When Mike Cheng moved from midtown to Shanghai three years ago, he could barely speak Mandarin Chinese. By the time the young Asian-American entrepreneur moved back to New York nine months later, he was on his way toward mastering the language - and starting a business.
Knowing he had many friends eager to learn, Cheng, now 28, decided to launch Mando Mandarin, a Chinese-language education company that provides live, Web-based classes taught by instructors in China.
With minimal marketing effort, the Rego Park, Queens-based company has grown steadily, with 40 private students currently signed on. Cheng is now making a push into the private school arena. He expects Mando Mandarin's sales to hit $250,000 this year.
"With China rising, there has to be a business opportunity," Cheng said in an interview from Shanghai, where he was working on expanding his business.From Chinese-language course providers to book publishers and media startups, New York entrepreneurs are positioning themselves to profit from the exploding interest in Chinese business, language and culture.
"A large and growing number of companies throughout the city are taking advantage," said Robin Harvey, founder of Greenwich Village Chinese, an after-school and summer language program whose students range in age from toddlers to eighth graders.