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You can find out by skipping to the end of this story, or you can read down and find out Tan's philosophy of successful business.

Begin with learning

"I'm lucky because I'm not handsome, not rich and not highly educated," Tan proudly announces to hundreds in his audience.

They are attending a seminar on becoming a professional manager.

Tan started from nothing. He left home at 17 and worked as a labourer earning Bt700 and living in a tiny rented room.

"I began from the lowest possible position, but I always offered to do the tough jobs and work I didn't have to," he says.

"Don't expect money when you start working, because you won't get much. Take whatever chances come your way and learn everything you can."

Tan believed life would get better and he would be successful through hard work. Within five years he had worked in almost every department of the company that employed him and was eventually promoted to supervisor earning Bt40,000.

This was 25 years ago. He bought his room. Then another one. Soon he was a landlord with 10 rooms all rented out.

"If you ask when in my life I worked the hardest, I will answer the first five years.

"I earned almost no money, but the success I have today came from those five years. That makes my day," he says.

One day he encountered the quote attributed to Deng Xiaoping: "It doesn't matter whether a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice."

It reminded Tan that "success doesn't come from being rich, high-profile or highly educated. If we learn and do things we like and are skilled, we are finally successful," he says.

The best teacher is failure

"You are in difficulties if you've never failed in business," he says.

Tan believes mistakes and failure are the most important lessons in business and make people stronger.

"It's no different from life. If children or teens fall down, they stand up and continue walking, though the fall may break an arm or leg."

People need to face failure. "I don't like to listen to stories of success, but I like to hear about failure, and I remember and learn," Tan says. "When we are in difficulties, we should focus."

Lucky is not as good as smart

"In life you have only one chance to win a lottery, but if you are hard-working and smart, you will win all your life," Tan says.

In 1998 he opened the first Oishi restaurant. He has never sought auspicious days to open his sites.

"It's good to be lucky, but being lucky is not as good as being smart," he says.

He shares his beliefs with his children.

Tan says that when he reaches 55 he and his wife will spend all they can and give what's left to charity. His children will get very little.

"If I gave all my money to my children people would think they were lucky to be rich. I don't think they would. They would be unlucky, because they wouldn't know the source of money and its value."

However, he will make sure his children have the best education his money can buy them.

"I am successful even though I didn't study for long. But that's in the past and not possible today. At present there is little success without study. Business is much more difficult than it was."

Tomorrow's economy is in crisis

"If you want to do business, always keep in mind tomorrow's economy is in crisis. You have to be ready to solve problems in 24 hours or in 365 days," says Tan.

It does not mean we cannot sleep or rest, but we have to survive every situation. People stepping into business have to have vision.

"If something is trendy today it will soon die." If people keep buying shrimp farms because there is demand for shrimp, soon there will be an oversupply.

"Look at things other people haven't looked at. Think differently."

"The answer is often something that hasn't occurred to you yet. It's waiting for you to create it."

So, back to the best television set. Who makes it? Nobody. The best set is still waiting to be created. And the person to do that could be you.

 

Suwicha Chanitnun

The Nation