With International background and firsthand entrepreneurial experience in E-commerce and F&B industry in the USA and China, Andrea has experienced living in North and South America, Europe and for the past 4 years in China, gaining a comprehensive understanding of business management. As Business Development Manager at The JLJ Group, Andrea currently assists foreign companies establishing their presence and growing within China.

Andrea holds a Masters in International Trading and Economics from Shanghai University and Bachelors in International Affairs from Universidad Central de Venezuela; and she is fluent in Spanish and English, conversational in German and French, currently working on her Mandarin. 

Are you considering entering The China Market? Would you like to sell to the Chinese? Have you sourced and shipped from China back to your home country? Do you already run your own business in China? If you identify yourself with any of these questions, you are thinking or have thought, Am I ready for China?

China’s economy has shown exceptional growth since entering the World Trade Organization (WTO). Its markets continue to grow robustly at 9% to 10% per year with low inflation of 2.9%.  The Foreign Direct Investment is increasingly coming from Fortune 500 and small to mid-size companies, which see China as a real opportunity for growth. Of China’s 1.3 billion population, is estimated that China's middle class - those earning at least 80,000 RMB ($11,800) annually - would touch 700 million by 2020, and this middle class have an increasing appetite for products and services that will fuel future growth of attractive markets in China.

In this regards, have you considered China as an attractive market for your products and services? Is your main client requesting your presence in China? Are your main competitors already present? Would manufacturing or sourcing in China improve your company’s bottom line performance? All these questions could lead to a simple yes and no answer, but the reality is more complex. Whether your reason is attractive market opportunities, pull factor from key clients, threats from competitors in your industry already present or costs saving, your opportunities will be determined by the strategy you define in your business plan. It can be changed, modified and improved along the way according to your development and it is always a good idea to reassess.

On the other hand, the resources to enter the market you have available will set the depth and speed of your entry. A coherent and well planned strategy will answer if you are ready for the China Market or not. Whether your ability is operational, your business model can be applied in China easily, or financial because your headquarters can fund a new venture, your firm already has gone abroad and have solid International business experience and in China direct access to valuable resources, are all valid.

China offers attractive opportunities to do business and defining your framework to enter the market is of outmost importance to your success. Nevertheless, at the initial stage of entering the Market or evaluating expansion, keep in mind you can choose to engage the right business consulting firm to assist you navigating the process, and give some time to meet your local business community to enlarge your network and stay up to date with the local market dynamics.

For further information please contact: andrea.cristancho@jljgroup.com