Responsibility key elements to being successful

KUALA LUMPUR: Business owners and entrepreneurs need creativity and responsibility to succeed, especially to endure difficult times, said Malaysian icon Prof Datuk Jimmy Choo.

The international shoe designer said most successful businesses or entrepreneurs never gave up on their ideas, especially when faced with challenges, and they always find innovative ways of overcoming obstacles.

He said entrepreneurs must be able to adapt to changing economic conditions and innovate as well as embrace technological advances to keep customers engaged.

“If you think your business will fold, then you must find out why. Try to change your approach, business model or plans to make it work.

“If there is something you don’t know, you should ask people. If you keep quiet, you will never learn,” he said on Bernama TV’S The Nation talk show recently.

He stressed that business owners need to have a new story to tell customers as the best form of marketing is through word-of-mouth.

“Organise and take care of your employees and most importantly, take responsibility for their well-being,” he said, adding that taking a more employee-centric view of their workforce would help business owners show their employees they care about and appreciate them.

This, in turn, would enable the company to be looked up to in the business they are operating in, Choo explained.

The international fashion icon’s famous clients include the late Princess Diana and members of other royal families.

In September last year, Choo launched a London fashion school called JCA London Fashion Academy.

The school offers fashion design courses that combine the latest teachings in contemporary design with the entrepreneurial skills required to set up and drive successful fashion brands.

He said that education is of utmost importance because one gains a lot of knowledge and from there, new skills can be developed.