Now that jet lag has subsided, I can now reflect on what I learned on my three week vacation with my family to China, Hong Kong and Thailand.

1. You can stop and the world will go on…and that’s okay. I was totally off the grid with no cell or internet contact. I had told my clients and friends months ago. When I came back, I did have 5,000 email and missed a few opportunities, but mostly, nothing that could not be taken care of now didn’t wait.

2. When your head is not filled with business, it can expand. Time becomes irrelevant. Being off the grid for 3 weeks allowed my mind to slow down and take in new creative ideas. I strengthen my relationship with my family. My thoughts were not swimming with business strategies!

3. Service makes the difference. Boy, do we Americans have a lot to learn from Asians about provided great customer service experiences. Flying first class on Cathay Pacific makes sitting in first class on American Airlines seem like flying on a cargo plane. Staying at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok makes the Hyatt in Chicago seem like a Motel 6.

4. Tradition makes this world more human. Being a Karate-ka, I have always been into protocol. When the people from Thailand greet you, they clasp their hands together and bow. They pause to slow down and acknowledge the greeting of someone else. It makes this 24/7 world a bit slower.

5. Learn the language. Forget that you want the world to learn English. Picking up easy local phrases like “please”, “hello” and “goodbye” will endear you to the locals.

6. Marketplace vendors are the true entrepreneurs since they know how to sell. They set up their products everyday in the street. They learn our language to be able to sell to us. They yell in English: “Cheap price”, “I remember you”, “What price do you want?” They ask good questions like: “What do you have planned for today?”, and “Don’t you want to buy a gift for the missus?” Always be selling.

7. When you think the service you bought is over, give a little more.  It will delight your customers. I experienced this all the time in Asia. On plane rides, there were two desserts. At massages, after you sat up, there still was a short shoulder massage to get. At the end of a boat ride, the crew shook every passengers hands..

8. Add smell and sounds to your business. So much that was memorable is not what I saw, but the sounds and smells of what people were selling. Research shows that people remember a lot with these two senses.

9. You can have a successful restaurant even if you call it, Cabbages and Condoms. Mechai Viravaidya, a Thai entrepreneur set this up 10 years ago believing that to control AIDS, condoms should be as available as cabbages in the marketplace. He succeeded and was awarded a million dollar Gates prize for his efforts.

I encourage all of you to take off and travel. There is nothing like it to advance your business mind.

If you want to see my 3 week vacation in 3 minutes or photos of the trip, click here!