Into Strength

Founder And CEO

Viewsonic Corp.

We sometimes hear that our biggest weakness can also turn out to become our biggest strength. But, how can this be true? For James Chu, the journey from a shy Taiwanese immigrant with many weaknesses to the founder of ViewSonic Corp., one of America’s leading high-tech companies is one that we may all be able to learn from.

James grew up in a small town called Pington in the southern part of Taiwan. His father was an officer in the Air Force. The fifth of six children, Chu lived a pretty normal life in the military-base community.

“In school, I was not a good student. In my class of 50 students, I was in the 30 - 40 rankings. Nobody was expecting me to become a good student. Everyone in my neighborhood did the same thing. Go to high school and then go to military school. It was not an exciting life, it was boring.” remembers Chu.

“At that time I did not have a dream. My brain was not working. I said I need a change,” recalls Chu. So I change to the north to the island of Taipei. It was a bigger city. I wanted to work at a trading company there like my sister. At that time, I was not qualified enough though.”

In Taiwan, it is mandatory to have two years military service by twenty years of age. Chu put in his time and served as a paratrooper. It was during this time that he read his first book, cover to cover which was an English dictionary. He read it word for word, three complete times through. That gave him his first taste of accomplishment.

After military service, James needed to find a job. He soon found work as a sales clerk, since such positions were easy to come by. Selling one-on-one helped him grow out of his early shyness.

James reflects, “I decided I needed to change myself so I managed myself. One book that I read was “How To Win Friends And Influence People,” by Dale Carnegie. That book inspired me. It made me become a different person. I went into the office and talked to everyone. I became outgoing and a very good talker.”

Chu later went back to school to study sociology. He also sold Chinese-American dictionaries at night. While in school he wanted to try as many jobs as he could. He sold houses, life insurance and once out of school he found a computer company he could sell for. In Taiwan the computer industry was growing very rapidly.

“I was a successful sales person in Taiwan and the company wanted me to set up a branch in the United States,” remembers Chu. “People’s expectations of me were very high there so I decided I’d start my own company. I then went to a competitor, Key Tronic Corporation and offered to buy six months worth of production. I would sell it. So they tried me out and we did very well.”

James shares with us, “The thing that I did different was to position the product. I first looked at what the customer wanted. Then I gave it to them. I never looked at what my benefit was when selling. I looked at it from the other person’s point of view. I taught them how to position the product and make more money. They trusted me, so I became successful.”

Early on, his dream was to have his own branded product. With his own brand, all of his ideas could come true. Inspired by the Apple logo, Chu wanted a colorful logo that would be very friendly and unique. They came up with the colorful, three Australian finches. Originally, many people including the agency did not like the logo. Today, it is one of the most recognizable logos in the industry. People remember, ViewSonic, the colorful birds.

Launched in 1987 with total capital of $100,000 of personal savings and borrowed money from his sister, current sales have exploded to $510 million. 1997 sales are expected to crack an unbelievable $900 million. By the year 2000, Chu predicts the company will generate $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Chu wants to be known as the leader in the display technology industry in three areas: traditional monitors (CRT), flat panel (LCD) and projection systems. He says, “We will be able to cover all areas, from the 13-inch monitor all the way to the 300-inch projection system.”

Our industry visionary follows the wisdom of Sun Szu, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines and the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart. As a matter of fact, Sam Walton’s ten rules are framed in Chu’s office. “Sun Szu’s book, “The Art of War,” is wonderful,” exclaims Chu. “The wisdom is there already. Some of the principles of Sun Szu are very easy principles, but some people just don’t want to believe it. They want a shortcut to be successful. You must be disciplined. I keep very simple guidelines.”

“I pull people versus pushing them. I lead them. I think we have a very good team. We are fast growing. People learn fast. Trust people. You will find many strengths in people. People have a lot of potential,” Chu explains.

“The money in life is just some kind of scorecard. My wife says that life’s quality is more important than the quantity. I have a lot of responsibility right now with over 400 employees and their families. I cannot fail them,” James states on a serious note.

Chu shares, “Why am I so successful? It’s be-cause I had so many weaknesses when I was young-er. Academically, I was looking pretty bad in school. My social abilities were bad. I didn’t have many friends because I was so shy. That became my strength, turning my weaknesses into my strengths. So, if you are feeling that everything you have is weakness, don’t worry. You must have some strength, you must find it and you will become strong.”

At a wise, yet young, 40 years old, Chu shares his American Dream with us. “I came here with no relationships, I’m from Taiwan, I don’t even speak fluent English. I’m not educated from here, but anything I wanted, I found the opportunity. I went ahead and firmly believed I could make things happen.”

James Chu gives us hope, that our greatest weakness has the ability to one day become our greatest strength.

Resource Information:
ViewSonic Corporation