Business leaders advise students on startup careers

Tiếng Việt

Business leaders advise students on startup careers

Nearly 100 business leaders from across industries attended an event intended to help RMIT students expand their professional network and learn about the startup sector.

Mr Le Duc Nghia, CEO of An Cuong Wood Company and keynote speaker at the event, inspired students with his personal story.

“Starting the business twenty years ago, I used to have a hard time convincing people to use our products,” Mr Nghia said.

“I had to knock on the doors of countless potential clients to convince them to switch to using wood based panel.

“But I never wavered and kept improving the quality of my products in which I invested in to make sure our products can be sold in any European furniture store.”

The panellists provided career advice to students thinking about getting into the startup sector.

By staying focused on what he does, Mr Nghia has become one of the top wood suppliers for Vietnam and other countries.

“What I want to tell you from my experience is to always have passion, and to stay focused on what you do,” Mr Nghia said.

“Passion alone won't help you make it out there. You need to focus on your path, your work, and keep improving yourself time and time again until you become an expert at what you do."

In the panel discussion that followed the keynote address, General Director of Vinacacao Tran Van Lieng offered advice for students planning to go into business for themselves.

“You should find a good partner because the journey with more people will be better than only you [making the journey],” Mr Lieng told the audience.

Students networked with business leaders from across industries.

For Co-founder and CEO of Lazada Vietnam Mr Christopher Brinkeborn Beselin, impatience and perseverance are keys to startup success.

“Be so impatient you can't wait to start working and turn your ideas into reality,” he advised students.

“Persevere, because once you've started the only things that can pull you away from your business is someone else literally kicking you out or the police coming after you."

Also on the panel were RMIT Vietnam Associate Professor Mathews Nkhoma, Head of Department, Centre of Commerce and Management, and Vietnam Consulting Group CEO Mr Doan Huu Duc.

The event was co-organised by RMIT Vietnam and Financial Business News channel, and part of the University’s Personal Edge+ program. The session was an opportunity for students to apply the communication and soft skills they had learned in workshops leading up to the event, while also broadening their professional network.

Story: Thuy Le

Campus and community

19 December 2016