Opens Korea Branch No. 2 — Kim Eun-mi, CEO SUITE Founder
Built a global office services company from scratch
19 years, 9 cities, 19 centres opened
Woman·Korean: overcoming double discrimination
‘Sincerity’ earned trust and success
Kim Eun-mi (pictured), who leads the global office services company CEO SUITE, opened the company’s 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’s 19th location, opening five years after its first Korean centre at Kyobo Tower in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, and 19 years after the company was founded. “I am delighted to have opened our second Korean centre in the location we wanted after intense competition,” 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.
“Back then, people said, ‘If Mee Kim survives in Korea, I’ll eat my hat.’ Many asked how a small business run by a woman could succeed in a tough economy. Five years on, that view hasn’t 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.”
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 ’81), 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 ‘Service Office’.
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 ‘megacities’ of more than 10 million people such as Jakarta in Indonesia, Shanghai in China and Bangkok in Thailand.
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.
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. “Clients can rent an office of the size they prefer for as long as they want,” 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.
As someone who looked overseas early and succeeded, she has plenty of advice for young people dreaming of working or starting a business abroad. “I have seen many people jump into the office services business thinking of it as a rental business, only to give up and leave quickly,” Kim said. “Business is about winning people’s hearts.”
“Business means moving money from someone else’s pocket into your own. It is genuinely hard. Above all, winning people’s 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.”
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. “Just as you exercise to build a strong body, you need to build muscle in your mind too,” she advised. “To keep your direction and a firm resolve, it is important to strengthen your mental muscle through a wide range of experiences.”
<ⓒ2016 Women’s News: our promise of ‘an embracing society’, no unauthorised reproduction or redistribution>
Issue 1406 [Economy] (2016-09-06)
Reporter Lee Ha-na (lhn21@womennews.co.kr)
Original article – http://www.womennews.co.kr/news/97380
