Ep 145: Are You a Masochistic Book Lover? | Kenny Chan (ex-diplomat & ex-Senior Director at Kinokuniya Book Stores (Asia Pacific))

“Are you a masochist?”


“Do you love books that much?”


If you want to be a bookseller, than those are the questions you
need to ask yourself - according to Kenny Chan, the former Senior
Director at Kinokuniya Book Stores (Asia Pacific) - he spent ~20
years of his career there prior to his retirement!


But prior to bookseller, Kenny was a foreign diplomat at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore, where he was posted to
London as their Trade and Culture Attache.


He then switched to bookselling, first at Popular Holdings
Limited, then MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd, and back again at Popular
when they launched their IPO!


And finally interviewed for a position at Kinokuniya.


The President & Chairman of Kinokuniya flew from Japan to
Singapore to conduct the interview and asked Kenny just one
question:


“Do you love books?”


As it turns out, Kenny gave me the exact answer he was looking
for!


And even after retirement, Kenny remains deep in the bookselling
world.


If you haven’t already guessed it, Kenny is the latest guest on
STIMY!


And we dive deep into all things books & the art of
evangelising.


Why does Kenny not judge people by their educational level?


Why did he initially become a foreign diplomat?


What was it like opening bookstores throughout Asia Pacific,
Dubai and New York?


What was it like working at his dream company?


What is the secret to buying books & why is bookselling a
spiritual experience?


How can aspiring authors can get Kenny’s attention?


Are you intrigued yet?


The YouTube version is out now too.


Highlights:


1:01 The Punisher

1:50 Don’t judge people by their level of education

2:59 Do your best in everything that you touch

3:58 My education was a roller-coaster

5:31 Didn't want to be a bookseller!

7:56 Getting into foreign affairs

9:51 Hunted down a book for Lee Kuan Yew & the power of
connections

11:35 Lee Kuan Yew was a hard task master

14:54 Life isn't fair

18:32 How to get rid of inventory/books for bookstores

20:21 Leaving Popular for MPH

21:00 Introducing comics & Sanrio (Hello Popular) to
Singapore

22:12 How Kenny knew it was time to bring Hello Kitty in

24:07 Memorable stories

26:43 What was it like working in his dream company?

27:46 Becoming store manager of the MPH Stamford Bookstore

28:22 You need to be a dictator

32:22 A great success

36:23 The IPO

37:11 The secret behind buying books & working at Popular

41:29 Moving to Kinokuniya

43:03 Meeting 

43:30 The 1 question asked by the President & Chairman of
Kinokuniya from Japan

44:44 Working with someone who doesn’t understand English

46:09 The spiritual aspect of book selling

47:01 Opening a store in Dubai

48:16 Love of books

49:13 The Kinovirus & training to become a great
bookseller

50:45 The Speech

52:05 Biggest achievements while at Kinokuniya

54:44 Kinokuniya isn’t a bookstore. It’s a lifestyle choice

56:15 The importance of building a brand

58:51 The Twin Lemons Act

59:50 Getting Kenny’s attention

1:00:25 Ask a bookseller, what questions should you ask
yourself?






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YouTube: https://youtu.be/1uCeI8LOI5Y 


Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/145


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