Mr Chan Chong Beng His Cover Story

The man behind the fancy wallcoverings is a visionary who dared to transform his dreams into a digital global business.

The road to success for Mr. Chan Chong Beng, Chairman of Goodrich Global Pte Ltd, has been one of learning, strengthening, and relationship-building. His strong business acumen has led Goodrich to the forefront of the wallcoverings industry, and won him the premier title of Entrepreneur of the Year 2007.

In the beginning , Being the third child in a less well to-do family with five other siblings, Mr. Chan, who is more affectionately known as CB, completed his A levels but opted out of Architectural course in the then Singapore University after eight months due to financial constraints. But that did not deter him from pursuing his dreams and aspirations

About his decision to give up architecture, a candid CB said, “It’s lucky I didn’t become an architect. If I did a lot of building would collapse!”

“When I was younger, I had a vision that one day I would have offices and a group of people working for me. And wrote it down on a piece of paper in the 1970s. Then I forgot about it.”

“One day, I happened to see that piece of paper again. I realised that because of my genuine desire, a picture was created in my subconscious mind. That picture could have been what pushed me to expand my business. “

“What you see today is perhaps a snapshot of what I wanted in the early years.”

Wanting to venture out on his own, CB approached a friend who was selling wallpaper at the time. This was the start of an enterprise that would eventually grow and make itself known in the local and regional markets.

After a dissolved partnership, CB started Goodrich Wallcoverings & Carpets Pte Ltd in 1983. With a small office space of about 600 square feet and a staff strength of just seven, the company eventually expanded under his leadership.

CB’s entrepreneurial journey was by no means free from challenges and drawbacks. He has also had his fair share of cash flow problems in the recession in 1984 and 1985

Recalling the early stages of his business-building, CB said, “I came into this business very naively thinking that doing business is simple. But along the way, I realised it wasn’t so easy.”

“I’m glad I started off without having much money. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have learnt so many things. When I look back now, it’s a blessing in disguise I didn’t inherit the business. I had to start from scratch.

With wallcoverings being less popular and well received in the early days, business was tough at the time. Even till now, CB believes that there is still a long way to go in educating consumers about wallcoverings.

The Right
Decisions despite some less than favorable circumstances, CB’s drive and foresight has spearheaded Goodrich to become a leader in the wallcoverings industry. With his passion for conquering foreign markets, it is little wonder that Goodrich now has its presence in seven countries with 18 regional offices and galleries around the world, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

When asked about his proudest moment as an entrepreneur, CB believes it was his decision to look into branding in 2004.

“When we decided to look into our branding, we felt that in order to enhance our brand equity, we had to educate our consumers and move into the B-to-C business. That was when we started galleries throughout the whole region.”

During the Asian Economic Crisis in 1997, CB also decided to move into more professional management, and restructured the whole company as a result.

“The recession gave me a wakeup call. If the business was going to be run like a one man show, it wasn’t going to move far.”

Recounting one particular incident in 1998, at the peak of the Indonesian anti-Chinese riots, “Everyone was leaving and all planes coming out of Jakarta were fully booked. On the third day of the riots, I decided to go to Jakarta. I felt that the staff should know that, yes, there is a crisis, but I was still behind them.”

“I think that particular incident strengthened the relationship between us, our partners and the staff in Jakarta.”

Always the optimist, CB’s philosophy is that there is no such thing as a problem.

“As long as you put in the time and effort, you can solve any problem.”

An Award-Winning
Business This mind-set made him the success he is today. CB was crowned the overall winner at the Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2007. He also won the Sub-Category Award, EYA for Enterprise. This is the first time in the history of the Award that an entrepreneur has won two awards in the same year.

“When I came back, I thanked all my staff. But I also warned them that the pressure is now on. The focus is back on us, and we must be better.”

“I would think that the Award itself is a journey. It is a place for you to benchmark yourself against competitors. Winning the Award is good recognition.

At the Singapore Prestige Brand Award last year, Goodrich Global was also Overall Winner of SPBA – CitiBusiness Regional Brands.

Passion for
People When asked what he attributed his success to, it was apparent that CB valued his employees.

“I am passionate about people.”

Expressing that it is people that keeps him motivated, he said “if I had just been very passionate about wallpapers, I might not have been able to grow Goodrich into what it is today.”

“In an organisation, if your singular pursuit is money, I don’t think you will be very successful. A lot of people are too eager to make money, and they dare not invest in good people. You cannot just look at the bottom line. If you get your people, customers and processes correct, you will see good results.”

“I think I have a moral responsibility to my staff and their families. Many of who have been with me since I started are not highly skilled or educated, but they gave me the best years of my life. I’d be very embarrassed if I cannot sustain their living standards, or if they should ever regret joining me 25 years ago.”

Striking a
Balance So how does a busy entrepreneur find time to relax?

CB’s entrepreneurial journey has been hectic, but he has begun to take things slower. The avid golfer makes it a point to hit the green every now and then after a few hours in the office.

”It’s my exercise. I think over the years stress has given me a lot of medical problems. If I continue that way, I’m not going to live very long!”

About his family, the semi-retiree said, “I think that I’m lucky because I have an understanding and supportive wife who takes care of the family and gives me moral support. So that allows me to focus on the business. I’m very lucky to have this balance.”

In the midst of a heavy work schedule, CB also believes in the importance of giving back to society.

Goodrich jointly organizes the Goodrich-AWWA (Asian Women’s Welfare Association) Charity Golf competition on an annual basis to raise funds for AWWA programmes. AWWA is a voluntary welfare organization that develops programmes to help the less fortunate maximize their potential.

CB is also a firm supporter of the Yellow Ribbon Programme. The company gives inmates their unused wallpaper to create small items, which they even help to sell in their showroom.

“I believe that we live in an interconnected world. We can’t leave the poor and disabled behind.”

Business 101:
The Goodrich Way From his years of experience, CB has this to say to aspiring entrepreneurs:

“You must have a passion. A passion for anything. Like in my case, I am more passionate about people.”

“You have to have a good feel of things. And of course you have to believe. Be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices.”

“At the end of the day, you must understand that the world is changing. One of the key factors to being successful is to be able to anticipate what is to come. You have to be very proactive, and have a desire to deal with problems.”

Thanks, CB, for enlivening us with your cover story.

Featured in Entrepreneurs Digest 2008