Her Magazine is New Zealand’s only women’s business lifestyle magazine! Her Magazine highlights the achievements of successful and rising New Zealand businesswomen. Her Magazine encourages a healthy work/life balance.
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Hong Kong where 7 million move effortlessly! I have visited Maucu Island – the Vegas of the East – and loved the mix of Asian and Portuguese architecture contrasted by the flashy casinos that take centre stage. I have trawled the ladies' market and been blown away with the blatant knock offs – Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, Mulberry, and of course the much loved, Louis Vuitton featured loudly and proudly from the walls of so many stalls. I have climbed the 500 steps to the temple of 10,000 Buddhas whilst being chaperoned by groups of monkeys, sampled an array of Chinese food (managing to stay away from the pork and chicken products) and visited the huge malls of IFC and Landmark on Hong Kong Island. Yesterday was about business. I am determined to get to know the nuances of this market, who is here and what does success look like for them. 28 MARCH WEDNESDAY I have met with Invest Hong Kong to discover some of their stories, met up with two New Zealanders living here (one for over 30 years) but the delight of the day had to be my meeting with a Chinese male who is heavy into manufacturing for a large New Zealand brand. This meeting was all about establishing the relationship first, as is so often the case and out came the wine – one of my favourites no less, Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 2009. Needless to say the rest of my day was written off as I whiled away what was left of the afternoon with this charming Chinese man of 63 years of age! Stuffed into a taxi at 6.00 p.m., I raced to my next appointment, arriving only five minutes late to continue on the wine trail at the Dolce de Vita Bar in Lan Kwai Fong. Here I learnt all about the hospitality trade in this country from another wonderful host, Grant. So for those of you who intend to visit, the picks for food are Yardbirds and Dragon I on Hong Kong Island and I definitely intend to sample them when next in the area. Talk to as many people as you can, arrange to meet others working and doing business up here. Trade NZ has been a huge conduit for me in this market. In all my meetings I have yielded useful information, whether it be as simple as a relevant trade show or a great place to eat, it is all part of doing business up here. • Don't get complacent. Look at all the options. Some of our best were off the beaten track and from visits that we nearly shelved as it all looked too hard. • • Come up here initially simply to discover the opportunities. Be okay about doing nothing initially. Leave plenty of time, as getting to places and being hosted takes time. Taxis are cheap but always have the address of your hotel and the place you are visiting written in Chinese. There is very little English spoken here. • • Bring small New Zealand gifts with you (as well as a good supply of business cards). Bring a wide variety of your product with you. If you are looking at manufacturing up here, what you first thought may be suitable for this environment may not be the case. Have options that will enable you to have all sorts of conversations. • Ask questions. Everybody has information. We found some wonderful markets simply by talking to all sorts of people. • If you do decide to go head with manufacturing/sourcing from this country employ a Chinese speaking interpreter in New Zealand. Remember China has many different dialects so they will need to speak the correct one. • And, as always, bring the principals of good business into your dealings here – assess the risk, look at the capabilities, consider the turn around times and remember it's not all about price! 7 tips for effective goal management from Elaine Whelen Elaine Whelen is the Head of the Utahloy International School in Guangzhou and has been living in China for five years. 2. Find something you are passionate about and it may make you rich, but don't make money your passion or goal. 1. Visualise a specific, colourful image that represents what you want to achieve. Hold that image and recall it as you work towards your goal. 3. Learn languages. You can only know a culture well through its language. We know that from learning Maori. It also helps avoid dementia and keeps your brain agile. 4. Head off overseas for a long working holiday and take the kids with you. Don't get stuck in a rut when the wonders of the world are out there for you. Your children will thrive on the new experiences and be better equipped for life in a globalised world. 5. When negotiating, presenting a persuasive argument or resolving a conflict start soft, with friendly chatter and inclusive language ('we', 'us'), then introduce your bargaining points. As long as you are sincere with your chatter the result will always be positive. 6. Tune into your instincts and listen to your inner voice. It's hard to do sometimes, but it is the best guide. Tune into the moment and make your decision based on a gut instinct. Don't be distracted by everybody else's opinions. 7. Be curious. Do your research and ask questions - only then will you see a multitude of opportunities that are available to you. * Check out Annah's interview with Elaine www.youtube.com/ watch?v=eOUO8ZLXUBQ www.hermagazine.co.nz | 35