The New That Honours The Old

During my trip to Taitung, I stumbled upon a cluster of beautifully restored houses from the Japanese colonial era.

One building caught my eye—warm yellow lights, wide-open door, shelves of books, and a sense of calm. Despite the heavy rain, I stepped out of the car to take a closer look.

It turned out to be a small library, likely used by the primary school across the street. Later, I learned that this building was once home to a Japanese school principal and his family.

The way it was repurposed felt respectful to its origins. It honored the building’s history while giving it a new purpose, creating a sense of coherence between the past and present.

It made me think about how SMEs approach transformation.

Sometimes, business owners feel the need to change but struggle to find the right direction. Just as the library found a way to stay true to the building’s character,

businesses can find new ways to grow by building on their core strengths, rather than abandoning them.

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In these moments, I often find it helpful to start with three questions:

⓵ What are the 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 of the business?

⓶ What 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 sets it apart from others?

⓷ How can these 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 to connect the current business to its future direction?

Finding these answers can help create a clear, authentic path forward.

What are your thoughts? How do you think businesses can transform without losing their essence?

I first published this reflection on the "Innovation Made Simple. Growth Made Real” series on LinkedIn in Dec 2024.

The picture of the library and me was taken by my host from Books and Woods B&B.