Buzz
It's the story shared by a young graduate from Hanoi Agricultural University at the LifeB economic forum held in Hanoi on 24/1.
Under the theme 'Challenges of 2015', the LifeB economic forum (organized by the LifeB startup support group in Hanoi) provided over 300 participants with a realistic view of the business startup journey.
The program was scheduled for three hours but extended to five, with hundreds of attendees unwilling to leave the hall by 7 pm, even before the speakers headed to the airport...
Young minds were perplexed by various questions: Should one work as an employee before starting a business? What should young people in rural areas do when they lack access to technological advancements and face changing trends? Is it courageous to drop out of school when what is taught seems irrelevant?...
Nguyen Xuan Dai, a recent graduate from Hanoi Agricultural University, achieved initial success by winning the top prize in several major startup competitions.
Openly Sharing Misconceptions on the Initial Journey of Business
Dai candidly reveals the pitfalls of his early business venture, heating up the forum right from the opening moments when discussing 'My Entrepreneurial Illusions.'
Dai admits to struggling significantly, being enamored with imaginary beautiful scenarios while, in reality, his newly established company was running out of money, facing employee salary demands and debts.
Nguyen Xuan Dai emphasizes, 'The pressures of survival made me realize that I hadn't focused on immediate, short-term cash flow, much like a car needing daily refueling. Personally, I was not hesitant; I took on various tasks to sustain myself and the company.'
'When you're hungry, dreaming seems impossible, let alone far-fetched dreams,' Dai asserts.
Facing Challenges in Entrepreneurship
He believes that no one can teach anyone how to start a business because 'no one can change themselves except for themselves.' First and foremost, everyone needs to have the principle of self-change rather than conforming to existing methods, stories, or waiting for others to guide them.
'Entrepreneurship is about doing something new with a new approach, driven by innovation, to enhance one's capabilities, and deliver products or services of greater value,' shared Mr. Gian Tu Trung.
The story brought by the chairman and CEO of Thien Minh Group, Mr. Tran Trong Kien, clearly illustrates this.
According to Mr. Kien, entrepreneurship is not about having capital or mobilizing funds to do what others have already done. Having money, buying houses, buying land is not entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is when we do something, in a certain way, with that piece of land, that house, to create value for the community.
'Entrepreneurial individuals work to serve the values they pursue. Each action is linked to the development of culture, community development, not just making money. That is the challenge of entrepreneurship,' said Mr. Kien.
Despite graduating from medical school, entrepreneur Tran Trong Kien took a completely new direction and is now leading over 30 companies operating in three main business sectors: tourism, hotels, and online booking.
In the past year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) selected Thien Minh as one of the 20 fastest-growing companies in East Asia. Also, in the same year, Thien Minh made a mark by introducing Hai Au Airlines, providing the first seaplane service in Vietnam.
As an economics expert with only a bachelor's degree, Ms. Pham Chi Lan also received widespread applause for her presentation on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the challenges of integration. She provided the young audience with an overview of the country's economy linked to the integration process, past and upcoming bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with important regional and international countries.
Before the major agreements signed this year, such as the FTA with South Korea, Europe, ASEAN, and notably the TPP Agreement, which is sure to be ratified in 2015, she once again posed the question: We focus a lot on when to sign, what the opportunities and challenges are, but we talk too little about what we have prepared to integrate with much larger economies.
'Even with countries in the region, the gap between us and them is increasingly distant,' Ms. Chi Lan asserted.
According to Tuoi Tre
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Reference: Travel Guide Mytour
MytourJanuary 28, 2015
