* The interview was conducted in Jan 2003

Education

Bachelor of Science, HKU, 2000

Current Employment

Director, Adtio Group Limited, April 2001 to present

Previous Employment

Web Programmer, Next-E Dimension, January to March 2001
Technician in a small IT company, June to December 2000
Part-time Telemarketer, AOL, 2000
Freelance Web Programmer, 1999 to 2000

Background of Dick

Dick studied Biotechnology at the University. He graduated in 2000 and succeeded in setting up an IT business in April 2001 by learning on his own.

He has acquired quite substantial experience in writing computer programmes when he was a student. He took 6-7 elective computer courses, passed some core papers of the MCSE and MCSD examinations and learned computer languages on his own. During his academic studies, he took up some freelance and part-time jobs which were closely related to the IT field. The two full-time jobs that he was engaged in after graduation equipped him with mobile device programming techniques which are critical in turning a new page in his career.

Dick expected that the number of free-lance projects would increase and in larger scale so he invited two of his friends to form a company with him in April 2001.

Dick's office was relocated from Sun Po Kung to the Tech Centre In Kowloon Tong in May 2002. Only companies with research and development activities that will lead to the promotion of technological innovation and application of technologies to Hong Kong industries may lease an office in the Tech Centre.

What is Dick's career goal? Why did he decide to start his own business?

Dick's career goal was to specialize in one advanced computer programming language and to engage in an IT job requiring his expertise after graduation. When he was a student, he focused on learning mobile device programming languages which were very new at that time.

The idea of forming a company wasn't all sudden, Dick actually wanted to become an entrepreneur after attending a General Education Course on entrepreneurship in 2000. In the course, some entrepreneurs were invited to share their experience in planning and running businesses with the participants. These guest speakers provided Dick with insight on the pros and cons of setting up a business and inspired him to think about being an entrepreneur himself. Other factors which determined his pace in starting a company so early include: the dot-com trend and his strong interest in the IT field.

What satisfaction did Dick gain from being an entrepreneur?

Having control over his own destiny is what Dick enjoys most of being an entrepreneur. He does not have to worry about losing his own 'job'. He knows that he can keep the business going if he works hard. Although there are factors that are beyond his control, Dick has confidence to overcome these challenges. So far, his business is running smoothly. He is able to generate new businesses steadily by partnering with hardware vendors, participating in road shows, contacting the media and advertising their services in trade magazines.

He is extremely satisfied with the rare experience and exposure that he has acquired.

What difficulties did he encounter as an entrepreneur?

There were two major difficulties that Dick and his partners encountered:

• Lack of management experience (all of the 3 partners are very young),
• Lack of money to run big ideas.

How did Dick prepare for it in the past?

He took up part-time jobs in the relevant field and expanded his personal network while working in his full-time jobs after graduation. He also kept himself abreast of the latest technology by reading a diverse range of computer magazines.

What does Dick plan to do in the near future to develop his business further?

He plans:

• To develop a business plan,
• To set some directions for his company,
• To continue to focus on the mobile and wireless technology,
• To acquire good management practices which will help him manage his business and staff better.

What will he do to develop these skills / knowledge?

He plans:

• To learn on the job, particularly from the mistakes that he makes,
• To talk to other entrepreneurs who are incubatees of the Tech Centre,
• To ask friends or entrepreneurs to recommend good self-improvement publications, and
• To consider participating in an entrepreneur programme such as "Live Wire".

What results have been achieved so far?

• His business is managing well financially. This is better than expected, and
• The company was accepted by the government in 2002 as an incubatee of the Tech Centre. Only companies with viable business plans and a competent, balanced management team will be considered for this programme.

What can be expected in the future?

• In the next 3 years', Dick expects their market share and profit to grow gradually,
• Despite overall weakness in the economy, he sees abundant opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises (SME) because their overhead is much smaller than well-established firms, and they are also more flexible.

What are the personal rewards for being an entrepreneur?

• The satisfaction of being able to manage a small business successfully, and
• The control over his own future.

Advice to students

• To gain experience by working in any part-time jobs, including the routine or trivial ones,
• To accept challenges,
• To participate in student activities,
• To think big and adopt a 'can-do' attitude,
• To talk to more people and learn from their successes and failures, and
• To hold onto any available chances.