Preface
Congratulations to Janie Tsao on being elected as the new Chairman of SCCCA for the term 2024-2025. Janie Tsao's contributions to society and the community are well recognized. Let's take a moment to understand her story together.
Janie Tsao: From Entrepreneur to Philanthropist
In 1988, Janie Tsao and her husband Victor started their business with $10,000 from their savings in her brother's garage in Irvine. Janie resigned from her job to focus full-time on developing personal computer peripheral products and markets. After establishing several key customers, they moved into an office building near UC Irvine. They had no idea that the Linksys brand they started would completely change how families and small businesses shared and used the internet. In 2014, they were inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame by the Consumer Electronics Association, further affirming their lasting impact.
Looking back at Linksys' success, Janie attributes it to being in the right field at the right time and meeting the needs of the era. The internet was booming, and Linksys focused on developing personal computer router products. Having already penetrated the retail channel, they were able to capitalize on the opportunity and capture a large market share. Linksys became the first company to make internet sharing accessible and affordable for homes and small businesses.
During their time at Linksys, they were chosen by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing private enterprises for seven consecutive years. Janie emphasizes that this honor was the result of wholehearted collaboration and hard work from the executives to the warehouse shipping team.
Janie's career began in literature, but she transitioned to computer software development and accumulated rich experience in large corporations. In 1976, she immigrated to the United States and joined Sears' computer programming language training class. Later, she served as a computer systems manager at Carter Hawley Hale, overseeing complex programs for seven retail department store brands. This experience in multitasking and logical management was crucial in her future business endeavors.
At Linksys, her husband Victor was responsible for product research and development while Janie managed sales and marketing. Janie often worked late into the night to prepare and make decisions for their next business move. This persistence taught her how to handle rejection and build management confidence. Janie excels at taking an objective, cool view in analyzing the pros and cons when faced with major decisions.
Inc. Magazine named Janie "Entrepreneur of the Year," attributing Linksys' success to step-by-step hard work, building from the bottom up. Her advice to young entrepreneurs is to start with a business they are passionate about and gradually build experience. In 2005, the Tsao couple sold Linksys for $500 million and continued to operate it for four years before completing the transition. Despite changes in ownership, Linksys remains headquartered in Irvine and has sold over 100 million routers.
After leaving Linksys, Janie and Victor established the Tsao Family Foundation, focusing on philanthropic efforts in education, healthcare, and environmental protection. They support various projects, including "pearl classes and schools" in Chinese villages and local institutions such as Hoag Hospital and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center.
Since 2015, Janie Tsao has served as a board director of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association (SCCCA). With her experience in settling in the United States and founding a business, she helps new immigrants assimilate into their new environment and promotes the long-term plan of passing on Chinese culture in American society.
前言
恭喜Janie Tsao當選2024-2025年SCCCA新任理事長。Janie Tsao對社會、社區的貢獻有目共睹，讓我們一起來了解她的故事。
Janie Tsao: 從企業家到慈善家
1988年，Janie Tsao和她的丈夫Victor從積蓄中拿出10,000美元，在爾灣其兄弟的車庫裡開始創業。Janie辭去了她的工作，全職致力於開發個人電腦外圍產品和市場。當他們建立了幾個重要客戶後，她搬進了靠近加州大學爾灣分校的一棟辦公樓。他們當時沒有想到，他們創立的Linksys品牌會徹底改變家庭和中小企業分享和使用互聯網的方式。2014年，他們被消費者電子協會引入消費電子名人堂，進一步肯定了他們的持續影響力。
回顧Linksys的成功，Janie認為他們的成功在於進入了正確的領域，產品滿足了時代的需求。互聯網正蓬勃發展，而Linksys專注於開發個人電腦路由器產品。他們已經滲透了零售渠道，能夠抓住時機，佔據了大量市場份額。Linksys成為第一家使家庭和小企業能夠負擔得起的互聯網共享公司。
在經營Linksys期間，《Inc.》雜誌連續七年將他們評為增長最快的私人企業之一。Janie強調，這一榮譽是整個團隊從高管到倉庫發貨團隊通力合作、辛勤工作的結果。
Janie的職業生涯始於文學，但她轉向了計算機軟件開發，並在大公司積累了豐富的經驗。1976年，她移民到美國，加入了西爾斯的計算機編程語言培訓班。之後，她在Carter Hawley Hale擔任計算機系統經理，管理多個零售品牌的複雜程序。這種多任務處理和邏輯管理的經驗在她未來的商業努力中至關重要。
在Linksys，其丈夫Victor負責產品研發，而Janie負責銷售和市場營銷。Janie經常工作到很晚，準備並做出下一步的業務決策。這種堅持教會了她處理拒絕和建立管理信心。Janie擅長客觀分析利弊並果斷解決問題。
《Inc.》雜誌將Janie評為“年度企業家”，她將Linksys的成功歸功於一步一步的努力。她對年輕企業家的建議是從自己熱愛的業務開始，逐步積累經驗。2005年，Tsao夫妻以5億美元出售了Linksys，並繼續經營了四年，然後順利交接。儘管所有權幾經變更，但Linksys的總部仍然位於爾灣，已經售出超過一億台路由器。
離開Linksys後，Janie和Victor建立了Tsao Family Foundation，專注於教育、醫療和環保領域的慈善事業。他們支持了各種項目，包括中國鄉村的“珍珠班”和本地機構如Hoag醫院和南海岸中華文化中心。
自2015年以來，Janie Tsao一直擔任南海岸中華文化協會（SCCCA）的理事。憑藉在美國安居和創業的經驗，她幫助新移民融入新環境，並推動在美國社會傳承中華文化的長期計劃。