Stay away from politics
Demos returned to Taiwan after receiving a bachelor's degree in information management from New York University. Scrupulously abiding by his father's wish for him to stay away from politics, he struggled on his own to survive there.
Demos said he was deeply influenced by his father, who trained him to be an observant and responsive guy. Two years later, noticing that people in Taiwan were quite obsessed with famous brands but there was no world-class design company yet, Demos founded DEM in 2003 together with his younger brother, who graduated from Parsons The New School for Design.
With a dream team of first-rate designers like Michael Young and Alberto Puchetti, Demos' business grew rather quickly at the very beginning.
However, the rapid expansion eventually brought a big financial gap of NT$9 million as the designers had been increased from 20 to 50 within one year. The company nearly collapsed in 2006.
"If you cannot manage the costs of a design company, there will be problems," concluded Demos, who was even planning to sell DEM.
Fortunately, the company signed a NT$13 million contract in 2007, which helped DEM live through the crisis.
Speaking of the characteristics of his products, Demos said that they are trying to create a trendy experience for the customers through their designs.
"Apple is successful because it gives a new experience to its users. You can lead a normal life without the Apple products, but you will be labeled as 'outdated,'" explained Demos.
Now a rather successful man, Demos stressed that he will continue to be a businessman and make an even better life for his family and employees.
