Why Seksun chief is 'Felix the Cat'

SEKSUN Corp chairman Felix Ong enthralled a 500-strong audience yesterday with anecdotes, all laced with plenty of wit, about his company's success.

Mr Ong, the keynote speaker at the launch of the Management Development Programme for bosses of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), related how he turned Seksun from a tiddler with a turnover of $200,000 a year to a regionwide player with revenues of $200 million in just over two decades.

Mr Ong, 60, said he had set out to 'do things differently, rather than do different things' when he joined the electronics component maker in 1982 at the request of his sister and brother-in-law, who had set up Seksun with a Hong Kong partner.

He recalled how he printed green business cards and called himself 'Felix the Cat' so customers would remember him.

The standout colour of the cards meant many contacts used them as partitions in their namecard holders, which suited Mr Ong as it meant he was often the first person customers rang when they needed a quotation.

In Seksun's early days, it had to chew on 'bones' and take on smaller orders discarded by the big boys just to keep the machines in its factory running.

In 1985, Mr Ong made the unusual move of hiring polytechnic graduates in what was considered a blue-collar industry with low margins and became the butt of industry jokes for his trouble.

'My business rivals were all laughing at me and saying that I'm like selling char kway teow with lobster meat,' he said.

But Mr Ong is having the last laugh. Ten of those hires are still working at Seksun - among them are one of his directors who is spearheading the company's expansion in China, and the chief operating officer.

And unlike other businessmen, he does not buy the idea that a firm should splash out on entertainment as a form of investment.

Referring to the hostesses at KTV lounges, he said 'which cat does not like fish', much to the laughter of the audience.

His advice to other SMEs hoping to emulate his success: Trust your gut feeling and be the early bird.

'Always aim to be the first to strike out.

'Believe in your business acumen and dare to try, because you will not know if you will succeed if you don't,' he said.

However, he cautioned against venturing overseas when the company is not ready.

'When you can't be a Hougang gangster, how can you be a mafia king in China?'

ARTHUR POON

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ALL ABOUT TIMING

'When you can't be a Hougang gangster, how can you be a mafia king in China?'
MR ONG, cautioning against venturing overseas when the company is not ready