Short companion article on Singapore-China investment

Singaporeans Investing in China? Lessons Singaporeans can learn from a young British businessman

In Singapore, the government usually tries to encourage entrepreneurship. The government also tries to encourage locals to invest in China, to exploit the opportunities, as most of the local population can speak fluent Mandarin.

The key lessons that Singaporeans can possibly learn from Kerswell, the motivated and entrepreneurial teenager from the UK who runs an import business from China, are the following:

An ability to take risks. Kerswell took the plunge and went to China despite not knowing much of the language and having only a rudimentary command. Singaporeans speak fluent Mandarin and many even know dialects, and that should put them in a better position, yet the risk-taking element is not present. That needs to be changed. We should emulate people like Kerswell, and local hero Sim Wong Hoo who went to the United States in order to pursue his business opportunities with his sound card.

A wider perspective and a global mindset. There’s something to be said about a British teenager in China. The lessons are that globalisation is not a force to be feared but can be put to huge use, where opportunities can be exploited. Kerswell saw an opportunity to bring some good product from China to the UK, and he did; globalisation and a wider perspective are clearly needed for Singaporeans to succeed in China. In today’s globalised world, success is clearly no longer nation-based alone, and clearly international businesses are the wave of the future. There are many economic lessons that we can learn from this young man's actions.

Motivation and enthusiasm. Apart from the old adage that nothing can be accomplished without enthusiasm, Kerswell has shown that hard work, determination, and motivation and enthusiasm can bring many goals to fruition. He explained how motivated Chinese entrepreneurs are, from his description about their entrepreneurial instincts selling melons. Opportunities can be seized better by enthusiastic and motivated people.

Age is no barrier. As a young person with limited capital, Kerswell did more than survive; he prospered in a business environment. Clearly, there are lessons to be learnt here, and age is no barrier to success. His relative youth and inexperience did not count against him.

To conclude, these are only my own personal opinions, as there are many other lessons that we can extrapolate and learn from Kerswell.