I have gone through many stages of emotions towards going into the food business in China. I once hated the idea, then walked alongside a good friend as he managed a small restaurant, and now, seem to be rethinking some of the positives and negatives for my own situation.
I was recently talking through some of my own business opportunities with one of the members of my board of accountability. He is far more experienced than I, and I was really struck by his reactions to my business ideas. Everything I said met with long responses including, "good idea, but full of risk, and maybe not sustainable in the long run." Then, my wife mentioned her dream of a cafe, and he instantly replied, "that could work." The quickness of his reply made me rethink a few things.
The reality is that Sanjiang County is just a small, developing town. Making a living off the development of agricultural or other resources which need exporting could easily end up taking a long time only to make minimal or sporadic profits. There are some resources with great potential, but it is risky to say the least.
The cafe would be much more easy to start, has much less complicated issues, and would have immediate results. A cafe is just more cut and dry. Most importantly, the cafe could bring steady and predictable profits.
Does this mean that New Frontier is leaving the business of "developing and marketing rural resources"? Nope! A cafe would work because Sanjiang is a tourist town. And that brings up thoughts I have had about defining tourism as a rural resource.
We would bring a valuable asset to Sanjiang which would help it draw tourists in. Then, it can boast everything from the rustic and scenic Dong villages to the comfortable hotel and cafe in town. In the meantime, we have the opportunity to continue the sometimes tedious process of helping develop the other resources, which are not so cut and dry.
It is still an idea, but it may be the quick-starter that establishes us and holds us through the early seasons of the other business opportunities. To come full circle on something I once resisted so strongly feels a little humbling, but in the end it comes down to making a living.
