Hien DangThe path of business may open to you without any sign. No matter how much we plan things ahead, what fate actually brings us may not always be what we expect. And the story of coping with the unexpected, say an artist deciding to pick up a business career, is surely full of excitement…
As a professionally trained actress, Tăng Bảo Quyên had many years of active work and made a good impression among her audience, but now she has begun to assert her new role as a businesswoman, running a furniture company with her husband and pursuing many ambitious goals. Starting her business career “naturally” and nurturing her feelings in management, businesswoman Tăng Bảo Quyên – Co-Founder & Creative Director of LQ International has truly found the passion and enthusiasm to bring the breath of nature to every living space.
#1
LEARNING
Greetings! It seems that for the past few years, actress Tăng Bảo Quyên has completely withdrawn from the professional scene and rarely even appeared in public. What did you use that time for?
I met my husband, we fell in love and got married, then came the children. But right before getting married, my husband needed to establish a furniture company in Vietnam in order to take over a project for a resort in Phu Quoc. In his aid, I co-founded the company with him, handled the legislation work, and backed him up in other aspects like operation and production. And before I realized, I was less and less an actress, and more and more a businesswoman, the transition was seamless. I became my husband’s right-hand “woman”, working, exploring and growing in a completely unfamiliar environment. And now after 10 years, the company has exceeded our original expectations, I myself have ventured in other fields of business and the children have also grown up, but family and company still remains my top priorities.
So we can say that, in your position as a business assistant for your husband, Tăng Bảo Quyên have gathered the field experience that no schools can teach?
I feel grateful to be able to tag along and learn from my husband. He is not only the “teacher” that gives me a lot of practical knowledge, but also a wise advisor that guides me through every problem I encounter at work. My “field experience” in the company for the first few years included even the most mundane tasks like cleaning and arranging seats…, moving on to handling projects and working directly with designers and clients, and now as Creative Director for the company.
Such a level of involvement in the profession work has taught me many things, from how to read technical drawings, the principles of space layout, to the entire production process from raw materials to end-products…, not to mention the in-depth knowledge in project management, finance, personnel… I learned from my associates, and from my own mistakes. Our learning spirit is shown in the way each decorative plants in the showroom is taken care of, as well as their overall arrangement. When working with talented people, you feel the urge to keep moving faster and faster ahead.
Knowledge can easily be imparted, but what’s important is how we put it in practice and from practice, reinforce that knowledge. Everything I have learned are field-specific business lessons that are not easily found in any school.
#2
CHALLENGE
Having to learn everything anew in this field of work, did you feel any pressure?
Not at all, since my husband introduced me to business in the most natural and comfortable way. He never judges, but allows me to learn and experience from real work, even if that means there’ll be mistakes. He wanted me to get involved in every project from the beginning, despite my lack of experience. At first, I was just listening and taking in new knowledge, but eventually picked up enough confidence to raise my opinion and began to take over one aspect of work to another, until I became a full-fledged manager capable of overseeing an entire project. It was my husband’s trust that gave me the enthusiasm to discover new knowledge with an open-minded spirit.
But that was just the learning aspect. When it came to professional work for a business “rookie” such as myself, I definitely had my worries, and challenges. Especially in the later years when I had enough competence to take full responsibility for several projects, the work pressure was not to be taken lightly. But to me, that’s not something that could slow me down, but rather add more fuel to my determination to keep on learning and improving myself to keep pace with the increasingly demanding work. As long as I still have the fighting spirit to meet each challenge head-on, I believe I can overcome any hardship just like the way I stepped into the strange world of business with utmost confidence.
When it comes to running the business crew, what is your method of administration?
I have never forced my staff to takeresponsibility for their mistakes. I want them to use it as lesson and learn never to repeat it. In addition, I also encourage the unity and mutual understanding among team members as well as between the staff and their superiors. To ensure work efficiency, I have also learned how to communicate and convey my opinion and expectations to my employees. On the other hand, the staff are also encouraged to learn more about the company, so that we could find a common voice, a shared interest in nature and aesthetic vision, which will bring about a more harmonized coordination. I also endeavor to inspire the discovery spirit among employees by giving them a chance to challenge themselves in different work positions and roles, thereby improving their competence.
“Falling and getting back up on one’s feet are the basic and necessary stages of becoming an adult.”
Tăng Bảo Quyên, Co-Founder & Creative Director, LQ International
#3
EMOTIONS
After many years in the field of business, what is your current mindset towards running a business?
I always want my business to be comfortable and, at this stage in my life, meaningful. Our company specializes in furniture designing, manufacturing and installing projects that utilize natural materials for resorts – places that put an emphasis on the immersion of green nature in their ambience. Recently we have also established a new furniture brand with an ambition to bring as much nature into the living space as possible. This is because I’m a nature lover and wish to maximize the use of natural materials in furniture.
By sharing this, I want to express the desire to run my business with a peaceful and relaxed mindset, to do things that make me feel excited. I’d to think that in a broader vision, I’m pursuing a mission of service. Along with the inherent materialistic values, I hope for my business to make contributions to the community by spreading a positive life inspiration to the surrounding others.
How does the now businesswoman Tăng Bảo Quyên differ from actress Tăng Bảo Quyên in your younger days?
When I was a freshly graduated actress over a decade ago, I often struggled when building emotions for my character due to the lack of experience and sympathy. But now I find it much easier to let my feelings be known. As a businesswoman and a manager, I often wonder if there should be a distance between a superior and their staff. I might be a logical person at work, but every decision I make comes from the “human” side, with the feelings of the heart playing a major role. You can say that the difference between the now businesswoman me and the old actress me is the ability to tell when to be emotional and when to be logical.
Many consider emotions to be a distinctive edge for women in business. Do you think that they could also be a weakness in certain situations?
I think that emotions are not determined by gender. A woman may, at times, appear stronger and tougher than a man, and vice versa, a man can sometimes demonstrate subtlety and warmth even better than a woman. It’s just human nature to me. That’s why I have certain respect for my emotions and feelings, and not regard them as either strength or weakness.
#4
COMPETENCE
As an actress-turned-businesswoman who has strived and thrived until today, what qualities do you find necessary in an entrepreneur?
For someone who wishes to join the business field, I believe that credibility is necessary, towards your partners, your associates, and even your loved ones. In addition, another indispensable quality of a good business owner is the competence to keep the business ship always true to its bearing, despite the storms and waves, and to never lose faith in choice they made. Within a company, the owner or leader must be competent enough to take responsibility for the entire collective. If the work is executed successfully, it’s the result of a collective effort. But if the outcome is dissatisfying, the leader is to take the blame.
Have you ever regretted leaving the stage in the prime of your career? In one’s life, when should be make compromises and when should we stick with what we have in hand?
The only thing I regret is not having given a good performance during my days of acting. For me, compromising or preserving anything in life is our own decision. Everyone has their own path, so why do we have to worry about the one that we don’t like taking, even if others expect us to? I think that the courage to make compromises and a firm belief in myself are the key to the right decisions that got me where I am today.
“Everyone has their own path, so why do we have to worry about the one that we don’t like taking, even if others expect us to?”
Tăng Bảo Quyên, Co-Founder & Creative Director, LQ International
#5
FAMILY BONDS
Misunderstandings and conflicts are not uncommon between spouses who do business together. How do you and your husband manage to back and support each other in both your work and life?
Not a day goes by that we do not discuss work at home (Grinning). There’s no other option, we just have to sit down and talk our way through every problem and find the fastest solution for each of them. When working with your significant other, you will share the same concerns in work as well as other duties to the family and to your children… With all the burdens that weigh on our shoulders, we always try to eliminate each problem as they emerge in order to minimize their influence on our other tasks and duties. Having a straightforward talk is often an effective way for us to handle every issue smoothly.
What do you think is the major bonding factor that keeps you and your husband together through everything?
We share the same life perspective and always appreciate the importance of family. We share the same hobbies, life philosophy, and even friends. We truly are best friends who can share everything with one another. That being said, each one of us has a private world and a personal opinion that the other always respects. We can set our thoughts free when necessary, because too many limits will suffocate any relationship.
What are your expectations for your children regarding their future careers?
I want to find out if they have the potential or passion for knowledge. In the future, I will frequently take them along to the company to see for themselves how their parents work. By listening and observing, they will have a basic knowledge of business and their parents’ daily tasks. And whether or not they decide to take over the family business in the future, I will always encourage them to have a deep understanding of their chosen career. Moreover, I hope that they will gain more experience and fear not failure. Falling and getting back up on one’s feet are the basic and necessary stages of becoming an adult. And I expect them to grow in such a natural way, becoming stronger every day and always keeping their feet steady.
Thank you for sharing!
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Success Mindset:
How do you define a businesswoman’s competence?
In that they can pick something up and put it down just as easily.
***
Quick questions:
3 words to describe yourself?
Flexible – Enthusiastic – Relentless
What do you often do in the morning?
I would take the kids to school with my husband, then discuss some work with him over breakfast. My little joy every morning is getting a cup of milk coffee from my husband.
As a nature lover, which do you prefer, forest or sea?
Both. The only thing that worries me now is that there isn’t much free time for me to discover the wonders of nature due to the current workload. In the future, I’ll try harder to find a way to indulge my love for nature.
Published on BusinessWoman Magazine 142.2023 | Content Director: JENNI VÕ | Creative Director: LÊ ĐỨC HIỆP | Editor: AN MI | Photo: THẠC TRƯỜNG GIANG | Translated by HÒA TÔN
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