Hong Kong is an ideal place to establish a small to medium-sized business with the chance of success outweighing the risks, according to members of Hong Kong’s newly established Entrepreneurs Club.

The chairman Gerry Ball of the UK, who founded the club with Tom Folinsbee from Canada and Doug Woodring from the US, says the aim is to bring together like-minded people and provide a forum for would-be entrepreneurs and successful business people to network, exchange information and learn from each other’s experiences.

Mr Ball, who is founder and managing director of Expand Asia, a company that helps small overseas businesses establish themselves in Hong Kong, says Hong Kong’s business environment is about as close as one can get to the ideal conditions for starting your own business.

He says the risks involved in starting a business usually relate to an ill-prepared business plan and a lack of understanding about the financing of an enterprise.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong enjoy advantages you would be hard pushed to find anywhere else. A minimum of bureaucracy, a strong financial system, a sound business legal system and a can-do spirit, all provide inspiration. These are the right conditions for an entrepreneur to flourish.”

Jeff Porter, director of Ausmerica and a member of the Entrepreneurs Club, agrees. “Hong Kong is one of the easiest places to establish a small business because the open and easy to understand structure of the business environment presents fewer hazards associated with setting up a business than in many other locations. This is particularly so for SMEs looking for business opportunities in technology.”

Mr Porter, who moved from Australia to Hong Kong two years ago, runs his own business boosting Australian and Hong Kong business links in the IT sector.

Lisa Fong, a former human resources manager with a multinational company, says she was motivated to establish her own business for a number of reasons, among them “an opportunity to be more in control of my own destiny”.

Last August, together with a business partner, Ms Fong set up the Wellness Centre which offers a wide choice of health care treatments. Experienced therapists have been trained in the United States, Australia, Japan, the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

Membership of Entrepreneurs Club consists of people who represent every stage of entrepreneurship ranging from those who have enjoyed success with their businesses to people who are thinking of starting a restaurant business, exporting promotion novelties, and setting up a specialist accountancy business. They meet once a month to listen to guest speakers and exchange ideas on the various aspects of setting up and running a business.

For more information write to gerryball@expandasia.com