In my last article, I talked about how lonely it can be for expats in China, especially if you’re here without friends or family.
Your main goal becomes just surviving, no matter what. The hardest part is the waiting. Two months ago, I joined a young startup. I have two partners: a Russian guy named Misha and a Chinese guy named Hu. We’ve already rented an office, hired our first employees, and are developing three new business ventures.
Denis, Misha, Hu
We’ve accomplished a lot in two months, but we haven’t made any money yet. I get that it’s too early to expect profits. We need to keep investing our time, resources, and money. But it’s tough on the morale. Until your income matches your expenses, you constantly feel this inner anxiety.
This anxiety is made worse by the many challenges expats face in China. First, there are cultural differences. It can be tough to understand what your partner or employee is thinking because the cultural context and communication styles here are so different from what I’m used to. For instance, in China, many things are handled informally through personal connections, known as «guanxi.» Building these connections takes time and effort, and until we have them, we feel somewhat isolated.
Second, there’s the bureaucracy. Registering a business, getting the necessary licenses and permits – all of this takes a lot of time and effort. The language barrier also causes issues. Even though Misha and, of course, Hu are fluent in Chinese, I still run into situations where my lack of language skills leaves me at a loss.
Another big challenge is the competition. The Chinese market is incredibly dynamic and saturated. Countless startups and large companies are all vying for customers’ attention. Sometimes it feels like we’re a small fish in a huge ocean, where something new and better pops up every day.
And then there’s the loneliness. Despite having a team, I often feel lonely. Misha and Hu have their own circles of friends, their own interests, and habits. I miss speaking my native language and discussing familiar topics. Sure, we work together, but after work, everyone goes back to their own lives. Sometimes it feels like I’m on an island, surrounded by people yet still alone.
But despite all these difficulties, I believe in our project. I believe in our team and our ideas. Every day brings new challenges but also new opportunities. The key is to not give up and keep moving forward.
Let me tell you what we’re doing here. Our team currently consists of 8 people: me, Misha, Hu, Zuvi, MiaoMiao, Wu, Ronald, and Daniel. We call ourselves Dragon Sky Consulting.
We have three main areas of focus. The first one is EnterChina.ru – finding equipment and providing other services related to business between China and Russia.
DSConsult.pro – similar to the first focus but in English and Spanish for an international audience, and with a greater emphasis on engineering, not just finding equipment. This is because we have Ronald (from Peru) and Daniel (from Ethiopia) with us. Both are engineers by training and top-notch specialists with strong competencies in engineering. Thanks to my experience and expertise, I can localize any Chinese software. So, the main focus here is finding equipment and engineering.
And the third area is completely new. I have solid skills in digital marketing. I launched all our websites almost single-handedly and very quickly. I have a good understanding and experience in promoting websites to foreign markets, strong skills in promoting websites in the Russian-speaking internet, and some experience in the English-speaking internet. We decided to offer services to Chinese businesses to help them expand abroad – from setting up companies to creating websites and promoting those websites in search engines. The website for the third direction: https://loongxiao.cn/
Yes, we have a lot of work right now, and we haven’t seen any revenue yet. But despite all the challenges, there are positive aspects that help us move forward and grow our business.
One such aspect is our team’s diversity. At Dragon Sky Consulting, we have people from different countries and cultural backgrounds. This creates a unique work environment where everyone can contribute their ideas. For instance, Ronald and Daniel, with their engineering expertise, help us consult our Russian clients on technically complex projects and find optimal solutions. Misha and Hu, on the other hand, help us better understand the Chinese market and build relationships with local partners.
Another positive is the opportunities that come from working in China. The Chinese market is vast and dynamic, and if we can find our niche and offer unique services, we can achieve significant success. For example, our digital marketing arm opens up huge prospects for us. Given my experience in website promotion and understanding foreign markets, we can offer Chinese companies high-quality services to enter international markets.
We also can’t overlook the importance of personal growth and development. Working in a startup is a constant challenge that requires us to be flexible, creative, and able to quickly adapt to new conditions. Every day, we learn something new, acquire new skills, and find solutions to complex problems.
Of course, the path to success isn’t easy. We have a lot of work ahead and many obstacles to overcome. But I believe that with our team, our persistence, and our belief in our project, we can achieve our goals. The key is not to give up and to keep moving forward despite all the difficulties.
One more thing that has been really important to me and has helped me a lot over the past few years is meditation. I’ll talk about it some other time, maybe in my next article.
English isn’t my first language, and I’m not completely fluent. But I try to write in English to improve my writing skills.