•You will hear five different business people talking about how they started

Speaker One
Man: Three months after I joined SMU Company Ltd, I had the idea to start my own business.
   The company provided service to put one language into another. The commission was really attractive. As I majored in international business and had worked in the UK for three years, I had many friends in companies. So, I left that company and was preparing to start my business. Actually I did not invest any money in it. I just cooperated with a big company which provided that kind of service I did the business under that company’s name. That company obtained 10% commission for each of my transactions. For example, when I got an order from Company A to put the documents into Japanese, I charged Company A 10,000 yuan. Then my business partner got 1,000 yuan from me.
   Speaker Two
Woman: I used to be a well-known professor in a university, teaching international marketing. When I was 52 years old, I changed my role. I stopped teaching and started a company of my own. But at the very beginning, I badly needed money to apply for founding a company. That was a very big sum for me at that time: 50,000 yuan. I withdrew all my bank deposit and asked my uncles and brothers to lend me some money. After one month’s hard work, I founded my small business on Dec. 8th, 1995. With the rest of the money, I started to buy some construction materials in small quantity. Sometimes I obtained the materials just on credit. After I had sold out those materials, I paid my suppliers. Now my company has a registered capital of US $ 2.5m with 28 outlets throughout China.
   Speaker Three
Man: About fifteen years ago, after I retired from a key university, I helped some good friends’ children with their English. With my help, their English improved greatly. One of my good friends advised me t0 have more students. I followed his advice. As my students made great progress in English, I became more and more famous. Then I rent a large flat as a classroom where students from high schools, universities, and from companies came to learn English in the evenings or at weekends. Some years ago, a successful businessman sent his child to my class to learn English. Finding my business was so prosperous, he invited me to start an evening school. But I suggested that we should start a full-time school. He adopted my suggestion. I invested my know-bow and he invested money in establishing the school. Now the school has grown into a large-scale college which chiefly enrolls full-time students as well as evening school students.
   Speaker Four
Woman: It is true that a bad thing may turn into a good consequence. Some years ago, I made a serious mistake in my work. So I had to resign the important position in the government ministry. To make a living, I planned to start a real estate agency, as I found it would be a promising business. But money was a big problem.  I lacked the fund to start the business. At least I had to have enough money to rent a house as my office. With some good friends’ help and with the money I borrowed from a bank, I had my real estate agency opened soon. Just as I had expected before, the market became better and better. Now I have 28 branches in this city and quite a number of outlets in some other big cities.
   Speaker Five
Man: More and more young people are interested in MBA and other business courses. This is because China is in need of more people involved in business.  Courses are a real promising industry. Accordingly, textbooks are needed for those courses. Just think about the MBA programs in most of China’s universities. I supposed that it was a very good market. I told the idea to my friends. They all thought it was a good idea. But when I turned to them for financial help, they suddenly became poor, even poorer than I. Then I really understood the implication of the saying "A friend in need is a friend indeed" I had no way out. I decided to put my flat on the market, and invest the money that I got from that in the business. I was gambling in a way. I would be either wealthy or finished up. But it’s worked, it’s really paid off. I am considering opening more branches in the places where there are numberless schools.