opportunities that allowed for more growth throughout the 19 years of running the business. It grew from a few people to over 100 employees, with over $40 million in the annual budget. Then, three years ago, actually in 1996, the business world really changes. There was a great deal of downsizing, restructuring, reengineering, and, in turn, an impact on competition which resulted in more and more mergers. That is where we faced frustration and suffering because a company of my size, which is called a midsized company, was caught between the larger and smaller companies. Our company struggled to compete with both smaller companies and larger companies. It seemed to be best and most reasonable at the time, as a way of keeping as many employees as possible, to merge with another company. That happened in 1996. That’s why sold my company. After a few years of relaxation and just enjoying my family, I knew in my heart that wanted to continue to do something in the business arena. I saw many young and talented deaf people who were intelligent and motivated, and that is where I became interested in making contribution to their efforts and working with them. To tell you the truth, I see so many young Deaf people who already have the skills needed, but they just need guidance, and I was happy to provide that and enjoy working with them.

 

 

 

5 Q: What kind of company is Webby Nation?

 

A: Okay, many people ask me, "What is Web Nation?" Web Nation is a privately owned company, but more specifically, it is an Internet service which aims to seek out the best business opportunities in the business world and bring those opportunities to the Deaf and hard of hearing community through network and basic support.

 

 

 

6 Q: Was your family supportive?

 

A: Yes, another spiritual support, without question, has been my family. My parents are the ones who decided to look for better opportunities for me and for my sister Fanny. We are the two Deaf members of the family. Their decision inspired and motivated me. I am sure that we are both grateful to our parents, who gave up the comfort of their homeland to come to this new world, America. They gave us a true blessing, with love and care.

 

 

 

7 Q: Would workshops for hearing professionals help us?

 

A: Yes, I believe it will help. The reason is because there are many things about the hearing world that we do not know, but that we should know. For example, in business negotiations, there are things about vocal tone, which I did not realize until the interpreter that I work with told me, which are important. I had to inquire what information was conveyed by tone, and I learned that vocal tone can express interest or disinterest during negotiations. So, I think it would be a must to offer a workshop to explain those aspects of business to Deaf people. They must understand the style, the culture, and the way hearing people communicate. So, yes, I believe a workshop of that sort would be very important to Deaf people who are interested in understanding the hearing world.

 

 

 

8 Q: What are your views on using interpreters?

 

A: Okay, speaking of ways of communicating, whether a person is Deaf or hearing. There are different modes of communicating. Communicating with a hearing person by means of an interpreter is called third party communication. It is not direct communication. It doesn't feel nearly as warm to me as when I am communicating directly to another Deaf individual. We can understand one another almost as if reading each other's minds. In contrast, with a hearing individual, reaching a level of understanding takes time. I often see hearing people who work for me asking to have private conversations with me rather than using interpreting services, even if they do not know much sign language. They prefer to write or email. That is still cold communication. It does not feel warm. If they really want to learn the skill and they learn to sign, then we can have warm communication. We can talk over coffee about informal things such as our families. That is warm communication. If I'm talking to another Deaf person, it may go to a much deeper discussion, but that is still warm communication. I believe the relative intimacy of communication exists on a continuum ranging from cold to very warm. It is important to understand the different views of communication.

 

 

 

9 Q: Do you encourage Deaf people to work with Hearing people?

 

A: Yes, it's because hearing people are a big key to business growth. Remember that the world out there is full of business opportunities, but Deaf people are only a small group. We need hearing people with the skills to work together to bridge the divide between the Deaf and hearing worlds. So, if you want to be successful, you absolutely must work with both hearing and Deaf people. You must learn to work with hearing people in order to forge bridges with others in the hearing world. This point is crucial.

 

 

 

10 Q: How important is it to be on the technology edge?

 

A: Well, there was a friend of mine who worked in the technology field with me and he left for about a month or so and when he came back he was just shocked at what he found. He was lost. He didn't know the new things that had come out. It is a skill to be able to keep up with what is happening. It is important to keep on top of new developments that happen every day.

 

 

 

11 Q: What basic skills do you think are necessary for business?

 

A: Basically, what it takes to be successful includes having a good foundation in reading and writing as well as math and accounting. Once you have that basic understanding, you also must have the ability to read and write for communication. Without that important skill, I don't know how you could be in business.

 

 

 

12 Q: Is it bad to fail?

 

A; No! Failure is the best way to learn. If you make a mistake, it is alright. Losing money is alright. You need to re-do and make improvements, but always go with your instinct. I believe very strongly in following your instincts.

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