And the rapid rise and fall of Pro Kennex, Taiwan's first big international brand, served as a cautionary tale. So Chen bided his time, gaining experience, building international connections and awaiting the right moment. Chen's determination to create his own brand was pragmatic: An illegal numbers game (dajia le) swept through Taiwan in 1988, and it was followed by a speculation-fueled stock-market boom.
但是要自創國際品牌，對當時的台灣代工廠而言簡直是天方夜譚，尤其看到我國第一個自創品牌的「肯尼士」（生產網球拍）暴起暴落的例子，讓他更加謹慎，他於是邊做邊學，累積國際人脈，靜待時機來臨。