去中國創業

Just an hour away from Shanghai by fast train is Hangzhou. Arguably the most entrepreneurial city in China, it is home to Alibaba, one of the most globally visible Chinese companies. The capital city of Zhejiang province boasts a vibrant start-up ecosystem of lesser known young companies, whose founders hope to emulate the success of Jack Ma, Alibaba’s founder.

坐高鐵從上海出發，僅一個小時便來到杭州。杭州可以說是中國最具創業精神的城市，這裏是最具全球知名度的中國企業之一阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的總部所在地。這個浙江省省會城市擁有一個充滿活力的創業生態系統，由不太知名的年輕企業構成，它們的創始人都希望效仿阿里巴巴創始人馬雲的成功。

Falafel Games is one such aspiring start-up. The company, which creates games for mobile devices, is an unknown entity to most western and Chinese audiences but has enjoyed much success in the Middle East. That is because Vince Ghossoub, its Lebanese founder and chief executive, set up a Chinese company to address what he saw as an opportunity to provide high-quality Arabic content to game-lovers.

法拉菲爾科技（杭州）有限公司(Falafel Games)就是這樣一家有抱負的初創企業。開發移動設備遊戲的該公司，不爲大多數西方和中國受衆熟悉，但已在中東取得了很大成功。這是因爲，黎巴嫩籍的公司創始人和首席執行官文斯?古西卜(Vince Ghossoub)設立了一家中國企業，去抓住他所看到的向遊戲愛好者提供高質量阿拉伯內容的機會。

Another young international entrepreneur in China is Julia Zotter, whose eponymous family chocolate business in Bergl, Austria, offers a range of unconventional flavours, such as bacon bits, pink coconut and fish marshmallow, saffron and pistachios, among its more than 400 chocolate products.

珠麗?珍得(Julia Zotter)是另一名落戶中國的年輕的國際創業家，她的總部位於奧地利Bergl的同名家族巧克力企業在400多種巧克力產品中，有一些非傳統口味的產品，比如醃燻肉碎粒、粉色椰子、魚味棉花糖、藏紅花和開心果。

In 2014, Ms Zotter, the eldest child of Zotter’s founder, Josef, led the family business’ foray into China and oversaw the establishment of the Zotter Chocolate Theatre in Shanghai, which allows Chinese customers who have not grown up with chocolate to taste the confectionery and create their own flavour combinations.

身爲珍得巧克力(Zotter)創始人約瑟夫?珍得(Josef Zotter)最大的孩子，珠麗在2014年帶領這個家族企業進入中國，並負責建造了上海珍得巧克力劇院(Zotter Chocolate Theatre)。並未伴隨巧克力一起長大的中國顧客可以在劇院裏品嚐這種甜點，甚至創建自己的風味組合。

Mr Ghossoub and Ms Zotter are examples of a small but noticeable breed of international entrepreneurs who have made China their home. Mr Ghossoub moved to Shanghai to do an MBA at Ceibs (China Europe International Business School) almost a decade ago, while Ms Zotter spent time in China as a high school student and developed a fascination for the country. Both became proficient Chinese speakers and they are using their connections back home and the advantages offered by the Chinese economy to create value in unique ways.

古西卜和珍得已成爲人數不多、但引人注目的一類落戶中國的國際創業家的代表性人物。近10年前，古西卜來到上海，在中歐國際工商學院(CEIBS)讀MBA，珍得則在高中時在中國度過一段時間，逐漸迷上了這個國家。這兩人都說一口流利的中國話，他們利用母國的人脈和中國經濟提供的優勢，以獨特方式創造價值。

Their stories represent a relatively unorthodox, but not untrodden, path for ambitious young people seeking a business education.

他們的故事爲那些尋求商學教育的有抱負的年輕人指出了一條相對不太正統、但也並非無人走過的道路。

Here are my three tips for making it as an international entrepreneur in China.

以下是我對成功地在中國做一名國際創業家給出的三條建議。

First, find a soft landing. China — even Shanghai, its most expat-friendly city — can be intimidating. Entry into China is smoother if there is a bit of hand-holding at the start, whether that be studying at a globally oriented business school like Ceibs, taking a summer programme tailored to internationals or joining an accelerator emphasising cross-border opportunities. This period will provide first-hand insight into the local situation.

首先，找到一條軟着陸的途徑。中國——即便是對外籍人士最友好的城市上海——可能令人生畏。如果最開始得到一點手把手的指導，無論是在一所像中歐國際工商學院那樣面向全球的商學院學習、參加一個爲國際人士定製的暑期課程，還是加入一個強調跨境機遇的“加速器”，進入中國都會更順利一些。這段時期將讓人獲得有關當地情況的第一手見解。

Second, build bridges. Even after spending some time in China, most international entrepreneurs I know have chosen not to go it alone. In some cases, co-ethnic ties help to identify a good local partner. Ms Zotter partnered with a business run by a fellow Austrian, along with an ex-colleague who was from Shanghai. In other cases, technical skills are the main consideration. Mr Ghossoub worked closely with a game development team in Hangzhou, which then became part of his new venture.

其次，建立橋樑。甚至在中國呆上一段之間之後，我認識的多數國際創業家都選擇了不單幹。在有些情況下，共同的民族紐帶幫他們找到了很好的當地合作伙伴。珍得跟一位來自上海的前同事一道，與一家由奧地利人經營的公司結成了合作伙伴。在其他情況下，專門技術是主要考量。古西卜跟杭州的一個遊戲開發團隊密切合作，該團隊隨後成爲了他的新創企業的一部分。

Third, select meaningful opportunities. As an international entrepreneur in China, you must be able to either tap a local advantage, such as gaming skills, for a market you know well, or bring to that market a unique offering, such as unconventional chocolate.

最後，選擇有意義的機會。作爲一名在中國打拼的國際創業家，你必須要麼能針對你非常瞭解的市場利用一項當地優勢、比如遊戲技能，要麼就給那個市場帶去某種獨一無二的產品，比如非傳統的巧克力。

Being an international entrepreneur is not for the faint-hearted but it is potentially a very rewarding adventure. If you try it out and it does not work, at least you would have learnt something.

膽小者當不了一名國際創業家，但這是一種潛在回報很高的冒險。如果你去嘗試了，但並未成功，起碼你將學到一些東西。