Since 2020, the Chinese border has been closed and students haven’t been able to come to China.
It’s been a very tough time for a lot of international students who have been unable to return to China and studying online without any idea about when they can return.
During this time our platform China Admissions has been growing considerably and is now 2x bigger in terms of traffic and revenue, and we were also recognised as one of East Asia’s top startups.
We’ve been growing by relentlessly helping students and universities (through many customer calls) and to solve their problems and by continuously improving our platform.
We’ve been focusing on growth areas which are:
1) online programs,
2) helping students get into top universities and
3) online events to help connect universities and students.
There has been a very big shift in our operations during this time.
Here are the 3 biggest things I’ve learnt:
1) How to solve problems
The best way to solve a problem is to first understand deeply what the problem is.
A big part of business is solving problems, and like Einstein said “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” And this is really true, because when you really understand a problem, it is often really obvious how to fix it. But if you are not clear on what the problem is, you can come up with vague solutions that may or may not work. Asking lots of questions helps you get clarity to understand the problem, and writing it out is also helpful.
Now in our company meetings we follow the book Traction in how we run meetings and we spend most of our time solving problems. Whenever we have a problem we first spend the time on understanding what the problem is. The solution is then obvious.
2) How to overcome challenges
When the pandemic happened in China and the border was closed, I made sure not to focus on the challenges but on what opportunities there are, and visualising how we can take advantage of these challenges. I knew that big change was happening and whenever there is change there are huge opportunities.
When you are faced with problems and challenges, then its important not to dwell or worry about it. It is often healthy to have some kind of worry or fear, but often it can be counterproductive to spend too much time on it. Mindset is everything and the best way to overcome challenges is to focus on what it is the outcome you want. Sports people know the power of visualisation very well and the same is true in business. It is important to know what it is you want to achieve or where you want to go in any situation and focus on that, not on the challenge in front of you. It helps to navigate through the problem, and see it for what it is, just something to get through towards your visualised future.
3) The right path should be effortless
When I first started China Admissions I also had another company that I was doing full time, and China Admissions was on the side. I was actually doing China Admissions part time and not spending much time on it, but it was growing faster than what I was most of my time on, so thats when I realised that I should focus on China Admissions full time.
This is something that I’ve learnt gradually, and now I am a full believer that the right path should be effortless.
I’ve just learnt that when you are on the right path things should effortless, and relaxed and then you can attract what you want into your life. Sometimes I have been working hard at something, and not making much progress, but then I take a break, and do something else, and then I get an idea to solve the problem.
Of course you need to work hard, but you don’t need to strain yourself. The same is true for when you are doing sports, the best sportsman are relaxed when they are performing at their peak. But sometimes when you are trying too hard then you can push things away. You need to relax and then things come to you effortlessly.
Here are the three main things I’ve learnt. I’ve also improved my management skills and learnt a lot about people, and the importance of hiring great people.
2022 – The Year of the Tiger!
In 2022 we are taking China Admissions to a much bigger level, building a bigger team, and continually improving our platform to help students and universities
I’m really looking forward to the opportunities in 2022 and beyond and continually improving and sharing my journey.
What have you learnt in 2021?
Wish you a happy new year of the Tiger!
