Taking a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come

Let us rewind two years, Kim Tchai took over the family business and undertook a transforming business soul search. Now, she runs the exciting company Tchai, gives inspirational seminars, wins a business woman of the year award and is also a real family woman. With all this happening she needs to take a few moments to look back.

In an interview with Kim Tchai we asked her how her life has been over the last two years. The words ‘I take a moment to appreciate how far we have come’, flew out of her mouth. ‘My two worlds, family life at home and a family working life are lively and sometimes chaotic. I get a lot of energy from both worlds, which effortlessly blend into each other. Energy is elusive, I am guided by it.’

Tchai evolution: be happy, free and connected
In recent years Tchai has evolved from a traditionally run company into one where we ‘work together’. This was based on the following question: What if customers, staff and suppliers feel happy, free and connected?

Tchai created a positive environment in which everyone can maximize their personal potential. This can be done by replacing functions with roles, replacing sales with marketing, making commercial goals subordinate to happiness. Clients become partners and suppliers’ go-getters. Our structure is adapted to our customers’ structures, these are all people with their own needs. We have a ‘ridiculous’ urge to connect with people.

Soul of your brand
It is not uncommon for brands to lose their souls. They have been unrecognizably reformed or are in an identity crisis. Through this soul-searching, Tchai can help brands discover their roots and restore their identity or reshape them with fresh ideas.

‘To be perfectly open, we also had that with our own brand, Tchai. We went on a voyage of discovery to find our true self. What did we stand for and what made us unique? We found our Chinese roots and our Tchi, the life energy, that we put into every project.’

” We stand for being inspired by the unknow, embracing roots and making meaningful connections”.

Kim Tchai

Connection makes people and brands grow
‘I am convinced that organizations need personal connections to thrive. Tchai once started making displays, and now we “display” brands via brand experiences.’ Tchai makes that physical connection between a brand and shoppers: with inspiring and surprising brand activations and shop concepts in retail.
In a digital world, physical retail must become more focused and exciting. We create these together with customers such as Samsung, Nike, Iittala, Bugaboo, Harman Kardon, JBL, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, DHL and many others.

As a result, we know each person connected to Tchai through and through, this allows us to make perfect matches based on skills, personalities and values. In this way we create a situation where everyone can be themselves. We have many different personalities who create much creative energy, but sometimes also friction. ‘Without friction, no shine.’

‘I am proud to say that our evolution has already proved successful. We have discovered and developed our personal potential, and we are also doing well economically. We are more focused and go to the core, forging a sustainable bond between people and brands. We always do this with our energy, our Tchi.’