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China Business Network. It's Everywhere You Want To Be.

By Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson

I have been a member and a big fan of The Chinese Business Network for quite some time and I have been meaning to write a post on it for nearly as long. But the site is so all-encompassing, I have not really known what to say beyond, "go there, you will like it. But when I received my weekly email from Janet Carmosky, the force behind the China Business Network, that explained the purpose behind the Network, I knew it was time to post. Though let me start out by saying, go there, you will like it. The key portion of Ms. Carmosky's email is as follows:

The China Business Network does not do deals, does not do projects, does not do consulting. Past tense, I have done deals, projects, and consulting. But I stopped years ago because as I came to terms with China's growing power in the world, it became crystal clear to me that the stakes are high and the world is large and I am just one person. Instead, I decided to focus on something bigger. Namely: to end the waste of cross border talent and opportunity that occurs when people in every sector, every geography and every phase approach their China work without adequate support. People walk into potentially great and sometimes dangerous opportunities with the wrong expectations, the wrong map, and the wrong team. Why? All the knowledge, wisdom and support imaginable is out there. It just needs to be organized. If someone would build a credible, open, accessible space to aggregate and index all the China business talent and projects, everyone in cross border could find a straighter route to realistic expectations, an actionable map, and a crack team. If someone would build a searchable online directory to showcase all that talent, and organize a guide to all the reports, nonprofits, insights that lead to discovery of complimentary capabilities...then individually and collectively, everyone in China cross border could have more visibility, and voice, and value No one else was crazy enough to build it. But here it is anyway: The China Business Network, where we build success and your place in the cross border space. All that speaking and writing I do about how Chinese organizations and people do business? It is not to build my consulting business or generate deal flow because I Don't Do Consulting and I Don't Do Deals. It's for one reason: to establish the credibility and enhance the visibility of The China Business Network. Which, if I may beat a dead horse, exists only to help you succeed in China-related work. There's just one problem: it only works if you stop calling me for five minutes, which is how much time it takes to register as a Profile Member of The China Business Network. Set up your profile so others will know your expertise, what you offer, what you need, where you'll be travelling. Search for people who have skills in your sector. Log in with your username, hit the Send Message button and make a new contact. We don't want a finder's fee, a piece of the deal, or a commission. All we want, really, is for this space to exist so that you can upload your credentials, promote your events, and find new peers, prospects, consultants and clients. We want you to forward this newsletter to others you know who are working in China crossborder. We want you to stop calling me and start finding and calling each other.

And as much as that is, The China Business Network is even more than that. It is also a great place to find links and other China information and excellent weekly interviews relating to China. So do go there, check it out, and join up. The more the merrier.

Full post as published by China Law Blog on April 28, 2010 (boomark / email).