A view of Tianhe district. [Photo/thnet.gov.cn]

After 15 years of hard work, Hanson Poon and his wife Anna Hung have built their own business in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

"My boutique business is still OK, despite the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 since the beginning of last year," said the 38-year-old entrepreneur from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has affected many businesses, said Poon, who has created his own brand, Nothing, which is now enjoying brisk business.

Poon felt that when he created the brand Nothing, it was actually a process from 0 to 1, or from nothing to something.

Poon wanted to tell everyone, through Nothing, not to be afraid of difficulties and setbacks, but to break through adversity.

"As long as you are willing, there will be unlimited possibilities waiting for you to realize in the future," he said.

The husband and wife work together from design to material selection to production.

They hope to convey their ideas through original designs.

"Now more and more mainland residents have begun to like and accept our designs and brand," he said in an interview with China Daily.

Located in the busy Tianhe district, Poon's boutique covers about 30 square meters, selling fashionable clothing from home and abroad.

"The market in the mainland is vast and it has myriad business opportunities as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has attracted more than 70 percent of the world's famous fashionable garment brands and has a complete garment production chain," Poon said.

Meanwhile the local government has introduced preferential policies to encourage young business representatives from Hong Kong and Macao to start their business in Guangzhou.

Poon said he planned to further develop the online business to sell more products around the country.

When Poon and his wife graduated from Guangzhou-based Jinan University in 2005, they returned to Hong Kong and became white collar workers.

But Poon resigned and returned to Guangzhou to open a milk tea store near Jinan University in Tianhe district in 2008. They opened the boutique in November 2017.

Poon, who majored in advertising, met his wife in 2001 when they were studying at Jinan University and they tied the knot in 2004. They now have a 7-year-old daughter.

Hung said they might also seek business opportunities in Shenzhen and Foshan of Guangdong in the future. "Living in Guangzhou is very convenient and both my mother, mother-in-law and grandmother have also moved to Guangzhou," she said.