Around a month or two ago, I was invited to Las Vegas for the Asian American Business Summit & Expo, hosted by the Asian American Business Association, along with a series of luncheons and networking events from the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce. It was my first time attending and the coordinator sent me a strong media kit, it sounded promising. The panel and guest line up had some well known brand operators there. I was pretty hyped for the event. A chance to meet Asian American business leaders across the country. Different from the usual regional events.
But once I settled into the conversations, the tone of the event went in a direction I wasn't expecting. A few of attendees, especially the elder, newer immigrants supposedly managing mid to high 8 figures busineses were very evident in their less than proper way of running their business. This bothered me because the past few rounds of Asian events I've been noticing more and more of these types of business owners.
I was taken back by their honest because they don't know me. The conversations with them left me feeling uneasy and I excused myself. I spoke to some of the Asian American business owners I had met in past events and they mentioned that the people I spoke with are new immigrant Chinese mainlanders. They come in with a bunch of money and operate in a fsahion that is a grey area in the US but pretty forbidden back in their home country. They gave me some insight into their world and it seems the way their business functions has some scheme baked into it. Creative shortcuts, quiet manipulations, and an almost default reliance on gaming their industry partners or government backed system. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naive to the elements of this way of business. But I find them so careless to talk to strangers like me so openly. I wasn’t even prying. They just blurted it out.
What I wasn’t expecting was feeling embarrassed. I think in some way, these were my people. We share cultural heritage, language, and my personal immigrant background with my grandfather arriving and prospering in the US. You’d think that would make collaboration natural because I should understand "my people"
What I realized now is, even though we “speak the same language,” our ways of doing business couldn’t be more different. Perhaps I’m more ethical than I saw in myself. I never took pride in my work ethics because to me, this is normalcy. This is how I work. As Chris Rock once put it, I don't ask for credit because I stayed out of jail. My instinct is to use what I know head-on and compete creatively without breaking major rules that jeopardize my integirty and reputation.
I was told to expect more of these types of attendees in future events. So I’ve decided I’m done. I don’t doubt that these gatherings have value, but for me, they’re a mismatch at this time compared to other business events I'd prefer to make time for. I don’t want to sound like a snob but I don’t want to be associated with these types of business owners. I don’t want to spend my time nodding politely while someone explains how cutting corners or pulling strings they shouldn't be pulling is just “how things are done.”
I now see the gap isn’t just generational or cultural; I'd say it is foundational.