Entrepreneur of the Month! CHRISTOPH BAUCHINGER

Christoph Bauchinger moved to DB five years ago largely to ensure his baby daughter would grow up with plenty of green space to run around on. In January this year, he decided to bring more “green” to the community, opening The Golf Bay, a top-of-the-range indoor golf simulator in DB North. The former sports journalist and sometime stay-at-home dad has some inspirational advice for budding entrepreneurs.

sk Christoph Bauchinger to name the entrepreneur he most admires and he declines with a wry grin. “I admire any entrepreneur that opens something up because they think it’s a good idea and they see an opportunity. It takes guts and it takes risk to build a business whatever industry you’re in.

“With a start-up, there’s always risk involved,” Christoph adds. “You can do all the research you want, you can feel so prepared but when you open, you still can’t be sure if it will work out or not. You definitely need to be a risk-taker but it should be a calculated risk. If you’re reckless, it can work out, but then luck comes into the equation, which you don’t really want to rely on.”

Can you elaborate on that, Christoph? How do you ensure you’re taking a “calculated” risk when starting up a business? “You need to factor in two things: location and competition. The main reason I opened The Golf Bay in DB is because there aren’t any indoor golf simulators here or nearby. I thought I would use a simulator if there was one in DB, and I knew that friends of mine and other people in the community would want one here too. It’s very convenient. And we opened in the winter – prime golf season in Hong Kong.

“There are a lot of simulators in other parts of Hong Kong, so the competition is much tougher. Anyway, I felt I could do it better in DB. We’ve got a large space in DB North – you need plenty of room in a simulator and you especially need height, otherwise, you can’t swing the golf club.”

You’re a keen golfer. Should you only open a business if you’re passionate about it? “I’m sure there are lots of examples of people who are running successful businesses that they aren’t passionate about –people who just saw a niche in the market – but it’s going to be a lot easier if it’s something you like doing as well. If it’s something you’re not passionate about, you might get into trouble if things don’t go as you expected, whereas if you’re passionate about it, you’ll be more involved and you’ll know how to move forward. If you don’t care about it, you might give up when you start facing difficulties.

“At the end of the day, what’s important in business is that you know what you’re doing. I know golf. I’m not an expert but I know it well enough to make a living from it. You need to have at least a degree of interest or passion in what you’re going to do.”

Does this effect who you hire? Do you look for employees who share your passion? “I look for people skills more than anything. It’s not that important to know the ins and outs of golf. My employees aren’t going to give you tips on how to swing the club or anything like that but they can show you how the systems work and they can make sure you have a good time.

“What’s important is that you have staff you can rely on, which I’m happy to have. In the afternoon, my employees take over so that I can pick my daughter up from school. My wife works full-time; there’s lots of coordinating and planning.”

So, would you say successful entrepreneurship involves teamwork? “Absolutely. You need to know when to let other people do things that you’re not so good at. You need to be realistic about your strengths and weaknesses. Otherwise, you’ll take on too much and that’s not going to help you.

“When running a business, you also need to know how to persevere and work through difficulties. You need to be as organised as possible because there are so many different aspects of running a business and there’s so much going on in the background. If you’re not organised, things can spiral out of control.”

Can you pinpoint one thing that has ensured The Golf Bay’s success? “We didn’t cheap out on the equipment or facilities. The tech that we have is very high-end, very accurate. People who train here see results – it adds to their game and improves their skill – this keeps them coming back. It’s important not to take your customers for granted. You need to make sure they have a good time and get their money’s worth.”

Lastly then, what is your end game? “To make The Golf Bay as successful as it can be, so people in DB have a place to play and practice and enjoy themselves. Most of our customers are from DB. I wanted to add something to the community that isn’t just another pizza place or real estate agency. I set up The Golf Bay to give people something new to do, and to encourage kids and teenagers to get into golf.”

The Golf Bay provides bay rentals and multiple bay rental packages for both right- and left-handed players in DB North. Golf lessons are also on offer. To know more and make a booking, visit www.thegolfbay.hk.