I am consultant and entrepreneur and, since I will be soon in Taiwan, I wish to understand what my business prospects are like.
The product that I am offering most my clients right now is a presentation training called Presentation Hero: it’s both an online course and a trainer led live course that teaches how to structure, design and deliver presentations. More info here: http://preshero.co/
Now to my question: do you think that there is a market for this type of services in English in Taiwan?
Anyhow I am curious about any sort of feedback and experience from foreign entrepreneurs offering services in Taiwan.
There is a need for this - no doubt about that. Whether you can develop it into a viable market is an entirely different story.
You are going to need an angle: a customer segment from which you can credibly target and then, after you have established yourself, grow from. These would be people who’s success you can point to say, “you know what a great communicator so-and-so is now, let me tell you how I helped her”
These are the same kind of people you would target in your own home country - business leaders, venture capitalists, industry analysts, professors/trainers/instructors, engineers… You are an evangelist and what you are promoting is not language-specific. If you are to limit this to those who speak English - like returnees, native English speakers, ABC’s, and advanced language learners - it might still be viable if you are lucky and strike a rich vein (niche market)
To better guage the need for your particular flavor of presentation training, I suggest:
Approaching the major foreign chambers of commerce and offer to give a talk for free. Each one of them is dominated by particular industries, so you can then decide which type you are most comfortable with and start there. AmCham has a lot of tech firms and banks, the ECCT is drugs and devices, the French Chamber is small business.
Get yourself interviewed on ICRT and pick the brains of some of the DJs there. You can expect they have their own audiences and clientele, and if you make a strong positive impression, they (or anyone who has a private teaching following here) could go a long way to referring you to them.
Seek out training organizations based here that target the Taiwan/China offices of multinational corporations. Many are known for a specific expertise - DDI World is known for excellent training materials, AsiaWorks/Lifespring targets soft skills - so they might be open to a collaboration if your system complements what they offer. Their MNC clients generally have 3 kinds of needs and the training organizations cannot fulfill them all: (1) they have their own materials and content from corporate that they must cascade to their LOC staff, (2) their own training managers/coordinators have strong incentive to improve their ranks of middle managers and high potentials, and (3) they need basic skills taken cared of.
It is this last area where a locally packaged presentation programme would fit - so you would have a great advantage if you reached out to those training officers and explained why you are “better than” or “different from” what they are probably using right now. I would target the training director and managers of large MNCs that have a need for their middle ranks to speak English – 5-star hotels, airlines, investment banks – ask them out for a friendly coffee just so you can do some on-the-ground intelligence about what their needs are (do their managers present above-country? are there regional needs or events - those would have to be done in English?)
You have a media background, but I do not know of any MNC Media companies with large organizations in Taiwan - and hence have a need for this training in English. But pick 2 or 3 sectors from where you can get a good feel and start from there. I believe that if you get comfortable with selling this here in Taiwan with some success, you can port it to the even larger markets (plural) in China. Training in China remains insatiable.
I used to work in middle management at an MNC here in Taiwan - 300 people staff. This kind of thing is always a need, and HR usually tries to wing it or they just give us a budget to find the training ourselves if we feel we really want it. Some have budget for it and schedule one or 2 trainings a year for high-potentials and senior managers. If you can land 10 to 15 clients, that’s 1 a month year-in, year-out and a base from which you can grow. And remember, China, Japan, and Korea are even bigger markets (K and J are probably just as competitive as in Taiwan)
Best of luck!
PS, you should rename your topic into something clearer, like “Need advice about how to position my presentation training in Taiwan”
And how does the OP do this legally in Taiwan? I missed that part of your post. Just because you can enter the country visa-free doesn’t mean you have work rights during that time. And an entrepreneur will not have the corporate structure (and possibly the money) needed to establish a representative office – which isn’t supposed to actually be “working”, anyway. OP doesn’t sound like a native English speaker, though of course it’s passport nationality that counts to get an English teaching job for a work visa, in which case “extra” work might fly under the radar with luck.
If the OP is a true entrepeneur, then he or she will find a way to make it work. The OP didn’t reveal visa status, and it is quite arrogant of you to assume that the OP is incapable of building a corporate structure to open and run a rep office, or find the funds to do so (even though this point is irrelevant). Why on earth would an entrepreneur not have have the skill or background to run a rep office. I find you such an arrogant, negative poster it’s untrue. Instead of a blanket “no” why not find out more about the OP’s situation and offer some useful advice based on the OP’s responses?
[quote=“matteoc”][quote=“ironlady”]You mean doing it legally?
No.[/quote]
Very interesting. My interest is obviously to adhere to any local law, by all means!
European business entities are not recognized legally in Taiwan?[/quote]
They can be made recognized, but there are capital requirements and lots of documentation requirements. Most smaller enterprises end up establishing a representative office, but that is supposed to be for “representation” only, not for providing actual services (yeah, I know. Weird.)
The problem with all freelancers and entrepreneurs in Taiwan is getting some means to stay in the country legally and work legally. Presence isn’t that hard (many countries have visa-free entrance and can just do visa trips to other countries now and then) but getting legal rights to work is tougher. If you can get paid by a foreign entity (not just your foreign self) it might be possible to fly under the radar (your working in Taiwan is illegal without a work permit, but if you’re not working for a Taiwanese entity [they’re not reporting taxes] and you’re able to show money coming in from abroad to support yourself…it’s complicated). Visa-free, you might be able to fly under the radar as far as being asked to prove how you are supporting yourself financially during your long work-free stay in the ROC.
Taiwan basically doesn’t “want” foreigners working here. The ones they need, they make regulations to allow. They don’t consider they “need” foreign entrepreneurs, even if they’re providing welcome or useful services. I’d love for Taiwan to make it legal to freelance as a foreigner, but to date freelancing sort of falls between the cracks. Your situation will be different if you’re on some sort of ROC visa, even a visitor visa, because the requirements of what documents can be required to allow you to exit or enter the ROC will be different.
[quote=“Bernadette”]
The OP didn’t reveal visa status[/quote]
The OP lives in Berlin and is a white guy with a Mohawk haircut. Still think he has work rights in the ROC?
No one said he lacked the skill or background. I said he may lack the corporate structure or documentation required. In Taiwan, sadly, it’s not what you can do, it’s usually what paperwork you can provide.
Like urging him to forge ahead without considering the legal consequences?
Also, not to put too fine a point on it – a non native English speaker with a Mohawk is potentially going to have a hard time in corporate Taiwan, unless he has extraordinary marketing skills (his Web site does suggest he has pretty good social media chops and good experience). Appearance is everything in Taiwan.
Thank you very much for your lengthy and very informative reply.
You have basically complied my to do list for the stay in Taiwan. I am very grateful!
Regarding your first suggestion [Chambers of Commerce]: I have gotten in contact with the German office in Taiwan as I am a resident of that country. Would you assume that also other Chambers of Commerce would be interested although my business is not based in the country they represent?
I will follow through with the suggestion to get in touch with ICRT and the training companies and hopefully I can report some results soon to this forum.
All the Best,
Matteo
P.S.
I have followed your suggestion and changed the topic title
There are companies already doing this. When I was at Hsinchu Science Park we had a nice lady come in a do a two day seminar on presentation techniques for our middle management drones. She could present in both Chinese and English. The drones basically ignored her, since Taiwanese technocrat drones have no actual interest in improving themselves.
Everything I have written below can done in any country other than Taiwan. But I happen to know people who have done exactly these things below, including me! I do not normally conduct trainings, but I am invited to once every blue moon. The thoughts and tips below are essentially what I plan to do should I end up staying here long term and my career downshifts.
There’s no need to assume - they will definitively be interested if you position whatever you have to offer in a way that is valuable or interesting to its members. These are social organisations - and depending in the type of meeting, I expect a typical professional event to be 20-30% are top decision makers, 40-50% are middle managers, and the rest are staffers and visitors. When I have attended such events, I’m more interested in who else I can meet in my peer group (industry or function) than whatever the topic of the event may be. For me, the talk is a bonus - and if the topic is useful, it’s easier to justify to myself and my direct boss that I should go. So, normally, groups like AmCham and the ECCT should be grateful to have you as a speaker, if only to be an “excuse” for them to meet, especially if (a) your talk is really good, and (b) you are free. And they might still be interested if you are not A or B if they haven’t been very active!
Similarly, remember that there are active university alumni clubs that you may want to approach with the same offer: a good excuse to meet (i.e., good/interesting content) for free or cheap. Target the business school alumni clubs of major universities: NTU, NCCU, NCTU, and don’t forget the big private universities that always have something prove: Fujen, CCU. Since you will be delivering in English, reach out to the returnee segment by contacting major North American alumni clubs: USC, NYU, Harvard, Columbia, Purdue are the most active. I’ve heard there’s a USC alumni event every week somewhere I’m Taiwan - contact their Taipei alumni office (they are so big they have a 2 or 3 person fulltime staff) and ask what has been done. These are the networks you want to make yourself known to.
And beyond active business chambers and returnee-filled alumni clubs are other traditional social organisations, like Rotary/Lions/Kiwanis, Toastmasters, and major charity groups. Use your online social networks to locate members of such groups to invite you in to give a talk, a demo, or a sample. Toastmasters, in particular, welcomes visitors who speak English - I think most of the 80+ clubs are in English - and many of the active members will be professional trainers in their dayjob or wannabe trainers. Indeed, you might even look at the Japanese-language Toastmaster Clubs in Taiwan as potential links to Japanese companies in Taiwan and leads into building your business in Japan some day.
Have you heard of ITI, the International Trade Institute that is based in the Taipei World Trade Center? Their mission is to facilitate trade by offering services to both Taiwan SMEs and large organisations. There is a large skills training organisation there that spans the island. You can target the same kind of client base, try to get yourself hired as a way to get a feel for the kinds of audience and decision makers you can expect here, and look for similar training organisations in the private sector.
Remember, your goal is to build a lead list of training and talent development decision makers in large organisations who will want to book you once or twice a year because their middle management turns over year-in, year-out. These are not necessarily the people who will attend the BritCham event that features you or the UCLA alumni dinner where you will give an interesting talk - more likely, the people who go to these social events will only refer you to their training teams. So you will need to make sure whatever you do and say will facilitate that reaction - for example, giveaway a “DM” (direct marketing flyer) that your audience would think to pass along to their Training Department.
I noticed you are on all the major social networks. So, it should not be difficult for you to cross-reference the 10 largest universities in Taiwan, the 10 largest overseas feeder universities, the 20 largest private corporations in Taiwan and distill a list of first- to second-degree contacts who can potentially refer you to their training decision makers. Be sure to invite them to your chamber events - make sure the host organisation recognises them and their organisations as potential new members - but be ready to pay for whatever lunch or cover charge that the chamber event might include. And for the industry chambers, figure out who you should contact in each of the major ones to talk to about becoming a speaker, and then budget time and money to approach each one for lunch. I am not familiar with the German-speaking community’s chamber, but you can (a) ask the economic officer at the German pseudo-Embassy here for advice and if they would introduce you to 3 or 4 key people, (b) approach the European Chamber of Commerce directly and seek advice.
I believe the going-rate for soft skills training (note: not language training) is around NT$100,000 a day for popular freelancers - maybe this has been discussed in more detail elsewhere in this forum. Training companies in Taiwan will charge in the range of 150,000 to 200,000 a day, and you should regard them as potential partners, and not competition, because they have more resources (staff) and range than you will have in the beginning. If you add on assistants and build a network of freelance trainers who offer complementary trainings, your business might look at this as a reference price. So, as an individual freelancer, you might aim for 10-15 large organisations as regular clients for a nice foundation where you deliver once or twice a month. Most will want only 2-hour long trainings that they can fit into a long lunch-and-learn. Resist this urge and insist on half-day increments
Most people do not present well and do not practice enough, and the smart ones always welcome solid, well-constructed trainings, especially if their company is going to pay for it. If your workshop is that good, it is not unreasonable to plan on being based in Taiwan while you develop a larger market like Shanghai or Seoul. I’m not saying its easy or guaranteed, I’m just saying its possible. And I know of at least 2 people who do this, one Taiwanese and one American. Both of them do not only do presentation trainings, but do other soft skills, leaderships skills, selling skills, and, even, train-the-trainer skills. And both of them are fluent in both English and Mandarin.
There are many ways this can be accomplished in Taiwan today. I do not think that was the question the OP was asking, but here are some ways off the top of my head:
The OP could apply for an JFRV if he is married to a Taiwan national
The OP could partner with an existing school or training company - and take a 20% tax hit
The OP could open a briefcase company in Taiwan - not a preferable option because it’s cumbersome to set up a company, especially if your client-base (your 10-15 regulars) isn’t in place yet
I noticed the mohawk as well and smiled. I wondered for a moment what kind of first impression this would make on my Taiwanese colleagues, and then I realised I honestly don’t know. I would have to ask some. It really boils down to how much the OP understands his target audience and their expectations. If he comes across as professional, competent, and highly-organised, the cool mohawk look would probably be a plus. If the presentation workshop is targeting working people in their 30’s and 40’s, I think the interesting or exotic background and easy to recognise professional experience would be the most important factors. For more senior decision makers, a referral from a trusted or recognised source would help a lot.
This is encouraging. The need for better presentation skills is in huge demand. Sadly, individual technocrat-drones are not the right people to approach. You should go after their organizations that have training budgets and high drone turnover.
