An Unfamiliar Sight, But It's Genuinely Real
Those of you who have visited the Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom website have probably noticed that two consultation phone numbers are listed. One is the company's main number, 02-711-1191, and the other is 010-4311-1191 — my own personal mobile number.
These days, it's rare to find a CEO's personal phone number posted on a company website or online store. That's why many customers are puzzled. They look at it with doubtful eyes, as if to say, "Surely the CEO isn't going to answer the phone himself?" But what can I do? This is the only phone I have.
Many of the people who call at first ask cautiously, "Um... are you the CEO?" When I answer, "Yes, that's right," many are quite surprised. Some even marvel, "There are still companies like this in the world these days."
36,000 Connections, 36,000 Stories
If you open the contacts on my phone, there are currently more than 36,000 phone numbers saved. That's probably a number you'd rarely see on an ordinary person's phone. Even I am sometimes amazed: "So I've formed connections with this many people."
These 36,000 numbers are not just data. Each and every one of them is a person with whom I have shared a precious connection.
There was the person who, in a trembling voice at first, said, "Sir, my father has been diagnosed with OO..."; the person who, months later, shared their joy, saying, "Thanks to you, his condition has improved a lot"; and the person who called urgently at dawn, anxious and asking, "I'm sorry, but this symptom has appeared — is it okay?" The 36,000 contacts hold 36,000 stories.
Sometimes someone who called a few years ago phones again. "Sir, do you remember me? I'm the person who contacted you a few years ago." Of course I remember. Because their name is saved in my contacts. "Thank you for helping me so much back then. This time I'm calling again because my health hasn't been good."
In moments like these, when connections continue again, I become certain once more of why I made this number public. It is proof — and a badge of honor — that I have listened to many stories on the front lines and worried through things together.
Texts Sent by a Person, Not a Machine
In the afternoon, I personally send an informational text to every customer who purchases a product. It contains guidance on how to drink the product and how to store it. But most people assume it's just an automated, mechanical message.
I do understand, actually. These days most online stores send cookie-cutter messages through automated systems. But that text is sent by me, personally, thinking of each individual, with the very same heart I have when I deal with 36,000 customers.
The basic content may be similar, of course, but my heart when I send it is never mechanical. I send each text carrying the thoughts "I hope this person gets healthy" and "I wonder if they're having any discomfort."
So those of you who receive a text from me can think of it not simply as an informational message, but as an invitation that says, "You may ask me anything, any time."
Our Customers Are a Little Special
To explain the most important reason I make my mobile number public, you first need to understand the particular situation of our customers. Among those who come to Ohkinam Chaga Mushroom, there are truly many people who are ill. Or guardians who have such a family member.
Battling an illness isn't simply about taking medicine and receiving treatment. Every day is a series of choices, and worry and anxiety visit at every moment. Worries like these go on endlessly: "My condition feels strange today — is it okay?", "Is it all right to eat this kind of food?", "The doctor said this, but I heard other opinions too", "People around me are recommending all sorts of things and I don't know what to believe."
From a patient's standpoint, when thoughts like these flood in, it feels truly hopeless. It seems too trivial to call the hospital about, it's an awkward question to ask the people around you, and searching the internet turns up so much information that it only leaves you more confused. In times like these, you need someone who can answer clearly: "It's all right — here's what you should do."
All 36,000 people saved in my contacts were people carrying worries like these. And I have tried to share those worries with them and help even a little.
I Want to Share 21 Years of Precious Experience
I have sold chaga mushroom for 21 years, and for 14 of those years I ran a specialized care facility for cancer patients. In other words, I have worked in this field for a long time. During that time I have met more than 36,000 patients and guardians. We shared together everything — the difficulties encountered during treatment, concerns about diet, psychological anxiety, and the worries of family members. All of that experience accumulated to make me who I am today, and it is dissolved into the 36,000 contacts in my phone.
I also have more data than anyone on how chaga mushroom acts on our bodies and how best to take it to get the best results. But more important than that is that I know well, from the patient's standpoint, what difficulties patients and their families face during their battle with illness and what information they truly need.
Beyond Selling Products, I Want to Be a Companion in the Fight Against Illness
So my making my mobile number public is not simply for the purpose of selling chaga mushroom. Even if it has nothing to do with selling chaga mushroom, I want to share and help resolve the worries our customers face in the course of fighting illness.
Among those who call, many ask questions that have nothing to do with the product, such as "How should I choose a care facility?", "How should I manage their diet?", "What kinds of things can be done alongside hospital treatment?", and "Can this be taken together with the medicine they're currently on?"
I don't find such questions bothersome. On the contrary, if the experience I have can help someone, nothing is more rewarding. To those who are suffering alone and searching the internet, I want to say: "Just give me a call."
I am not a doctor, so I cannot diagnose an illness or decide the direction of treatment, but based on 21 years of hands-on experience I can give plenty of practical advice, such as "In cases like this, people usually did it this way, and this particular point is something you definitely need to discuss with your attending physician."
The Meaning of 010-4311-1191
Posting my mobile number on the website is a burden for me as well, and it is also a responsibility. But I believe that a company with a person who "can take responsibility" standing at the front ultimately lasts a long time. And the fact that 36,000 contacts are saved in my phone is proof that that many people trusted me and reached out.
010-4311-1191 — this number is not merely a contact point. It is the history of trust built up by laughing and crying together with 36,000 customers, and it is the channel of communication connecting me with our customers.
Do you have any questions about chaga mushroom? Has a moment of despair come to you in the course of fighting illness? Do you have a worry you don't know who to ask about? Don't hesitate — get in touch. I will gladly share the 21 years of experience and knowledge I have. That is precisely why I do this work.
- Kinam Oh, kinam_oh@hanmail.net
