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Sunrider has been developing and expanding its presence in the Asian market for more than 30 years. During a visit to the region in September 2018, Sunrider Founder and Chairman Dr. Tei-Fu Chen conducted meetings and met with Sunriders to actively lead and support Sunrider’s return to the direct-selling market in many Asian countries.

During his time in Taiwan, Dr. Chen was interviewed by two prominent publications, the Apply Daily, a Hong-Kong based newspaper, and Mirror Media, a popular magazine in Taiwan. The following content is based on translated excerpts from the articles.

Sunrider originally began its business in Asia in direct sales before changing to a retail business model (Authorized Business Owner/ABO), which uses brick and mortar stores to sell its extensive product lines. Then, last year, taking advantage of the changes and trends that had been rippling throughout the Asian business world, Sunrider made adjustments and returned to direct selling with its Independent Business Owner (IBO) model.

Although Sunrider’s business models and business plan may change, Sunriders loyalty and confidence in Dr. Chen and his company do not. Hsie Ying-Ru and Li Ying-Jiang, who have been with the company for more than 20 years, shared their thoughts: "Every time the system changes, Dr Chen has explained to us the business skills, methods, and concepts to make a successful transition. This gives us a great sense of security. I have even received international phone calls directly from Dr. Chen several times. It’s hard to imagine that a hugely successful business owner would care so much about and give such personal attention to regular IBOs and ABOs."

Dr. Chen was born to a humble family and started his business from scratch, which has greatly shaped his thinking and life. He said, "Because I didn’t have enough money, I had always hoped to create a business to help ordinary people, not the rich. And these people also have the opportunity to pass on their accomplishments to their next generations. I have been in the direct sales business for more than 40 years, and I believe this is a very good business for this purpose."

Dr. Chen, who turned seventy this year, is also actively paving the way for his next generations: “I set the same requirements for all my children. If they want to take over the company, they have to understand Sunrider. I welcome challenges and different points of view from them. Our family would argue when we discussed the systems and strategies. This is very normal; my children are teaching us too."

In the face of the ever-changing market and looking back on the ups and downs of his entrepreneurial journey, Dr. Chen said, "No one can predict the future. Everyone has to pave their own way to success. Have you seen the migration of animals in Africa? During the rainy season, antelopes, zebras, and elephants migrate in groups. It’s a good opportunity for the enemy to prey on them. These predators are very clever—they pick the fast animals because they know these will run out of strength quickly. However, unlike the fast animals, the elephants take their steps slowly and steadily, and eventually they arrive safely at their destination."