An Interview with Zhong Mingxian: What Matters Most in Business
Mr. Zhong is from Chaoshan. He enjoys drinking tea and is also skilled at brewing it.
For people from Chaoshan, drinking tea is a way of life. Wherever you visit, the first thing your host does is boil water and make tea.
So whenever someone visits the company, Mr. Zhong will always invite them to have tea.
Breaking the tea cake, skimming the foam, rolling the tea, releasing its aroma, pouring into the sharing pitcher, the butterfly dance, presenting the tea, the butterfly landing, returning home… The tea-making steps unfold in an orderly sequence. (I do not know whether this is always the order, but I watched a tea-making tutorial, and Mr. Zhong follows the same sequence.) His movements are more relaxed and fluid. He can carry out the entire routine while chatting with you, evidently the result of years of daily practice.
In business, sincerity comes first
He told us about customers who had traveled from another city to buy electronic components. They were quite straightforward: knowing that Huaqiangbei had many companies in this business, they had come to compare suppliers. MISUXIN was their first stop.
What made them change their plans and choose MISUXIN straight away? Mr. Zhong said there was no secret: speak openly and honestly. He explained the market situation frankly: ‘As long as you are willing to trust us and pay a partial deposit, MISUXIN will find genuine, in-stock products for you on the market. If you go elsewhere, you may not get prices as fair as ours, or genuine products.’ MISUXIN's purchasing staff can provide customers with BOM quotations within half an hour, using an ERP management system throughout the process for fast, professional service.
The office feels like a real working business. Alongside the many plants, boxes are scattered around, making it look a little untidy. But a closer look reveals clearly designated reception, guest, work and sample areas, including a place for retained samples. Overseas customers have visited before, and some have even worked from MISUXIN's office for a time. They expressed strong approval of MISUXIN's sourcing, inventory and professionalism.
In business, hard work is essential
‘Rise early for three days, and you gain an extra day's work.’
This is an old Chaoshan saying, and Mr. Zhong has always held himself to it. From the time he began as an apprentice, he had to rise early. The pay was low and the work plentiful, but he persisted because he could learn. He also knew that truly learning to do business meant going out and learning to deal with people. So he began a new stage of learning.
Even now, as a business owner, he still gets up early every day. Employees start work at nine, but he attends learning and networking meetings at six. There is no traffic congestion at that hour, and the meetings do not interfere with the day's work. He knows how easily one can hit a ceiling or a bottleneck in an industry; to move forward, one must keep learning. Mr. Zhong mentioned that in 2021, many factories stopped production because of the pandemic and stock became unavailable, leading to widespread speculative trading in the industry. Electronic components have specific identities and requirements, so whoever held available stock had the upper hand. But electronic components are essential goods, and their price fluctuations affect many related industries. Speculation is clearly no long-term solution.
Although family and the company take up most of his time, Mr. Zhong believes that a capable person can organize their time well. As the old Chaoshan saying goes, rising early for three days gives you an extra day's work. Getting up early each day allows him to improve himself and broaden his knowledge; he sees it as the equivalent of hiring another member of the management team.
In business, relationships are indispensable
Doing business starts with having connections and relationships. Your network is your greatest asset.
Once the company had become more stable, Mr. Zhong joined BNI, an electronics chamber of commerce and other business associations to learn from prominent people in related industries and connect resources. As he puts it, people should learn to use such platforms to improve themselves and broaden their knowledge.
Members of an association may come from the same area or work in the same industry. Once you join, you become part of its social circle. Geographic ties also make interaction and communication easier. With commitment, you can soon build a useful network of relationships.
Business requires timely information about policies, investment, projects, production and sales, and prices. As communication channels and gathering points for information, associations have access to far more information than individual businesses. They can help members discover business opportunities and increase brand exposure.
As a business leader, only by gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and your industry can you identify the company's future direction, instead of standing still and becoming set in your ways.