TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC CÔNG NGHỆ THÔNG TIN

VÀ TRUYỀN THÔNG VIỆT HÀN

KHOA KHOA HỌC MÁY TÍNH
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BÀI GIỮA KÌ
HỌC PHẦN KHỞI NGHIỆP VÀ ĐỔI MỚI SÁNG TẠO

Đề tài: Phỏng vấn người khởi nghiệp thành công

Sinh viên : Nguyễn Thị Ly

Mã sinh viên : 23IT155
Lớp : 23GIT
Giảng viên hướng dẫn : Ths. Đinh Nguyễn Khánh Phương

Đà Nẵng, tháng 03 năm 2024

Part 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Biographical information about the entrepreneur
A 22-year-old girl who just finished college? What do you think she will do
to start a business? Choose a salaried job or a small business, perhaps those are the
thoughts that will pop up in everyone's head.
But businessman Nguyen Viet Phuong, born in 1993 in Doan Hung, Phu Tho
chose a different direction. It is about the homeland to develop the local tea
industry, distribute tea to many places, and combine with farmers to take advantage
of tea hills as attractions for tourists when coming to Phu Tho.

Long Coc Tea Hill

2. Business field
The things that businessman Nguyen Viet Phuong has two main business
areas:
 - Retail and distribution sector.
- Business services.
Part 2: START-UP JOURNEY
(Interviewed on 20/3/2024- via mobile phone)
1. Start-up motivation
Interviewer: “A stable job and a stable life is probably the desire of many
people. So what inspired you to start a business? Why did you decide to trade tea
and not other products?”
Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong: "I was born in a family that is not
considered well-off, my parents are farmers who are attached to tea growing, and
have to work hard all year round. Since middle school, I have had to help my
parents pick tea and process tea, so I understand the difficulties and struggles of
making a good quality tea product. The tea tree is the source of my family's
livelihood, and the tea industry has brought me to school. As I grow older, my
interest in this plant also grows, I wish to make more people aware of the beauty of
the tea hills here and bring Phu Tho tea products to all parts of the country.
In addition, tea is a key industrial crop of Phu Tho. In 2016, the tea growing
area of Phu Tho province reached 16,000 hectares, ranking fourth in the country in
terms of tea growing area. Sunny and windy climate and midland climate have
helped tea trees thrive in this land. If anyone has the opportunity to travel to Phu
Tho, they will certainly not be able to forget the overwhelming beauty and green
eyes of the winding tea hills. In my opinion, being able to become an entrepreneur
to enrich the homeland is something to be proud of."
2. The development process from idea to commercialization of the product?
Interviewer: “From idea to commercialization is a long process, so how did
that process come to you?”
Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong: “Initially, every time I went back to my
hometown, I would bring dry tea from Phu Tho to Hanoi to let acquaintances and
university friends try it. Then, because someone asked to buy it, I decided to start a
small-scale tea business, using my personal Facebook account to advertise to
everyone.
In 2016, after graduating from Hanoi University of Natural Resources and
Environment, I was fortunate to know the owner of a bottled milk tea factory that
was facing a shortage of raw materials. Seizing that opportunity, I set a clear goal
and returned to my hometown to find quality dry tea ingredients. First of all, I
understand that the selection of input materials is extremely important because it not
only saves money but also minimizes risks in the market, so I went to each grower
in the vicinity to check the quality and proposed cooperation. In tea quality
inspection, I taught myself through books and practical knowledge from my parents
and older brothers and sisters in the profession. In the end, I managed to get a
steady supply from households close to home.
After a while, retailing dry tea and wholesale for bottled milk tea brands
have been quite stable. In 2018, I decided to open the door to visit my family's tea
hill to earn more income, combined with selling some more local specialty items to
attract tourists to visit. But in 2020, the outbreak of the disease caused me to close
for a long time, my main source of income is just selling dry tea on the e-commerce
platform, and I have to borrow a lot to continue maintaining through difficult times.
Up to now, I have reopened the Tea Hill tour service and created jobs for
dozens of people in the commune doing tea packing. With the current development
of e-commerce, I am also cherishing many other business ideas to catch up with
consumer trends.”
3. Difficulties in starting a business?
Interviewer: “Surely everyone when starting a business has to go through
many difficulties, so what difficulties did you face and how did you solve them?”
Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong shared: “The first difficult problem I thought of
was that when I first started, I had to choose the source of input materials myself.
Learning from books is like that, but when I went from place to place, experiencing
the taste of different types of dry tea, I realized how much I lacked knowledge,
experience, and practical experience. Fortunately, I always receive support from my
parents as well as those around me, accompanying and helping me so that I can see
all issues holistically. My journey of learning and doing is like sitting on the
shoulders of giants, I save a lot of time and avoid a lot of unnecessary risks.
Then, the epidemic hit in 2020, I had to stop all business activities to go to Tea Hill.
During the economic downturn, my sales of dried tea were also not favorable. I had
no cash flow for many months. I doubted myself, did I make the wrong choice when
deciding to follow this career? But it's all just a temporary thought because my
passion is still bigger than that, in the worst case I lose motivation, I'm done.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together”, this is also the
time when many partners decide to turn their backs on me, but thinking positively,
this is also the time when I know who is worth it. for trust and long-term
cooperation. Looking back on the past journey, I am always grateful for the initial
difficulties that taught me many valuable lessons, helping me to have a different
mindset to calmly analyze and find a solution for all problems in the future ."

4. According to entrepreneurs, what is the most important thing for an individual

preparing to start a business?
Interviewer: “In your opinion, what is the most important factor for an
individual preparing to start a business?”
 Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong: “For me, the most important factor is
moral character when doing my job. When we bring to market a quality product, it
not only reduces risks later on, leads to customer satisfaction, but also puts our
conscience at ease. I love my hometown very much so I also want everyone to
experience the best quality tea leaves, and the most wonderful landscapes and feel
the care in each product of the farmer. "Strength determines psychology, psychology
determines vision, vision determines strategy", in addition, the decisive factor for
success is partly thanks to "Heaven, Time, Earth, Human Harmony". The important
thing is that we are not afraid of failure, and always keep the original mentality."
5. Is capital a prerequisite when starting a business?
Interviewer: “For you, is capital a prerequisite for starting a business? Why?”
Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong: “Capital is a necessary condition but certainly
not a prerequisite when starting a business, there is no shortage of products with
small initial capital but still building great success later. For example, an
entrepreneur that I admire very much is Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa born in Phu Tho
province - CEO of the Truong Foods brand. With a meager capital of only 4 million
VND borrowed from her mother-in-law, but with the desire to spread the specialty
of Phu Tho sour meat to all parts of the country, she studied and created a recipe for
mass production of sour meat. After that, she successfully raised 15 billion dongs
for a 20% stake in Shark Tank season 5, making Truong Foods the leading sour
meat brand in the country.
Therefore, capital is required but "not much is needed", starting a business
without lack of capital, without lack of capital is not a start-up. The problem is that I
have to have a good product, build a clear business strategy, and the ability to
communicate good information to gain trust from partners and reputation with
customers.”
6. What is the most memorable memory of an entrepreneur in the process of starting
a business?
Interviewer: “During your journey, what memories make you unable to
forget?”
Entrepreneur Nguyen Viet Phuong: “The most indelible memory for me is
probably the most difficult time when I could not bring in any source of income to
contribute to the family economy. At that time, I still tried to be very normal, not
showing the negative side to my parents, but my parents still recognized it.
Although I did not have many relationships, my parents still ran everywhere to ask
for a loan for me to continue working. I will never forget the scene where my father
put his hand on my shoulder and encouraged me: “You just have to do your best,
and we will take care of the rest.” I am extremely grateful for that trust and makes it
a source of motivation for me.
Up until now, after 7 years of trying my best, my family has always been a stop and
solid spiritual support, so I can't give up my passion easily!"
Part 3: CONCLUSION
1. Comments on the journey of the interviewed entrepreneur
“If you want to be in a position no one can stand, you have to endure what no
one else can stand.” Indeed, having the courage to start a business is not easy, to
start a successful business is even more difficult. To reach the door of success, it is
necessary to have a clear purpose and careful preparation for many factors. There is
no path strewn with roses, everyone has to constantly learn and experience, thereby
drawing out their skills and experiences. Although the journey of starting is
arduous, at the end of each road waiting for us is a worthy result. Starting a business
is a big challenge, both lonely and arduous, but this is also an opportunity for each
person to discover their potential and assert themselves.
2. Lessons learned from entrepreneurs sharing about the entrepreneurial journey
Wanting to step into the entrepreneurial path requires a lot of factors
including both subjective and objective, there are factors we can control and change
for the better such as:
-Have passion, opinion, and aspirations for the future.
-Dare to think, dare to do, dare to bear.
-Constantly learning and cultivating knowledge and experience, there
is no more sustainable capital than knowledge capital.
-Learn communication skills, financial management skills, market
analysis, and strategic planning…
-Perseverance, persistence, not being discouraged by difficulties, not
because of a little temporary success but subjective.
-Have the mentality of a startup person.
-Working capital is an important factor, a lever for success, but not a
prerequisite for starting a business.
3. My thoughts on your intention to start a business in the future
My hometown is in Phu Tho land, a fertile land favored by nature with many
key industrial plants, a place that is developing very quickly in all aspects. A lot of
opportunities appeared in front of me, so it was not difficult to understand when a
freshman, but I also had the desire to start a business. It is the desire to contribute
something of value to the community. And through the above words shared by a
businessman from the same hometown Nguyen Viet Phuong, a successful
predecessor, I have more motivation to do it. Although the journey ahead may
contain many difficulties, I believe that I can overcome them and prove my ability.