James Smith is one of the most interesting people I know.
For starters he has lived in South Africa, Holland, U.K. and China and has traveled extensively for most of that time. He has visited places as far a field as North Korea, Swaziland and Romania.
He started off as a teacher, but moved into web development early on. During his web development days, he worked with some of the biggest corporations in the world. In addition he worked with many start-ups – watching them as they grew into mature companies.
After moving to Europe from South Africa, he moved into the IT Business Systems Analyst field where he developed and honed his business skills. However he never forgot his love of teaching and making a difference in people’s lives.
While living in the U.K. he left the IT field behind and started freelancing as a Business Consultant and Life Skills coach. He soon became very popular as a speaker and educator in the business world.
Two years ago a business colleague urged him to move to the People’s Republic of China because ‘People are extremely eager to learn and need to know about dealing with western business’. As James is an eternal adventurer, he took up the challenge and moved to China, setting up a new consulting company. Since then he has been assisting Chinese businesses in improving their English skills, developing new business ideas, speaking about western culture and delivering life-coaching seminars.
Recently he has started briefing western businesses on the art of doing business in China. In addition he has been asked to speak at various international events, conferences and retreats.
In addition to all this, James has also published several business books in China, won awards for his photography and researched Newt breeding behaviour in the south of China. He also cooks great Western and Chinese food!
He decided to start this Blog in order to share the knowledge that he has gained with other people. He deals with life issues that all of us face, and his ideas and suggestions have helped many people to better their lives.
I am glad to call James a friend, colleague and mentor.
Dylan Bowman
Director: Assured Perspective Consulting