China Entrepreneur: Voices of Experience from 40 International Business Pioneers

Introduction

“We had a couple of crazy experiences that tested my commitment to starting my company in China. Our first customer was also a potential competitor, a well connected local company. They had a very large deal with us (but later) . . . I guess they felt threatened that we would take away their customer. That wasn’t my intention, but they still felt threatened.

They knew we hadn’t got our business license yet, and that we were very poorly funded, so they decided to attack us. Their intention was to try to scare me out of China, and force my staff to join them. What they did was tell the police in Hangzhou that we had placed an espionage code into the telecom system. That is a very serious offense in China. It wasn’t true, but who knows whether truth is the deciding factor in these cases in China?

So, one Friday afternoon, at 5.30, the police showed up at our office. It was a very dangerous situation because I didn’t have a business license, so I didn’t have any ground to stand on. I didn’t have a lawyer either, as I’d never really needed a lawyer before. The police locked our door and put a seal across it. I thought I was going to be arrested for espionage!”

Interviewee, China Entrepreneur

Why Read China Entrepreneur?

Have you ever dreamed of launching a business venture in the world’s largest, fastest growing, and most dynamic consumer market? Many adventurous businesspeople from around the world have dreamt this dream, and more are joining them as China matures, opens, ...