Anson Zhang - One Stop Warehouse
Anson Zhang is the founder of One Stop Warehouse, Australia’s largest Solar Distributer. Stocking everything from PV Panels, Inverters, Solar Storage options to racking, components and all electrical needs - they are indeed one stop for your solar needs. Anson’s hard work and fantastic success earned him a spot as a finalist for the 32nd Annual Henry Ngai Medium to Large Business Award.
Q: What brought Anson to Australia?
A: It was curiosity that led 22 year old Anson Zhang to travel to Australia in 2005 to complete his post-graduate MBA studies. Experiencing a foreign land, Western culture, its lifestyle and opportunities were at the top of the list.
Q: Where did the inspiration to start his business come from?
A: It didn’t take long for Anson’s entrepreneurial, adventurous spirit to drive him to find out what being a business owner was all about. Four years in the IT industry and a chance conversation with an acquaintance in the solar installation market was all it took to get the cogs turning.
Anson Zhang pictured with Joseph Assaf AO, Founder and Chairman of the EBA
Q: How was the business funded in the beginning?
A: Anson started the business with $100,000 of his own money, that he had saved up working in IT.
Q: What growth has the business experienced since its inception?
A: Anson recalls having to go door knocking around Perth in the first year of business to find customers willing to partner with the business. This paid off, with the business making a turnover of 6.5 million dollars in it’s first year.
These encouraging figures led Anson and his business partner to expand a second branch in Adelaide. Anson was constantly injecting money back into the business and soon had branches in Brisbane and Melbourne.
A few years ago, they expanded into Sydney in what Anson describes as a “full circle moment". From humble beginnings as a two-man team, One Stop Warehouse has grown to a business turning over $500 million in the wholesale distribution of solar and battery systems with over 130 employees, owns 23% market share across Australia and has since ventured into the gas and electricity retail space.
“In Australia, everyone is given the same opportunities, and we can make things happen”
