Everyone wants to know the story of a successful individual. It is something we all strive for- to be the best at what we do. We have had the privilege of conducting an interview with Mr Zentrix, who has made waves in the watch industry. Here is a look into his World of Watches 2 journey.
Mr.Zentrix strikes me as a humble, down-to-earth guy that stands up for what he believes in. Mr. Zentrix is the director and consultant of World of Watches 2. It is a business created with the vision of providing exposure to emerging brands in Europe. This provides consumers with a wide variety of products to choose from. Mr Zentrix currently has 2 successful outlets in Malaysia, with their address listed below.
- 1st Outlet
Lot10 The Isetan Japan Store
Lot L1-L-A, 1st Floor, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
- 2nd Outlet
G-51, Ground Floor, Central I-city, No.1,
Jalan Multimedia, Seksyen 7,
40000 Shah Alam, Selangor
Part I:The Beginning Of the Journey
There is an old saying, do what you love. In reality, life does not always work like that. It is not necessary to be invested and passionate about watches in order to be successful in the industry. In many cases, only when trying new experiences, do people realise their talent for the job. Life is not easy, and no one knows truly what they excel at. It takes many tries to finally stumble upon something we love to do.
Sometimes, people are just at the right place at the right time. Mr Zentrix agrees. For him, he only agreed to work at the company as he had a goal to pay for his sister’s education. By a stroke of luck, he was exposed to many opportunities that would help kick-start his illustrious career.
It was an opportunity he made the best out of. He had developed a flair for the industry and rose through the ranks as he impressed in meetings. Also, an important quality is the ability to adapt and help the company grow. This will make one invaluable to the company.
Part II: Goals And Accomplishments
As stated, Mr Zentrix only joined to provide for his sister’s education and help out his mother. It was never his mission to have a long-range goal to climb the corporate ladder. However, he makes clear his final goal in the company is to plan ahead for the next decade. Being forward- looking and always having a plan is essential in building a business.
Mr Zentrix makes it clear he is not interested in staying in this industry until he retires. Mr Zentrix wants to pass his knowledge to his successors and move on. It is normal to move on and try new experiences in life. An ever-growing person is interested in pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone. It is only natural to yearn for something more after already mastering the watch business.
When prompted on his accomplishments, Mr Zentrix only stated that he was glad the company has not grown in a way that it only belongs to him. This is true to his character as a humble individual. Despite helping grow a company that has many branches across East Asia, he insists on it being a team effort. He is a true leader that believes everyone plays a role for the company to succeed.
Furthermore, in order to stay hungry and motivated, every new opportunity should be seen as the biggest accomplishment yet. If a company turns complacent, they may lack the desire and passion to live up to a high standard.
Part III: Advice To Aspiring Entrepreneurs
This is the part all of you watch lovers and future businessmen are waiting for! Mr Zentrix has shared some tips and advice that we feel is useful for everyone.
- Understand if your ideas are a hobby or a real business
A real business requires many hours of hard work and must be taken seriously. It is your income and you are responsible for the livelihoods of your employees and keeping yourself afloat. For a hobby, it is something to be done on the side that keeps you satisfied. If you grow and get better, you feel great. However, if you are unsuccessful, it is nothing to worry about.
It is important to understand the difference. So, you can allocate the correct amount of time and effort into what you do. In the end, the journey is for you to choose as both have their risks and rewards.
- Aim to create true value careers with a future
Mr Zentrix feels this is the true spirit of entrepreneurship. Do not be a businessman that solely cares about money. Granted, money is an essential part of a business. However, it is not the only thing in the path to success.
Focus on lifting the people around you. Create jobs and opportunities for people that you would love to do. Only by working as a team can your company take off and be successful. Loyalty from employees are earned through a mutual sense of genuineness and trust.
- Sometimes the best advice is no advice
As cliché as it sounds, this is true. It is human nature to feel like you know more than anyone else. Sometimes, it takes your own unique style to build a business. Your ideas may not be supported by any existing advice.
Do not give up and follow your heart. No famous person has ever been successful without some risks and experimentation. Always learn from your failures and pick yourself up. Learn from each setback and push yourself towards greater heights.
Part IV: The Covid-19 Pandemic Dilemma
We are in the midst of a tough and challenging time. Watching the news, many small businesses have been shut down and some are facing financial hardship. This is common as Mr Zentrix also admits things are tough for him.
Photo Credit to: Yahoo
Instead of keeping to themselves to maximise profits like the majority of people, this company is taking a different route. As Mr Zentrix shares that it is important to learn from everyone, including rival firms in order to develop solutions.
Furthermore, they are very well-prepared as they have planned for hard times. Despite this, if the pandemic continues to last, it could still pose problems.
Lastly, some sectors are undergoing retrenchment to cut losses in order to keep their business afloat. Mr Zentrix disagrees with the strategy as his main priority is to keep his team united and strong instead of blindly firing employees. Also, it is important to be resilient and show the employees that the company cares about them. Only through hard work and determination will the company come out of this crisis stronger.
Part V: Final Thoughts
Regarding the future of the company, Mr Zentrix prefers to leave it to his successors to decide. He plans to share all his knowledge and advice to them.
We also touched on his involvement in the recent successful launch of Citizen Fugu. Mr Zentrix commented on his achievement by simply stating this further adds on his ever-growing portfolio.
Photo Credits to: Watches88
In conclusion, there is plenty we can learn from Mr Zentrix’s World of Watches 2 journey. From his humble beginnings to his effort in helping the company grow, challenges he overcame and his advice to those eager to follow in his footsteps. Everyone can take away something from his story. I know that I certainly did!
What a journey this has been. If you are interested in seeking Mr Zentrix’s story, do visit their website: World of Watches 2. Additionally, for all you watch enthusiasts, do check out our other watch related articles here.
If you enjoyed this article, do give it a like. Also, do comment down below any subjects you would like discussed. I look forward to hearing all your thoughts and opinions in the comments section!
Part VI: Transcript Of The Interview
1.
Interviewer: What inspired you to start WOW2?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: To be frank, the WoW2 was more of fulfilling a dream for someone whom I deeply respected due to his humble manners despite his family background and off course to make money.
The original goal for WOW2 was to be more like an incubator for young emerging brands from Europe which had zero platforms to access the local market. It was supposed to be a club house playground where collectors across different divides can share their passions.
2.
Interviewer: Have you always had a love for watches?
Mr. Zentrix Chiu: No. I was curious why successful people bought watches since they only have 1 pair of hands. I do confess that at the very early stage, I felt that people who were crazy in watches needed to see a doctor or they have nothing better to do. Maybe this is because my first watch experience started on the wrong foot when I chanced upon a TXX boutique and was warned not to even touch the piece I was looking at by the sales executive. In the end, I went back to buy in less than 1 month after working non-stop shifts at Hyatt hotel as a part time banquet just to prove a point.
3.
Interviewer: What was your goal when you started out?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: My goal was to ensure my mum diverted the resources as planned for my sister’s education and nothing more as I intended to leave. As I am lucky to be constantly surrounded by who’ who in town including some people who are overseas ministers, then I realized its perhaps destiny as these groups always like me to speak my mind.
Since then, months became years and here I am, and my goal remain unchanged. I still wish to exit the business or industry as this is not my final destination in the business world. If there is a goal I desire in the watch industry, it is to pass on whatever I know to the next generation or it shall be wasted. My role as a Guardian of time is coming to an end soon so I just want to perhaps accomplish one final goal which is setting the framework of growth for the next decade, but the driver won’t be me anymore.
4.
Interviewer: What is your greatest accomplishment in this company?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: If the question insists on greatest accomplishment, then I think that I have not steer the company in a way that it belongs to me forever. A boss owns the company but a leader trains bosses to own companies. I hope that my greatest accomplishment cannot be mentioned in clarity because this means it has yet to come. This augers well for the company as anyone that can speak in clarity on this normally is on the way down soon.
5.
Interviewer: I heard you played a role in the widely successful launch of the Citizen Fugu. Do you like to elaborate that as well?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: As much as I am humbled by the question of my involvement in relation to the Fugu, all I can reveal is I did participate. To be more definitive, it is like a non-Japanese soccer player that wins a J-League together with the team. This little success completes the Japan portfolio that is important for a guardian of time like me. As a like a soccer player, this is a good add on to my other league winnings from Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and France.
6.
Interviewer: How do you plan to grow this company moving forward and where do you see your company in 10 years’ time?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: I intend to focus on advising the new GM, Mr Chan Junda in his vision to transit the business to reach out to the new segment of collectors and take it to the online realm over the next 2 years. I believe this is definitely going to be the future but it requires a very different approach and mindset. My contribution is my determination to see it through and help find all the right partners for Mr Chan to work with.
As for where I see the company in 10 years, I am not able to answer now as the rightful heirs to this question is the new GM and director, Mr JD and Mr Melvin. For me, the story shall end the moment my time is up in the same manner as Mr Lee Kuan Yew exited to ensure a smooth transition. In the event, if either leaders feel my choices are wrong and not effective, they must and shall replace it without any regards to what is already contributed.
7.
Interviewer: What advice do you have for up and coming entrepreneurs wanting to start their own business?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: I don’t have any useful advice because I know most entrepreneurs that are starting never listens or otherwise, they never begin in the first place. Starting a business is like going into a fight, which is unpredictable so any advice is just paper talk and it can’t win any fights. The only serious point I can think worthy of providing is this; before anyone starts, please evaluate the business in the sense if it’s a hobby or real business.
To be more specific, a real business measures how much you can earn per day along the way with decreasing inputs while a hobby or legacy business is just a journey of personal victories which will consume more of your time in order to grow. It’s better to identify from day 1 to avoid disappointment at the end of day when you input more than you suppose originally schedule it to be.
Whether it is a real or hobby business, I do hope that the intention of all entrepreneurs is not about personal victory but towards creating new careers for people around them. In my world, a real entrepreneur and not businessman is one that creates true value careers that can have a future. That to me is the difference between the spirit of entrepreneurship vs. the spirit of business.
8.
Interviewer: Lastly, it is a very tough period for many businesses during this COVID 19 pandemic. How are you coping and what are you doing to tide your company through this period?
Mr Zentrix Chiu: This crisis is just the beginning and it’s getting very tough. I do see the real path to survival is to give and share more with all the working partners, including our competitors. Only then, there will be a path to find a way out of the situation.
Contrary to majority belief that keeping to themselves during a crisis will improve their chances, they might be disappointed to know this will backfire. This traditional way of having a competitive advantage will work in the time before internet. However, with almost impossible spread of information, this will no longer be applicable. All we can hope now is price wars don’t break out online as in the end, it will accelerate the process.
To tide through, you have to be brutally honest with everyone. This includes the staff, the landlords, the partners and even your competitors. For us, we are a bit luckier in a certain sense as we always prepared for the worst case. However, it won’t be enough if this persist for more than 6 months, so I believe the key is keeping the core team together as main priority. If we blindly cut budget, the chance to win will be zero. The one that cross the line is no longer about the boss but the team that battles together towards the finishing line, which requires more than HR but a deeper mindset.
Interviewer: Thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with us. We really appreciate it and all the best to your future endeavors!