Page 8 - Real Rochdale - Winter 2018

www.zeninternet.co.uk
RICHARD
TANG
The FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN
OF ZEN INTERNET
explains his people before
profit philosophy
Were you born and raised locally in Rochdale?
I was born and brought up in Shawclough, went to
school in Rochdale. I left Rochdale when I was 18,
after A levels, to go to Salford University.
How and why did you start Zen Internet?
Even at primary school I had an ambition to start
my own business and it was something that stuck
with me. After I graduated, I worked in Kingston on
Thames for a while and then went travelling.
I always knew when I came back that this was my
chance now to make my dream a reality.
You are known for your people first philosophy;
where did that come from and how have you
maintained it as the business has grown?
It has always been a part of me, and as I have
grown up with the business and seen more of the
world, I have increasingly seen the damage that
our society’s focus on money brings. We have
created a capitalist system that puts money first.
The financial crisis of 2008 is a good example of
extreme short-term behaviour by the banks. It
nearly brought down the entire world’s financial
system, so you look at that and think there has got
to be something wrong with that.
REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2018 8 9
Photo: Sam Kutereba-Wall
Within Zen I have switched that round and I have
said the purpose of being for this company is three-
fold, our most fundamental long-term objectives
are happy staff, happy customers, happy suppliers.
We exist as an organisation to focus on those three
objectives. The purpose of the business is not to
make as much money as we possibly can no matter
what the consequences.
The purpose is happy staff, happy customers,
happy suppliers.
I have created a kind of bubble within Zen where
the values are different to other big organisations,
it means a lot to me personally and, actually, the
irony of it is, a people-focussed organisation in the
long term can be financially really successful.
If you focus on people and you have got a been much more focussed. We have a
social and charities committee within
workforce that is engaged and happy, you have got
Zen and every year we ask the work-
customers that are satisfied and loyal and
referring their friends. force for nominations for a local charity
that we can support for that year and
In the short term you make less money but in the
then we have a vote. The one with most
long term you make more money.
votes wins, and Rochdale Children’s
Moorland Home won the vote this year.
We have grown every single year for 23 years, we
are profitable, we are investing for the future and if How important is it for you to be
I look around us there are not many organisations based in Rochdale?
like Zen left doing that.
It is obviously something you are very proud I am committed to staying in Rochdale
forever. I think Rochdale is a great place,
of as well. it has been a great place for us to grow
Yes, it means a lot to me because I think we have the business.
a responsibility to future generations to set up a We have a great building here that we
society that looks after the well-being of are going to stay in for the long term.
future generations. There is no reason for us to move.
The current system is too short term, it is too I think over time it is likely that we will
money focussed. open satellite offices, but in terms of
our HQ and our base we are
There is a lot in the press about that, committed to staying in Rochdale.
acknowledgment that that is the reality of it and
Richard was interviewed by
the environment today is not sustainable. Real Rochdale editor, Claire Flett
It is current news that climate change is wiping out
species across the planet; it is causing chaos with
the weather and all the scientists are saying that
we need to do more than we are doing.
As of today, we have not got the commitment to
actually do that and my belief is that a big part of
the problem is we have created a system where
we can talk a lot about improving the environment
but we have still got a system where hitting those
short-term monetary targets is more important
than saving the environment.
Links to local charities fits in with your people
first philosophy. Is that something you have
always done?
We have always done bits and pieces with the
local community and in more recent years it has
REAL ROCHDALE - WINTER 2018