COFFEE TALK: PAKSU AND MACIK

In this article, I am going to talk about two different Malay words: Paksu and Macik. They mean elderly uncle and aunt, respectively. I will share a story of an uncle and aunt who changed the course of our company. I have been telling this story for many years. There is a good chance that you might have heard it previously; nevertheless, please do not mind it when I recite the story again for our coffee talk.

It was through Paksu that we were able to gather many members for DXN in its initial days. He shall remain unnamed since his family is still active in our company at present. Mentioning his name would cause unnecessary trouble for his family. He passed away at an old age earlier this year. In his declining years, people who knew him used to refrain from talking about DXN because it would bring tears to his eyes. He was always clear about how DXN changed him completely. He loved DXN from the bottom of his heart. He changed our company’s trajectory as much as we helped him change his life.

DXN was facing a lot of problems back in 1993. The main issue was the lack of sales and members. When I went to the office, the clerk informed me that a mad man had come to the office. I noticed that Paksu was seated on the sofa, and he was sweating profusely, despite being in an air-conditioned room. I approached him and asked how I could help him. Paksu told me that his wife would roast coffee and sell it in a van. Due to business losses, he could not afford to pay an installment for the truck, and the bank seized it. Without the car, he couldn't sell roasted coffee, which was his only source of income. He was in dire need of help, and I offered to drop him home and talk to his wife.

He was shocked when he saw that I was driving a Volkswagen that was as old as me! He repeatedly questioned me regarding the same, and I answered all his questions. On the way to his house, Paksu told me that he learned something from me and that he should make his life too complicated. He realized that simplicity also had its benefits. We reached his house, and I broke the news to his wife. She began crying, and despite that, she prepared a cup of coffee for me. In a typical Malay family, it is a tradition to serve coffee to their guests. I comforted her and told her that there was no need to worry since Paksu could work for DXN and sell our products. He did not need a van for that job. After this interaction, Paksu became the first active member of DXN. He brought in a few people, and all of them were Malay. In the beginning, I used to focus on the local Chinese market since Lingzhi is a famous Chinese herb. However, they were not too keen on trying out our products though it was from their forests. They were scared of dying after consuming our products, and I had to assure them that I have conducted various tests frequently, and we have proved that it is not toxic. Nothing could change their mind, so I decided to shift trades away from them.

I spoke to the people that Paksu had brought in as potential members. I informed them that as DXN members, they were free to visit our farm and factory as per their wish. They were previously members of a Taiwanese company, and they had a bad experience there. The group was only concerned about the effectiveness of our products. If it was useful, they did not have a problem joining DXN. One group member told me that a Macik was suffering from knee pain, residing in a village close-by. One day, we went to visit the Macik. The village was located in a remote area, and the route to go there was dark and shady. We reached her house, and we all sat on the floor as she could not afford to buy furniture.

Macik was very thin and frail. She reminded me of my grandmother as she always used to smile and talk kindly to others. Macik told me that her children worked in different places, and only her grandchildren lived with her. She told me that she toiled hard in the field and would earn her living that way. But ever since her knee problems began, she had not been able to work in the field. She had a tiny and petite physique, and it was a clear sign of malnutrition. I advised her to take our RG and GL products and explained how it would help her. She was convinced, and she wanted to buy them. She went into her kitchen for the payment and brought a small handkerchief closed with a knot. This was where she kept her money. On counting it, it hardly amounted to 50 ringgits. This was a problem because, at that time, we were selling 30 pairs of RG and GL for 120 ringgits. My mind was running with multiple thoughts since I was always strictly against cutting prices. But Macik was poor, and I realized that this was all the money she had. Despite the rules that I followed, I sold her the products for 50 ringgits. I informed the group that the price of 30 pairs of RG and GL capsules would be 50 ringgits. This made everyone happy and content as they noticed that we cared for Macik. This convinced them to join DXN.

A couple of weeks later, Macik told us that her knee problem had decreased significantly and that she could work in the field again. This was a great review of our products. This story became viral, and it boosted our sales. We have never looked back ever since, and our products have always been the cheapest on the market. This enabled us to become the best Ganoderma company in the world.