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Invest the time to learn the language and the culture. If you are serious about success in China, you need a long-term vision. | ||
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The JLJ Group provides one-stop solutions to international companies who wish to enter or expand in the China market. Legally-licensed to provide a comprehensive range of services in-house, we provide top-quality service at competitive rates.
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The China market attracts a lot of companies and individuals. China is a market that has grown the most (at 9% on average) and for the longest period of time (20+ years) of any other country in history. The China economy is projected to be #1 economy in the world by 2040. Of course, everyone wants to be here now. However, this market is extremely competitive. Pressure on prices and margins is a great challenge; it is true for companies as well as individuals. The way to cope with this challenge is to develop competitive advantages, add value and avoid competing (only) on price.
Coping with environment
Quality of air, traffic, lack of outdoor recreation and other types of environmental stress are more of a personal challenge than a professional one, but still can’t be ignored.
The economy has grown very fast, with little or no attention to environmental issues. Now, of course, the government cares a great deal about the environment (with great business opportunities for foreign companies in the environmental sectors). Shanghai is still a great place to live but because of the general environment situation, it is a good idea to travel often, exercise regularly, be careful what you eat and take extra care of yourself!
Language and cultural differences.
I know it’s not the most original observation about China, but the fact is you are dealing with this everyday. Personally, I find language and culture differences a very exciting part of being in China. You learn something new (and get surprised!) every single day and, if you are alert, you can learn the basic things quickly. It’s a challenge, but it’s a fun one.
I did things differently from most professional people -- I spent the first 6 -9 months in China just studying Chinese. I tried to stay away from work at the beginning. Today, I am by no means fluent yet, but this time was a great investment. My “survival” level in Chinese, is very useful and very satisfying and I have built the basis to move up to the next level if I really want or need to. I’ve met people who have been here for 10 to 15 years and they don’t speak a word. It took some courage to do it, but in hindsight I’m very glad I did it.
At the professional level - we built our reputation by creating a consistent track record of superior quality work. We were careful to build our reputation on consistently superior quality work, creating a track record day after day. We used existing clients as a reference to get new business. As a result we were able to find opportunities that would have been unimaginable when the JLJ brand started 3 years ago. I can’t say much about specific projects because they are highly confidential, but I can say that it enabled us to encounter some very interesting situations and projects – and enjoy some major successes.
If you are serious about being successful in China, you need to have a long-term vision and stay on course. Don’t hope to come here and make it big in a year or two. You really need to think long term – 5 years, 10 years. At the beginning expect to invest time and energy (and be ready to cope with the environmental challenges). Spend some time to learn the basics of Chinese early on in your China experience. You need powerful motivation to be a long-term success here. The good news is, this is a terrific place to be in this historical time.
