Streams of Life (31)
Currently I am working for a business guy from England as a translator and guide
, and I find it is always interesting to observe how people handle their business and life in general, sometimes even just from the bits happened in the everyday life.
G, the business guy, contacted me about one month ago to confirm my availability
. I viewed his website several times and had presumed that he was a wise man with a cunning business mind. But in reality I think he is a bit disappointing. His
way of managing his priorities surprised, and sometimes even stunned me. Though he is still in Shanghai for the time being, I really hope he can meet his deadline.
The first day it was around nine in the morning that I met him at the airport. But then instead of making out his schedule for the next seven days, he spent more than four hours on the street looking for reasonable priced hotel. I thought he was a bit short for money and had to budget his trip. But apparently not. I had seen him burn tens of thousands RMB in those markets, where you can buy fake branded products, such as watches, shirts, pants, trainers, golf equipments, etc.
Although he kept explaining to me that he had his plan, I think what he did really went over the top.
One night after he shopped in the three-story market building for a whole day, we finally sat for a late lunch. At the table he told me his past experiences: his successful business in South Africa, bankruptcy after a wrong investment, starting his business all over again, and now immigrating to America. His past experience proved that he was a hard-working man. But then he has been here three whole days now, and he hasn’t done anything about business. Watching him shop around is like watching someone who got a spell on him.
It was more than once that I have led foreign people to those markets upon their
requests. But, believe me, I hadn’t seen a single one act like a shopping manic before. In his hotel room, bags of shirts, pants, watches, golf equipments were scattered everywhere. This morning when I met him in the hotel, instead of thinking about visiting companies who can design and OEM his machines, he asked me
to go out to have his Nokia mobile repaired, claiming it was too costly to have
it done in England, and to search on Ebay.cn about second-hand Nikon cameras. “
I can sell those second-hand cameras when I’m back to England to pay for my trip to China. Clever, huh...” Said he jovially.
While noting down his words, I was really thinking that he was a mad man. It was
only at the end of those things that he mentioned that maybe I should lead him
to some companies. He talked it as if it was so trivial and not important. Occasionally when I said “G, maybe you should check those website links I sent you,
and have a word on them too.” But it seems he has been too busy to work on it.
When I phoned him later in the afternoon, he was still in sleep. Had been partying all night, he didn’t achieve anything. And instead of asking me to do trip preparations, he asked me to contact the Nikon camera guy first. I was in astonishment.
I have met plenty of business men in the past, but honestly never had the opportunity to meet anyone like him, who was so unprofessional and lightheaded. The other day after he told me his past stories, he concluded that God must be on his
side. It must be. In some way I agree with his idea such as oftentimes you have
to give in order to receive, and people are nice to you only if you are nice to
them. But fundamentally I think he made a vital mistake. That is important things first: He kept thinking of compensating his trip cost by purchasing products
here at a wholesale price and reselling them in the UK market, whereas forgot that if he failed to achieve his business purpose, despite making the money back,
he just squandered his time.
“C, tomorrow we need to go to see some companies. I am running out of time.”
Said he earlier on over the phone. Technically I am only his translator, and the reason I accepted his offer was because I intended to get experience in situations such as negotiating, signing contract, and shipping. But apparently I haven
’t got anything from it. I confess I could have just bailed, leaving him in the
hotel with his piles of junk, if my conscience allowed me. And I am sure those
shop sellers will be so much happier to see me disappear, and get more chance to
rip him off.
I don’t know what G will make out for the rest of his life. I hope that he can
handle his business and won’t have a second chance of experiencing bankruptcy.
As for me, I think I really have had enough experience of this sort. When people
briefed me and said by working with them I can improve my CV, they neglected that maybe I have never intended to write one, and never will. At the moment even
though I still have a lot to learn and master, I think I am ready for something
different.
