Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Dr. Mei Gechlik, Founder and CEO of SINOTALKS LLC., located in Palo Alto, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
SINOTALKS® addresses the growing need for a trusted resource highlighting Chinese law and policy to help decision-makers around the world find strategic solutions to problems affecting China and beyond. With multiple knowledge assets, including SinoInsights™, SinoRules&Cases™, SinoForum&Foresight™, SinoExpress™, and SINOTALKS IN BRIEF, SINOTALKS® prepares high-quality courses for students and professionals and offers our assistance to companies and other groups through consultation, customized training, and/or speaking engagements.
Tell us about yourself
Prior to the establishment of SINOTALKS®, I led Stanford Law School’s China Guiding Cases Project (“CGCP”), a groundbreaking project that I founded in 2011. As the Director of the CGCP from 2011 to 2021, I managed a team of nearly 200 members to bring the project’s analyses—contributed by U.S. and Chinese judges, officials, other experts, and the CGCP team—to nearly 250,000 readers from over 100 countries and to present at various forums, including the World Bank, the Open Government Partnership Global Summit, U.S.−China Legal Exchange Conferences, the Supreme People’s Court of China, and the Belt & Road Initiative conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. I founded SINOTALKS® to help decision-makers craft evidence-based strategies to seize China-related opportunities. Being able to share insightful solutions drives me to work hard every day because the satisfaction is inexplicable.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I felt very accomplished when I was identified by The Women Leaders Magazine as one of the “20 Most Inspiring Women Leaders 2022.”
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Finding time to balance product development and management. The business won’t go far without a long-term vision about how to develop products that meet customers’ future needs and wants. But day-to-day management is necessary to keep the operation going strong.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a strong team that’s ready to go through some setbacks (many during the first 1-2 years) with you.
- Have a clear vision of where you want your business stands in 5 years.
- While the vision in (2) is important, be ready to adapt the business to unexpected changes.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://sinotalks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sinotalks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeiGechlik
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meigechlik/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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