Busy, busy, busy....getting ready for launch

My, my, my - what alot of hard work it has been over the past few months in attempting to turn my pipe dream of becoming Taiwan's answer to Bill Gates into an all-singing all-dancing reality. 

The name of the business, "Best of Blighty", came easily. I wanted a name which combined "Britain" with a sense of the "nostalgia" and "fondness" experienced by a British expat (well, some of us anyway) in thinking about home. According to the font of all knowledge (Wikipedia, that is) ."Blighty" is 

“.....a British English slang term for Britain derived from the Hindustani word “vilāyatī” (pronounced bilāti in many Indian dialects and languages) and meaning “ foreigner”. The word “Blighty”. Is commonly used as a term of endearment by the expatriate British community, or by those on holiday to refer to home.” (Wikipedia)

So, the word "Blighty" fits my thoughts rather nicely, don't you think? Since I am obviously not intending to palm off the worst things Britain has to offer on an unsuspecting populace in Taiwan, the name "Best of Blighty" seemed like just the ticket. (The fact that the name could be reduced to the abbreviation "BoB" for marketing and web address purposes was a further incentive. In fact, I did think about calling the business "Best of old Blighty", for obvious reasons.)

So, with the name of the business in the bag, I turned to other things such as deciding on a business logo, deciding what I was actually going to sell, deciding my target customers, deciding how and where I would sell the goods, and so on. Now, I am nothing if not decisive (or maybe not - I simply can't make up my mind). So, I was thinking that it would be the work of but an instant to get the business up and running jiffies. However, here I am 6 months later with not a single sale to my name. However, all is not doom and gloom in my burgeoning business empire. Much progress has been made, and I think I am safe in saying that the business should be taking off within the next couple of weeks or so (or if not weeks, then certainly months, and most definitely years).

So, first things first!! Let me show you the logo.

Pretty cool, huh? I came up with the inital idea of the business name set against the Union Jack Flag, and the overall feel of the logo in terms of the font style and color. However, the actual design was created by a splendid Taiwanese chappy who goes by the English name of Wayne and has just graduated from Tainan University. Miraculously, I explained my ideas to him in a short meeting, and he came up with the final design at pretty much the first attempt. He's either a mind reader, or a real design wizz. (I think he is probably both, actually) The design brief was to create a logo which is attractive and appealing (particularly to younger people), conveys the idea of Britain visually, and is distinctive and immediately recognizable even when viewed from a distance.Now, I think that the logo does just that!! I am really pleased with it.  But, what about you? What do you think? I would like to hear your thoughts. Post a comment (English or Chinese) and let me know.

The logo has been submitted to the government here in Taiwan to apply for copyright protection , and once the application is passed, I intend to plaster the logo everywhere. Watch out Nike, watch out McDonald's, watch out Starbucks, .... there's a new logo on the block. And it's mine, all mine !!!

Now, I would love to stay and chat with you some more. But, things to do, people to see, places to go. Blah, blah, blah. I'll be back in a few days, and when I am, I'll tell you about all the other things I have been up to the past few months. I'll also show you some of the the things I have for sale  and explain how / where I hope to sell them.  Sounds fair enough? In which case, I'll see you later.

Toodle pip!!

Bringing the Best of Britain to Taiwan

As a Brit who has lived in Taiwan for more than 11 years, I now call Taiwan (and Tainan in particular) my home. Going back to England now is "going on holiday", while coming back to Taiwan is "coming home". 

I love Taiwan with all its glorious food, warm and friendly people, fisticuffs in the legislature, eccentric driving habits, blood red betel nut stains on the sidewalk looking like something out of CSI Miami, inane variety shows, cross-dressing TV hosts, psychopathic taxi drivers, scooter boys, and betel nut girls. But, of course, there are still many things I miss about England; fish and chips, a nice cup of tea at 4 o’ clock, cucumber sandwiches, the Royal Family, wet and windy summer days on the beach, people stripping off as the temperature soars above 22 degrees C, postmen wearing shorts even on the coldest and snowiest winter mornings, David Beckham’s left foot, to name but a few. However, of all the things I miss, British sweets are without doubt the thing I miss the most. Of course, we can buy sweets here in Taiwan, but not real old-fashioned English ones; not the ones I remember eating as a child. So, one time when I was back in England on holiday a few years ago, I brought some sweets back with me so that I could satisfy my sweet tooth craving whenever it struck me.  Friends in Taiwan tried them and liked them too, and so they told their friends, who then told their friends, who told their friends, and so on. Before you know it, I was bringing back sweets not just for me, but for a whole bunch of other people too.

In the meantime, I was clowning around in front of a whiteboard in one of the biggest English language cramschools in Taiwan (Global Village) masquerading as a teacher and doing my best to explain the intricacies of English grammar to a bemused class. (Little did they know that I was but one page ahead of them in the grammar textbook)  All good fun. But not something to do for the rest of my life. So, I left Global Village and started work as a freelance editor helping students and teachers around Taiwan improve their manuscripts for publication overseas. Now, don't get me wrong, I get a real kick out of editing and helping people get ahead in their studies and / or careers. Also, it really helps me to keep abreast of new developments in the academic world (particularly in the engineering field). However, sometimes the English used in the original manuscripts is so inpenetrable that solving the Da Vinci code would be child's play by comparison. Honestly, some of the papers make my brain sizzle like a burger on a barbeque grill, and the language I use in releasing my frustration is enough to make the air around me turn blue!!!. Definitely not a good thing for the old blood pressure!!

So, in recent months, my mind has been exploring other avenues of gainful employment. Time and time again, I have returned to the same conclusion: "I don't want to be sat in front of a computer screen day after day. I want to be out and about, interacting with real people, face to face. I want to feel like a real part of the community I now call home." So - here's the plan - I am going to combine my love of sweets with my desire to really establish myself in Taiwan by setting up a business aimed at "Bringing the Best of Britain to Taiwan" - starting with sweets, and then moving on to include all of the things which remind me good old Blighty, e.g. souvenirs, tea, biscuits, Prince William and his new bride, Shepherd's Pie, bowler hats, pin-striped suits, and so on.   

This blog is going to chart my adventures as I set about trying to make my plan come true. In it, I will share my experiences - warts and all - in preparing for launch and in building the business; on-line at first, then at local fairs and markets, and then in a real bricks-and-mortar store. I'll be introducing to you the things I hope to sell, giving you the opportunity to buy them for yourselves. telling you about my experiences in getting out on the street and selling my wares, and so on. I'll no doubt also be lauching into general rants and raves about all sorts of things which catch my eye in Taiwan and abroad or which suddendly pop into my mind for no apparent reason whatsoever. 

It will be a personal account of my time here in Taiwan and my attempt to truly settle into a country and community which I now call home. I hope you will join me in this journey by following my blog and posting your comments. I would love to hear from you.