After two weeks in Ningbo, I ended up not starting a company; I felt that I wasn’t ready to commit to the city. I had told my friends there I would return in September and really buckle down and be in Ningbo permanently.
Instead, I ended up in Hong Kong. I believe this was due to insecurities and the fact that I didn’t feel I really belonged in Ningbo because of the pace. In Ningbo, the pace of life is not as fast as it is in Hong Kong. Things are just not as convenient in Ningbo. There are fewer resources, and the lack of good public transit, along with the general layout of the city makes it difficult to get around without a car. In contrast to first-tier cities, the density is not as high and to buy the things you want requires a long commute.
What do we consider important when finding a place to live? Is it the pace of life? Is it convenience of getting goods and services? What are the things that really matter? For me, it was important to take a good hard look at what I cared about, instead of making up excuses.
I ultimately felt that I liked the pace in Hong Kong better than that in Ningbo. In Hong Kong, food is available on every corner, transportation is ultra-fast and cheap, and communication is much easier with English being more widespread.
Everything moves faster in Hong Kong, even including people walking to escalators. I’ve grown accustomed to that pace.
Speed is the only advantage a start-up has over a larger corporation.
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Swimming with Asian Sharks - Business Secrets from the Pacific Rim
Non-FictionEver wonder what it takes to do business in Asia? How do Asian business executives behave and think? Do you want to create a business from scratch in under 24 hours? If so, this is your guide. This book is a compilation of over one hundred business...
