Just like most of you, I went to a New Year’s party last night… but unlike most of you… it was in Hangzhou, China. To add to the intrigue, it was held at a Reggae-themed bar / dance club that had a good mix of 50% Chinese people, and 50% of every other race and nationality you can imagine. There were businessmen, college students, and everything else in between. In short, it was a good time… but I kept thinking about the new year that was just minutes away from dawning on me, and my mind was preoccupied with a lot of things like the upcoming Shanghai Expo… the rising cost of housing in China… and the fact that the export market has taken a serious hit – especially in Zhejiang, the east coast province I currently call home – with most indicators showing a continued downward slide for the year ahead. Amidst the laughter, music, and activity, my mind was racing. What would set this year apart from other years in the wholesale sourcing business? What will be the thing to make online sales go up, instead of going down? I’m sure some of you are shaking your heads right now, suggesting I should relax!

There are a lot of questions. Sometimes the answers are right in front of you, and sometimes you have to dig pretty deep. On the other hand, there’s the option of creating your own reality – perhaps most notably on the Internet – and this is what was swirling through my mind the most last night, as I stared at shadowy silhouettes of people drinking, dancing, and conversing with each other. They were creating their own reality in the most primitive and time-honored way, by being immersed in a party atmosphere that creates a sense of detachment from the real world.

they’re cute, but not very cuddly

While we’re on the subject of detachment, what’s going on with global Internet companies that try to break into the China market? Many will point to China’s government as being the biggest roadblock, with self-preserving protectionist schemes and vague policies making things murky when it comes to putting your message in front of the country’s 1.3 billion-strong population. However, this is only one aspect of the failings western companies have experienced, and there’s got to be more to it than just GFW (Great Firewall of China) issues, isn’t there? Google has been writing most of the rules of the game, as they continue to index practically anything that crawls on the web… but after being slammed down by the Chinese market with roughly a 30% market share in China – a mere pittance, after a miserable 3% growth over a three-year period – the mighty Internet giant is forced to focus on its own projects back home, rather than continue spinning its wheels out in the Far East. Now that I think of it, I’m still waiting for my Google WAVE account to get some traction, too. I can’t even see embedded YouTube videos from China’s mainland. It looks like Google has its work cut out for 2010.

This just a little of what has been going on in my mind these days, and more will be revealed as I get the thoughts in order, and break them down into segments. I think 2010 will be the year of Internet commerce, as things get more interesting in the realm of dropshipping (you know about Boeing’s new carbon-fiber 787 jets, right?) and online banking. It’s more important than ever to become a presence on the Internet, and it all starts from the first click of your mouse. Creating an online presence is not as hard as it sounds, but it does require a plan of attack, and a distinctly attainable goal. While integrating the search functions of Toptenwholesale.com and Manufacturer.com into your company’s business model will undoubtedly help with your personal goals of getting more done, there are some things you can do to drive visibility even further. As I said, we’ll get into all that stuff later. For now, I want to wish everyone a great and prosperous new year, and the momentum to continue finding success as you continue to Find it. Source it. Profit!