Styles and Characteristics of Chip Distribution Company Owners。

Zhang San, Owner of a Chip Distribution Company

Boss Zhang San was not originally from the chip industry. A northerner by birth, he carries an air of old-school brotherhood loyalty with a touch of recklessness. In internal meetings, he constantly refers to "us brothers"... giving the company a certain gang-like ethos. He focuses on the big picture and ignores the details. He never nitpicks about attendance or reports from his sales team; it's all results-driven. If you deliver performance and generate profit for the company, you are his "brother." But if you make mistakes or lack competence, he won't hesitate to swear at you. No performance? Sorry, you're out.

However, this boss is generous to his "brothers." When he eats meat, his employees get to eat meat too. If the company earns 10 million, he's willing to share 5 million with the team. With this very style, Zhang San has already built a personal fortune worth hundreds of millions.

Li Si, Owner of a Chip Distribution Company

Boss Li Si is an extremely shrewd individual with high emotional intelligence and remarkable daring. Having started from the bottom as a salesperson, he eventually achieved success by starting his own business. In short, he is what you might call a "business-oriented boss" who knows all the ins and outs of this industry.

His excessive shrewdness, however, makes him distrustful of his employees, harboring a constant sense of insecurity. He worries that employees might take away clients and business. As a result, he tightly controls customer and supplier relationships.

Capable employees can't stay for long, and those who remain are generally without ambition or drive. Consequently, he has evolved into the top salesperson and project manager, while other employees have essentially become assistants revolving around him. Despite this, thanks to his own strong capabilities, exceptional shrewdness, and willingness to take gambles, the company's sales volume has still grown quite substantial.

Wang Wu, Owner of a Chip Distribution Company

Boss Wang Wu is a "management-oriented boss." He believes that sound systems and process management are the foundation of a company. He frequently attends corporate training sessions and applies the new management methods he learns to his company.

His approach emphasizes both the process and the results, and he pays extreme attention to details like employee attendance and work reports. However, by spending excessive time on process management and minutiae, he has little energy left to manage customer and supplier relationships. This style is remarkably similar to the disciplinary units in war films, with the boss setting up a machine gun at the rear to supervise the battle.

Although the harsh management leads to high employee turnover, the company still achieves considerable profits by relying on a few major product lines and several key clients.

Zhao Liu, Owner of a Chip Distribution Company

Zhao Liu started the business with several colleagues and friends. He is the major shareholder, holding the largest stake. Although he is the biggest boss, the core customer and supplier relationships are divided among several key individuals in the company, not solely controlled by him. With clearly defined responsibilities for everyone, the boss cannot rule autocratically.

In the past, decision-making was often difficult, and the company was frequently mired in disputes. Shareholders acted with self-interest, and engaging in side deals was common. However, in the last couple of years, they finally reached a consensus and formalized the company's systems.

In the distribution industry, successful models can be replicated and continued. But if a company fails to adapt as it grows, it will inevitably decline. A company requires different methods at different stages; sustained growth likely demands change. For instance, take Boss Zhang San. After his company grew large, it needed standardization. While this brings a lack of flexibility, it stabilizes the core business and helps avoid major problems.

There are too many bosses like Li Si in the industry. He never intended to build a very large company. For him, losing control of the business is more unacceptable than anything else. Earning profits within a controllable scope is sufficient for him.

Should a company be governed by "rule of man" or by systems? Different scales require different management approaches. However, in the increasingly competitive chip distribution industry today, a boss must still dedicate about half of their energy to customers and suppliers. Becoming overly engrossed in internal management is like seeking water without a source or a tree without roots; it is unsustainable.