Hong Kong edition

Every plan starts with the place. Read Hong Kong as your customer does before you choose a sector.

• A dense, trade-led city. Space is costly, so online and shared-space models fit well.
• Money moves fast by bank transfer and fast-payment apps; customers expect instant confirmation.
• Three languages in daily use: your page in two (Traditional Chinese and English) is the minimum.
• Close to the wider region: many small firms serve customers across the border, so shipping and data rules matter early.

Activity. Write a one-page market page with sources and dates. Ask two local people to correct it.

Standard to meet. Cite a source and a date for every line, have two local readers confirm the facts, and name one risk with a response.

The global list has 75 sectors in 8 clusters. Pick by local fit, not by fashion.

• Cluster A, Online selling and marketing: Strong fit: customers shop on phones and expect delivery within a day. Compete on speed and service, not price.
• Cluster B, Technology and digital services: Fit for services sold to small firms: IT support, testing, privacy. Offices are small, so offer monthly plans.
• Cluster C, Health, care and wellbeing (regulated): Regulated. Practise only with the right licence and registration. This course teaches planning, not practice.
• Cluster D, Mobility, aerial and space (regulated): Regulated and space-limited. Plan around airspace and road rules; start with charging points or shared mobility on paper.
• Cluster E, Energy, building and environment: High-rise living drives smart-energy, water and home-sharing ideas. Check building rules and landlord approval first.
• Cluster F, Food and farming: Land is scarce: vertical farms, ghost kitchens and alternative proteins suit small floor areas.
• Cluster G, Money services (regulated): Regulated money services. Plan as a partner of a licensed firm; never hold customer money without a licence.
• Cluster H, People and business support: Coaching, coworking and outsourcing fit well; many one-person firms need flexible support.

Activity. Rank six sectors from at least three clusters. Choose one and write the reason in three lines.

Standard to meet. Score six sectors on five criteria, state the reason for your choice, and mark any regulated sector as planning only.

Rules differ by place. Check current rules with a licensed local adviser before you act for real.

• Register the business with the tax authority (business registration) before you trade; companies are also listed with the companies registry.
• Choose sole trader, partnership or company: a company separates personal and business risk, but has yearly filing duties.
• Some activities need an extra licence (food, health, money, education centres). List yours before you take a first order.
• Keep a registered address and a named contact; a shared-office address is common for a first year.

Activity. Build a licence table for your chosen sector with issuer, cost, time and the date checked. Do not apply; this is a plan.

Standard to meet. Complete the table with a public source for every row, put the steps in a logical order, and write one question for an adviser.

Trust is the real product. Protect customer data and keep your promises in writing.

• The personal data ordinance sets six principles, from collection and use to security and access.
• Say in plain words what you collect and why; give a way to see and correct it.
• Direct marketing needs a clear choice for the customer to say no; keep that record.
• Sending data outside the city may need a safeguard; check with a local expert and list every tool that stores customer data.

Activity. Write the five-line notice and a data map for your plan. Ask a peer to find any gap.

Standard to meet. Write the notice in plain words, list every tool in the data map, and write and date the refund and complaint steps.

Go where your customers already are, in the language they use. Language: Cantonese, Mandarin and English; write the page in Traditional Chinese and English.

• Channels: messaging apps, social media and marketplaces are where customers already are.
• Language: show both languages side by side; keep prices in HKD only.
• Payments: bank transfer and fast-payment apps first; give an instant receipt.
• Trust: put the business registration number, a real address and a refund note on every page.

Activity. Test two channels with 20 people. Record results in a table and write the next change.

Standard to meet. Test has a start and end date; results are counted, not guessed; one change is chosen and justified.

Know your numbers in HKD. Tax rule in one line: No sales tax or VAT; profits tax has a lower first-band rate, so read the current table.

• Write HKD next to every number.
• Contribution per unit = price minus the cost of each unit.
• Break-even units = fixed monthly cost divided by contribution per unit; round up.
• Add tax and duty explicitly; never bury them in a price.
• Check against a worse case: if sales are 25% lower, do you still cover costs?

Activity. Build your own sheet in HKD: price, unit cost, fixed cost, contribution, break-even and a 25% worse case. Put the tax and duty rules in a separate line with a source.

Standard to meet. Complete all six lines of the sheet in HKD, have a peer check the arithmetic, and show the worse case.

Plans become real through people. Hire, partner and write every promise down.

• Employers usually pay a compulsory retirement-fund contribution for staff; budget it from the first hire.
• Written terms, rest days and paid leave follow the employment law; keep signed copies.
• Freelancers are common; write scope, price and date in one page before work starts.
• Partner with a college, training body or business chamber to find helpers and to practise.

Activity. Write one role card and one partner letter (what each side gives). Role-play a first meeting for 10 minutes.

Standard to meet. Write a role card with pay in local currency, hours and a review date, balance the partner letter, and keep signed copies of both.

Finish with a one-page launch plan and a plan to review it every month.

• Dates: first test, first order, first review.
• One measure per week: enquiries, orders or revenue; pick one.
• A monthly review: what we planned, what happened, what we change.
• Keep a risk list with a response for each; include a rules change.
• Local caution: A city with high costs: test one small offer before you sign a lease.

Activity. Write the launch page and present it to two people for 10 minutes. Record their questions and your answers.

Standard to meet. Plan has dates, one weekly measure, a go or no-go rule and a risk list; presenter answers three questions with evidence.