With its headquarters in Hong Kong, the
company made a foray into the East, which
was filled with challenges, especially in its
first year. “We were basically unknown in
Asia when we first came, so we spent a lot
of time and effort on marketing activities
and exhibitions to publicise our presence,”
William says. “The market at the time, and
still today, was crowded with distributors that
had longstanding relationships with suppliers,
so we introduced the concept of ‘Distribution
As It Should Be’. We spent a lot of time
selling our concept and telling potential
customers that we have a business model that
is being used successfully in America.”
The company survived due to its business
model and because it took calculated risks,
something William believes is necessary in
the distribution business. “We built inventory
before customers placed orders. Sometimes
it fails, but we have been successful more
times than not. Over the course of our
operations, customers have appreciated the
way we do business.”
Having been president since the
company’s inception five years ago, William
made sure he based its culture around valuing
people. This has yielded positive results in
terms of employee satisfaction. “We have a
very low staff turnover, which is unique inthe market,” William says. “For instance, in
the first year, we employed about 30 people,
and 27 of those are still with the company.”
William believes in empowering his staff
and knows it will allow the business to
achieve its goals. “We believe every individual
in the organisation is important. We try, as far
as possible, to have all workers involved in
decision making, which allows them to take“ We introduced the
concept of ‘Distribution
As It Should Be’.”
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