My name is James Chan. I live and work in Philadelphia. I founded a business consultancy (www.AsiaMarketingManagement.com) in 1983 to help U.S. companies do business in China and other Asian countries. In the course of doing my work, I have had the good fortune of meeting many people like me--people who invented their own careers by parlaying who they are and how they want to live into businesses that give them freedom and autonomy to make their own decisions. Their life experiences, plus those of my own, prompted me to write this book, Spare Room Tycoon, with my friend and American writer on history, culture, and design, Thomas Hine (www.ThomasHine.com).
In this book, Tom and I document the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of forty men and women including ourselves who--after years of working for companies--decided to start and run businesses on our own.
I would like to share some of the chapters of Spare Room Tycoon with you on this website. As "spare room tycoons," we experience all sorts of crises--emotional, psychological, financial, and logistical. These stories show how others have cleared these hurdles and created businesses that survive and prosper. The book also chronicles the elation that we feel when we finally learn how to grapple with our day-to-day insecurities, fears and angst and succeed despite all odds. My publisher, Mr. Nick Brealey of Nicholas Brealey Publishing in London, U.K., once said to me: "Your book will not grow old." This is because the lessons that we've learned will not grow old.
I hope Spare Room Tycoon finds a kindred spirit in you. May it reassure you and help you find the will to go on when times are bad. May it also give you peace and joy when you're getting paid doing what you love to do and finding your niche in life. May it help you understand that you, too, have prevailed.
Enjoy!
James Chan, Ph.D., Author of Spare Room Tycoon
Celebrating the 26th Anniversary of My Independence
