Talk with People who really know (i.e. people who are here)

Tivo is great.  I can watch TV from the US on my computer in China.  One of my favorite commercials from the US that I've seen while watching the NCAA Tourney at 4AM list last month is the direct TV commercial that ends, "Don't have a grandson with a dog collar."  Yup, using the wrong service provider can lead to many unintended consequences.  So choosing who you listen to and work with is of vital importance when you're new to China.It's pretty easy to tell the difference between people who really know about working in China and those who are just here for a trade show or a "drive-by" media visit.  To me, defining characteristics of those who "get it" almost always include, some degree of fluency in China and extensive time (years) in country.  What's great for those of us that work in and study China is that these people with real experience are writing some great books and articles.Some of the authors that I've really been impressed with in the last 5-10 years are include, Bill Dodson, Andrew Hupert, Leslie T Chang, Gordon G Chang, Michel Chevalier and Pierre Lu, Peter Hessler, Scott Tong and Frank Ching.I bring this up because of this article in the New Yorker (h/t WSJ China Realtime Report).  Ms Chang gets it right.  China cannot be understood by people whose only point of reference is only the West (my interpretation of what she is saying).  When your starting point, socialization, processes, lifestyle, education and end-goals are different, not to mention the fact that the social/political/economic infrastructure is different as well, the cross cultural comparisons and conclusions are almost always completely inaccurate.  This means that "news" is usually agenda rather than fact driven and "in-depth" pieces are often more about connecting with emotional currents back home than actually doing "in-depth" research into China.I started my work experience in China in Thailand in "89--I learned the language as a missionary.  I taught English at a University in Chongqing China in "95.  I went back to BKK in '97 and did graduate work and also translated for foreign consulting companies helping PTT and Shinowatra in BKK.  When the Thai economy crashed in '98 I wanted to stay in Asia.  So I moved to Taiwan and taught English at a high school in a small town so that I could learn Chinese.  A couple years later I started SRI, again in Thailand, but within a year moved to China in 2002 to manage the SRI China office full time.What's the point of this little trip down memory lane?  Two things.  First, I've been a missionary, a teacher, a translator, a tour guide, a business owner, project manager, a QC engineer, a father and husband, a tourist and have lived in 4 cities in China/Taiwan in last 17 years (not to mention 6 cities for 4 years in Thailand).  And while I lived in Asia for a decade before I started SRI, I wasn't a very useful source of business information while I was ensconced at a university or high school.  When I tell you that missionaries are wonderful people whom I admire greatly but who typically do not have extensive business experience in China, I'm simply speaking from personal experience and a desire to direct people to a better source for business advice.  Ditto English teachers.  Foreign English teachers live in a parallel world that has little or nothing to do with the actual business world in China (unless they are managing their own schools/businesses).There are always exceptions and I'm not trying to be rude to these folks in anyway.  I was "these folks" for many years (and I'll likely be them again after I'm retired--service is a good thing).  I'm saying this to point out English teachers and missionaries (among others that you'll meet in airports, restaurants and churches) are not the people that you look to for advice when you want to start a business venture in China.  When you don't even know China yet, you don't want to have to do due diligence on your due diligence sources!Second, the people that will be most helpful to you are people that are actually doing business in China.  Like the people on the list above.  Yes, you can learn a ton from the successful business person that flies to China a couple times a year for a show, but you can likely learn even more from the guy that lives, works and manages projects there.  China changes quickly you need to be here to keep up with it.Maybe this all goes without saying--of course you wouldn't take advice on how to set up a business from someone who hasn't done it before, right?  But my experience is that when coming to China (typically the very definition of "foreign" for most people) advice is too often solicited from anyone that can say 你好 or can use chopsticks.  I'm not exaggerating.  The two groups of people that most often come to SRI with projects that are in need of rescue (they've started but can't be completed correctly or can't get started or have been ripped off) are people that didn't do enough due diligence (with the right people) before they paid a stranger to start a project or people that ordered product online (paid in-full up-front) and can't understand why it doesn't work as well as Amazon.com.Another great source of practical and useful business information is the FREE Global Sources Conferences in Hong Kong this next month.  There are presentations on marking, testing, sourcing, project management, avoiding problems, finance and exchange, QC and audits, and all from professionals with decades of actual on-the-ground business experience in China.  And no matter which GS show you attend, there are conferences every day of every show!Oh, yea.  I'm speaking there each week as well. ;)