Portrait of a Tibetan Entrepreneur: Rinchen Tso

In 1999, a young entrepreneur named Rinchen Tso opened a printing services shop on a busy street in Chengdu. She had moved to Sichuan’s capital from a poor farming village in the Tibetan area of Barkham where she was one of seven children. Her parents had worked hard to support the education of each child, but after high school they could no longer afford Rinchen’s school fees. Following an interest in computers to the city, Rinchen attended word processing courses while she supported herself with restaurant work. But with her new computer skills came opportunity: “People started to ask me to type things for them,” she explains, “so my husband and I decided to open a small printing shop.” Rinchen’s business began with only eight square meters of space. “Even though it was very small, it met demands. We were the first shop of its kind on the street.”

But by 2005 customer demands had outgrown the capacity of Rinchen’s business and her small shop was neighbored by competitors. She knew that if her company was to continue it would need to grow. It was at that time that Rinchen came upon the announcement for The Bridge Fund’s (TBF) Small and Medium Enterprise Management Training, an intensive one-year course structured on the model of an MBA curriculum. Accepted to the program, Rinchen joined a class of twenty Tibetan business owners and managers from across five provinces of western China. The course was guided by Tibetan and Chinese instructors and guest lecturers—experts in the field of business that help tailor the curriculum to be of most relevance to the specific needs and challenges of Tibetan enterprises. Through the training, participants were able to learn such skills as business strategy formulation, effective branding and marketing, and managerial statistics.

A busy morning at Rinchen's new shop in Chengdu

Upon completing the course, Rinchen was prepared to direct the future growth of her business. “When I started my company I only thought about earning money—I didn’t consider market demands, providing training for our employees or the importance of learning about business. I thought that was only for big companies,” she says. “If I hadn’t participated in The Bridge Fund’s training my ideas for my business would be very short-sighted.” Having put her new skills and perspective into practice, Rinchen’s company is now thriving: she has invested in a larger shop, expanded her services and added to her staff. She has designed and printed hundreds of publications and packaging for consumer products in both Tibetan and Chinese. Her business has grown to meet the needs of not only individual local customers, but also secured larger accounts with universities and corporations.

With the opening of the Mandala Business Development Center (MBDC) in 2010, TBF is continuing to provide both aspiring and established Tibetan entrepreneurs with access to training and other services to help them build or improve their businesses. In the spring of 2010, the MBDC offered its first International Business Management Training at the EDS Business School in Penang, Malaysia. Rinchen was among the sixteen Tibetan entrepreneurs who took part. The week-long course provided advanced training in business management and the opportunity to examine the inner workings of multinational corporations. For Rinchen, the course was her first time outside of China. “The participants of the International Business Management Training are entrepreneurs behind successful enterprises on the Tibetan Plateau,” says a leader of MBDC’s program team, “yet many have never been outside of China to realize the huge potential of the international market. Providing training overseas not only helps Tibetan business people learn how multinational companies are being effectively managed, but also helps them to gain a new perspective on business opportunities.” The training enabled Rinchen to tour large international printing companies based in Penang, providing her with valuable industry relationships and the inspiration to continue to think big.

The MBDC hosted its second International Business Management Training at EDS in the spring of 2011 and is now readying to welcome its third class of Small and Medium Enterprise Management Training participants for a year-long training in Chengdu. By providing Tibetan entrepreneurs with access to courses and business development services, the MBDC is helping promising individuals build skills, expand ideas, identify new opportunities and establish a strong network of colleagues. “The trainings gave me courage,” Rinchen explains. “Before I was so afraid to speak in front of people that I’d lose my voice; now I’m braver. The trainings have opened my eyes and I’ve made great friends.”