Where did you live in China?

              The first place I lived after relocating permanently to China was Changzhou, in Jiangsu Province. As our business grew, we found ourselves manufacturing mostly in neighboring Zhangjiagang, so we moved there. At one point we had offices in Zhangjiagang and Suzhou, so I chose to live in Suzhou. Suzhou is an incredible city thirty minutes by train from Shanghai. I spent my last seven years in China back in Zhangjiagang, as that’s where our we did almost all our manufacturing.

Which periodicals do you do read?

              I subscribe to Entrepreneur, Money and The Rake which, in my opinion, is the only men’s fashion magazine worth reading.

How many companies have you owned?

              I think sixteen or seventeen, not including those in which I’m a passive shareholder.

Have all your companies been successful?

              No! Some were successful, some were utter disasters! The design-manufacturing-import/export enterprise we built in China was very successful. After selling my interest in those companies, I returned to the U.S. The companies we currently own are successful. Those that weren’t we shut down and moved on.

Do you read fiction?

              I enjoy fiction but my time is limited, so I read mostly non-fiction, business-related books. As for fiction, I’ve read all Jane Austin’s work, and most of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s. I’ve read all Hemingway’s short stories, but only three or four of his novels. When my kids were in high school, I occasionally read what they were reading so we could discuss those books. I recall reading Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which was fun – and a bit different than the movie. I trudged through Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, neck-deep in secular humanism. And together we read Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, which is probably my favorite novel of all time.

What’s the biggest business mistake you’ve ever made?

              I think I’ve made, at one time or another, just about every mistake you can make in business. But it was working through those mistakes and learning from them that helped make my successful ventures successful.

I suppose my biggest mistake was the one that cost me the most. Nearly twenty years ago we had a company that was seriously under-capitalized and top-heavy. I had great partners and we had great products, but the company slowly spiraled. I don’t regret being involved with the company; my big mistake was quitting my day job to jump in full time. Over time it created a hardship on my family, and added burden to an already top-heavy company. In the end it wiped me out.

Do you sell investment products or charge for financial advice?

              No.

Do you receive commissions, fees or any other compensation from any investment service or fund mentioned in your book?

              No.

How do you balance your work and personal life?

              My wife and I work from home, so it can be difficult to separate and maintain balance between our work and personal lives. We start every morning with coffee together. We use that time to update each other on our schedules for that day and just take time to chat. We both take a break in the early morning to go to the gym – she to hers and I to mine. Even though we office at home, either of us might be out with appointments throughout the day, and we sometimes don’t cross paths again until evening. We usually work till 6:00 or 7:00, then have dinner together and spend the rest of the evening catching up. We try to set all work aside on Sunday and simply relax.