Mr. Worawut Limsirisophon or Mr. Wave, a new generation kid who just graduated, had to face Covid, causing the goals he wanted to achieve to be impossible. He had to come back to help out with the family business. What kind of idea will he have to lead the family business through this crisis with this change?
When COVID-19 spread to Thailand, everyone was severely affected, whether in terms of their lifestyle, health, or the economy, which declined as if it was going to kill people. At that moment, we could only sit and think whether we would die from the disease that was spreading widely or the economy that was continuously declining.
One of the things that has been disrupted by COVID-19 is planning to study abroad or travel abroad. Many people have had to thwart their plans to travel abroad due to the country being closed to stop the spread of the disease. Future plans had to be postponed or, for some, had to be changed altogether. Mr. Worawut Limsirisophon, or Mr. Wave, is one person who has been affected by COVID-19 to the point that his plans to study abroad have come to a halt. But because of these disrupted plans, Mr. Wave has come to take care of his family’s eyeglasses shop, 99 Optical.
The beginning of an eyeglasses shop
The beginning of 99 Optical Eyeglasses Shop can be said to have started even before Wave came to operate the shop. This is because this shop was already operated by Wave’s mother. At first, Wave himself was not interested in continuing the eyeglasses shop business from his mother. Therefore, he chose to study management and intended to study abroad before returning to open his own business.
“The arrival of COVID-19 has disrupted plans.”
When Wave had just graduated from university, it was the same time that COVID-19 had just spread to Thailand. It turned out that he could not follow the plan that he had planned. After graduating, he had to stay in Thailand, so he had to help his mother run the eyeglasses shop. Wave said that at that time, everything was very difficult because he came to help during the COVID-19 outbreak, plus the shop was in a shopping mall. So everything was difficult and complicated.
“Starting from 0, no one to advise me.”
From the beginning, he graduated in management. When he had to enter the family’s eyeglasses business, he had to open his mind to study and learn everything from the beginning again. It can be said that Khun Wave had to start from 0 again. Khun Wave said that he had to learn everything because the shop was just a small eyeglasses shop. So his mother did everything halfway, which was the most his mother could do. But when he came to do this, Khun Wave had to learn about lenses, details, and processes that went deeper than just selling and recommending frames and lenses to customers.
“Learn from customers, customers teach us more.”
Wave said that learning about the eyeglasses business mostly comes from customers. Customers are the ones who teach us how to sell, how to advise, and what kind of products each type of customer wants. After doing it for a while and getting the hang of it, we will start to know what kind of products to recommend that are most suitable for that customer. However, it took almost a year to get the hang of it.
“Because it’s a personal business, learning everything by yourself, it should be the best answer.”
Wave said that he had to learn to the point of being able to assemble lenses, grind lenses, or sell them because the actual shop was just a small one. If there was an empty spot, each person had to be able to go in and do it instead. This also included talking to customers. For example, if a customer had this kind of vision and this age, which glasses should they use? In the beginning, there was some trial and error. If some wrong lenses were recommended, there would be problems with feedback. Wave saw all of this as learning. Especially since it was his own business, as a business owner, learning every process of the work was the best answer.
“Have fun with it, enjoy every day.”
After Wave helped his mother run the eyeglasses shop for 2-3 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, he found that this job was not as bad as he thought. The longer he stayed, the more he absorbed it. The various positions he tried made his daily work fun, whether it was selling, assembling lenses, or meeting a variety of customers. Wave said that his current work is driven by personal inspiration more than helping his mother. The knowledge he gained from self-learning makes him absorb it quickly, creating the motivation to continue every day.
The set goals
Since the day he started helping his mother run the glasses shop, Wave said that his mother has not left yet. She still helps sometimes, but Wave sees the future as if he has enough capital or strength, he would like to produce his own glasses frames, making them his own brand, or if it goes further, he would like to be a dealer for famous international brands.
Obstacles along the way
During the experience-gathering period when the work was still rough, it was a time of trial and error, and sometimes customers might recommend glasses that were not suitable or not to their liking. Wave himself tried to solve those problems himself in every case because when selling something, he wanted to give the best to customers.
“I want to serve the most perfection to my customers.”
The quality of the frames used or the quality of the lenses supplied to customers must all meet standards. Sometimes customers who are almost 40 years old will have both near and far vision. The original understanding of most customers is that they must have 2 pairs of glasses for near and far vision. However, there is now new technology that allows customers to no longer have to separate glasses. It is called progressive lenses. However, the problem is that some customers still do not understand how to use them, which is quite an obstacle because these lenses are not like ordinary lenses at all.
“We need to communicate more.”
Many customers do not understand how to wear progressive lenses, so when they receive the glasses, they will return to complain to the store because they cannot adjust to the glasses. These lenses may look like ordinary lenses, do not have seams and do not look as beautiful as ordinary lenses. But what is different is that ordinary lenses can see clearly near and far, but these lenses will have some distortion on the sides. The view may have to be viewed at the desired angle. Customers may not like wearing them at a level that can be used every day, so some people return to complain to the store. The store will fix this by communicating clearly with customers when choosing lenses, regarding the usage characteristics of these lenses and how customers must adjust their use.
“Each person has different expertise.”
Since Wave came to work here instead of your mother, Wave has divided up many tasks into more proportions. Whoever is responsible for which task is responsible for that task. If we talk about helping each other, if we compare it to your mother’s time, whoever can do what? The work process may not be 100% perfect in producing results because each person has different expertise or skills. When Wave came to work, he had to turn all the data that used to be manual into data in the computer system. In addition, he also had to work on packaging and designing the shop in a new format.
Impression
Wave said that his shop started as a small shop that has expanded to 4-5 branches in the past 2-3 years. He was impressed that when the shop was friendly to customers, the customers were friendly to the shop in return. This friendliness means selling all products and services honestly, choosing the best for every customer. And what customers give back to the shop is bringing their family and friends to use the services at the shop.
“Most customers already have their own regular shops. If they change their mind and come to our shop, it will be a pride for them.”
Why choose Essilor?
Wave explained that the shop has been an Essilor distributor since the shop opened, which may have been more than 10 years. Essilor lenses guarantee quality and usage that meets customer needs well. The products are modern. In this era, our eyes are glued to smartphones all the time. Customers may want blue light-blocking lenses. But the truth is, if we use our eyes to look at computers all day, we can’t just use blue light-blocking lenses. If we use these lenses for a long time, when exposed to sunlight, our eyes may hurt. Currently, there is another type of lens that reduces eye strain during the day, such as office lenses, which are especially suitable for office workers. These lenses will help prevent eye strain.
Message to the New Generation Salaryman Page
There is no fixed process for working. What you should consider is to work happily every day. If you choose a job, choose one that makes you happy. Don’t decide whether you like or dislike something before you try it. Therefore, when you are interested in something, do it. If you decide beforehand, you will never know what it will be like. You may miss out on things you like.
“Don’t judge whether you like or dislike something until you’ve tried it.”
99 Optical Eyeglasses Shop, a progressive lens center
Address: JJ Mall, Chatuchak, 1st floor, Bang Son branch, MRT Bang Son, Exit 4, and Bang Sue-Bang Pho branch, Gateway Bang Sue side.
Call: 095-915-3616 , 061-425-9642 and 095-691-5244
Clear Life: Challenges for New Business Owners During COVID-19 l Vision Mission
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