By the thinkBIG Team
"When I travel for work, checking out other clubs, people will ask me where I am from. When I say Singapore, they'll ask, 'Is that in China?', but when I tell them that I run Zouk, everyone knows!"
Lincoln Chen built Zouk into a brand name revered by dance institutions far and wide. Touted as one of the best clubs in the world, after 17 years Zouk still sweeps industry awards, the latest one being Best Nightspot Experience 2008 by the Singapore Tourism Awards. So how does Zouk club founder and nightlife maven, Lincoln Cheng have fun and make tons of money at the same time? Below he shares three life lessons that have made him successful.
1. Always be the pioneer in everything that you do
Looking back at his career, Lincoln has always believed in being the pioneer – he decided to use steel structures for high-rise buildings in Hong Kong while everyone was still using cement, and introduced the boating lifestyle there by selling luxury yachts. In fact, he had the foresight to propose building a world-class marina on Marina South in 1983, but it was rejected by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Linclon was the leading system furniture supplier in Singapore and handled numerous turnkey projects for the government sector. He opened Abraxas, a high-end furniture shop in 1986 to introduce designer furniture.
"I've always liked niche markets and I like to be original, doing things that haven't been done before," says Lincoln sharing his life philosophy.
In keeping with his innovative style, Zouk was the first club to fly in international DJs and pay them well to play out to clubbers. With major acts flying down and playing, Zouk's brand name as a dance institution spread far and wide.
2. Do what you love
Lincoln was a regular at legendary festivals like Summer of Love and Woodstock and in his younger days, he travelled around the world to party in uber-cool clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage and Hacienda. It was during one of his yearly jaunts to party island, Ibiza, where he caught DJ Alfredo, otherwise known as the godfather of Balearic house, a new blend of dance music that was very different from the usual pop tunes played commercially back then. The new sound intrigued Lincoln and he was hooked to this form of underground dance music, desiring to bring it to the masses. His dream came into fruition when he came upon an abandoned warehouse at Kim Seng Road. It was exactly what he had in mind for a super club. Together with four other investors, whom he eventually bought out after a few years later, Lincoln sank in $10 million dollars – an unheard of sum in 1990, to build his dream vision – Zouk.
3. Be a perfectionist
As a perfectionist, Lincoln lovingly restored the façade of the warehouse and gave it a white-washed Moorish design – largely influenced by the clubs in Ibiza. He also had some quirky ideas for the club.
"Design-wise, I wanted clubbers to be able to see the dancefloor everywhere they stood and I installed UV lights that would make white shirts glow so that people didn't wear their work shirts. I wanted clubbers at Zouk to make an effort to dress up when they came here!"
He also spared no expense when it came to the sound system, installing only the best aural equipment for his club. To test the dance music that he intended to play at Zouk, Lincoln held house parties for his friends who were well-travelled expatriates and fashion industry people, during the one-year that the club was under construction. His parties did very well and he moved them to hotel function rooms, and eventually to Warehouse disco, a newdefunct club in River Valley.
"This group was my target market for Zouk and they really enjoyed the music that I played. When the club opened in 1991, they were there every weekend, dressed up to the nines, ready to party," says Lincoln.
This group of 'beautiful people' made up 40% of his clientele. But soon everyone caught on and become devout fans, patronising the cutting-edge club every weekend.
Interview excerpt from Boss of Me! which profiles 20 outstanding movers and shakers in Singapore - find out how they overcame challenges and their secrets of success. Boss of Me! is available on Amazon.com for $15. You can also visit Pearlin's blog, www.bossofmesingapore.blogspot.com, for more information.
