A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:
My guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan are serial solo entrepreneurs Ramon Ray and Paolo Lising. Ramon has started 5 companies and sold 2 of them. He is the author of Grow Your Solo, a book about how to grow a solo business. Paolo Lising is founder of MillionDC.com, a learning platform for entrepreneurs from developing countries. He is the author of Startup Taiwan, a comprehensive guide for foreigners and global Taiwanese who wish to start a business in Taiwan. Ramon and Paolo talked about their experiences running a solo business, why they have chosen to be solopreneurs and what it takes to be successful as a solopreneur.
About Ramon Ray
Ramon is a US based serial entrepreneur focused on making the world a better place.
He’s started 5 companies and sold 2 of them.
Ramon has authored several books, including Grow Your Solo about how to grow a solo business, and Celebrity CEO, all about personal branding.
Ramon has testified to the United States Congress, interviewed President Obama, been fired from the United Nations and graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy.
He’s never been to Taiwan but hopes to travel there, one day!
About Paolo Lising
Paolo Lising is founder of MillionDC.com, a learning platform for entrepreneurs from developing countries. Lising is a digital marketing expert with a decade of experience working for listed tech companies and finance firms in Taiwan.
He has won awards as a business journalist and book author in the Philippines. He recently published his book Startup Taiwan: Foreigners Business Guide as the first comprehensive and unbiased guide for foreigners and global Taiwanese who wish to start their business in Taiwan. Paolo took his Masters in Business Administration from National Taiwan University with extensive training in strategy consulting under a joint program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:
- Ramon’s background and current solo business
- Paolo’s background and current solo business
- Ramon’s definition of what a solo business is
- The pros and cons of running a solo business
- What Ramon and Paolo like about running a solo business
- How studies show that businesses started by a solo founder are more likely to be successful than a business started by several co-founders
- What it takes to be a successful and long-lasting solopreneur
- Advice for people wanting to start a solo business
- Paolo’s first small business
- A hundred-thousand-dollar business vs. a million-dollar business
- What types of business ideas might be better suited for a hundred-thousand-dollar business
- Taiwan as a place to start a business and do business
- The challenges of doing business in Taiwan
- Resources offered by Paolo’s website: www.startupintaiwan.com
- How Taiwan is focused on building itself as a tech hub
- Taiwanese culture and customs as they relate to gift giving
- The importance of “guanxi” when it comes to doing business in Taiwan
- How Taiwan compares as a place to do business in the world
- Tips that Paolo has for foreigners wanting to have a business in Taiwan
- Banking in Taiwan
- Ramon’s invitation for people to visit www.SmartHustle.com
- Ramon’s invitation for people to visit www.GrowYourSolo.com
- The 5 businesses that Ramon has started including the latest one, Zone of Genius
- And how Ramon sold 2 of his small businesses
- Flippa, a company that specializes in selling online companies
- How to create a business that is more saleable
Related Links:
Ramon Ray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramonraysmarthustle/
Ramin Ray on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ramonray
Grow Your Solo with Ramon Ray – get the audio experience: http://www.GrowYourSolo.com
Ramon Ray, founder, SmartHustle.com
Get Ramon’s inspirational weekly email!
http://www.SmartHustle.com
Paolo Lising on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolojoseph/
Paolo’s book and podcast Startup Taiwan: https://www.startupintaiwan.com/
Paolo’s podcast StartupTaiwan: https://www.startupintaiwan.com/podcast/
Seth Godin: https://www.sethgodin.com/
Marie Forleo: https://www.marieforleo.com/
Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo: https://amzn.to/3HedFgb
The Million Dollar One Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt: https://amzn.to/3g4r5zy
IOT (Internet of Things)
What is the Internet of Things? WIRED explains: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/internet-of-things-what-is-explained-iot
What is the IoT? Everything you need to know about the Internet of Things right now: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iot-right-now/
TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited): https://www.tsmc.com/english
Flippa – #1 Global Marketplace – Buy & Sell Online Businesses: https://flippa.com/
Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You
by John Warrillow, Erik Synnestvedt, et al.: https://amzn.to/3AOdKoz