Even those in their 70s are still 'practicing sales'.

Born in 1956 in Nghe An, Mr. Truong Gia Binh is known as the "soul" and "captain" ofFPT , leading this technology group from nothing to a powerful $4 billion empire.

Speaking at the meeting on October 11th between the Standing Committee of the Government and representatives of entrepreneurs on Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day, Mr. Truong Gia Binh shared three joys: The first joy was being invited by the Prime Minister to a meeting on Vietnamese Entrepreneurs' Day.

The second joy is the joy of being an entrepreneur. We live a joyful life, with hardships and challenges, but we are very happy because we have overcome difficulties to create material wealth for society, take care of our families, look after our employees, pay taxes to the State, and do many good things for society.

The third source of joy is both exciting and thought-provoking, requiring significant effort. Never before have Vietnamese businesses had the opportunity to work with two world superpowers, both the US and China.

"If we understand this joy and can harness it, then we will achieve even greater success," Mr. Binh said.

From this sharing, it can be understood that "the joy of being an entrepreneur" has become ingrained in Mr. Truong Gia Binh's blood, driving the Chairman, even at the age of nearly 70, to still be a fierce salesperson.

This "unusual" move by Mr. Binh has drawn public attention. People are constantly searching for videos he previously shared about his sales philosophy, either to absorb his useful advice or simply to see how he achieved such success in business.

"Actually, the hardest job I have is selling things. Even now, I'm still selling things," Mr. Binh shared in a video.

He recounted his flight to Japan in 2011, when Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami. Despite the efforts of his staff and family to dissuade him, Mr. Truong Gia Binh decided to fly to Tokyo anyway.

“ My secretary said the radiation level was 200 times higher than normal, and I couldn’t go, but I insisted. Going home was even worse because my wife wouldn’t let me. I told her, ‘I’m a general, so I stand at the forefront of the battle, and you can’t stop me because that’s who I am. If you oppose me, it means you don’t accept me for who I am,’” Mr. Binh recalled emotionally.

He also recounted flights abroad to meet with a client company, spending hours advising and persuading them, only to immediately board a train to meet with another company.

The chairman of FPT said he doesn't mind pleasing customers, even if it means humbling himself. He even wondered why he was assigned fewer sales tasks.

“ I complained to my staff, asking why they used to have five work sessions a day, but now only three? They told me to take care of my health, but I told them I didn't need to, I wanted to continue working. Now that FPT is producing chips, I might have to meet with all the major chip manufacturers globally to pitch my products and persuade them to cooperate ,” Mr. Binh said.

Following the two stories above, the Chairman of FPT discussed the role of exemplary leadership in business, from business and culture to innovative thinking: "A general must stand at the forefront. A leader must be ready to throw themselves into the fray and make sacrifices so that employees will follow," Mr. Truong Gia Binh stated.

In an interview, Mr. Truong Gia Binh recounted that in the early 1970s, he was one of 100 students from all over North Vietnam carefully selected by the Military Technical University (now the Military Technical Academy). They received a year of training in foreign languages ​​in Vietnam before being sent to the Soviet Union to study specialized subjects.

"The country is still facing difficulties, we are very young but we have received very thorough training. The country has given us great advantages, enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear."

Associate Professor Dang Quoc Bao, former Head of the Central Committee's Science and Education Department, who was then the Rector and Political Commissar of the Military Technical University, often told us: "After graduating, you have the task of accelerating the country's economy," the FPT Chairman recalled.

At the time, he didn't fully grasp his teacher's meaning, but as he matured, Mr. Binh understood that this was also his teacher's way of educating him about love and responsibility towards the country. Those teachings about the aspiration to revitalize the nation have resonated with him to this day.

Mr. Binh calculated that 15 years of research and 35 years of business added up to more than half his life. From a scientist who transitioned into business, 35 years ago he obtained a business license but had no capital, no assets... he was just "running" and cautiously exploring his path.

"We have been preparing our resources for 35 years, and now we are starting to do the best things in the world. While in the past, FPT always had to proactively seek out partners and customers, now many major customers and partners are proactively approaching us."

We are filled with hope that the day of national prosperity is drawing near.

For 35 years, my colleagues and I have never forgotten our aspiration for "national prosperity." We are deeply grateful to those who instilled this aspiration for a strong and prosperous nation in the hearts of the country's brightest students back then," the FPT Chairman shared.

Even now, as a successful businessman leading one of the country's largest corporations, Mr. Binh still doesn't forget to mention his country.

"As a businessman, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Party, the Government, the National Assembly, and the central and local agencies for helping us to live in peace for nearly 50 years, allowing us to live in a safe and secure society."

State agencies have signed 16 new-generation free trade agreements and are about to sign three more. This is an opportunity for businesses to trade with other countries, providing a free environment for innovation and the development of their capabilities. This is a sincere thank you from the business community and millions of workers to the leaders at all levels,” Mr. Binh said when he met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on the afternoon of October 11.

Recounting the early days of FPT's founding, Chairman Truong Gia Binh could not hide his pride.

Those were the early days when he and his friends gathered at house number 30 Hoang Dieu to discuss ideas for survival.

The company was founded but almost from scratch: no operating capital, no headquarters, and no experience. “ At that time, our biggest determination was to bring computers to Vietnam and develop information technology,” Mr. Binh said.

After a year of struggling to find the money to keep operations running, FPT secured its first contract: to build an air conditioning system for the Thanh Hoa Tobacco Factory. The contract was worth 10.5 million VND, while his salary at the time was only about 100,000 VND per month.

The second contract was to supply computers to the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

"Before returning home, I worked at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. I noticed they didn't have personal computers, so we sent them our offer."

"I drafted a letter for Mr. Nguyen Van Dao to send to the Vice President of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. They immediately invited us over to work. It was a record-breaking contract in terms of revenue at the time, worth 10.5 million rubles (equivalent to 16 million USD at that time)," Mr. Binh recalled.

It was also thanks to this contract that FPT established a relationship with the computer company Olivetti and focused on developing its IT model. In 1990, the company changed its name to Financing and Promoting Technology Development Company and has retained the abbreviation FPT to this day.

Speaking about the most important factor contributing to FPT's success today, Mr. Binh believes that the most important thing is "team spirit".

"During difficult times, everyone has to save themselves. They do all kinds of jobs and professions, but usually in an individual capacity."

"As for us, we are friends who have become teammates, partners, companions, sharing love, caring for each other, and working together to achieve something great. We may be trying to save ourselves, but deep down, we earnestly desire to contribute to the prosperity of the nation ," Mr. Binh emphasized.

“ A chairman should be doing big things, thinking big. That’s true. For example, I have very big tasks ahead of me, including a target of $5 billion in revenue in overseas markets, or one million digital transformation professionals by 2035.”

But I discovered a different formula for happiness: great happiness sometimes comes from small challenges, even those that seem insignificant to many people. So every day, I look for little challenges to tackle. Things that, in some people's eyes, might not be befitting a chairman.

"Or I find joy in friendly connections. Every time I have the opportunity to invite staff to my home for a meal and chat, I feel very excited. Or every time I have the chance to go to Da Nang to play with the children at Hope School, I am extremely happy," Mr. Binh said.

This idea of ​​his served as the foundation for the construction of the Hope School, which aims to educate over 200 children orphaned by COVID-19. The school is expected to have 300 students in the 2023-2024 school year, each representing an extraordinary story of the spirit of a "courageous warrior."

One day last August, amidst a busy work schedule in Da Nang, Mr. Truong Gia Binh still made time to visit Hy Vong School. The teachers informed the children that Mr. Binh had come to visit, and they rushed out to greet him with joy.

The Chairman of FPT patted each child on the head and shoulder, asking, " How are you? ", " How's the robot? ". He listened attentively, occasionally bursting into happy laughter.

"I strongly believe that one of these young people will one day sit in the chairman's chair of FPT Group," he shared.

Many years ago, Mr. Binh believed that his happiness lay in the fact that, despite being born during wartime, amidst bombs and bullets, he was still well cared for by the country: learning foreign languages, participating in math competitions, and studying abroad.

Upon returning home after completing his studies, amidst the hardships of the subsidy period, he was once again embraced and loved, enabling him to build FPT – a new type of organization – step by step, together with his friends and colleagues, into a powerful corporation.

“ Faced with challenges, I have no choice but to persevere. I am fortunate to have friends and teammates by my side, so I am never alone or have any thoughts of giving up. Every difficulty is just a test. When you face and overcome them, happiness at the end of the road is complete and fulfilling,” Mr. Binh said about his happiness.

Based on that philosophy of happiness, Mr. Truong Gia Binh expects FPT to become an organization that creates happiness, meaning that all strategic actions will be for the happiness of customers and the success of the business and the government.

He expressed his belief that by 2035, in 13 years, FPT will have one million employees participating in the digital transformation journey.

"In today's workplace environment, if injustice, factionalism, or retaliation arise, employees will not be happy. They will only be happy when they understand that everyone is working towards a common goal and that we are all 'teammates'."

"I am proud that FPT is receiving 90% positive feedback from employees and has been recognized as an 'Excellent Workplace' by Great Place To Work. It is a place of fairness and friendliness; in addition to high employee pride in the team, colleague engagement and leadership satisfaction are also at a high level," Mr. Binh said.

Source: https://vtc.vn/chu-tich-hdqt-tap-doan-fpt-truong-gia-binh-u70-van-thuc-chien-ban-hang-ar826557.html