When I arrived in Asia, I was a rookie ― a deer in headlights. I left the Garden of Eden that was Silicon Valley for the wilderness, and I quickly learned how difficult it was to start from scratch without having anyone you can trust.
It’s been 12 years since then, and we have set up offices in 8 different jurisdictions, all of which are now thriving ― but this was not the case in the beginning. Raising money to grow the business in Asia was difficult. The laws in these countries can be superseded for the right price. It’s who you know, how much you have, and how much of it you are willing to disperse of it to the right person.
If these people became displeased with you, they would try their utmost to discredit you and bring you down.
Men have broken into my home at night and threatened me, telling me I needed to leave the country or die.
I have had a man I trusted spy through cameras he installed in our office to take our contracts before we got them.
I have had men accuse me of having affairs with my staff, and post pictures about it.
They even went as far as to create a false situation regarding my immigration status and demand payment to make it go away.
Despite all of this, I did not fold. It would have been very easy to run away and tell myself all this is not worth the hassle, but I had a business to run and I had invested too much to just drop it. I had to find a way to make it work despite the threats and the false accusations.
As a woman in business, you will meet the good and the bad. You must meet them both, and learn how to handle the most difficult parts calmly and with a clear head. You will also learn that they WILL NOT win if you do not let FEAR take over and cloud your thinking.
The most important thing to remember is to never let fear take over. The best weapon against threats and false accusations is success. You must succeed in order to defeat them.
Focus on your business and your path and always have a lawyer you can trust on your side. Not just an expensive lawyer, but a lawyer who believes in the rights of others ―Human Rights.
If I had folded when these things were thrown at me over the past 10 years, I would not have a business that is worth over half a billion dollars in this part of the world.
Never fold to pressure and difficulties. When one door shuts go through the other, there is always a way to succeed.