With her effort and willpower, Dinh Thi Thuc, General Director of Tan Phong Joint Stock Company, has led her company through the toughest times and become an exemplary businesswoman of heroic Phu Tho land, which is also known as the ancestral land of Vietnam.
When Tan Phong was established in 1993, it confronted enormous difficulties concerning capital, personnel and market. After borrowing a small sum of money from her friends, the former teacher set up a textile mill. Building a production factory was a very hard job but finding a consumption market for it was much harder. At first, as her products were unsellable, she had to bring them to Xin Man in Ha Giang province to sell to ethnic minorities. In 1994, after more than 20 appointments, she managed to meet representatives from Sao Vang Rubber Company to offer products made by Tan Phong. Eventually, they were accepted. With its prestige, sincerity and good quality, the company became a loyal partner of Sao Vang Rubber Company and Thuong Dinh Shoe Company.
Her success with the textile mill encouraged her to invest in tea processing and carton package production. In any field of business, she always tries her best to master advanced production technology and corporate governance to turn out competitive products. In addition to using advanced processing technology, Tan Phong Joint Stock Company also attaches much importance to developing tea farming. The company has provided finance, fertiliser, pesticide and technical assistance for more than 1,000 tea growers in Hanoi, Phu Tho, Yen Bai and other localities in order to harvest the highest quality tea leaves.
Tan Phong tea has been exported to many markets around the world, including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Specially, the selling price of Tan Phong tea is usually higher than those offered by other companies in the country. Even, the selling price of premium tea of Tan Phong more than doubles its competitors. Apart from higher quality, the company keeps close track of market development to be on the winning side in negotiation with partners. To have this success, Tan Phong has recruited a doctor with in-depth experience in market research. The company updates world-tea prices at least three times a day to envisage consumption in major markets and production situations for major producers. With its accurate and timely information, Tan Phong is very proactive in price negotiation.
She said: "There is no easy profession. All we needs is to know how to be successful. I sometimes confront bankruptcy because of technical fault, slow sale and personnel shortage. Fortunately, when I meet the toughest situation, I always have the strongest support and highest consensus of my colleagues. That is also a strong point of Tan Phong."
Like other typical businesswomen, the winner of Golden Rose Cup has never stopped striving to demonstrate the virtues of modern Vietnamese women. Amid global and domestic economic downturn, she excellently managed to overcome challenges and asserted her calibre in the business world. For her, we need passion and bravery to overcome all barriers to success regardless of gender.
Minh Xuan
Vietnamese
