Rosana Ellis, chief operating officer at Houston-based PhDsoft, receives an exclusive interview by Xinhua in Houston, Texas, the United States, May 15, 2018. PhDsoft is an energy service company that has expanded some of its operations to China. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)

HOUSTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Rosana Ellis banks on the time-honored principles of honesty, hard work and cultivating relationships, and her formula for success is paying off in China.

Ellis is chief operating officer at Houston-based PhDsoft, an energy service company that has expanded some of its operations to China. The company's software monitors the structural integrity of oil platforms, bridges and other structures for corrosion and degradation, reducing the risk of accidents and extending the life of clients' assets.

PhDsoft's entry into the Chinese market began with casual introductions at the U.S.-China Innovation and Investment Summit (UCIS) in Houston last year. With the opportunity provided by the summit, Ellis went to China for the first time in 2017, which lead to her three other visits later that year.

In one year alone, she has traveled to several cities in China and later, the company opened an office in Beijing.

"I'm always excited when I go to China," she told Xinhua. "It's worth it for us to invest the time in developing that market because our company has long-term projections and goals. We are not there for one or two years. We want to establish our PhDsoft brand in China."

Ellis said she has realistic expectations when it comes to entering the Chinese market. That's why she took the time to visit multiple times, soaking in the sights and sounds of Chinese culture and business.

"What happens is that very few companies will go to China one time and establish a connection," she said. "That is very unrealistic. You have to keep in mind that a company has to go to China to start developing a relationship and that's what we did. My first trip was just to observe. The second trip, I could better understand the infrastructure that China has to offer."

It's important to have a strong partner that can help to navigate the cultural divide and is willing to put in the work to forge a successful business relationship, she noted.

"One, you have to be very sensitive and adapt to the needs of the market, and secondly you have to find a good partner," Ellis said. "You have to make sure that you share the pie. You have to give a chance for them to profit with your technology. It creates a win-win situation where everybody's happy and everybody's going to be successful."

But more than just establishing the PhDsoft brand in China, Ellis said she would like to work with her Chinese counterparts to tailor-make a software solution for the Chinese market.

"Personally, I have the goal to expand my business into several countries and continents," she said. "My approach is that you have to understand that your have to fit your product to the culture, and not the other way around. It's not what you sell, it's how what I sell fits the Chinese market."

The more she traveled to China, the more she likes and understands the Asian country. Living in Houston, Ellis sometimes brings family to Chinatown, or cooks Chinese food at home. She said building trust with Chinese partners really needs to understand their culture and value.

"You have to develop the trust," Ellis said. "They have to trust that our company will deliver what we are promising because they're going to invest in our company, and vice versa. They will represent us in our standards in China."