Founder of Tom Lee Music single-handedly overcame adversity when he opened his first retail outlet 55 years ago
Sometimes a mishap in life is a blessing in disguise, and successful people have the tenacity to find ways to turn adversity into a driving force for success. Thomas Lee Tse-ven, founder of Tom Lee Music, ventured into the music retail business 55 years ago built on the trust of his friend who later failed him.
Mr Lee was not a born music prodigy. The original version of Tom Lee Music was textile trading business Tom Lee.
One day the young entrepreneur met a friend, who later became his business manager, who persuaded Mr Lee to open a music store selling musical instruments.
Without calculating much of the potential risks involved in selling musical instruments, he opened his first retail shop on Cameron Road in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1953.
After a stint of three months at the shop, the manager washed his hands of the business and took off without any explanation, leaving Mr Lee on his own.
'I had to run around trying to clear the inventory but without much success, and I was even being ridiculed by other players in the industry for running a business which I did not know much about,' said Mr Lee, who is now 85 years old.