December 14, 2009
Once, I am Sure, I knew what I have to , but seems there is blank last few years. Untill I recall now, Monday, December 14, 2009. That is ‘Good business is business that help people much more than reward’.
As most of families in China, I am the only child of my parents. They are government employees, decent income, they give me everything I wanted and even feed me for life, I so afraid about that .
I want to be a business owner. When I was a child in primary school, teacher ask us to establish the ambition, I do not hesitate to say that I would like to be a free small business owner. Because in my school days, always make trouble, the teacher told me many times that my wrong behaviors had been recorded to my file , and you have no future, cannot find jobs.
After graduating in 2001 from SCUT. As before graduation, I spend too much time playing online games, I found a job but not very well in Shenzhen. Then my father advise me a job in the Canton Fair, work in Guangzhou, so I did not go to Shenzhen, that work in Canton Fair . It a very comfortable work, when there is no fair, we play games in the office, and even go home to sleep a while. Although this work is near to my childhood ambition which hope my work is free , but I still want to set up my own business, I began to pay attention that if any opportunity .
It is really busy when the Canton Fair time, I and my companies like firemen to solve ‘fire’ everywhere, so many staff but the work always not done in place. The visitors just like flies without head, waste there time. Both exhibitors and guests are complaining. I even thing the Fair will close down if there is not official support and resources.
I know it is an opportunity to set up my own business. Because I believe good business is business that help people much more than reward . Fair’s website was very poor at that time, use Microsoft’s asp and windows 2000 server, it is impossible to open when there is too much people click on the website, and no specific person to answer the question for exhibitors and guests.
I played a lot computer games at that time, found that many unofficial websites and forums are better than the official website, and also much more people visited, because they can really help the players. I want to set up an unofficial website like a trade fair Q & A website.
So I prepare and began to do it, registered a domain name cantonshare.com, find hosting(expensive at that time), write progarm, design by myself.
Unexpectedly, during the fair, some student, who temporary employment, were playing pokers just right in my very eyes. They are relatively to poor vocational school only, I was exasperated against such actions happening, so I just threw their cards into the trash at working time. However, they were not repentant of that and even my work mass up either. My leaders came to me for that, and I was very aggressive and insist that my point was right, which shocked his reputation, finally he just getting very angry on me!
I resigned and asked the leader if they could do me some supports if I am going to build up an unofficial Canton Fair website. But he just treated me as the fun of a bold, and I’m just sneering in confidence.
At that time I had already lived on myself out of my family, I do not want to get any suport form them since I graduate.
I had money could let me survive only 5 months, more or less, so I could not invite any employee. I asked for help from my girlfriend, however, a few days later she just went away from me.
4 months after, my Fair Q & A Website was on line, when the SARS epidemic happening willfully. I emailed to all my friends, but none came to help me. I’m just impressed of a friend from Greece, who wrote several articles for me warmly. From then on, I have to do all by myself with my poor English language. I made numerous of mistakes. First of all, I had not enough money, even I could not offer myself with food soon, and I could not get too much to be prepared. Secondly, my host was in the China, and I think many guests could not visit the website. Thirdly, I could not find advertisers for advertising because of lack of money. Even more, my website starting to work just before the fair time, which was not so popular.
The deadly thing I was too lonely, and I stay in the house more than four months without a past, and did not find friends to play. Eat without a timetable, day and night reversed, and the body getting worse. That few people visit the website, I began to miss the days of employees and friends. Without money, and I have to look for parents to take some money, and they although they are still in favor of me, but I know they are inveracious.
I become crazy and quit, no money, I took down the server.
I have sent too much resumes to the company, working in the factory in Guangzhou Shenzhen and Dongguan, to do some magazine advertisements, do the express in Guangzhou, making the high-tech server , do external trade , although I have done a poor job, but I sill save some money?
Before 97th of the Canton Fair, I was very confused. By chance I found we can cleaned up a profit of hotel agency during the fair, I was think of my cantonshare.com, use it to booking! But I can not find the procedure when I want to find it, I sent up a simple booking website,
informed my foreign friends before I worked in the fair, we gladly it is a good business, and also ask for a girl for the job, but it was also too busy . So a partner Ansi who from the same university with me, he came to help, I have bought cantonfair.biz, cantonfair.net domain name. Next Fair, has not spent a lot of money on advertising, I can actually earn money for survival and development for two years. Anythin I shoud do next is spent more money on google and other advertisements, improve service, untill now.
Look at our website,besides the booking service something else is garbage. Why should this thing happen? Only this to make money so we only update this. But I was wrong, We should help people more. I know that made it best the Canton Fair and China’s import and export information, then will be more people visit our website in order to help them, this is the business.
When I star to doing business, I know just help the people is the business, but I got a lesson have not money and put it forgot. I take it back now. Any difficulties I have to hang on.
Now we have to make it best and help our business friends and exhibitors friends by our three website:
1. Canton Fair Business Service and Hotel Reservation: http://www.cantonfair.net
2. Canton Fair Information: http://www.cantonfair.info
3. Canton Fair and China Business Forum: http://www.guangzhoubbs.com