Hong Kong entrepreneurs on how to make your start-up a success
Six of the city’s most talented businesspeople share their advice in a new book on how to help turn what you love doing into a profitable business
It is almost 6pm on a Friday and Janet Middlemiss is running around the WeWork office in Wan Chai.
She is jumpy because the soft launch is taking place for Born to be the Boss, a self-help guide for budding entrepreneurs that Middlemiss co-authored with Bianca Zee-Geissler.
The pair hand-picked the six entrepreneurs featured in the book who all hail from various industries and reflect Hong Kong’s rich business blend.
It came about through their roles with JEM Group, a social enterprise that is about empowering people from all walks of life.
“In a nutshell, JEM is about making creative dreams come true,” says Middlemiss.
Both women are passionate about nurturing the city’s entrepreneurial spirit. Latest government figures show small- and medium-sized enterprises comprise more than 98 per cent of the business establishments in Hong Kong, employing almost 1.3 million people and providing around 50 per cent of private sector jobs.
For their book they selected men and women entrepreneurs of different ages. “Some are born in Hong Kong, others are expatriate,” says Middlemiss.