Re-Inspiration From China

Personal Story of Entrepreneurial Inspiration

First sight of an entrepreneur spirit came to me when I was at age ten. Cold winter morning, yet I remember it was bright and sunny. My cousin and I went from door to door, hitting every grocery store in the main street Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia selling Band-Aids $0.5 a box. That afternoon, we made 30 dollars, which back then were really a lot of money. We earned much more than money that day. We learned about sales and ruthless determination, which are building blocks of entrepreneurism. The spirit of entrepreneurism from that winter day haunted me ever since.

All types of small ventures followed thereafter, but never the big ones. During the high school and college years, I never asked for a single penny from my parents. All my major expenses were paid independently from what I have earned. But there are lots and lots of rules, moralities, expectancies, and ethical don’ts that pressure some one who is harbouring a spirit that is wild and ruthless. Under this social pressure to conformity, slowly, the spirit goes away and hides in very deep that I could barely hear its voice.

Coming to China I have noticed everyone was on fire. Familiar aura of entrepreneur spirit was in the air and in everyone I met. Everyone I met had sense of drive, urgency, and result orientation without chain lock of conformity. I have met inspiring 30 years old engineer who makes close to a million dollars annually in his robotic engineering services rendered in manufacturing industry in China. I have met inspiring to meet 22 years old teacher who is also a small private school owner. I have met a young lady who works at two jobs and runs an advertisements firm in her free time. And I was deep inspired. Their creativity, imagination, hard work, and boundless drive to reach success call something deep inside me.

Being in entrepreneurial land, and hearing their call, the spirit has come back with vengeance. Pushed me hard to be better skilled, pushed me further to more attempts, and pushed me to finish what I have started half year ago. As a result of this calling, I have created a product that I have been dreaming for long time, and what I have created would help many people.

My mentor, dear friend Ben Robbins, the co-author of “The Venice Experience” has once said “Unskilled knowledge is useless, unapplied skill is even worse”. Its imperative for a person to be skilled in someway, its also better if that person has the spirit of entrepreneurism. Thanks to China, I have re-found my business savvy trades that I call entrepreneurial spirit.