More than just technical skills

WHEN Benny Choy Kian Seng and Lim Lai Huat founded Cycleworld Corporation Sdn Bhd, it was a business partnership made in heaven.

Both had the right skills and experience for the job.

These were skills that they had acquired in their early years while most people their age were still wearing school uniforms. While their peers held pens, Choy and Lim would be dressed in dirty T-shirts, manoeuvring welding equipment and screwdrivers in workshops.

But as they grew the company, they realised that they needed more than just technical knowledge.

Things like customer relationship management to budgeting and credit control – just some of the buzzwords that business school graduates would be familiar with – became their responsibilities.

“For us, we find ways to keep our clients happy and to keep the business relationship a happy one. Talking shop need not always be confrontational or in a serious setting. From taking clients to dinners and karaoke sessions, we need to do our best to keep clients relaxed and comfortable in making decisions,” Choy says.

On top of that, they had to be able to manage the company, human resources and its cash flow – the lifeblood of the company.

During the Asian Financial Crisis, they kept tabs on their clients’ payments like a hawk and made sure that they did not overextend credit to them. They ensured that progress payments were strictly adhered to.

This helped them keep bad debts to a minimum, which kept the company on steady footing amidst the choppy waters of those times.

While their technical skills were much appreciated by their clients, Choy says being sincere is important in managing the clients.

“They like to put us on a spot, saying we don’t trust them (when it comes to money matters) but we always explain to them patiently that we are all doing business. We should understand one another’s difficulty and help one another out,” Choy says.

Both the founders hope to pass on this knowledge of managing relationships to their successors.

It would have been great if they could package it all into a textbook but Choy and Lim are aware that their successors need time to make their own mistakes and learn at their own pace.

The next generation seem to have it better. They have the privilege of furthering their studies in whichever field they fancy thanks to their hardworking fathers.

But understanding the fact that soft skills play a bigger role than technical skills in running a business, Choy and Lim have placed their successors, Amanda Choy, 27, and Yvonne Lim, 28, in the business development team where people skills are paramount.

They will look into areas such as client management and branding matters for the company.

Amanda, who did a degree in environmental biology and a masters in anthropolgy in Australia, says she will work on marketing the IBS products as a preferred choice in construction.

“I was given a chance to work at a construction site by my dad and realise that it is the quickest way to learn,” Amanda says, adding that they are also working on modernising their products to be in line with the era of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Yvonne, who did her masters in marketing in Australia, is keen to expand the cold room business.

“There is not much marketing done for our cold room business. Unlike retail where the price of a product is clear upfront, we start with learning how we can help the client, which is a very important process of gaining trust,” Yvonne says.

It seems like the next generation understands the work cut out for them.

The company is in the midst of a rapid expansion with about RM30mil in investments being rolled out in the coming year.

They are expanding the current factory to include a fully automated line to manufacture a new insulated panel.

The new panel is certified worldwide as a fire-retardant material, and with the automated line, there would be consistency in quality.

The staff at the company are very much excited by its prospects.

Choy and Lim maintain a policy that ensures the staff are informed about where the company is heading so that they do not feel disconnected.

“We keep our staff informed about the company’s progress and challenges. To ensure that the company remains a going concern, we have also implemented a system where all section heads have a deputy who knows everything. If the section heads aren’t around, their deputies are more than ready to step up to the role. We ensure all our knowledge is passed on to them.

“And I always tell them this – your future is here,” Choy concludes.