Welson Ang
CEO, Expressprint
Blogger, www.welsonang.com
1) Besides being a successful entrepreneur, you are also a blogger! Share with us what made you start blogging, and what you love about blogging. 🙂
Firstly, regarding the word “successful”, I don’t really see myself as being successful. I am still learning in business and am very humbled by some of the more established and well-known entrepreneurs.
Being an entrepreneur often involves networking. On multiple occasions, people have said to me “So you run a printing company… It is a very competitive market, isn’t it?” These questions led to even more questions –Â “Why the printing business?”, “How did you get started?”, “You must have a wealth of experience, that’s why you decided on printing right?”
Very often, I couldn’t elaborate due to the lack of time. I took the advice of my friends and associates and started a blog to document my life, beginning from a chosen point 20 years ago. As I blog, I also reveal interesting “facts” about my life that even my beloved wife may not know about.
I fell in love with blogging as it is an informal way of expressing myself truthfully. Blogging about my past makes me feel very nostalgic. Sometimes, I can’t believe that I actually did certain things in my younger days. My past thus serves as a reminder for me to not take things for granted.
I enjoy blogging about my life and hope that my life experiences can also encourage other people.
2) You’ve mentioned a turning point in your life which not only impacted the way you live, but also the way in which you run your companies. Tell us about that.Â
Expressprint grew steadily since her ‘birth’ in 2005. The rapid expansion of the business into multiple outlets won me the Merit Award in the Biennial Shell LiveWIRE Awards 2007, which gives recognition to both aspiring and successful young entrepreneurs.
At that time, I was a very proud person. I always thought I was the best. I actually had no respect for people, especially those in the same trade. I was so prideful that I threatened my competitors by telling them “If you are not for me, then, I will open a printing shop beside yours and start a price war with you. I am not going to give you a chance to retaliate at all!”
My marriage and family life went on a downhill spiral. I was under tremendous pressure all the time. My temper would flare up and my wife and I often got into heated arguments over the smallest matter. When our young sons took their cue from us and started spouting vulgarities, I knew we needed help in disciplining our children the right way.
By 2007, I had 5 Expressprint outlets (with another 3 scheduled to open in 2008)Â in the best locations possible. I was at the highest peak of my career but also the lowest pit in my life.
It suddenly struck me that I should not continue with the way I handled my life. I was already a bad person and I did not want my children to follow suit. Action had to be taken.
I spoke to my wife. I held a very high regard for Christianity and decided to bring our children to church where they can have some positive influence from the right people.
The turning point, however, came when I found myself on the wrong side of the law. I was in the midst of suing several competitors and suppliers regarding copyright issues as well as delays in project completion, when greed got the better of me and I created false evidence in order to increase the amount of damages. I was very frightened, and with nowhere to turn to, pleaded with God, “If You see me through this situation and the defendant pays me the rightful damages, I will surrender to You”.
That Friday, my lawyer called to say that he received a letter from the defendant asking for an out-of-court settlement. They will pay me what I asked for and close the episode. God did His part. It was my turn then to fulfill my promise to God. That very Sunday, my wife and I responded to the altar call and committed our lives to Jesus.
Through God’s grace, I also managed to quit smoking completely. I have not smoked since January 2008. It was also in church where I learned the principles of good stewardship and subsequently gave up gambling. My marriage also improved tremendously after we applied the teachings learned in church.
In 2008, when the global financial crisis struck, my company was badly hit. To add insult to injury, one of my staff embezzled the company’s funds, and yet another, the company’s longest serving employee, left and set up shop right above us, bringing with her all our business contacts.
It was a low point in my life, but I persevered. The good business practices I cultivated earlier, like investing into company branding and maintaining good credit rating with my suppliers paid off, and I was able to prevent the company from caving in.
In early 2009, my company achieved record sales, and even today, I see frequent queues snaking out from the shop – not bad at all for a printing shop!
3) What are some of the most important business lessons you have learnt, especially in the competitive printing business?
I learned the value and importance of “having a friend is better than having an enemy”. When we are competing in business, both sides will suffer. The truth is, together, we have strength.
The most humiliating part of my business journey was betrayal from my trusted staff. Having said that, the betrayal may not have taken place if I had not been so complacent about business management.
In summary, do unto others what you want others to do unto you.
4) I noticed that Expressprint is giving out little cardboard boxes for business cards, instead of plastic cases. What other earth-friendly initiatives has your company implemented?
Our green initiative started in 2008. We are also one of the first to have our paper and cards “Green Labelled” by SEC. Our shops are also decorated with environmental messages and images. All of our shop fronts display the reality about the state of destruction the Earth is facing. We even came up with a logo, slogan and theme.
Slogan : Expressprint, ExpressGreen
Theme: Paper can be recycled, nature cannot. Make a choice, choose recycled paper.
In addition, we are constantly introducing new efforts to do our part for the environment. For example, we print using Eco-ink and soy-ink. The latest effort will be the introduction of Card boxes (made of recycled paper) to replace the plastic boxes for containing business cards.
5) What would you say to your teenage self, if you could give him some advice about Life?
If you have read my blog (www.welsonang.com), you will find that my teenage life was quite interesting. Given the opportunity, I will advise “him” to always be humble and accepting. Do not be so motive minded and spare a thought for others. Do not live a life alone.
Grace says: Read Welson’s blog and you will find that he has a “colorful” past, hence it is always interesting to hear him share about what he has gone through previously. 😀
I’ve found Welson to be someone who is constantly brimming with business ideas. And it is no wonder that Expressprint is doing so well. You can check out the business cards that Welson helped design for me here:Â https://workingwithgrace.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/whats-in-a-namecard/
Know someone I should interview? Drop me an email at gracewwg@gmail.com!
Come back again soon for the next inspiring interview. 🙂
Working With Grace 
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