With an annual revenue of 200 billion won, Lee Hyun-sam, known as ‘The God of Business’ who has made it to the Guinness Book of Records through home shopping, shares his secrets to success.
On the night of the 23rd, EBS and E Channel will jointly air ‘The Millionaire Next Door with Seo Jang-hoon’ (hereafter ‘The Millionaire Next Door’), featuring Lee Hyun-sam, the ‘living legend of kitchenware’ who developed the world’s first double-sided frying pan and surpassed 200 billion won in annual sales.
From a daily wage of 23,000 won to becoming a chairman with 200 billion won in annual revenue, his tumultuous life story will reach viewers.
Having suffered from poverty to the extent of filling his stomach with rotten potatoes as a child, he reveals that he dreamed of being an ordinary rich person who could buy new clothes during holidays and eat when others ate. After graduating from high school, he accidentally encountered a toast pan at Namdaemun Market and became a traveling merchant, embarking on the path of business.
Starting with the single thought of “I just want to earn 3 million won a month,” his business unexpectedly achieved great success. Lee Hyun-sam expressed his feelings at that time as “feeling like I had a money-printing machine.”
After the success of the toast pan business, he began developing the double-sided frying pan but faced repeated failures. Due to the enormous costs involved in development, he lost all his savings, and even his brothers had to co-sign for a mortgage on their apartment.
After much desperation, the double-sided frying pan, which he finally succeeded in developing, recorded a sales streak that was hard to keep up with due to the overwhelming number of orders. It became a hit, setting the record for the ‘fastest and highest sales in home shopping’ and making it into the Guinness Book of Records. Additionally, it expanded beyond Korea to over 30 countries, including China, Japan, Brazil, India, and Canada, dominating overseas home shopping as well.
The story of Lee Hyun-sam, from a poor mountain boy to a traveling merchant, from a successful businessman to a legend in the kitchenware industry, will be broadcast on the 23rd in ‘The Millionaire Next Door with Seo Jang-hoon’.
