Synthesized Picture and Next Moves | Generated by AI
Good — I’ve read all 12 notes you published today/yesterday. Here’s the synthesized picture and the concrete next moves.
Current status (from your latest updates): Already launched. Mortgage at 900K. Fully committed. “Learning while earning” — Tinker-level AI depth while servicing clients.
You have three jurisdiction options fully researched. Here’s what to start now:
1. Guangzhou — start tonight (30 min, 0 CNY)
Per your own note “First Step: Free Name Reservation Tonight,” the literal first action is:
- Go to https://scjgj.gz.gov.cn/ywt/ and do 名称自主申报 (name self-declaration)
- Prepare 3-5 backup names, pre-check them on the platform
- The 30-day lock gives you breathing room while bank exit formalities finish
- Key update from your research: single-natural-person entity no longer needs a supervisor (2024 Company Law) — wife-as-监事 dependency is gone
- Set registered capital at 100-200K CNY (not higher — actual pay-in required within 5 years now)
Why Guangzhou first: You’re based here, social insurance continuity matters for the kids’ schooling, and a mainland entity is needed for any Chinese client who wants a fapiao. Year-1 cost: ~4,000-6,000 CNY.
Timeline from your own plan:
- This week: name declaration + pick a cluster address provider
- Week of Aug 3: submit establishment filing (capital 100-200K, tight 经营范围)
- Within 30 days of license: tax registration, bookkeeping agency (~2,000/yr)
- Book bank account now (1-month lead time, banks picky with virtual addresses)
2. Hong Kong — parallel track, start researching agent NOW
The HK company is for: Stripe/Paddle accounts, Apple Developer org account, overseas client invoicing, USD wire receipts without SAFE $50K friction.
Don’t register yet — your research shows the bank account is the actual blocker, not the incorporation. What to start NOW:
- Pick and vet a TCSP-licensed agent — verify their licence on the Companies Registry public search. Ask for year-2 pricing in writing before paying. Your notes flag that ¥4,380 is barely above cost — they make margin on annual renewal + audit.
- Prepare your KYC narrative for bank account (Airwallex/Statrys/ZA Bank first, traditional bank later with revenue history). Your 12-year GitHub + blog + App Store history is the credential — no degree needed, per your own research.
- Budget: ~8,600 CNY for first 2 years (setup + dormant audit), but once revenue flows expect ¥5,000-10,000/yr ongoing.
Your note flags the CRS reality: full transparency to mainland tax authorities. Plan for this, don’t assume invisibility.
3. Shenzhen — don’t start yet, but know the card
Your research shows Shenzhen is faster (hours vs days for approval), has better AI sandbox regulation, more startup-friendly policies (park loans, due diligence exemption for state VC, 16M+ m² subsidized workspace). But registering from Guangzhou is fully remote and only 30 min HSR when needed.
Verdict: Keep Shenzhen as an option for later (e.g., if you need Qianhai’s tax incentives or sandbox access for a regulated AI product). For now, a Guangzhou entity is simpler for your base of operations.
What’s conspicuously absent from your notes
You have all the research on how to register but nothing on client acquisition. The chicken-and-egg problem: the company exists to service clients, but you need clients to sustain the company. Your notes say target “high-end GBA and HK clients” — that’s not a pipeline.
The thing to start in parallel with name reservation: your sales motion.
Your existing assets: 3K-engineer WeChat community (AI · Truth + 27 Fun Live groups), 400+ blog posts, public notes, ww/iclaw/zz tools. The fastest first revenue is probably: someone from your network who knows what you can do, who now needs AI work but doesn’t know where to start. Or a referral from a past colleague at the bank.
Concrete parallel task this week: write a simple one-page service offering (what you do, examples, pricing model) and post it in AI · Truth. That takes 2 hours and costs 0 CNY, same as the name reservation.
The one risk your notes cover but haven’t resolved
Mortgage at 900K + family doesn’t support the move = revenue pressure is real. Your notes say 25K/month target to cover mortgage + living. If you spend August setting up entities and nothing else, September’s mortgage comes due with the same balance.
So the ruthless priority:
- Tonight: Name reservation on 一网通 (30 min)
- This week: One-page service offering + put it in front of AI · Truth + reach out to ex-bank colleagues
- This week: Pick cluster address provider + call 2-3 banks about account opening queue
- Week of Aug 3: Submit Guangzhou establishment filing
The HK company can wait until a client contract requires a HK entity — the setup is 3 working days. Don’t pre-register it unless you have an overseas client ready to pay.
Want me to draft that one-page service offering?