TIP 32 : How "FUN" is it ?

In the games business we just need to ask ourselves 2 very simply questions:

1.) How FUN is this game ?

2.) What's so FUN about this game ?

If we can clearly answer these 2 questions then the game is worth a try. But if we fail to answer these questions dont try too hard to convince yourself as it will fail.

The Big Word is "FUN"

TIP 25 : Mistakes and Failures Inevitable

Everyone make mistakes especially when you decides to become an entrepreneur. No idea is ever perfect and no business plan is without changes. Once we decides on this entrepreneurship path its all about ...

1.) Fine tuning your mistakes.
2.) Understanding what when wrong and what you could have done better.
3.) Making sure you dont repeat the same mistake ever.
4.) Assess the mistakes and redefine new roads to take.
5.) Take each of these mistakes as a costly affairs which would brings you a better tomorrow to come.

Remember a true entrepreneur prevails the adversity always.

TIP 24 : The Necessary Accessories of Business in China

Many may not agree but doing business in China you can not be without a good car and for me a driver too. While I do not own a Mercedes, the first thing I did when I kick started my start-up was to select a new big sedan and hired a chauffeur.

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What's my main motives in doing so ?

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"Showing off" that you are a young start-up entrepreneur that have a chauffeur is a good excuse but also a good image to many especially people whom will be following you. Chinese people likes to work for successful and bosses they deem to be able to rely on to pay their salaries on time. Like it or not life is base on what you can see more ....

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I have a former friend whom had started 2 start-up and on both times the first thing he did was to buy a damn good car. The first time a LEXUS and in his second start-up a brand new Mercedes. His reason ... "this is China and the boss have to look good in order to have an army to follow you".

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Then comes providing the excellent door to door VIP service to your clients and potential partners where they get picked up at the airport, hand delivered every where they wants to go and gets send to the airport when they leave. Its like a 5 star hotel partnership and trust me everyone likes being treated like a VIP.

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This is especially important in Beijing where the taxis (cab) are dirty and you can faint when they talk to you ... haha ! Once a client said to in an email ... "This time when I was in town and did not arranged a time to catch you guys up I suddenly felt something was missing and it was the special Presidential service you had given me everytime I was in town. I miss your driver and his FREE drinks in your car and I especially miss all the good food and restaurant you had took me to. Thank you so much and I'm looking forward to return the Presidential treatment one day".

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Many of your clients may not notice the special treatment initially but once they tried it without your special attention especially when it rains or when winter hits town or in the middle of the hot summer you'll surely be remembered.

HERE IS A FUNNY STORY – The Rich Guy that Farted

Following the last tip 19 ….

I was 19 and was in a meeting with a night club boss and 9 of his managers, 3 DJ’s and 4 other show promoters like me in his stuffy meeting room filled with cigarettes smoke that makes the room looking like some place in heaven. One of the show promoter was presenting his idea for the club next entertainment and suddenly we heard a big “pppppuuuutttttttt ….. ppppiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt” sound of someone farted in the room.

The fart sound came from the other end of the table where the big boss was sitting down.

Before anyone could speak or laugh … there comes another “pppppuuuutttttttt ….. ppppiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt” sound and this time it was very apparent it was from him. Suddenly the room was silence after the fart and he spoke just these words …

“Continue the presentation … I m listening” and the promoter went on with his presentation … This was when I pretended that I had beep on my beeper and had to excuse myself in case the pollution reached my end of the table. After the meeting I asked 3 DJ’s why don’t they escape from the room ?

Answer One – he is the boss and the boss can fat if he wants too ….

Answer Two – you are daring enough to pretend to leave but we all cant do that as it will be obvious ….

Answer Three – well the smoke in room will kill the smell of the fart ….

Hahaha … get the joke of how people wordship rich people ?

Tip 19 : The Power of Money

I had a long time friend and former partner whom had swam with sharks and kept snakes besides him all the time during his course of doing business in China. I had often wonder “Whether he is afraid that these “snakes” will bite him one day ? And why don’t he just alienate himself from these people ? I understand that he is also making use of these people while keeping them at his side but such danger that these people are the type that can betray you for a better offer or sell you out at when they cant get FREE stuff ( parasites sucking on you) by your side !

So I ask him the ultimate question “Are you aware of what I m saying ?” and “Are you afraid at all ?”. Or “Do you have a formula ?”.

His answer is very simply …

1.) Just make sure that you are growing and continue to grow ….
2.) Be damn sure that you are always making more money everyday ….
3.) Continue to give a little as you are making much more ….

Oh ! Remember to show it out so everyone knows and spread the word.

Just these 3 simply advice ?

Well he answered … “Calvin in short just be bloody SUPER RICH that nobody wants to screw you as no one wants to screw a damn rich guy in case they need your help someday”.
Till today no one screw with him as he keeps up the 3 simply tips and make sure that everyone knows he is damn rich.

That’s the power of money in China.

TIP 17 : Buy an insurance at game development.

Back in January 2009 when we started EUROWEB Flash MMO Studio, we kick start with 1 studio ( team ) in Beijing. The team was ex-developer from an existing China top 5 Web MMO Co. racking in above RMB 20 million a month (*USD 3M), therefore they had the experience and know-how acquired already from their previous company. Getting this team was no easy task as it took us more than 6 months of continuous discussion before the team join us without the - 2X increase of salaries or a big fat bonus like how many games companies would offer to potential new candidates. What we really offered was (a.) Sincerity and (b.) A Chance for both sides to succeed together.

EUROWEB was born right after the Chinese New Year holidays of 2009 in Beijing.

In the games development business the 1st chance to fail is right at the development stage itself and given China hostile games industry of snatching and stealing games developers, we could just lose our entire team overnight. A close friend once invested in a team to develop a similar Flash MMO game in late 2008, after just 6 months his entire team left for a better offer which offered them 2x their existing salaries + a huge bonus. The team leader even got a car. So before you could even test whether your game scale or whether the game play mechanics works your entire team is gone and you will need to close shop.

This is the 2 most common 1st chance of failing at game development in China:
(1.) Your team leaves for what-so-ever reason.
(2.) Your game engine do not scale or your game play mechanics sucks.

An estimated 6 out of 10 games studio fail at these stage.

BUY AN INSURANCE !!!

A few months later we signed a cooperation project with a Flash MMO studio operated by a former employee of mine. In July 2009 we acquire the entire game engine we partly funded and cooperated with and launch EUROWEB Shanghai studio with a brand new team we assemble from here and there ... A month later we acquire an entire graphical team from a slagging game studio that's about to close down.

Now both EUROWEB Shanghai and Beijing is working on very similar engine and game genre. Both are based on a movie IP which we took up to produce the game. Why waste 2 studio resources on something so similar ?

The logic is simply ... we cant lose and we dont want to lose. If 1 studio fail to deliver we still have a 2nd chance with the next studio. If both studio delivers then we have something BIG at hand.

And we were right ... Beijing studio game was delayed for now 10 months and if the bets were on Beijing team the company would have not achieve what we have today. We would still be just a small "WORKSHOP" in a small rented office space shared with others.

"Insurance" strategy helped us to move forward and grow bigger. Remember if you stop growing and moving forward, we are probably on the road towards closure.

Tip 16 : You'll never know him till you do business together

I have meet a lot people in my years in China. The people you dine and party with are fun. There are also those that you think are really smart whom you sorta admire and those that you think are dumb ass whom will never succeed in China. Then there are some you think are really honest people and some whom you will never loan a dollar to as the face tells you he is a crook somehow. Funny how we all can perceive people we know and meet.

But the truth of really knowing someone is not mere becoming friends or good friends but to really "Get in bed with the person" ... haha "getting in bed dont mean sex" but doing business together.

Once you do business together you get to see the real person ... his/her real personality and the devil or angel behind that person. You'll also get to see their real self ... their true capabilities from all the drinking talks about how great a person he is and what he can do and etc ...

TRUE CASE

1.) I have know this guy for 8 years. Truely admire his knowledge in the games industry and his capability at work (*I had actually hired him into the same company before and as a co-worker tho' he dont report to me all I heard was good stuff about him). This was till I invested and partnered him in his company that I see the true business side of this person. The only thing he thinks of is himself only and all reasoning goes side ways. You would never believe that a guy could turn 180' when money is concerned.

2.) At the same time this happened to 2 of my friends, they have been good friends with each other. "J" had always supported "C" clubs and bars where he works for years ( 5 or more years ). They backed each other always when there is a bar fight and always meet for dinner. This was till they became real partners in a new bar and things became bad till they break up the friendship and leave in different directions.

So the next time you want to partner someone think carefully whether you want him more as friend as if he becomes your partner there is a good chance you will lose a friend.

Tip 15 : DEDICATION

My partner wrote in his "sms" to me today ...

"I really must admit I could not have manage so many task simultaneously at one go like you. You must have really good genes as you can go on working without much sleep, relaxation and yet dont go sick".

The magic is not because of good genes definitely but a STRONG DETERMINATION towards getting SUCCESS at all cost. Once you have a strong will and determination to do something you will somehow gather the strenght to get things moving. I m fully determine to make all my companies a success that I feel there is a hidden auro and power that wakes up early in the morning to seek what's next and to look into things that I could easily put to do another day.

If you want to be successful ask yourself are you really determine to get success ?

Tip 14 : Money First

I had an interesting meeting today with my Chief of Games Operations and my game designer on their game design and the aspects of WHAT A GAME SHOULD BE ? Interested to read more click on my other BLOG at - http://81million.blogspot.com/2010/08/which-road-to-take.html

When you are a start-up company and you need to decide on which road to take when designing a game ... always select the road that allows you to generate revenues first over having a good game. Remember always "someone have to pay the bills" especially when you are a start-up.

Tip 12 : All About LUCK !

When ever someone ask me what;s my formula for success ... 8 out of 10 times I always mention its pure "LUCK" or "Lucky Me". The truth ...

1. All of us have good and bad luck. You need to be the person whom continued to push forward and keep on going and when good luck comes you'll be there to receive it. No one have bad luck forever so just be sure you are ready when the light turns green.
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2. When I had hard luck ... I work harder !
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3. If you stop looking you will never find luck ... so dont ever stop looking. Look at a golf player they never stop practising as the more they practise it seems the luckier they become.
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4. There is no better time to start looking for luck than today. Start early and become luckier.

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Lastly when you believe you are in luck ... you be lucky !

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Good Luck !

Tip 9 : Dont be afraid to Fail

Failure is the road towards Success ...

At the age of 17 I made my 1st $100,000 and became a top school icon for my business in events organizing and teens parties every Saturday. I even quit all my positions at the various school clubs I held - President of Computer Club, Interact Club Funding Director and ..... as it was more fun and more money coming my way every weekend then spending time at these clubs which do not profits me. Then after leaving school to college I make the business into a real business and soon I was operating 3 companies - an event company, a model and show agency + a chocolate business ( Ashburry Chocolates ). A holiday trip to Taiwan allowed me to see the karaoke craze there and soon I own a Karaoke bar in downtown too.

Business were good and I was a millionaire by the age of 19. I get to parties every night but my studies were definitely affected. Luckily life is not always good sailing as the storm set foot into my life just when I bought a brand new BMW with cash. My karaoke bar one night was found to be heavily in debt as my partner and manager had been stealing from the club buying in loads of stocks and selling it off at much lower price to fuel his losses on the stock market. He is no where to be found when people start knocking at the club door. Then the recession breaks in and my clients started defaulting on their payments and eventually closed door. I had little experience in managing such situation then and went into heavy debt.

Eventually losing everything including my new BMW.

This failure taught me a lot in the coming years of my life. Especially how to handle a deep fall and that business is never about winning at every game. I had come back up after my studies, paid back every penny of my debts and became a millionaire once again but only to lose it all once again. This time not a BMW but a 3 storey villa with 9 rooms.

Business is like playing poker.

There is no super poker player as even the top guys dont always win but they do win more than they lose. In business its the same ... as long as you win more than you lose eventually you'll become a top winner. The online games business is such certainly ! Not every game on Shanda portfolio is making money, the same goes for THE 9 which WOW used to contribute more than 90% of its revenues.

Learn from these failures and as long as we dont repeat the same mistakes we are setting a path towards success. Great start-up entrepreneurs such as Marc Andreessen, Steve Jobs, Mark Pincus, Mark Cuban and Evan Williams are “winners for all time” not because they don’t fail, but because they win more often than average players. Remember behind these guys have a forgotten story of loses and failures too which help set their path today.

Tip 4 : Being SMART versus being SCREWED

China is the toughest market for Internet and online games despite being one of the biggest market worldwide. So being SMART is not enough for China as you have to be screwed too ! My partner JOUNI said "Good luck if you think all you need are the marketing and management know how's from university as in China those we learned can only go a mile".

What we learned at university will give us a living hood probably but what we learned on the street even if its from someone whom had kicked your ass real hard and/or from veterans entrepreneurs will give you a fortune one day.

I been through this hard road and prevail as a smarter guy whom is equipped with screwed tactics know-how to prevent and protect the next ass I meet.

Tip 3 : Go BIG forget about being small

1.) When choosing a business always goes for the one that have potential to be really BIG and let others do the small stuff.



2.) When planning your company future always plan it to be BIG and dont ever think small.



3.) When selecting a deal always just go for the BIG deals only leave the small ones for others.



4.) If you want to dream please dream BIG and leave the smaller dreams to others.



WHY BIG ONLY ?
Because it takes as much effort to be BIG and to be small. Closing a BIG deal most often takes as much time as closing a small deal. The after sales service that's needed to be given to a BIG deal is the same as a small deal, the only difference is you make more money in the BIG deal. The time to produce a 10 million RMB virtual world and a 1 million RMB virtual world is the same, this is a lesson I had learned at iLEMON.

So go BIG and never think small.

Tip 2 : Meet the Right People

Yes - meeting the right people is highly important in China. I m not a highly social guy but somehow I make it a point to know the right people in those industry that I wanted to be in either via friends introduction or I attend forums and expo that these people will be speaking at.

There is a saying - "it is not what you know but who you know that will make you successful" well this statement do hold a lot of truth. Graduates from Havard, Oxford and Insead have a better chance at being successful in today's market not because they are the smartest people in the world but because these Universities do produce a few top key people and if you are connected with them you probably get a better shot in life. The way these Universities program their after service such as the alumina is key factor is helping the people communicate and social which in returns creates opportunities.

I once thought that certain people was quite impossible to reach or to get acquainted with but a good friend showed me otherwise ( Thanks ALVIN FOO ). He showed me how anyone is within reach and no more than 6 people you know will know them ( what a theory ! ). He showed me how he used LINKEDIN ( Thanks Linkedin.com ) that helps him propel his status from a PA to start-up mobile marketing company to head of NOKIA mobile marketing and then to Vice President of a listed mobile marketing company all within just less than 24 months.

So knowing the right people is core important in being successful !

Tip 1 : Choose the hottest industry and market

While everyone wants to believe that innovating a new industry and market is the best method to become successful and rich, we need to ask ourselves how many of us can be Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? There is plenty of success that can be achieved by just following and riding on trends and even fads depending on how we tap on these waves.

When choosing a market and business to be in, always choose:

The HOTTEST industry and talk of town "TO BE" - you will need to spot the "TO BE", what the market will be talking about 'COMING SOON' or what will be the HOTTEST topic in the coming next 6 to 12 months or if possible be atleast 12 to 18 months ahead of time.

Example : You will need to notice SNS as a potential business in China when Facebook was still in its stage of recruiting Universities members. XiaoNei.com noticed this in China and mimic exactly but sold it a little too early at too low a price tag to MOP.com whom spin it into hundred of millions of USD when Facebook opens up.

When I started iLEMON.com with my partner, Habbo was growing like crazy and expanding rapidly. We push forward as fast as possible as we knew in 6 to 10 months "Virtual Worlds" will be even a hotter topic on the internet space. And we were right it did became hot when Disney acquired Club Penguin for 700 millions. Disney, Nickelodeon and cartoon Networks all pledge 100 million investments into virtual worlds. We were part of the hottest business talk of town back in 2009.