How can companies avoid trouble in the complicated and exotic China business landscape? Simple. The rule is this: Success in China is like a game of dodge ball: The winner is the last one standing.

There are no secrets that you have to uncover, no foggy path you must walk down, no secret incantation to utter at the proper moments. Just “avoid trouble.” Don’t get hit by anything. Wherever you see danger, go the other way! Be careful! Don’t step in anything! Duck at the right time!

Yeah. If only it were that easy, huh? Sure, on the surface it sounds like good advice, and in its simplistic way, it’s pretty helpful. The best way to avoid trouble is, well…to avoid it! Going beyond that beautiful simplicity, in today’s podcast I’ll talk about three balls businesses must dodge if they want to avoid trouble in China: ignorance, not looking for alternatives, and not paying attention to local competition.

By the way, in preparing for this podcast, I mentioned the dodge ball metaphor to a friend of mine working here, and he liked it a lot. However, he had a twist on it. He said that doing business here is like playing dodge ball in a cow pasture: You have to keep your head up to avoid getting hit by something and, at the same time, look down to avoid stepping in something. Here’s to wishing you 20-20 peripheral vision and a good pair of rubber boots!