Meet Amanda and Nicole

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda and Nicole and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda and Nicole, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our thought process was pretty simple. We were playing so much Mahjong weekly in our neighborhood that we realized other areas of town should hop on board the Mahjong trend as well and thus “That’s Amahjzing” was born. We teach mahjong lessons in and around the Houston area. We had received a few Mahjong lessons ourselves from different professionals in town and realized that this isn’t just a game you can quickly pick up – people are willing to pay good money to learn.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The primary focus of “That’s Amahjzing” is to teach people this complex, yet, insanely fun game of Mahjong. We also host fun events around town to bring other Mahj lovers together. There are a lot of Mahjong instructors already in our area and as this phenomenon continues to grow, as will the amount of teachers available to you, so why choose us? Nicole and I are best friends who’s relationship flourished through our love of Mahjong so we can promise the same experience for your group of friends. Our goal is to make you fall in love with the game just like we did. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so you can expect a lot of laughter while you learn. The other good thing about hiring us is that we have a lot more flexibility on when we can teach you because we can divide and conquer as needed, while still providing the same level of service. We are very proud of what we have built. Our proudest moment thus far was hosting an inaugural Mahjong tournament at Party Baby U.S.A. in West U. We had 60+ people in a bracket style tournament deemed, “Mahj Madness” with great prizes and lasting memories made. We plan on doing this quarterly and our next one will be taking place on August 28th. There are always challenges associated with starting a business, but we keep learning and growing with each lesson we teach. We are truly happy doing this and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Amanda: I would recommend starting the day with a workout at Motiv Fitness, go shopping in Rice or Highland Village followed by lunch at Tiny Boxwoods or Tiny’s No. 5, maybe squeeze in a mid day mahj sesh, get dressed up for the night, and eat dinner at Le Colonial. If someone visits that is not from Texas, I would make sure they get their Tex Mex fix with El Tiempo. Lastly, and this may sound silly, but if you’ve never had a glazed donut from Shipley’s, it is my favorite of all time. Other recommended restaurant spots would be Local Foods, Coltivare and Potente.

Nicole: First, I’d take my bestie to my favorite hole-in-the-wall sushi spot, Oishii, for lunch or happy hour. Then, we’d treat ourselves to some of the best ice cream in Houston at Flower and Cream. For evening plans, I love going to places with activities – Flight Club for darts or Palace Social for bowling and arcade games are both super fun. For food, I love Los Tios for Tex-Mex, Davanti for Italian, and BCN for Spanish cuisine. We’d also make sure to stop by Sawyer Yards to check out local artists and grab a beer or three at Saint Arnold’s Brewery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First off we want to thank Oh My Mahjong for giving us this opportunity to spread the joy of Mahjong around like confetti. They certified us to teach lessons and laid the ground work for our growing business. Second of all, we would like to thank our husbands for supporting us and for holding down the forts and putting the kids to bed on nights that we are out teaching lessons. They used to complain that we were away playing the game too much, but now that we are monetizing this hobby, they are fully on board and love to play, too! Lastly, to all of our Mahj students, mentors, friends and community for hiring us to teach, coming to our fun events, and for recommending us to those that do not know the game.

Website: https://thatsamahjzinggmailcom.mailchimpsites.com/

Instagram: @thatsamahjzing

Image Credits
Lauren Hopkin Photo