Our core values have kept us in business for 25 years
Trust
Win win
Excellence
Long term
Trust
We believe that trust is the foundational pillar upon which every healthy business relationship is built,
furthermore, we know that long-term relationships would not exist without a strong presence of mutual
trust.
BST HK has been around for over 25 years, and the main reason why we are
still around is
our ability to integrate a framework of trust into every aspect of our business. In other words, we
have
managed to systematize trust and build a trust-first company culture.
2 main tools that we use
to systematize trust and establish a trust-first company culture.
Transparent communication:
We
believe that the only way to establish deep trust over the long run is by saying things as they are.
This is our first-order principle for performing both internal and external communication. We
continuously encourage our employees to practice radical transparency when it comes to
communication, as
that is the only way to protect trust in the long run.
Integrity-led decision-making: We
are strongly committed to integrity in the process of decision-making. This does not come difficult
or
costly to us as we rely on transparent communication and world-class expectation management with
both
our suppliers and our buyers.
“Trust is what we live and breathe here at BST” (Dejan Minic)
Win win mentality
Our vast experience in this field of business has taught us the dangers of being trapped in the zero-sum
mentality, believing that there is ultimately only 1 winning party and thriving to be that single winner
who takes it all.
A zero-sum mentality always results in cut-throat
competition and a
hostile/unsustainable business environment with a very little long-term perspective.
We at
BST
are wired differently, we believe that the only healthy and sustainable way to do business is by
ensuring that all stakeholders are winning.
We show firm dedication to exploring win-win
scenarios at each step of our business dealings. Such an approach has enabled us to build a rich
portfolio of long-term relationships both with our suppliers, buyers, employees, and banks! Some of
these relationships are in fact as old as our company!
“A win-win mentality is a
prerequisite
for thinking long term” (Ashish Shukla)
Dedication to excellence
This is a value most strongly advocated by our founder Dejan Minic. Although he rarely talks about it, he
is dedicated to showing us what it means through his daily dedication to producing excellent work
outputs.
There is no simple recipe to achieving excellence, but there are a
couple of major
ingredients, such as focus, courage, and humility.
Focus:Metals are
scarce but not nearly as
scarce as the focus is in the 21st century. Focus is the most scarce asset in the world right now,
and
we are lucky that our leaders have it plentiful. The laser-sharp focus that they bring to the table
every working day is contagious, it spreads across the whole team. Achieving excellence in our often
hectic work environment is impossible to imagine without having a deep focus on the execution of the
most critical tasks.
Courage:The highest form of excellence is only expressed during tough
times. Having the courage to face all the challenges and address all problems with a cold head is an
invaluable virtue in our business. Courage separates the good from the great, and it is the only
true
path to excellence.
Humility:It is at the exact moment when one starts thinking how great
he/she is that he/she moves furthest from greatness. We do our best to leave our egos at home and
always
be open to thoughtful criticism and thoughtful disagreement. Excellence is a team effort, usually
impossible to achieve without advice, criticism, disagreement, and debate with your
peers.
“Excellence is at the core of all BST’s business operations” (Dejan Minic)
Long term orientation
BST has been in business for a quarter of a century, and we have no plans to stop anytime soon. We are
building an intergenerational business, and that is why we take great care in nurturing our long-term
relationships and building a strong reputation as a long-term, reliable and trustworthy partner to both
our suppliers and our buyers.
“All of our business decisions aim toward
optimizing the long-term
success of our company” (Dejan Minic)