From left: Sir Gordon Wu, KK Lim and Entrepreneurs’ Club founder, Gerry Ball

Briton Gerry Ball and American Doug Woodring founded the Hong Kong Entrepreneurs' Club in February 2002 with the aim of encouraging business ownership. Ten people attended the initial meeting to discuss how the concept could be driven forward.

Three and a half years later, the club has snowballed to become a valuable resource for SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises). It boasts over 150 members from more than 40 countries, has a number of high-profile sponsors, and regularly attracts captains of industry as guest speakers.

According to current chairman Lim Kheak Kwan, the "vibe" of Hong Kong made this success possible.

Business-friendly environment

"A key factor in the continued growth of the club is that Hong Kong is attractive to entrepreneurs globally, due to the ease of doing business and the tremendous energy of the people in driving capitalism forward," said Mr Lim, an Australian who is managing director of his own HR consultancy, Profiles of HongKong Ltd. "There is a never-say-die attitude in always trying to look for new avenues to generate business opportunities, as well as accessibility to regional markets and, in particular, the Chinese mainland. It is also a great place to live and work, with lots of weekend activities and holiday destinations to choose from."

One of the core functions of the club is to hold talks by prominent entrepreneurs who are willing to share their experiences of success and failure. The list of speakers to date have reflected Hong Kong's own economic success, with prominent people such as Allan Zeman of Lan Kwai Fong Concepts, Sir Gordon Wu of Hopewell Holdings, Shanghai Tang's David Tang, restaurateur Michelle Garnaut, author and businessman Simon Murray, Christine Loh of independent think-tank The Civic Exchange, and Raju Harilela of Harilela Strategic Group.

Mr Lim explained that the role of the club has expanded as membership grew. He said the club is unique in its ability to retain an informal format where people from all over the world can come to meet and cross-fertilise ideas on starting or growing their businesses. There are links to similar organisations in the US and Japan, with pending relationships in other global business centres.

The Entrepreneurs' Club has also attracted corporate sponsorship from organisations such as HSBC, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Oldham Li & Nie and The Executive Centre. In addition to funding, the sponsors have provided further support of the entrepreneurial spirit through special-focus seminars and business advice to assist the members.

Identifying opportunities

Besides hosting great speakers and strong networking opportunities, there are Start-ups, Funding and Mentoring sub-committees headed by dedicated and experienced members. An executive committee oversees the activities of the club, identifying or creating new opportunities to meet the needs of members.

Recently, lunchtime workshops on practical topics such as "How to apply for SME funding schemes" have been introduced. In addition, roundtable discussions with financial institutions have also been arranged where members hold open discussions with senior managers on issues that can impact on small business operations in Hong Kong.

The Entrepreneurs' Club will continue to be a great facilitator for entrepreneurs to access business and learning opportunities, Mr Lim said. "Initiatives are already underway for joint efforts with universities to develop and enhance private enterprise through think-tanks and platforms to disseminate useful information. It is the aim to maintain Hong Kong's position as the leading regional centre for entrepreneurs, from where influence can be spread to other centres."

Related link
Hong Kong Entrepreneurs' Club