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.