NAVIGATING CRISIS AND RIDING THE WAVES
With virtually three a long time on the helm of Banyan Tree, Ho has steered the resort chain by loads of ups and downs. Some of the troublesome crises he has needed to navigate is the 2004 tsunami. “We had resorts that have been utterly destroyed. Fortunately, we had no deaths, however we had so many tales of close to deaths,” he recalled. “That basically affected us as a result of our folks have been affected.”
Ho additionally describes the COVID-19 pandemic as “a foul dream”. Through the pandemic, the group needed to navigate the difficult circumstances of working with zero occupancy at a lot of its properties. It’s throughout these occasions that an organization’s tradition is actually examined. “As a people-driven firm, we have now learnt that crises will at all times proceed to happen. It’s a given particularly in our enterprise of hospitality. So it’s essential to construct up belief between administration and associates, and belief and perception within the firm.”
The largest lesson in entrepreneurship Ho has learnt through the years is to know when to trip the waves. “I don’t surf, however I like to look at folks browsing. Profitable entrepreneurship is understanding which waves to trip,” mentioned Ho, including that as entrepreneurs, it is very important see what societal or enterprise developments are price catching on.
“There are waves that can peter out prematurely. Or there could also be a giant wave that comes however others are nonetheless sitting round and paddling. However this wave occurs to be the one close to the place you’re sitting. Some get on the wave too quickly or too late. However there could also be some who’re skillful sufficient to trip the wave all the best way to shore. So entrepreneurship is a mix of ability, pure luck and good timing,” he elaborated.
Ho additionally pressured the significance of being humble in entrepreneurship. “It’s nothing about how nice you’re. In case you didn’t have the appropriate timing, in the event you didn’t have luck, you wouldn’t be right here. By no means idiot your self into considering that it was due to you. There are lots of folks on the market who’re smarter than you or extra hardworking, however they didn’t make it not as a result of they’re much less succesful. You simply occurred to trip the wave on the proper time.”