At first Mandarin may appear difficult but only written Chinese. Spoken Mandarin is much easier than what you have thought of. The entire grammar structure is different as compared with European languages. For e.g. it does not have tenses, plurals, subject-verb agreement, tenses, and conjugations.
It is the most widely spoken language in the world.
There is lot of opportunity with regard to business to tap the Mandarin market and develop business relationships. Mandarin is a fast growing economy, so speaking little Mandarin will give you competitive edge and benefit you with new opportunities. China is not just a manufacture centre of the world, but also fast growing market with more than a billion consumers. China has become easily accessible to tourists.