Huang Yong: Mature in crisis

Huang Yong, worked as a reporter for "Science and Technology Daily" for 8 years. In June 1994, he founded the West Coast Consulting and Planning Company with only 10,000 yuan, and started his entrepreneurial career in the public relations industry. In June 2002, he established a joint venture with Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations Company, one of the top five international public relations companies, to establish West Coast Ogilvy & Mather Information Consulting Service Co., Ltd. and served as the chairman of the board. Multinational giants such as Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, Kodak, Fuji Xerox, and Texas Instruments are or have been customers of the West Bank.

How did you make the transition from journalist to entrepreneurial manager?

To be honest, when I entered the business world, I was passive, and everything except being clear about one thing - making some money to keep the company alive - was confused. I don't have any concept of doing business, I don't have any financial knowledge, and I don't understand the business model. The most ridiculous thing is that I didn't even know that the company needs to register with the company every year, and I didn't even know how to ask for a price when doing things for customers.

The transition from journalist to businessman is a slow learning process. Once I got into the PR industry, I received a lot of requests from clients. In the process of cooperating with customers, I have learned a lot, gradually clarifying the business model, how to serve customers, how to satisfy customers, and how to maximize business value.

At the same time, my personal character is slowly honing, and there are some changes. When I used to be a reporter, if I felt that the other party was being indifferent, or contained the slightest contempt and disrespect for me personally, I might slap the table in person. After managing the company myself, I became more tolerant. For example, sometimes I know that the other party is talking about something to achieve a certain purpose, or directly accusing me, but I can also listen patiently, try to understand the other party, and give myself some lessons.

As an entrepreneur and manager, what is the most important thing to pay attention to?

As an entrepreneur, you must not be in a hurry for quick success, but take a long-term view. You pursue the maximization of commercial value, but also reflect the increase of customer value everywhere. I am more concerned about the future of the company and how to make customer relationships more lasting. Because I am the owner of the company, there is no pressure to pursue short-term effects.

At the same time, as a manager, you must respect people, their bodies and minds. This respect is not rhetorical, but is embodied in all management policies and actions. Especially in a service-oriented enterprise like ours, employees are highly knowledgeable and active in thinking. Only by making the management humane as much as possible and showing the care for the employees from time to time can we make them feel at ease and steadfast in their work.

Our company has been profitable since 1997, but employees still feel discriminatory. The outside world thinks that we are a small private company, informal and without guarantees. This made me very excited and believed that no matter how small the company is, it must have standardized social welfare guarantees, so that all employees have a sense of security, so as to retain the best talents, generate popularity, and cultivate an upward company spirit.

Of the many major clients your company has won, which one is the most impressive to you?

I will never forget the first customer AST won two months after the company was founded, but Compaq is the one that impressed me the most.

First of all because the whole process is very tortuous and legendary. Compaq previously chose foreign PR companies, so initially their Asia-Pacific headquarters did not agree to use our local PR company. To this end, the general manager of Compaq China also went to the marketing department of the US headquarters to give a detailed explanation. AST wanted to renew our contract before Compaq made a choice, and I held off until the deadline. At that time, I thought I would wait until 12 noon, and if Compaq didn't have a definite answer, I would go and sign with AST. As a result, there was still no news at 12 o'clock, so I had to go out and prepare to sign a contract with AST. As soon as I opened the door of the car, Compaq called and told me that the headquarters had agreed to sign the contract. The charm of business lies in this, often in the face of adversity and twists and turns.

Secondly, signing a contract with Compaq is of great significance to the development of the West Bank. We cooperated with Compaq for two years, and we didn't actually make much money, but we won valuable business reputation and development time. Compaq was a global business star at that time, with many partners and great influence. Because of Compaq, it wasn't long before Microsoft signed us up. Subsequently, Compaq introduced Cisco again. We won a lot of big clients without much effort.

What were the key moments or events that prompted your maturity in business and management?

I matured as crisis after crisis was resolved. During the development of the company for more than 8 years, I have encountered business crises, customer crises, employee crises, etc., and there were times when I was too desperate to continue.

In 1996, the two major customers of Compaq and Microsoft expired one after another and could not continue to do so, and the company's customers decreased sharply. At that time, the company was facing a particularly big crisis, and even survival was a problem. We were really anxious during that time, and we passed through a mixture of depression and excitement, confusion and hope. We spend a lot of energy to research the market, do the work of our employees, and strengthen the communication with customers, so that they can see our potential and advantages. As a result, in January 1997, we cooperated with Intel, which further broadened the business horizon, and the brand and profitability of the entire company reached a new level. This made me realize that no matter whether the business situation is good or not, we must have a normal mentality, see hope when we are pessimistic, and see crisis when we are optimistic.

Where did your greatest crisis come from? How was it resolved?

It's still a crisis from employees. In 1997, the company's turnover rate was relatively high, and I was especially frustrated and angry when employees with particularly good relationships were transferred to other companies. In 2000, a deputy general manager and two directors were poached. At that time, I was very annoyed and worried. The management of the company suddenly left several heavyweights. Who will do things? As a result, we adjusted immediately and found a more suitable person to take over. In less than a month, the problem was completely solved. Looking back now, the vacuum brought about by the departure of previous large-scale companies has made the new structure more stable than in the past, and the company has progressed faster.

This made me realize that the collective power of a company is far greater than a few people, and it is often unreliable to rely solely on a few people. Also, don't trust emotional factors, such as someone who is close to you and has a good relationship. When dealing with employees, always put the interests of employees in the first place. Because interests are the most direct manifestation of employee value, if he feels that the interests he should get are not met, you should be careful. This is a lesson based on my previous setbacks.