As always, the annual Lunar New Year Fair is not just a good chance to stock up on New Year items; it is also a simulated battlefield where young people put their entrepreneurial dreams to a test. This year’s fair took place at the Tap Seac Square from the 23rd of December 2012 through the first day of 2013 on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Three stalls at the fair were operated by UM students, named “Lucky Snakes from PJC”, “Snake Year Brings Change of Fortune”, and “Happy a Look Tonight”, respectively. Whether these bright-eyed student entrepreneurs were raking it in seems to be beside the point, when they could be sure about earning something far more priceless—experience.
Lucky Snakes from PJC
“Left, right, M1’s the best!” Hardly had we entered the venue when this self-coined catchy slogan caught our ears. We looked in the direction of the voice and there they were—PJC students and their teacher Samuel Choi at the “Lucky Snakes from PJC” stall chanting the slogan with great gusto. This was the second time they had operated a stall at the Lunar New Year Fair. Apart from creative self-made T-shirts, they also sold various items for the Chinese New Year. Following their previous practice, they tried to attract partners by selling the PJC Coupon. And thanks to the support of college staff and students, they successfully met their target. Samuel notes that whether students would make money from the entrepreneurial exercise was secondary; the point was to let them experience first-hand the various procedures of operating a business, and to help them to learn how to cooperate as a team and, more importantly, to understand that doing business is not just about making money; it’s also about fulfilling one’s social responsibility and honouring one’s moral values. “For example, you need to have a variety of items to cater to both big-spenders and those with limited means,” says Samuel. “Also, the crux of the entrepreneurial spirit is creativity. You must do more than just sell. You must have something uniquely yours—some original product not yet available on the market for example.” Students describe those days as exhausting but completely worthwhile, because they had the chance to put their ideas into practice.
Snake Year Brings Change of Fortune
“Snake Year Brings Change of Fortune” was the name of the dried foodstuff stall operated by members of UM’s Entrepreneurship Society, in collaboration with ten openly recruited UM students and five local students studying in Taiwan. Kelvin Cheung, president of the Entrepreneurship Society, wasn’t content to just sell traditional New Year items, and that’s why aside from the staple paper windmills and the calligraphy couplets, he also sold some novel items such as capsule toys. All team members agree that the experience allowed them to better understand the importance of communication and they hope to build on the success of this experience and continue to pursue their entrepreneurial dream in the future.
Happy a Look Tonight
The “Happy a Look Tonight” stall was operated by an eight people team. Their preparations included secretly observing how street food stalls were operated. They also put a lot of thought into the selection of ingredients. They mainly sold jumbo al dente fish balls with specially-made sauce, fresh crunchy vegetables, and limited offerings of succulent beef balls. The Herbal Tea with Mistletoe and Egg, which was made by them, was especially popular with the customers. Their thoughtfulness and flexibility were not just limited to the preparation process. They quickly changed tact during the fair according to the actual situation, by adding sweet soups, popcorn and even pineapples. They racked their brains thinking up various promotional strategies—they made use of Facebook, and the “Signboard Guy” invited passersby to write down their New Year wishes. Johnson Ng, a fourth year student of marketing, says that originally she thought it was just about “making money”, but later she began to appreciate the opportunity to learn, and came to understand that the entrepreneurial spirit is really just daring to think and act.
