{"id":32677,"date":"2016-09-23T04:48:13","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T04:48:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/blog\/%ea%b9%80%ec%9d%80%eb%af%b8-ceo%ec%8a%a4%ec%9c%84%ed%8a%b8-%eb%8c%80%ed%91%9c-%ec%82%ac%ec%97%85%ec%9d%80-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c-%ec%96%bb%eb%8a%94-%ec%9d%bc-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c\/"},"modified":"2026-10-08T08:08:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:08:49","slug":"%ea%b9%80%ec%9d%80%eb%af%b8-ceo%ec%8a%a4%ec%9c%84%ed%8a%b8-%eb%8c%80%ed%91%9c-%ec%82%ac%ec%97%85%ec%9d%80-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c-%ec%96%bb%eb%8a%94-%ec%9d%bc-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c-2","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/prelive.ceosuite.com\/en-jp\/blog\/%ea%b9%80%ec%9d%80%eb%af%b8-ceo%ec%8a%a4%ec%9c%84%ed%8a%b8-%eb%8c%80%ed%91%9c-%ec%82%ac%ec%97%85%ec%9d%80-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c-%ec%96%bb%eb%8a%94-%ec%9d%bc-%eb%a7%88%ec%9d%8c-2\/","title":{"rendered":"CEO SUITE Founder Kim Eun-mi: \u201cBusiness Is About Winning Hearts\u2026 Build Your \u2018Mental Muscle\u2019\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n \n \"back\"\n\n Back<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n CEO SUITE Founder Kim Eun-mi: \u201cBusiness Is About Winning Hearts\u2026 Build Your \u2018Mental Muscle\u2019\u201d<\/h1>\n \n
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\n Sep 23, 2016<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Opens Korea Branch No.<\/strong> 2<\/strong>\u200b<\/strong> \u2014<\/strong> Kim Eun-mi,<\/strong> CEO<\/strong> SUITE<\/strong> Founder<\/strong><\/p>\n

Built<\/strong> a<\/strong> global office<\/strong> services company<\/strong> from scratch<\/strong><\/p>\n

19<\/strong> years,<\/strong> 9<\/strong>\u200b<\/strong> cities,<\/strong> 19<\/strong> centres<\/strong> opened<\/strong><\/p>\n

Woman<\/strong>\u00b7<\/strong>Korean:<\/strong> overcoming<\/strong> double<\/strong> discrimination<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/strong>Sincerity<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong> earned<\/strong> trust<\/strong> and<\/strong> success<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\u25b2 Kim Eun-mi, CEO of CEO SUITE, stands in the lobby of the company\u2019s second Korean centre at Parnas Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. She has turned \u201cKorean\u201d and \u201cwoman\u201d, two words once seen as handicaps, into keywords of success. \u00a9 Lee Jeong-sil, photojournalist\"\"<\/p>\n

Kim Eun-mi (pictured), who leads the global office services company CEO SUITE, opened the company\u2019s second Korean centre at Parnas Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. CEO SUITE rents out offices along with meeting rooms, equipment and secretarial staff. The centre is the company\u2019s 19th location, opening five years after its first Korean centre at Kyobo Tower in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, and 19 years after the company was founded. \u201cI am delighted to have opened our second Korean centre in the location we wanted after intense competition,\u201d Kim said. She secured the Parnas Tower site only after a competitive bid against a British operator with 2,000 locations. It reminded her of the days, five years ago, when she was running around trying to open her first centre in Korea.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then, people said, \u2018If Mee Kim survives in Korea, I\u2019ll eat my hat.\u2019 Many asked how a small business run by a woman could succeed in a tough economy. Five years on, that view hasn\u2019t changed. How could a small company, with a woman at the helm and no connections, beat the big corporations? That attitude is especially strong in Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim belongs to the first generation of the industry, with 28 years in office services. After graduating in social welfare from Yonsei University (class of \u201981), she joined Citibank, but grew disillusioned with the listless life of a salaried worker and boarded a plane to Australia alone. She was 25. Juggling study and part-time work, she took her first step into the office services field when she joined a company called \u2018Service Office\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n\u25b2 CEO SUITE\u2019s Parnas centre, directly connected to Samseong Station, boasts sweeping views of the Han River. \u00a9 Lee Jeong-sil, photojournalist\"\"<\/p>\n

Over seven years she proved herself as manager of six centres across Asia, but few positions were open to a woman and an Asian. She hit a solid glass ceiling, yet instead of giving up she founded her own company, CEO SUITE. In the 19 years since, Kim has grown CEO SUITE into a mid-sized company with 19 centres and around 1,000 offices in nine cities across eight Asian countries, including \u2018megacities\u2019 of more than 10 million people such as Jakarta in Indonesia, Shanghai in China and Bangkok in Thailand.<\/p>\n

The new Parnas Tower centre covers 2,133 square metres (344 pyeong of exclusive floor area) and has 60 fully furnished offices of various sizes. Step out of the lift on the 29th floor and you first reach a relaxed lobby lounge. Once all client companies have moved in, it will host a range of networking events.<\/p>\n

\n\u25b2 A meeting room that seats up to 25 \u00a9 Lee Jeong-sil, photojournalist\"\"<\/p>\n

Next to the lounge is a meeting room for up to 25 people, with a view over the Han River from its windows. The 60 offices come in a variety of sizes, including co-working offices for start-ups. \u201cClients can rent an office of the size they prefer for as long as they want,\u201d Kim explained. Offices can also be used by the hour, and frequent business travellers can take a membership that gives free access to all 19 centres. Beyond office rental, clients can also get professional services ranging from company registration to recruitment and accounting.<\/p>\n

As someone who looked overseas early and succeeded, she has plenty of advice for young people dreaming of working or starting a business abroad. \u201cI have seen many people jump into the office services business thinking of it as a rental business, only to give up and leave quickly,\u201d Kim said. \u201cBusiness is about winning people\u2019s hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u25b2 The lobby lounge \u00a9 Lee Jeong-sil, photojournalist\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness means moving money from someone else\u2019s pocket into your own. It is genuinely hard. Above all, winning people\u2019s hearts is the hardest part. Some people think about starting a business because it is hard to find a job, or because they feel pushed into it, but you need to know how difficult business is before you start. Get a job, even at a small company, and build experience. Volunteer in remote places or work part-time in a restaurant. Only by building a wide range of experience will you have the strength to get through the countless crises that come with running a business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The son she was expecting when she founded CEO SUITE 19 years ago started university this year. Kim said she gives her son, who is keen on business, the same advice. \u201cJust as you exercise to build a strong body, you need to build muscle in your mind too,\u201d she advised. \u201cTo keep your direction and a firm resolve, it is important to strengthen your mental muscle through a wide range of experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

<<\/strong>\u24d2<\/strong>2016 <\/strong>Women\u2019s News:<\/strong> our promise of<\/strong> \u2018<\/strong>an embracing<\/strong> society<\/strong>\u2019, <\/strong>no unauthorised reproduction<\/strong> or redistribution<\/strong>><\/strong><\/p>\n

Issue 1406 [Economy] (2016-09-06)<\/p>\n

Reporter<\/strong> Lee Ha-na<\/strong>\u00a0(lhn21@womennews.co.kr)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Original article – http:\/\/www.womennews.co.kr\/news\/97380<\/a><\/p>\n

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