Kenyan entrepreneuse bets on China to fulfill dream of success

She is ecstatic and eagerly waiting for time to lapse so that she can relocate to her new home- - China.

Sandra Rwese, a Kenyan, will be moving to the Asian nation in September, where she hopes to start a new life that will involve linking Chinese tourism firms to African markets and vice versa.

For her, it is a dream come true, as her efforts have paid off. "I will be based in China's Xiamen Island in Fujian Province. I am happy that this time I am not going to visit, but to stay there and work," excited Rwese says.

For several years, Rwese has been running Chinese Business Trainers (CBT). a consulting firm which she used to help link Kenyan companies in the tourism and hospitality sector to Chinese clients.

"The aim was to help Kenyan companies reap from business opportunities brought about by the coming of the Chinese in Kenya. The number of Chinese nationals in Kenya has grown, but local firms in the hospitality sector have benefitted from the visitors, " said Rwese.

The firms, according to Rwese, miss opportunities because they do not know how to deal with Chinese.

"They do not have workers who understand Chinese culture and languages. Thus, they cannot attend to tourists or businessmen from China, which means they lose great opportunities," she said.

Besides that, the 38-year-old noted that local firms are not selling themselves to the Chinese market.

"Our efforts to market tourism activities are concentrated in Europe and America, yet the Chinese are coming here in droves. Major players in the tourism sector do not have websites written in Chinese languages to attract potential tourists in China," she said.

Through CBT, Rwese focused on advising businesses on global strategies, innovation and Chinese cross-cultural skills.

"Some of the things she taught people in the hospitality industry about the Chinese were how to host and organize conferences. This included packaging folders, arranging seats, color schemes to use and issuing gifts," she said.

"One of the things I ensued they knew was that the Chinese prefer banners made in blue and when giving out gifts, one should not arrange things in sets of fours or issue out clocks. A clock to a Chinese given as a gift may signify death," she said.

For accommodation, Rwese noted that Chinese should not be offered rooms on fourth floor.

"When I was teaching about this, people get shocked. Chinese have superstitions about number four, which one should avoid. Again, their hotels rooms should have wooden beds and one should avoid photos of lonely things like an animal or Maasai on the wall, " she said, noting British love such photos.

Other things she trained firms in were Chinese spending and travelling habits, their cuisine, their like and dislikes and cultural expectations.

Above all, she encouraged the workers and bosses to attend Chinese language schools, which are available in the capital Nairobi.

"You cannot engage the Chinese if you do not speak their language. Speaking their language is important for business," she said. Rwese's "love affair" with China began in 2008 when her sister advised her to study Chinese.

"I enrolled at University of Nairobi Confucius Institute and studied Chinese. This spurred my interests in China, especially Chinese business. I started to do research in the area. This saw me visit China, where friends hosted me," she said.

During her visits to China, she toured Guangzhou and Hong Kong. "My tours in the two cities were an eye-opener. I stayed there for three weeks and learned a lot about the Chinese people and the way they do business. This inspired me to start CBT."

Her cultural experience in the Asian country was phenomenal. "I learned how to eat using chopsticks. At first, it was difficult but I got used to it. I can say I am now an expert. I also learnt how Chinese parents raise their children, the financial training their offer them and how they live," said Rwese, who practices some of the Chinese aspects.

As a consultant in Chinese business matters, Rwese has also developed business strategies for tourism firms in Germany and Denmark.

"I came up with strategies that helped companies in the two countries tap the Chinese market," she said. The work made her win a Silver Award for Product Innovation in the Chinese Tourist Welcoming (CTW) awards last year.

"I entered my business concept and emerged tops. There were hundreds of organizations across the world taking part in the competition organized by a German company," said Rwese.

In China, Rwese will work as a consultant in Chinese-Africa tourism innovation.

"My job will be to help Chinese and Africa firms and people in the tourism sectors 'understand' each other. I will draw blueprints for businesses both in China and Africa to enable them reach out to potential clients," she said, adding that in Africa, she will work with firms in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Rwese is excited about what awaits her in China. "This is what I love to do most. China has given me opportunity to fulfill my dreams. I have always loved China and its people. I now have an opportunity to work as a citizen of the world integrating Africans and Chinese."

According to Rwese, no nation can ignore China if it wants to boost its economy.

"China is the world's second largest economy in the world and has over 150 million middle-class population. These people have a travel market value exceeding 55 billion U. S. dollars annually. This is a market any country that wants to boost its tourism sector, including Kenya, must not ignore," she said.

Rwese believes that China's influence across the world will last the next five decades. "I am happy that I will play a role in linking Africa to China," she concluded.