Liu Minxia

mllmx@msn.com

PREVIOUSLY a police officer in London for 10 years before moving to Shenzhen, Englishman Yaz Ijaz considers it a true blessing to have opened the coffee of his dreams in Bao’an.

“Opening a coffee shop was always something I wanted to do after having lived in trendy Shoreditch, East London, where coffee culture was everywhere,” the 32-year-old said.

Ijaz, a coffee lover, said he spent a lot of his spare time visiting coffee shops in Shenzhen after relocating to Bao’an two and a half years ago to work as an English teacher on sabbatical.

Noting a growing coffee culture and encouraged by the entrepreneurial spirit that breathes through the city, Ijaz, with the help of his partners, opened a coffee shop called Teacher Coffee in December, with the name drawing from the backgrounds of himself and one of his partners as teachers.

When it comes to coffee shops, Ijaz knows the secret to success. Citing Starbucks as an example, Ijaz said lasting success hinges on not just the taste of the coffee but also the environment and culture it creates.

“Starbucks has paved the way for coffee culture in China,” said Ijaz. “People go there more for enjoying the environment and culture it has created and associating themselves with the brand.”

Born into a business-minded family in England, Ijaz has business in his blood. Ijaz’s parents were jewelry dealers, giving him the opportunity to closely observe how business was done in his home country which, according to him, is very different from the way in which business is conducted in China.

Especially in an Internet age like now in China, Ijaz, who doesn’t speak Chinese, has learned to use social media to build his brand and interact with customers.

“The barrier [for an expat to start a business here] is not language, but your own willingness, character and personality,” he said.

While many entrepreneurs choose hustle and bustle city centers to start their businesses, Ijaz views Bao’an as an ideal cradle for newcomers.

“Bao’an is growing; it is just as vibrant and beautiful as other parts of Shenzhen. That’s why I started it here,” said Ijaz.

It’s not the first project Ijaz has worked on in Bao’an. He is also part of Hub 2, an entrepreneurial project of the Bao’an government.

Ijaz has registered the Teacher Coffee brand in London and hopes it will become a chain that expands to his home country someday.

Easygoing and humorous, Ijaz has a passion for motorbikes as well as telling jokes to make others smile. He said he’s learned a lot from his previous career as an armed response officer in London.

“I used to wear gear that weighed over 25 kilograms at times which was tiring, I also worked within the Serious Organized Crime Agency which used to deal with high-level fraud cases,” he said. “I worked as a police officer for 10 years and it’s time for a change.

“It’s easy to go back [to work as a police officer again],” Ijaz said. “But we all have different chapters in life. I don’t want to read the same chapter again. Right now the chapter I’m reading is very exciting and I am yet to reach the climax of this story. The future is bright. Live. Love. Smile. That’s my rule in life.”