This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Christopher Zhang, 27, the founder of Cryozone China. His words have been edited for length and clarity.
I left high school two months into my senior year. I believed my path didn’t have to be high school to college to job to rat race. I’d always been different, and that difference gave me the determination to eventually open my own business in China.
I grew up in Shanghai, and before dropping out in 2016, I spent most of my free time working part-time jobs: English-Mandarin translator, assistant for a nightclub owner, PA for A-list celebrities, and even a venture capital intern.
I never saw higher education as the only road to financial success or — more importantly — happiness. I wanted out of the race and to chart my own course.
My Asian parents, two high-performing executives with degrees from top universities, didn’t support their only son dropping out. They figured it was just a “gap year.”
But when I started succeeding at work, they ultimately accepted my decision.
An alternate path to success
Within a week of dropping out of school, I had an interview that turned into a job offer. That’s how I started as an account manager at Toplist China, a SaaS company.
In just over a year, before I turned 20, I was promoted to business development manager. I felt challenged but supported, and I had the freedom to grow. I managed bigger budgets, took on new clients, and stepped up to more responsibility.
Work slowed down during COVID-19, so I threw myself into fitness. I’ve always been into sports; I’ve played rugby since I was 10 and dealt with all the injuries that come with it.
I started researching injury prevention and recovery methods and got curious about cryotherapy. One night in November 2020, I was up late reading about its benefits when a friend messaged me asking if I knew of any cryotherapy offerings in Shanghai.
That’s when I realized I wasn’t the only person in a city of 25 million who was interested in it. If the demand was already there, I wanted to be the one to fill that gap. That’s where the idea for my company came from.
Shifting my focus
In April 2021, I founded CryoZone Recovery Hub, a cryotherapy center in Shanghai. These days, in peak season, we see about a dozen customers a day. In the offseason, there are usually fewer. One session costs 350 to 425 yuan, or $50 to $60 for three to five minutes in the chamber. There are clients who add on additional services, which can extend a visit to an hour.
At first, I continued working at Toplist while building my new business on the side. For eight months, I barely slept. But as things started to take off, I shifted to consulting for Toplist.
By 2022, I’d phased out Toplist entirely and started expanding revenue streams: partnering with manufacturers to build and sell affordable, high-quality cryotherapy chambers worldwide, and I opened a second location in Shenzhen. Life is busier now but more flexible. Every decision I make shapes the company, and that accountability is both daunting and exhilarating.
The launch wouldn’t have happened without an investor and mentor I met at a luxury watch convention. When a bad supplier set us back, we had to invest another $100,000 on top of the $120,000 we’d already spent to switch to a local factory that could actually support us.
Plenty of “great business ideas” never make it past the bar counter. I was lucky to have a partner who trusted me and backed me financially through the bumps. Making a living while providing my community with an extra option for a healthy lifestyle has kept me focused and assured me that this is the right path.
My favorite quote is a reply from Elon Musk on words of encouragement for entrepreneurs: “If you need encouragement to start a company, don’t do it.” Reflecting on my career so far, I’ve learned that success isn’t just about financial gain, it’s about creating something meaningful and finding encouragement in that.
I’m living proof that the path to fulfillment can be different for everyone.
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