Are Mongolians entrepreneurial?
Stereotypically speaking, go to America and you will see for yourself that most shop owners are Jewish. Go to England and most corner store proprietors are either Indian or Pakistani. Go to almost any other country in the world and most businesses are owned by the Chinese. In essence, these nationalities are usually equated with entrepreneurship. Merriam-Webster defines an “entrepreneur” as one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise – which is who these diasporas have been since they set foot on their new homeland.
Mongolians, however, are not in the same league – at least as far as diasporas are concerned. The Mongolian community in South Korea, for example, are not known to be entrepreneurial. The people living there from Mongolia are usually students as well as blue and white-collar workers. In the recent past, I used to live in Denver, Colorado, USA where there is a Mongolian diaspora. But majority of these immigrants are not business owners, but instead are professionals. I am not sure if there is a sizable number of Mongolians living in their second neighbors of China and Russia, but I am pretty sure that those who are are seldom entrepreneurs.
The situation is different within Mongolia itself. I do not need official statistics to know exactly how many local entrepreneurs are here in the country. I can see them for myself wherever I am and particularly along Ard Ayush Avenue near my place of work and residence. I do not have to go to the State Department Store to go shopping. I just take the elevator down in my apartment building, walk two blocks, and everything that I need is already within easy (and affordable) reach from various street vendors who temporarily set up shop along that main avenue.
Even outside the (in)famous Narantuul market, Mongolian entrepreneurs abound – especially those who sell different things in the back of their vehicles. It is really both clever and creative to park near there, open the trunk, display the goods to be sold, and wait for passers-by to notice and buy something. Some customers, in fact, go to them directly since their prices are cheaper without their having to pay rent. On the topic of cleverly and creatively selling something, I have also noticed telephone and phone card “carts” that dot UB’s streets with the person who pulls it going and stopping anywhere to find customers who do not have enough credit on their cell phones or have to make important calls.
Who I also find entrepreneurial among Mongolians are the street children themselves. In most other countries, in the Philippines, for instance, these kids beg people for money with some of them harassing who they think are wealthy. It is much worse in India where a number of them prefers bills and refuses to accept coins, food, and water from the people who feel sorry for them. In Mongolia, however, I have never seen a child begging, but children who sell gum, tissue paper, and even hard-boiled eggs in order to earn money. Personally, I believe in hard work over charity so I always buy something from them even if I do not need it.
Where I work, there are many restaurants outside the building and it is really expensive to go out for lunch all the time. But it is a very good thing that we have a “lunch lady” who always comes by with different sets of hygienically wrapped dishes (and free tea with every order). She saves us the trouble of bringing our own food or spending more money than usual. It also got better when competition – her equivalent of a “lunch man” – started showing up, too. So, nowadays, we have more meal choices from both entrepreneurs that are equally delicious.
Of course, Mongolian entrepreneurs are not only the people (including the youth) who sell goods and services on the streets and in office buildings. They are also the small business owners, and I am fortunate enough to personally know two of them. One used to work as a technician for a two-way radio company. He wanted to be his own boss so, after a few years working as an employee, he left to start selling two-way radios to mining companies. He now has five employees and will soon recruit three more. Another used to work for Ulaanbaatar Railway. After gaining some experience and networking with the right people, he is presently the owner of a logistics company servicing Mongolia, China, and Russia. Eventually, he is planning to expand his business to Europe and America.
Inasmuch as I find Mongolians entrepreneurial, there were times when I wondered why they are not “that” entrepreneurial. For example, I did not know why most shops open late and close early. Whenever I take the bus in the morning, I make sure that I bring along a bottle of water instead of buying one because the convenience store at the stop is still closed at that time. And whenever I need to top up the credit in my smartphone, I always make sure that I go to Minj Plaza at the most half an hour before its closing time of 8 pm because the person who sells phone cards usually leaves the building before everybody else does. At the other end of the extreme, there are the corner shop owners from India and Pakistan in the UK whose stores are open 24-7 and on public holidays, 365 days a year. Compare this during Tsagaan Sar and Naadam in Mongolia when virtually all businesses are at a halt and not operating.
Then it occurred to me that Mongolians are still entrepreneurial, but they are not at all greedy. For them, their business is a means and not an end. They are pleased with earning just enough and are not voracious to earn more and more money. Surely, there are exceptions but the general rule is that Mongolian entrepreneurs do not spend all of their time organizing, managing, and assuming the risks of their enterprise. More often than not, I see street vendors packing up early in the evening despite not having sold all of their wares. I do not see street children selling their merchandise all throughout the day. And there are days when either the lunch lady or lunch man does not go to my place of work. I can only assume that, like my two entrepreneur friends, family is very important to them so in lieu of their selling something all the time, they would rather spend the greater part of it at home. Mongolians are, indeed, entrepreneurial; but it never gets in the way of being with their loved ones.
Short URL: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=5373
Mongolians, however, are not in the same league – at least as far as diasporas are concerned. The Mongolian community in South Korea, for example, are not known to be entrepreneurial. The people living there from Mongolia are usually students as well as blue and white-collar workers. In the recent past, I used to live in Denver, Colorado, USA where there is a Mongolian diaspora. But majority of these immigrants are not business owners, but instead are professionals. I am not sure if there is a sizable number of Mongolians living in their second neighbors of China and Russia, but I am pretty sure that those who are are seldom entrepreneurs.
The situation is different within Mongolia itself. I do not need official statistics to know exactly how many local entrepreneurs are here in the country. I can see them for myself wherever I am and particularly along Ard Ayush Avenue near my place of work and residence. I do not have to go to the State Department Store to go shopping. I just take the elevator down in my apartment building, walk two blocks, and everything that I need is already within easy (and affordable) reach from various street vendors who temporarily set up shop along that main avenue.
Even outside the (in)famous Narantuul market, Mongolian entrepreneurs abound – especially those who sell different things in the back of their vehicles. It is really both clever and creative to park near there, open the trunk, display the goods to be sold, and wait for passers-by to notice and buy something. Some customers, in fact, go to them directly since their prices are cheaper without their having to pay rent. On the topic of cleverly and creatively selling something, I have also noticed telephone and phone card “carts” that dot UB’s streets with the person who pulls it going and stopping anywhere to find customers who do not have enough credit on their cell phones or have to make important calls.
Who I also find entrepreneurial among Mongolians are the street children themselves. In most other countries, in the Philippines, for instance, these kids beg people for money with some of them harassing who they think are wealthy. It is much worse in India where a number of them prefers bills and refuses to accept coins, food, and water from the people who feel sorry for them. In Mongolia, however, I have never seen a child begging, but children who sell gum, tissue paper, and even hard-boiled eggs in order to earn money. Personally, I believe in hard work over charity so I always buy something from them even if I do not need it.
Where I work, there are many restaurants outside the building and it is really expensive to go out for lunch all the time. But it is a very good thing that we have a “lunch lady” who always comes by with different sets of hygienically wrapped dishes (and free tea with every order). She saves us the trouble of bringing our own food or spending more money than usual. It also got better when competition – her equivalent of a “lunch man” – started showing up, too. So, nowadays, we have more meal choices from both entrepreneurs that are equally delicious.
Of course, Mongolian entrepreneurs are not only the people (including the youth) who sell goods and services on the streets and in office buildings. They are also the small business owners, and I am fortunate enough to personally know two of them. One used to work as a technician for a two-way radio company. He wanted to be his own boss so, after a few years working as an employee, he left to start selling two-way radios to mining companies. He now has five employees and will soon recruit three more. Another used to work for Ulaanbaatar Railway. After gaining some experience and networking with the right people, he is presently the owner of a logistics company servicing Mongolia, China, and Russia. Eventually, he is planning to expand his business to Europe and America.
Inasmuch as I find Mongolians entrepreneurial, there were times when I wondered why they are not “that” entrepreneurial. For example, I did not know why most shops open late and close early. Whenever I take the bus in the morning, I make sure that I bring along a bottle of water instead of buying one because the convenience store at the stop is still closed at that time. And whenever I need to top up the credit in my smartphone, I always make sure that I go to Minj Plaza at the most half an hour before its closing time of 8 pm because the person who sells phone cards usually leaves the building before everybody else does. At the other end of the extreme, there are the corner shop owners from India and Pakistan in the UK whose stores are open 24-7 and on public holidays, 365 days a year. Compare this during Tsagaan Sar and Naadam in Mongolia when virtually all businesses are at a halt and not operating.
Then it occurred to me that Mongolians are still entrepreneurial, but they are not at all greedy. For them, their business is a means and not an end. They are pleased with earning just enough and are not voracious to earn more and more money. Surely, there are exceptions but the general rule is that Mongolian entrepreneurs do not spend all of their time organizing, managing, and assuming the risks of their enterprise. More often than not, I see street vendors packing up early in the evening despite not having sold all of their wares. I do not see street children selling their merchandise all throughout the day. And there are days when either the lunch lady or lunch man does not go to my place of work. I can only assume that, like my two entrepreneur friends, family is very important to them so in lieu of their selling something all the time, they would rather spend the greater part of it at home. Mongolians are, indeed, entrepreneurial; but it never gets in the way of being with their loved ones.
Short URL: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/?p=5373
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