The “BUSINESS EDGE” Spirit:
Manageability, Dash, Humor, and Freshness
“The Entrepreneur of Saigon”, March 9, 2004
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BE is one of MPDF’s projects. MPDF was set up to support the development of domestic private small and medium sized enterprises in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR. BE’s greatest achievement is the series of management workbooks branded “Business Edge”. The workbooks provide essential managerial knowledge on marketing, human resources, operation and production, finance-accounting, and personal working skills. With the slogan “learning for success, learning for prosperity” and the contents presented in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply way, BE’s books have become personal handbooks for businesspeople and are one of the best sellers now.
Ten out of 17 members in the BE team are women, from 30 to 60 years of age, and they tell us about their story.
“We can manage and adjust to everything, we can dash into everything, we are humorous and fresh, … In conclusion, we work hard and we play hard. That is a prerequisite to become a member of BE team. That is also our guideline.”
They get along with each other. They like their job and feel very proud of their brand name. Over just one year, they have made the brand “Business Edge” known to their customers and their record: 10,000 copies sold out in just 2 months.
Their secret is to “maximize the women’s advantages and work hard with the strength of a … man”. For example, instead of using a dry customer opinion survey, they start their evaluation sheet with these lines: “Help BE understand you.” and “Let BE understand you and help us to improve BE’s products to better meet your needs.” As a result, feedback letters from readers ‘fly’ to BE continually.
