去中国创业

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.

坐高铁从上海出发，仅一个小时便来到杭州。杭州可以说是中国最具创业精神的城市，这里是最具全球知名度的中国企业之一阿里巴巴(Alibaba)的总部所在地。这个浙江省省会城市拥有一个充满活力的创业生态系统，由不太知名的年轻企业构成，它们的创始人都希望效仿阿里巴巴创始人马云的成功。

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.

法拉菲尔科技（杭州）有限公司(Falafel Games)就是这样一家有抱负的初创企业。开发移动设备游戏的该公司，不为大多数西方和中国受众熟悉，但已在中东取得了很大成功。这是因为，黎巴嫩籍的公司创始人和首席执行官文斯?古西卜(Vince Ghossoub)设立了一家中国企业，去抓住他所看到的向游戏爱好者提供高质量阿拉伯内容的机会。

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.

珠丽?珍得(Julia Zotter)是另一名落户中国的年轻的国际创业家，她的总部位于奥地利Bergl的同名家族巧克力企业在400多种巧克力产品中，有一些非传统口味的产品，比如腌熏肉碎粒、粉色椰子、鱼味棉花糖、藏红花和开心果。

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.

身为珍得巧克力(Zotter)创始人约瑟夫?珍得(Josef Zotter)最大的孩子，珠丽在2014年带领这个家族企业进入中国，并负责建造了上海珍得巧克力剧院(Zotter Chocolate Theatre)。并未伴随巧克力一起长大的中国顾客可以在剧院里品尝这种甜点，甚至创建自己的风味组合。

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.

古西卜和珍得已成为人数不多、但引人注目的一类落户中国的国际创业家的代表性人物。近10年前，古西卜来到上海，在中欧国际工商学院(CEIBS)读MBA，珍得则在高中时在中国度过一段时间，逐渐迷上了这个国家。这两人都说一口流利的中国话，他们利用母国的人脉和中国经济提供的优势，以独特方式创造价值。

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

他们的故事为那些寻求商学教育的有抱负的年轻人指出了一条相对不太正统、但也并非无人走过的道路。

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

以下是我对成功地在中国做一名国际创业家给出的三条建议。

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，找到一条软着陆的途径。中国——即便是对外籍人士最友好的城市上海——可能令人生畏。如果最开始得到一点手把手的指导，无论是在一所像中欧国际工商学院那样面向全球的商学院学习、参加一个为国际人士定制的暑期课程，还是加入一个强调跨境机遇的“加速器”，进入中国都会更顺利一些。这段时期将让人获得有关当地情况的第一手见解。

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，建立桥梁。甚至在中国呆上一段之间之后，我认识的多数国际创业家都选择了不单干。在有些情况下，共同的民族纽带帮他们找到了很好的当地合作伙伴。珍得跟一位来自上海的前同事一道，与一家由奥地利人经营的公司结成了合作伙伴。在其他情况下，专门技术是主要考量。古西卜跟杭州的一个游戏开发团队密切合作，该团队随后成为了他的新创企业的一部分。

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.

最后，选择有意义的机会。作为一名在中国打拼的国际创业家，你必须要么能针对你非常了解的市场利用一项当地优势、比如游戏技能，要么就给那个市场带去某种独一无二的产品，比如非传统的巧克力。

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.

胆小者当不了一名国际创业家，但这是一种潜在回报很高的冒险。如果你去尝试了，但并未成功，起码你将学到一些东西。