Jen in China: Entrepreneurs Everywhere!

While researching about China, I came across some information from the US Census Bureau. Apparently, between 2002 and 2007, rates of Asian-American business ownership grew at about twice the rate as the rest of the nation. Of these Asian owned businesses, about 27% are owned by Chinese people. In fact, almost 11% of all Chinese Americans are self-employed. Not being from an area with a large Asian-American population, I’ve never really thought about or noticed this. However, being in China, these statistics make sense to me.

From my observations, the Chinese are a very entrepreneurial group. Here, most restaurants and stores are not chains. Even many of the chain locations seem to be franchises, and not corporate owned locations. Plus, on just about every corner, someone is selling something. Usually, they are selling an actual product, like food. Occasionally, they are selling a service, like a haircut.

I’ve seen a few very odd enterprises in my neighborhood. Here are five strange businesses near me:

*There is a man that sometimes sells puppies off of a bicycle. He has a customized bike with shelves that stick out on the sides and back. There are cages stacked on the shelves. The puppies look like they’re about two weeks old and not at all ready to be away from their moms.

*There is another man that sells pet goldfish and pet turtles off of a cart. The goldfish and turtles are already in little glass bowls and ready to take home.

*In front of the grocery store, there is often a table where a couple sells cosmetics, like sunscreen and nail polish, and “New Balance” sneakers. I’m not sure why these items are sold together.

*In warm weather, there is an old lady that gives haircuts on the sidewalk. She has a folding chair, a blanket, scissors, clippers, a mirror, and a comb. You wouldn’t think that people would actually let her cut their hair but, they do.

*My favorite is the mobile bike repair shop. On my way home, I often see a man with a cart/cabinet combo. From this, he repairs bicycles. His cabinet is stocked with new seats, inner tubes, pedals, spokes, chains, and tires. He looks like he could handle just about any repair.

While I don’t frequent these businesses, I do enjoy looking at them. They are very creative and seem like they have customers. Plus, it’s nice to know that I can buy a puppy, buy a goldfish, buy sneakers, get a haircut, and get my bike repaired all without setting foot in a store.