Improving As Individuals, Improving As A Company
Introduction
On the eve of this, our incredible 5 year anniversary let us my dear friends with hearts passionate look to our glorious past. Not only as it pertains to the growth and maturity of our beloved company, but in our own lives as well. And let us further examine our mutual now, this uncertain present, where we, as a family of colleagues, find ourselves currently. There is value in reflection and introspection. For in doing so we increase the certainty of the best and brightest possible future for ourselves and for this company, Chinavasion, which we have all called home.
The Glorious Past
Fill your Chinavasion memory landscape for a moment my friends. Let it unfold in front of you and let us rejoice in what a wonderful journey it has been so far. I was fortunate enough to join Chinavasion on February 3, 2009. That was almost 2 years ago. They say time flies when you’re having fun. I guess that’s why that first day seems just like yesterday. As many of you will recall, at the time our offices were at the Xin Bao Hui Building. And in two short years, we moved offices not once but twice. I remember speaking with Morley on our moving day from Xin Bao Hui to our old office next door. We had imagined that we would be there three to four years. Then within 10 months even that office space was inadequate to accommodate our tremendous growth. In two short years we went from receiving just under 100 orders per day to over 1000 high value orders daily. A tenfold increase! We doubled our staff and even had to set up a separate team to handle high level customers. And what of myself? I came from Canada in search of purpose. I had a successful business, but I lacked meaning and passion for living. Saddened by my condition, my parents persuaded me to come back to Hong Kong and after several weeks of job searching, I responded to an online ad for a Catalog Expert position in nearby Shenzhen. And the rest is history. I found what I had been missing, namely rewarding work I could believe in, writing that directly translated into rewards for the company and myself, and be amongst so many good and kind-hearted people. I recall teaching English in the meeting room during lunch hours and even coming in an hour earlier on Saturdays to practice English together. It was then I got to know you all better and our relationship transformed from colleague to friend. Though it seems like yesterday to me that was almost two years ago. What a wonderful time I’ve had and I have you all to thank for it.
An Uncertain Present
2010, what a year. We’ve seen good friends go and new friends come. But for those who feel 2010 was a slow year we must not forget that it was meant to be a year of strategizing and stability. For truthfully, nothing in Nature grows continually without a consolidation phase. And so it is with a company. There comes a time when reorganization is needed. As is process improvement and the move towards maturity. Aside from implementing a solid communication procedure and redesigns of every work flow in the company, 2010 marked a tactical shift towards thorough and comprehensive testing at the Sourcing end instead of testing during the Quality Control stage. In short, verifying the goods before we spend the money – not afterwards. 2010 also marked a period of closeness between team leaders – working more closely than ever before. It marked a strengthening of the General Manager’s Office to facilitate top down and bottom up communication. In my own life, I matured as a person which allowed me to be a better Team Leader. I learned organization, planning, and delegation as well as trust, patience, and tolerance. Such maturity at a personal level manifested itself, not only in upholding this company’s values and never losing sight of our business concerns, but in caring for my team members not just with the intent to make them better workers, but to be interested in them as individuals with their own dreams and to make it my mission to help them achieve their goals.
The Future Is Bright
Several weeks ago, I was feeling bored one Sunday morning and I left my apartment at Xin Yi Dai Building next to Shekou Walmart with the goal of walking to Luo Hu. I know how crazy that sounds, but this is not the first time for me. Every few months I set myself to walking an enormously long distance in the hopes of energizing my mind and spirit. Previously it had taken me 4 hours walking from Dong Men (where I was living at the time) all the way to OCT East. This time around I walked along Shennan Road past Shenzhen University, past Bai Shi Zhou, all the way to Windows of the World. Two hours had passed and as I took a seat to rest, I discovered how tired I was. I wanted to give up but even before I let the thought of quitting enter my mind, I got up and starting walking again. I kept walking past Zhu Zhi Lin, then Xiang Mi Hu, and then I reached Gou Wu Gong Yuan. My throat was parched so I stopped to buy some water to drink. With my water bottle in hand, I looked around and I heard my own thoughts saying, “perhaps you’ve committed yourself to something you cannot handle. Perhaps you should go home. You’ve walked for three and a half hours already! You’ve done great and there’s no shame in stopping now.” Focusing on how good I would feel having accomplished my goal, I quickly drank my water and continued the journey to Exhibition Center then to Gang Xia. As I walked past Hua Qiang Bei, the electronics capital of the world, I knew that the toughest part of the journey was over… and in many ways, that’s where we are today. We’re so close to the success we’ve worked for. 2011 promises to be so wonderful for everyone who put their hearts into making this company great. Well, to finish my story, as I walked to my goal of the MixC shopping center in the heart of Luo Hu, an overwhelming sense of achievement rose up in my heart. Because I had not given up, on myself, on the company: I knew at that moment that the future would indeed be bright. Incidentally, the total time for my walk from Nanshan to Luo Hu was just over 5 hours. 5 hours, 5 year anniversary, how coincidentally meaningful don’t you think?
Looking Forward To The Next 5 Years
So my friends, here we are on the eve of this momentous event. With lots of hard work and the great leadership of our honored directors, we have indeed made it to the 5 year mark. In the greatest country in the world: China. In the most industrious city in China: Shenzhen. In a hyper-competitive marketplace where most online wholesale companies come and go in a matter of months we survived. We survived. We thrived. And we have arrived. Past, present, and future aligning like stars in some auspicious constellation and it’s time to shine. I love Chinavasion.
THE END
