ASIT

First Day in Taipei- First Stop: ASIT.

ASIT stands for the Association of Service Industries, Taiwan.

On the way to our venue. The weather in Taipei is pretty cold.

View from the bus ride.

We attended a talk at ASIT. Various local companies, which are established in Taipei's service industry today, presented about their businesses to us.

Here is a glimpse of the venue the talk was held:

The Taiwanese companies presented their businesses to us and I noticed, although each company had their own unique identity, own niche market and own business approaches, they all share some similarities:

1) Focus on culture and identity. The companies are confident of their business models, passionate in what they do, positive, hold a strong belief in what they are doing and selling, and proud to contribute to the Taiwanese service industry.

2) Dare to experiment; to be creative and innovative. Often, these businesses start out small, selling only a specialized product. They then branch out to diversify their products horizontally or vertically. Eventually, they may even go international and enter the global market. Each business has a strong identity, and a unique story behind its beginning.

3)  A humble attitude. These companies are humble, not only towards their customers, but also their staff. They are willing to learn, and believe in nurturing talents and individuals, and thus practice on the job training for their staff which really helps staff to learn and grow, thus contributing to the eventual success of the company.

4) Sincerity, being heartfelt, and ethical towards customers. These Taiwanese companies are very customer-centric and truly keep customers' well-being in mind. They do not only look to earn monetary benefits from their customers, they aim to instill trust in customers by ensuring the best quality in the service and goods they provide, and to offer their best to their customers, and to establish a strong and loyal company-buyer relationship.

These points above make me feel that the Taiwanese companies are 'Uniquely Taiwanese'. Because of their strong values and emphasis on customers, Taiwanese companies rank high in terms of service standards.

My favourite presentation is the one by Mango Cha Cha.

Image credits to Google

I feel that being able to enter a global market with a signature dessert dish, especially with much competition from others in the food industry, is no easy feat. It certainly holds a lot of expansion potential, especially in hot tropical areas such as Singapore. The boss of the company has branched out to Malaysia, and is also selling other related products, such as dried mango. I like how happy and chirpy the company identity feels, just like the mango fruit they are selling, and how catchy the company name is.

Listening to the presentations definitely gave me an insight into entrepreneurship and renewed my passion in the retail industry. Perhaps, one day, I may come up with a bright idea like these Taiwanese companies did, and start and manage my own business.

At ASIT, I also had the opportunity to present briefly about my company Wingtai to the various Taiwanese business presenters.

 Credits to the person I took these photos from, I can't remember the exact source.

It was quite nerve-wracking to speak in front of these successful Taiwanese businessmen, but I survived. It was an interesting experience and I realised I would love to learn to be able to engage in public speaking with poise and confidence.

After this, we had a short business networking session with the Taiwanese and it was also my first experience receiving name cards and networking with various companies.

Thank you ASIT for this experience.