Wealth Without Borders Podcast

How do you become the best of the best, especially in a foreign country? Have you asked yourself if becoming an expat in China is the right thing to do? Do you want to know how you could become one of the most successful expats in China? 

Hopping into a foreign country with a whole new culture and way of living right before your eyes can be overwhelming, especially if you’re there looking for a job as an expat. “How will I start?”, “What should I do?”, or “Do I really need to study Chinese?” are some of the things you’re probably thinking when starting as an expat in China. Set those aside and learn how to experience success as an expat in China, one step at a time. 

Mark Suchy has been in China for 17 years and real estate for 16 years and is a Managing Director for Core Capital Asia, an investment agency based in Shanghai, which focuses on real estate investment transactions and debt financing. Mark is a Canadian who came to China straight out of university with a one way ticket and a dream to succeed. 

In this episode, Mark shares how his perseverance and passion led him to success as an expat in China. He gives valuable tips and tricks on how life is different in China from Western countries, how you can gain connections and respect from others, and what are the key points that need to be focused on in yourself and in the business that may lead you to success. 

What you will learn from this episode: 

• Learn how you can make your road to success easier as an expat in China 
• Find out if learning Chinese is necessary to become successful 
• Get insights on how life may look as an expat in China and its advantages and disadvantages 

“Keep positive, stay focused on one profession, and you can rise very quickly.” 

- Mark Suchy 

Topics Covered: 

01:48 - Mark shares what led him to become an expat in China: “I realized that Asia had huge opportunities for growth, and my personal development and business future” 

02:50 - Getting the right people in your life is one of the important qualities that best defines a long-term ex-pat  

04:09 - Mark shares how it took him years to start developing positive relationships and connections with the expats and locals around him 

06:07 - Keep yourself focused and positive are the qualities you need as someone who works far from home 

10:00 - Mark’s realization “But what I realized quite quickly is that you're only as strong as your network, and the more you rely on other people to help you, the more you can accomplish.” 

11:56 - Mark shares his experience and realizations on the existence of status in China compared with Western countries 

13:18 - The usually levels of status do not exist amongst expats in China: “Your background or where you are from or how great you are doesn’t really matter. All that matters is if you’re a good person who’s willing to help others and add value to their lives.” 

14:09 - Mark shares one of the most remarkable and bizarre things he experienced as someone who stayed in China for a long time 

16:17 - Question asked to Mark: How do you think, as a result of 2020, the expat world will change in the future? 

18:32 - It is possible to run a successful business without being physically present, an important lesson Mark learned from remote working due to COVID 

20:34 - Advice for newly arrived expats in China: Go to a remote part of China instead of Shanghai to learn Chinese diligently

Key Takeaways: 

 “It's important that you have a network of people that you look up to and rely on, and you can count on to be good friends. And you need to focus on getting the right people in your life because you're going to meet so many people as an expat, but it's the people that you really respect and, you know, who are in some ways better than you. You hope to hook yourself into these circles, then become friends with. That allows you to feel comfortable and give you what you need to stay happy and positive. Then you have a kind of family away from your family. That's really critical.” - Mark Suchy 

“The biggest advice is just to get out as much as you can because then you'll stay well balanced.” - Mark Suchy 

“You need that kind of positive attitude to keep yourself focused. And you have to see the light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how bad things get.” - Mark Suchy 

“Have a long-term vision that everything is going to work out for you, and the business is going to come together and your job’s going to improve. Keep focusing on it, because if you don't have that kind of light guiding you, you're going to feel lost.” - Mark Suchy 

“The two keywords for success for an expat are 'capable' and 'driven'. If you have a past track record of being able to get things done, then you will be able to do anything you want if you're really focused because that's what the real value of an expat is. Just being able to accomplish tasks at a much more effective rate than maybe a local, similar employee would be able to do. So, you have that capability, and you can believe in yourself.” - Mark Suchy 

“One thing I've learned is to just ask people around you to help you as much as possible. And because you're an expat, there's something about being isolated in a foreign country that makes people support each other, much more so than at home.” - Mark Suchy 

“That's actually a good example of how it doesn't really matter what your background is, or where you're from, or how great you are. All that matters is if you're a good person and if you're willing to help other people and add value to their lives.” 

“One thing that I've learned from COVID, working remotely, is that it's very possible to run a successful business without physically being there.” - Mark Suchy 

“Just to get conversational, just so that I can build relationships with Chinese businessmen and work with them, and show respect. Like, I don't think you need to be able to read and write and speak, especially outside of Shanghai, it's not necessarily a good thing for a foreigner to speak fluent Chinese, because then they're like, "Okay, this is a university student that's pretending to be something else." - Mark Suchy 

“What I realized quite quickly is that you're only as strong as your network, and the more you rely on other people to help you, the more you can accomplish.” - Mark Suchy 

Ways to Connect with Mark Suchy: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-suchy-a2bb2b10/

Ways to Connect with Howard Whiteson: 

• Website: http://www.wealthwithoutborders.net    
• Podcast: https://wealthwithoutborders.net/podcast/  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardwhiteson