As an introduction to the blog, I would like to tell you a little bit more about me and my passions in life. I feel very fortunate to work in a field for which I have great passion. I find that when you are passionate about what you do, it creates an infinite amount of energy. I can’t wait to get to the office to share my latest insight on products and design. Where did I get all this passion for product design? Even as a boy, I loved to take apart products. I always wanted to figure out how things worked. When something didn’t work well, I always tried to modify it so it worked better for me. I wasn’t always successful, but I was always entertained. If I can share one bit of career advice, it would be to do what you love. There is no more productive energy in the workplace than passion.
To start my day, every morning, I wake up to a wonderful cup of Peet’s coffee. The latest African Blend is just amazing.
As I drink my coffee, there is the familiar blip blip blip of Tivo …my lovely wife Sandy trying to play Backyardigans for Jordan, our four-year-old son. My favorite part of the day is taking Jordan to school because I get to have a few minutes of precious conversation alone with him in the car. I am always surprised how kids have such pure instincts that we often forget as adults.
Off I go to pursue my dream—to make products that work well (in simplehuman terms: efficient). I always stop by a local retailer first before going to the office. Today, I stopped by a Bed Bath and Beyond, where they carry a complete line of simplehuman products. During my store visits, I often find myself talking to people either about our products or other items in their shopping carts. Whether I’m acting as a salesman, listening to feedback, answering concerns, I find these store visits are invaluable, There is no better way to understand what consumers care about and learn what features and price points are important. Sometimes, I even come up with new product ideas in the store.
When I arrive at simplehuman, I am joined by a team of talented and energetic people who are as passionate as I am in bringing simplehuman products to consumers. Our products are all about making people become more efficient at home. I started this company with the mission to make people fall in love with a trash can and I’ve used that blueprint to design every product we make. Our philosophy as a company is to create “tools for efficient living” classically designed products that are easy to use, easy to clean and will last for years. It’s always great to hear positive feedback on our designs but we are equally interested to hear new product ideas or comments about how we can improve our products. We know that any great product or service must continue to evolve.
My other passion is cycling: I love bicycles as they are just a perfect, efficient tool. No one has ever been able to re-invent the wheel!
I love Richard Sachs for the old world workmanship and road feel.
For ultimate racing days, I like to ride the Serotta ottrott.
I also wear a Lance Armstrong band because it reminds me about courage and what’s truly important in life so I can live fuller everyday.
I also love my iPod and have really cool headphones to go with it. The Etymotic ER-4S are fantastic and great during the long flights to visit vendors in Asia.
I look forward to posting again soon and getting your feedback.
Frank Yang
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