All businesses need to change at one point
Change or Transition:
what's the difference?
They sound like the same thing...but they're not.
Change usually refers to something fixed that suddenly becomes different: new technologies, new competitors, new strategies or operating models. Sometimes that change is internal: new leadership, for example. When change is forced upon a company, it can represent both a threat and an opportunity. My mission is to mitigate the first, and successfully manage the second.
By contrast, transition refers to a process: moving from an old state to a brand new one. Transition is an action verb. It describes the movement of leading organizations, people, processes, and capabilities toward a new stable point. I identify the risks and rewards and build the in-house teams to support the new direction.
I am a transition and management expert, with over twenty years of experience in initiating and executing changes within a wide range of enterprises, from global multinationals to small family-run companies in Taiwan. I help find a way forward, identify the risks and rewards, and build the teams to support the new direction.
I was born and raised in Taiwan but lived and worked in Europe and the USA, which puts me in a unique position to bridge the gap in business culture between East and West.
I use my experience and network to help local Taiwanese enterprises break into international markets and assist Western enterprises with successfully navigating the complex regional APAC markets and regulatory environments.
Not only do I find and evaluate overseas opportunities for market expansion and partnerships; I also build the necessary internal teams and help them adapt to the different demands of international business.
I established and managed the US subsidiary of this Taiwanese company, increasing overseas business from US$20M to US$27M.
I built and expanded Taiwanese distributor and retail networks that included Carrefour, Costco, TLW, IKEA, PX Mart, and RT-Mart. I also established new strategies for capturing the traditional retail outlet market, resulting in a doubling of the consumer lighting business market size.
Business Development is great for identifying and creating new opportunities, but Channel Development is where these business dreams come alive: it turns abstract prospects into tangible profits.
I have extensive international experience in building and managing channel development. I build the partnerships with distributors, resellers, retailers and agents, and ensure my clients can maintain and grow these vital networks with their own inhouse teams into the future.
One of the most challenging transitions a company can face is one forced by internal circumstances: a generational handover. Often, this is a family affair, with (grand) parents making way for their extended family members. An emotionally charged and complex situation.
But generational change can also happen within non-family businesses, for example when a homogenous age cohort at the top reaches the retirement age at around the same time, creating an opportunity to embrace a new generation of leaders and explore new markets. The challenge is to ensure continued profitability and business resilience.
As a Taiwanese working in a business environment dominated my family-run SME, I understand the intricacies of these changes like no other.
I supported and led a complex cross-generational (family) leadership transition and used the opportunity initiate a full corporate rebranding and restructuring that expanded the B2C LED business into European markets through new distributor and retailer partnerships. I effected a 150% YoY eCommerce sales growth through online channel expansion and brand development.
I work both as a freelance consultant and a long-term contractor. The size and complexity of the job can vary, but they all start with a simple "hello" and a first meeting. Drop me a line and together we can find out how we can unfold the future of your company.
email me