Christie Wo is impatient with all the cheesy gossip about her in newspapers and magazines: which billionaire is she dating? Which celebrity function is she attending? She wonders why people don't pay more attention to her empire - the luxury merchandizing empire she has meticulously built.
Wo is president and CEO of Charmonde Luxury Limited and Charmonde Watches Limited. She's wowed the adepts of the watch industry and in the process shaken up the male-dominated watch trade. Her rise to success has been exceptionally quick. One doesn't acquire the accolade, "the Queen of Timepieces", sipping mochas at the Chouette flagship shop in Central. That is what she was doing however, on a rainy afternoon recently, as she reflected on her stunning rise for China Daily.
"I was more into arts than business when I was small," she admits. "I adore the beautiful and fine stuff, not just watches."
An old boyfriend told her she would be a success in business, saying she had great public relations skills.
He was right. She was named Distinguished CEO of the Year in 2005, Mediazone's Business Woman of the Year in 2007, the World's Outstanding Chinese Award, Honorary Doctorate in Business Management from Armstrong University in the US. The list gets longer. She sits on the boards of several corporations. One of the qualities that distinguishes Wo is her innate knack for knowing what sells.
Before she really got started on her climb up the ladder, her own sense of what she liked and didn't like told her that the ladies' watches on the market weren't very inspiring.
"Women buy watches with two purposes, as accessories and as value-added investments," Wo commented. "In my view, the right watch is one that reflects your personality."
She thought good timepieces should work together with ladies' fashion and didn't think the luxury, name brand watches at the time did that very well.
Wo's idea was to make watches and fashion work together. She started going to fashion shows, tuned in to next season's colors, patterns and styles.
She knew her dream was going to demand a lot of capital. She wasn't born into a rich family. Wistfully, she turned to her own carefully assembled collection of watch treasures and sold it.
"I used to buy a watch if I liked the watchmaker's brand. Today, I'd rather be the agent for the watchmaker," she said, with a laugh.
Today Wo sells the image of prosperity and stylishness.
It took a while to get there. She was no overnight success in the watch trade.
She worked hard, sold hard and made plenty of mistakes; survived those along with the other trials that found her along the path.
Wo signed on as exclusive agent in Hong Kong for one well-known company. The contract was abruptly terminated when the brand chose to appoint a listed company as its sole agent instead.
The watchmaker had hung Wo "out to dry", as the saying goes. She had made advertising commitments. There were billboard and magazine covers organized. Wo believed she had no alternative but to fulfill those commitments - and since she had no capital, chose to be her own model.
What started out looking like a last ditch effort for survival proved a stunning success.
"During the month I appeared in the advertisements, none of the shops had more than five watches left," she recalled. Wo has become the icon of the company.
Wo was hurt by the setbacks but bears no grudge. She declares herself grateful for all the challenges she had to overcome when starting out. "Whatever does not kill you makes you stronger. If they had been good to me, I would not have left them and started my brand," she noted.
Her confidence was not shaken by the reality. After the major setback, Wo set about, in 2008, establishing a Chinese luxury brand, Chouette. "Who says only Europe can produce luxury items or watches?" she said with characteristic self-confidence. "I know it's a difficult task and people may think I'm living in a dream."
Her dream however proved to be no illusion. Since her company was founded only two years ago, her empire has expanded to the mainland, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Her aim is to become firmly entrenched on the mainland, with a target of 200 sales locations over the next three years.
Wo calls Chouette a lifestyle brand. Chouette's mascot is an owl which she says symbolizes wisdom and beauty. Chouette presents a contemporary- meets-classic approach to attainable luxury with desirable items for everyday living. Whatever she does next, Wo has boosted the prestige of avant-garde luxury products which she has introduced to the chic modern women.
Wo is passionate about her work. She spends more than 10 hours a day at it. "I enjoy doing my job. If you love your job, you will see miracles. If you don't, you will end up sitting on your sorry butt and accomplish nothing."
To many, Wo is a success based on the scale of her business. She doesn't think a favorable public report card is a true measure of success. "The first victory is considered successful, what about the second and the third time?" she queried. At times, people question her ability due to her stunning looks. "They think I can do this and that because I'm pretty and ignore hard work," Wo said.
Wo accepts the comments targeted at her, positive or negative. "I do not feel humiliated or angered by people's rude comments. I am thankful to them. People talk about you because they know you exist. If you're nobody, they won't give a damn whether you pee on the street," she said.
As a faithful follower of Vajrayana Buddhism, Wo reads Buddhist literature for solace and communicates with the living Buddha, seeking guidance when something is bothering her. She once asked her master how she could control her insatiable ambition. The answer came to her that the endless pursuit of fortune is "greed". "Beating your competitors should not be your ultimate goal. Your goal is to work your best so as to help more people," was her understanding.
"You're lucky to be the champion once. If you strive for the infinite victory, you won't be happy about it," he taught her.
Talking about her short-term goals, Wo says she wants to start a family and for her brand to achieve worldwide popularity within five years. Other than that, she wants to extend a helping hand to as many people as possible.
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