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Enoch Yiu

What offers more buzz and sweeter returns than stocks? Coffee and ice cream, if you ask Raymond Tsui Yick-ki.
After selling stocks for nearly two decades, Tsui decided to try something new and in 2010 opened his first coffee and ice cream shop.
Like a good broker, he hedged his risks - he kept his day job as managing director of institutional sales at Taifook Securities and ran his coffee shop on the side.
As it turned out, selling self-roasted coffee and home-made gelato was a success and after three years, he decided to chuck in his day job to concentrate on the business.
From its first outlet in Central, Tsui opened four more shops including one at the Elements shopping centre in Kowloon.
His shops are popular among young people, but are also frequented by employees of nearby offices and tourists.
Tsui hopes to increase the number of shops in his Holly Brown chain to 10 this year and to 18 next year. He is also working his broking network to set up counters at some investment banks to serve coffee and sandwiches.
Tsui appears happy with his new career, which, he says, does not require him to be in a suit and tie.
He now wears his company's uniform, which is a casual T-shirt. His business also gives him the freedom to pace his work, and he visits his shops any time he likes.
Tsui says running his own business has its disadvantages, too - there is more work and stress.
"Working as a broker has its financial rewards. Also, as I worked for a large financial firm, I had a team of people working with me, so I was relatively relaxed," he said.
 
"But now that I'm my own boss, I have to roll up my sleeves to do things myself.
"I have to visit all the shops regularly to make sure everything is working fine. It's way more work than as a broker.
"But it's more satisfying as I decide the direction of my business, how my shops should look like and how to train my staff.
"I even let my eight-year-old daughter choose the name of my chain.
"The whole experience is more personal when you create your own business."

Apart from greater job satisfaction, Tsui's career change also proved to be fortuitous as the stock market was hit by the euro-zone debt crisis last year, with turnover plunging 23 per cent from 2011.
Tsui said he had invested about HK$20 million in his business so far and it has started to generate profits.
Like other entrepreneurs, he faces teething problems, too.
"High rent is the No 1 enemy for anyone who wants to set up a retail business in Hong Kong," he said. "It would be better to have small coffee and ice cream counters in shopping malls as the rent would be lower than for big, spacious shops. Still, each outlet needs to sell about 300 cups of coffee a day to meet rents."
Tsui's switch from broking to catering can be traced to his family background. He was born in Hong Kong but in 1974 his family migrated to Perth, Australia, where his father opened a Chinese restaurant.
He studied law and commerce at the University of Western Australia. After graduating in 1991, he did a stint at a law firm, mostly to fulfil his parents' hopes to be a lawyer. But he soon realised it was not his own dream, and opted for a career as a stockbroker instead.
In 1997, the belief in the Asian growth story made him return to Hong Kong with his wife. Apart from Taifook, he also worked in companies such as DBS and Bank of Communications, trading for clients and dispensing stocks tips.
After almost 20 years of broking, he decided to set up his own business. He considered several options and finally the stock analyst gave a coffee and ice cream business a "buy" rating.
"The coffee culture across Asia has grown substantially in recent years," Tsui said. "In Japan and Taiwan, many shops have opened in recent years selling freshly brewed coffee.
"Hong Kong is an international city and the coffee culture here is also growing as the young people and the middle classes see premium coffee as a lifestyle statement."
And, ice cream, for him, is a great item to sell with coffee because of the city's hot summers.
Looking ahead, Tsui wants to open more shops in prime areas such as the airport, where he says it is very difficult to find a spot.
"I hope the Airport Authority would allow more locally owned shops like Holly Brown to operate there as this is a home-grown story," he said.
Tsui is also considering branching out into the Philippines. "That country has a young population and a big expatriate community. Filipinos are renowned for their sweet tooth. Ice cream would be a great business there."


Sweet brew of success

From a lawyer to a broker to an entrepreneur, Raymond Tsui at his Holly Brown store at the Elements shopping centre. Photo: Edward Wong

Ice cream is a great item to sell with coffee because of the city's hot summers.

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Former broker finds greater job satisfaction in running stores selling coffee and ice cream than giving stock tips, despite more work and stress


What offers more buzz and sweeter returns than stocks? Coffee and ice cream, if you ask Raymond Tsui Yick-ki. After selling stocks for nearly two decades, Tsui decided to try something new and in 2010 opened his first coffee and ice cream shop.


Sweet brew of success

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Former broker finds greater job satisfaction in running stores selling coffee and ice cream than giving stock tips, despite more work and stress

Former broker finds greater job satisfaction in running stores selling coffee and ice cream than giving stock tips, despite more work and stress