Want to run a successful business? Richard Tang’s five game-changing tips

Richard Tang is the founder and CEO of Zen. He’s been at the helm since day one all the way back in 1995 and remains as committed to the success of our business as ever.

If anyone knows a thing or two about running a successful business, it’s Richard. So we asked him for his top tips:

1) Put people first and money second

For us at Zen, being a people-first business is all about our most fundamental long-term objectives which, in priority order, are ‘Happy Staff’, ‘Happy Customers’, and ‘Happy Suppliers’.

Everything we do as a business should contribute ultimately to one or more of those three objectives, but while we’re committed to these objectives because we believe they’re the right thing to do, we’ve also found that putting people first is a great way to make money, sustainably, in the long term.

2) Always look for the positives

It’s pretty certain that you’re going to make wrong decisions, hire the wrong people, buy the wrong equipment, make the wrong investments and more. Every business does.

But every wrong decision is a priceless learning opportunity to make sure you get it right the next time. Always look for the positives and make the best of your situation, because every challenge or setback presents an opportunity to learn and grow.

3) Avoid sales commission and bonuses linked only to financial performance

This point may be a little controversial, but it has certainly worked for us at Zen. In our experience, rewards based purely on financial performance tend to drive short term, money-focused behaviour that is no good for anyone in the longer term.

Zen ended sales commission more than a decade ago, and in the resulting years we’ve made more sales. Linked up with point one above, putting the needs of our customers first has clearly had positive financial results.

4) Get comfortable with things not going to plan

Your plans will never be complete, and things will never quite turn out the way you expect. As your business grows, the way you plan and model for the future will likely become more sophisticated. But this can sometimes get in the way of simply giving things a go and seeing how they turn out.

Gut feeling can sometimes be a better driver of business success than the most complicated spreadsheet, and you should never be afraid of giving things a try.

5) Use your business as a force for good

The world is an unsettled place. With the climate crisis having its effects, and world leaders at loggerheads, it falls to businesses choosing to do the right thing to bring about environmental and societal change.

For Zen, that means sticking to those long-term objectives and aligning to the B Corp principles we signed up to. What does using business as a force for good look like for you?