China business prospect: opinons wanted

[elAdi]

Hi,

Two questions here. 1. I have the possibility to work myself into a Chinese start-up. I help building and part of my 'salary' goes into become a partner. The guy I work with is an Expat here in OZ and is very driven about the projects. I trust him and believe this might be a good oportunity, as I would like to live/work in China for a while anyways. The prospect of the project is obviously 'unknown' as in so many start-up's, but what do I have to loose? Some hundrets hours of work. What do you think, does it make sense to go on such an endavour? Did anyone here 'work-in' like this?

2. The web platform I am developing, will be in Chinese. I have obviously never done this before. Has anyone here? You're hints and tips are very welcome. What will I have to consider developing the site?

Thank your your help and opinons.

Adrian
www.aresthetics.ch
www.aresthetics.ch/trav

[Snitchcat]

1) Make sure you have everything in writing and signed off -- include all the details. If it's not clear, don't agree to it. If the explanation will come later, get a signed-off deadline. This isn't being obnoxious or what-have-you, this is protecting yourself.

2) How much do you know about the Chinese market? Do you understand the legalities involved? (Whether you handle that part of the business or not, you still need to know.) What is the content of your project(s)? (Watch for the censors -- they're still in place.) Is there a market for your product in China? Do you have the resources to compete?

3) The web platform: do you read / understand Chinese? Not as silly a question as it may seem -- being able to understand the language will help you understand the culture and the way the market works. And if only your partner understands, that's not enough, especially if you expect to own half the business.

4) Are you building this platform on your own? If not, who's in your team? What are the HR issues you'll be facing?

5) Where is your hosting facility? Does it meet your expectations?

Personally, I would get a business plan together and satisfactorily answer the above questions and the host of others that occured to me. While I believe doing business in China is a very good idea, leaping in with 'prospect unknown' is something else -- businesses in this sector of the world tend to start up very quickly and fold just as quickly if not thoroughly prepared / researched.

Enjoy and good luck with your endeavour.

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