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Israeli entrepreneur thrives in Shenzhen

Writer: Cathy Mo  | Editor: Jane Chen  | From:  | Updated: 2018-02-09

Meir S Simhi

Email of the writer: 865068803@qq.com

Meir S Simhi, a Jewish entrepreneur who does online business and runs an e-commerce training program in Shenzhen, is thriving on helping other businesses.

After finishing his college education in Israel, Simhi started a furniture business. However, it ended up not making any money, so with the IT background and experience in logistics he gathered while serving in the Israeli army, Simhi turned his eyes to China and saw the future for e-commerce in the country.

“I believed China would lead the world in the field, as so many manufacturers were located in the country. So I came to Shenzhen in 2007 with an intention of starting my e-commerce business.”

It wasn’t easy to get a license for his e-commerce company on the Chinese mainland at that time, so he got Xoongo registered in Hong Kong. The company was an intermediary that translated the information provided on Taobao.com into English to help foreign buyers, who after making purchases, would entrust Xoongo to receive the goods and forward them to the buyers. Unfortunately, again, the company failed due to mismanagement.

Success finally came in 2014, when Simhi started his logistics company, Factorydesk, in Shenzhen, helping online consumer-goods sellers find factories, develop their supply chain, handle their QC and establish their brand. “We can find almost everything in China, and I think Shenzhen is the best place in the world when you are looking for technology, entrepreneurship and high-tech startups,” he said.

“I believe people need to embrace failure in order to grow. ... It’s not about the goal, it’s about vision. For me I feel I become better every day.”

Confident in his field, he has started another company that provides training programs for startups and helps with branding. “In the future I would like to set up incubators for online businesses and brands.”

He said that Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Co., is one of his role models. “Ford said, ‘I prefer to have one percent from 100 people than 100 percent from one person.’ When the cake becomes bigger, my share will be bigger. That is my business philosophy.”

Simhi married his Chinese wife in Shenzhen, and the couple have two children. He said he wants to have “as many children as possible” with his wife. “Cherishing family is an important Jewish value, above all.”