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Mark James

Mobile-phone-gaming software developer had his fingers burnt in his first foray onto the mainland. But these days he's succeeding with Green Tomato
In the fast-moving world of mobile phone services, it helps for business operators to be as cunning as a fox.
While many of us enjoy playing electronic games on our mobile phone during idle moments, few give thought to where the game originated.
But if mobile phone games such as Fish bo bo, Super Stable or Virtual Lover ring a bell and are on your favourites list, credit should be given to their creator, Green Tomato,  a local mobile phone gaming software developer.
The past decade has seen an explosion in mobile ownership, and some business-savvy entrepreneurs have been quicker than others in taking advantage of related opportunities and value-added services, such as mobile games and advertising, among whom are people like Sunny Kok Ping-kam,  director of Green Tomato.
Mr Kok graduated from City University of Hong Kong in 1995 with a degree in information systems. He went straight into internet-related IT work, eventually moving up the corporate ladder to internet giant China.com,  helping the firm launch satellite websites such as HongKong.com  and Taiwan.com.
With several years of experience in this ever-evolving industry, he decided it was time to go it alone, though his first steps in the world of business were a little shaky.
'In 2000 the internet was booming so I decided to quit China.com and do my own start-up called Imoeba  which operated for three years,' said Mr Kok. 'We made some mistakes and perhaps we were not experienced enough.'
His fledgling company tried to take advantage of the relatively untapped mainland market, but by his own admission went about things too quickly.
'We paid a high price for our early expansion in China. As well as being cheated, we got our timing wrong - basically we launched mobile [phone] games before the market was ready for them. People still didn't consider using their mobiles for playing electronic games at that time,' he said.
His experience in China taught him to be more cunning and not take people at face value. In 2003, at the age of 30, with his knowledge of the IT business and the China market, Mr Kok was asked by his former boss to become a partner in launching a new company, Green Tomato.
'Basically, he didn't know anything about mobile phones, so he thought I'd be useful,' said Mr Kok, who is now the company vice-president for business development.
The company aimed to take advantage of the emerging mobile internet market in Asia, providing one-stop services such as mobile platform solutions and value-added services for mobile operators, handset manufacturers, branded content providers and any companies that wanted to get involved in this new 'virtual' space.
'In our first year we were heavily involved in China, but owing to policy changes business there took a downturn, so we began to focus more on Hong Kong and Taiwan. Although we are still involved in China we have learned our lessons and are keeping an interest across different markets,' he said.
Today, Green Tomato works with more than 30 mobile operators and service providers across Asia with millions of end users. The company has garnered numerous international and local awards, and employs more than 60 staff in two offices in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, with an office in Taiwan opening later this year.
Mr Kok has amassed more than 13 years of IT and business-related working experience and has learned some of the ingredients essential for success.
'Good staff are crucially important. I've got a great team, and some of my staff have been with me now for over nine years. It's also important that they enjoy the job. In the case of Green Tomato they love the dynamics of the job and the changes within the industry. You need to make everyone happy, including yourself,' he said.
As with any industry connected with electronic communications and the internet, any company hoping to continue succeeding needs new ideas and new markets. 'In the past we expanded too quickly, especially in China, so in future we intend taking things more on a step-by-step basis, and focus on markets outside China, especially Taiwan,' he said.
Mr Kok is dedicated to retaining his staff, though plans for the coming year will require finding new recruits, something that isn't easy.
'Besides regional expansion, we are also moving into mobile advertising and this will mean hiring some new staff. This is a joint venture with a digital display company and we will need people with experience in business development and graphic design.
'We will especially require people with experience in both advertising and the mobile-phone sector, and it is very difficult to locate such talent,' said Mr Kok.
Ten Things I Know
1 To succeed you should love your job. This is the most important factor as it motivates me and has kept up my enthusiasm for the past 13 years.
2 Your team is the most valuable asset in the company. Placing the right people in the right place makes things run much faster and more efficiently.
3 You need to do new things, be creative, dare to try new concepts and new business models. If you just sit there and do nothing, without any action plan, you won't get any feedback or make a breakthrough.
4 I love to listen - listen carefully to your clients and partners. Be patient and humble in order to understand their needs and requirements clearly.
5 Learning is very important. Learn about new technology and market trends, and from your competitors. Keep the company growing by continuing to absorb new knowledge.
6 Avoid being cheated and never cheat. Never be shady with clients or partners, but at the same time you need to become streetwise, to learn all the 'tricks' in the market for self-protection.
7 I don't like to be slow. Taking opportunities quickly is the key to survival in this ever-changing industry. Speed is also the main weapon when you face the industry giants.
8 I hate losing, though it is sometimes unavoidable. Try to learn from your mistakes and think positively.
9 No one wants to be poor, and the only guaranteed way of avoiding it is through hard work. Of course, a good plan and budget help as well.
10 Keep complaints to a minimum. To avoid complaints from clients, always maintain a high quality of work and make constant improvements to products and services. This helps to increase the company competitiveness in the market as well.



A step ahead of the game