Businessman Nguyen Van Hoan, General Director of Eco International Trading Company Limited: To exist sustainably, we must create true value for society.
Starting with nothing, but with determination and talent, young businessman Nguyen Van Hoan overcame many storms to build a career and become one of the 10 best young entrepreneurs in the country in 2023.
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| Businessman Nguyen Van Hoan, General Director of Eco International Trading Company Limited |
Fire tests gold, hardship tests strength
When you go to Phuoc Tan ward (Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province) and ask about the cotton production facility of young businessman Nguyen Van Hoan, General Director of Eco International Trading Company Limited (Eco Company), everyone will know.
This 9x guy owns an industrial cotton factory of over 4,000 m2, supplying the market with thousands of tons of cotton every year, with revenue of hundreds of billions of VND. This guy is nicknamed “Hoan Eco”. Since starting his business, many people have called him that.
We met Hoan at the factory when he was busy counting the shipments to be delivered to customers in the last days of 2023. Nguyen Van Hoan looked more mature than his age, with a very dignified and calm demeanor.
The conversation with this businessman was mixed with the sound of machinery in the factory. He said that he was born in a poor rural area in Ha Tinh province. In 2012, after finishing high school, he decided to "go South" to start a business, determined to escape poverty.
Initially, when he came to Dong Nai, he worked at a bedding company founded by his sister and brother-in-law. After a period of working as a worker, the young man with “broad shoulders and strength” and quick-wittedness was assigned by the company to transport bedding to market and sell in all provinces, from the South Central to the Southwest.
At that time, there was no means of transportation, with little money, he only had enough to buy a Chinese Wave motorbike to sell his products. “In the early days of transporting blankets, sheets, pillows and mattresses throughout the provinces of the Southeast and Southwest, the motorbike seemed unable to withstand the long distance, the engine kept overheating. I had to bring a can of water to ‘cool down’ the engine during my journey,” Hoan said.
He admitted that the first days of selling were extremely difficult. The product did not have a place in the market, so sometimes, I ran around in the sun all day without selling any product. “Many times, when I could not sell any product, I was very discouraged, but then I thought that I had to be determined, because no matter how difficult it is to do business, there must be revenue. It was the pressure of selling that helped me gain more experience and determination for myself in the future,” Hoan shared.
And then, the results came when the bedding - sheets - pillows - mattresses were gradually accepted by customers. From then on, he had more motivation for his choice.
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| Eco Company's factory meets ISO 9001: 2015 production process |
Outstanding Entrepreneur
After several years of working for hire and accumulating experience through days of wandering around selling goods, in June 2015, Nguyen Van Hoan decided to start his own business. He established his own blanket - sheet - pillow - mattress production facility when he was only 20 years old.
Explaining his decision to start a business at such a young age, Hoan said that it was the difficult days that motivated him to take his own path to escape poverty.
Like many other young businesses that always face difficulties in the early days of establishment, he had a headache when his accumulated capital was only 50 million VND, not enough to buy machinery, rent premises, while he could not borrow from the bank because he had no collateral. At that time, he decided to sell his newly bought motorbike to have more than 30 million VND.
With little capital, he decided to buy used cotton pressing equipment, then researched and manufactured his own machine to reduce costs. It is easy to say, but in reality, old equipment often breaks down, so Hoan has to find a way to repair it. “Every day after eating, I try to fix it with the determination that I must have a machine to produce, if I hope to survive. It is thanks to working with machines that I have accumulated a lot of knowledge about the profession,” Hoan recalls.
His passion and eagerness to learn helped Hoan successfully manufacture and assemble his own production equipment. His reputation spread far and wide, and thanks to his proficiency in repairing machinery, he was hired by many neighboring businesses to repair and install, which also provided him with additional expenses to cover his business expenses.
With little capital when he first started his business, he had to work hard to make a profit and tried to convince suppliers to provide him with raw materials to cover his debts. However, in the first years, the more he worked, the more he lost.
From that failure, after many nights of thinking, Hoan decided to choose a link in the production chain to specialize in. Then he decided to change direction, focusing only on providing cotton materials to partners producing blankets, sheets, pillows, mattresses, stuffed animals and wooden furniture...
Thanks to choosing the right direction, Eco Company has grown day by day. Up to now, Eco has developed remarkably, with hundreds of domestic and foreign customers. With modern production equipment, the factory meets ISO 9001: 2015 production process, every year, Eco Company brings to the market tens of thousands of tons of cotton to serve the interior and exterior industry.
Hoan said that in the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, such as 2018 and 2019, Eco's revenue increased by 200% per year. After that, due to the impact of the pandemic, revenue decreased, but the annual growth rate remained at three digits.
Regarding plans for the coming years, Nguyen Van Hoan revealed that Eco will expand its market to regions nationwide and international markets.
Success is forged from the word "heart"
With the achievements, in July 2023, Nguyen Van Hoan was honored as one of the 10 best young entrepreneurs in the country in the year voted by the Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association.
Recalling the moment he stood on the podium to receive the award, Hoan was still moved and felt proud that his efforts and hard work were rewarded and recognized. “I think success is also a fate that is nurtured from the heart. Young people who want to succeed need to be determined and patient in pursuing their aspirations. And above all, the products created must ensure quality and maintain prestige with customers. To survive sustainably, we must create true values for society,” Hoan said about his business philosophy.
From the failures he encountered, he shared that to avoid "stumbling", young people when starting a business should go slowly, go steadily, and work to the extent of their ability; when they have experience and "battlefield" courage, then expansion will be easier to succeed.
Looking back on the past, although not long, Nguyen Van Hoan is confident that what has been achieved will create a solid foundation for the future. Currently, Eco is a prestigious brand in the domestic market. In the future, Eco will reach international level.
Hoan shared that in order for the business to develop as it is today, in addition to his own efforts, there is also the element of luck and support from his family and business partners. “I am still in the entrepreneurial spirit, so I still have to make an effort and always be mentally prepared to move forward,” Hoan said.
A difficult year has passed. What does 2023 leave you with? Is there anything you regret?
2023 is a difficult and challenging year due to the impact of the global economic situation. However, we are still proud of the successes of the past year when maintaining and developing stably.
What I regret is not taking full advantage of the opportunity. That is a valuable lesson that helps us to improve and develop more and more.
What plans do you have for 2024?
In 2024, we plan to improve product quality and expand export markets. The company also aims to strengthen its research and development capacity to meet the growing market demand. Innovation and creativity will be the key for the company to maintain its position.
Lunar New Year 2024, where do you choose to celebrate Tet?
Almost every year I return to my hometown Ha Tinh to celebrate Tet, because there are still my grandparents, siblings, and relatives in my hometown.
What do you wish for in the new year?
I wish the economy to flourish. We hope to contribute to the sustainable development of the cotton industry.
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