Profile information:
Mr. Trương Quốc Vinh (11/7/1990)
Took the “X Star UP” course in the month of 2014
With strengths in evaluating foreign books, he launched a business project initially called Saigon Corner, later renamed Umbrella
Please send all cooperation and investment inquiries to: support@yup.edu.vn or customer-service@yup.edu.vn
Details of the entrepreneurship course at YUP: https://yup.edu.vn/x-startup/
Những chia sẻ thêm từ CEO Tạ Minh Tuấn: https://www.facebook.com/smartrepreneur?fref=ts
More information and lessons from YUP: https://www.facebook.com/YUPINSTITUTE?fref=ts
THE JOURNEY FROM “UGLY, EXPENSIVE PHONE CASES” TO THE HANDMADE BRAND “UMBRELLA”
Saigon corner was the original name of Trương Quốc Vinh’s business project selling handmade products printed with his graphic designs. Its aim is to create distinctive products tailored to customers’ needs.
In 7/2014: He worked for a book import-export company as a book evaluator. Starting as an employee who wanted to contribute but felt unheard, he began considering his own business to create meaningful products reflecting his personality and views. This led to a handmade goods idea with an international vision. Initially, he focused on foreign tourists in Vietnam. The business's mission was to offer lifestyle and community-value solutions through distinctive graphic designs, his strength. Through his work, he developed a deep love for the value of handmade goods, observing that “they always have a spiritual value that cannot be priced materially.”
25/9/2014: His project had 5 co-founders joining forces to run this business
11/2014: He renamed Saigon Corner Umbrella, inspired by a story called Phở Cây Dù. At this point, he pushed himself to grow faster and more strongly to build the Umbrella brand. He realized he needed to borrow ideas from others. He wanted to truly expand and turn business ideas into reality, having already acquired a customer database through his previous work. He boldly developed Umbrella into a formally established company. He shared his vision of a Vietnam with handmade products: expanding design and creating wall calendars, giấy giò paper posters and postcards. His investment in this venture was 35 million Vietnamese dong. Monthly revenue ranged from VND 4 million to VND 8 million through 1/2015. You can find Umbrella's handmade products at Phương Nam bookstores, Fahasa bookstores and Cá Chép bookstore on Võ Văn Tần Street.
4 months of entrepreneurship may seem short, but challenges are unavoidable. The first was defining the direction for the business team. Its initial product was phone cases, but as times change, nothing once popular stays at its peak forever. The challenge then was finding a replacement product, raising the question: “Where do we go next?” Clearly, this is also a question small-scale entrepreneurs often face as they proceed step by step, then wonder “Where next?” The second challenge was what to supply to the market and how to create more innovative products. Where would the capital come from?
YUP! has played a significant role for him and Umbrella.
He said he had learned to move in the right direction with 1 “right mindset.” He learned a great deal from the “Business Model Canvas,” identifying his weaknesses and strengths early. Umbrella's strength is graphic design on handmade products, as 3 of the team's 5 co-founders are graphic designers.
The lesson he learned in the transition from employee to owner of his own business:
The higher someone’s salary, the less they tend to want to become a business owner! So consider whether your current job is ‘motivating’ you to start a business.
Be the one who changes the world, or the world will change you. Creativity cannot be changed.
He hopes to create a leading trend in this field in the future. Umbrella still has a long journey ahead. If you would like to invest in or collaborate with Umbrella in any way, please contact YUP!
