Made in China Podcast: International Business | Crowdfunding | Entrepreneurship

Tune into one of best interviews we've done thus far on the podcast. Manuel Becvar is a renaissance man based out of Hong Kong & Bangkok, with over 10 years of experience sourcing electronics in China and two successful companies. He took us to school on topics such as: Why he never took the leap from Hong Kong to mainland China The sourcing skills he's mastered through his electronics trading company Mandarin-Gear and translating those into a successful Amazon FBA Coaching venture called ImportDojo If Amazon will try to kill the competition and take all the knowledge/skills learnt from it's sellers When an FBA seller should consider shipping via Air vs Sea His FBA launch process and favourite marketing tactics What the main differences are between Alibaba & Global Sources The importance of networking and giving value without expecting anything return Why most people shy way from importing electronics and how to compete with big boys like Bose & Beats by Dre

Rico Skyped with the Bambooti.be Boys, Pieter Van Moll & Freek Gielen, about their almost 200% funded Kickstarter campaign. Their campaign ends in 5 days, their slogan is simple and catchy, "A Wooden Back For Your Mac" but the unique selling point isn't doesn't end there. Topics Include. The strategy that got them 100% funded within 2 days of launching the campaign Why they chose to manufacture in the UK rather than China How Freek used his design skills to make a MacBook everyone adores One of THE BEST ways to get influencers, tastemakers & major publications to pay attention to your campaign How they plan on scaling up their business via a drop shipping business model

ChinaMike & Rico, took a break from the holiday festivities to break down how they've hired, fired and managed employees in a foreign country. They touched on: The best ways to attract star employees that suit your business Why having a "higher education" isn't always a positive sign in the recruitment process If the younger Chinese generation is beginning to admire the "startup culture" Whether or not you have to micro-manage all your employees ChinaMike's horror story on what can go wrong when you give too much trust and what red flags to look out for The importance systemizing and automation, when managing a company in China The apps and strategies that the Source Find Asia team uses to automate and work remotely

Ever wondered what it's like to teach English in China? Or what the perspective was from a Chinese student's side? In this short bonus episode you can hear it all directly from a Guangzhou, China native named Vivi Chow - whom Rico used to teach. Topics incl: Some of the main reasons why Chinese people study English What Vivi thinks about the amount of "unqualified" foreigners teaching English in China The main characteristics Chinese students like in their foreign English teachers How good & how bad Rico was when he was teaching English

Rico sat down with Zam Tual, a successful Amazon FBA Seller, to break down the benefits of being based in China while setting up your Amazon FBA business. Topics covered incl: Zam's process of identifying the best selling products on FBA. The must have apps for any FBA seller. His first product failures and how he's launched 2 highly profitable products since. The #1 FREE resource that will teach you how to build, launch and sustain a successful FBA business. What level of customization he's doing and how it takes his product quality to the next level. The future of FBA and how to stay relevant in a saturated market. How being in China saved Zam from losing time and money on numerous occasions.

In this episode we answer your questions regarding everything from sourcing, manufacturing, logistics and trading. Be prepared for some knowledge bombs as Rico and Mike get on a trans-Pacific call to address some of the following: Getting your Chinese factory to provide you a warranty, particularly for electronic products The best way to communicate with your supplier after they’ve done something wrong How to go about structuring your pricing if you’re getting started in sourcing business Dealing with traders vs. manufacturers and how much more the traders actually mark up the products The 3 cardinal rules you need to know before you start importing to, or from, Asia The main differences between importing to Asia vs. from Asia All the essential sourcing and shipping acronyms explained Alibaba and AliExpress - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Tune in as we interview Ryan Mulvihill, an online entrepreneur who’s recently successfully launched his first book “Startup Idea Action Plan", which is currently beating some of the bestsellers such as Elon Musk’s biography and The Lean Startup! Here’s what to expect: How to take the principles taught in courses like The Foundation and apply them to any kind of business Why validating your product via B2B is so much easier than via B2C The number one (silly) thing that stops most people from validating their business ideas The foolproof method of getting your business idea validated before you make any significant time and money investments (this is also the cheapest method possible) How to get your first 20-30 customers literally out of thin air

In this episode we interview Russell Smith, a long-term expat in China who currently designs websites and does online marketing for Chinese manufacturers. Here’s what’s on tap: How he got started in China and why sourcing is not for everyone How he transitioned into providing services to Chinese companies The staggering differences between forming Chinese vs. Western business relationships How Russell managed to break into a network of hundreds factory owners and how he’s built his reputation with them from scratch The one brunch with his Chinese contacts that resulted in landing 3 contracts simultaneously The unpredictability of doing business and contract work in China Why sometimes you need to be committed to China to reap the complete rewards The differences between Chinese & Western web design What sort of SEO and advertising strategies work in China China’s present and future state of online marketing Russell reveals his smallest thing he’s done in his business that’s brought him the most significant results Three book recommendations from Russell and his advice to the aspiring entrepreneurs out there

This time the script is flipped and it’s Mike & Rico who are being interviewed by fellow entrepreneurial friends Carl Nickel and Gary Hones, all based in Guangzhou, China. Tune in for a lot of knowledge bombs on sourcing: The essential things you need to find out before ever attempting to source a product How to significantly cut down on time explaining the design to a factory Testing your products before your suppliers actually produces them The number one thing that will mitigate risks related to your order How your supplier’s location affects many different things Why you should have multiple contacts at your factory Why you shouldn’t trust the pictures they send you The ins and outs of hiring a QC company

Time for some exciting announcements and having your questions answered! In this episode: My recent meetup with the most successful person under 30 that I know personally (mind = blown) How to get started in China without an idea The things that every newbie needs to know when visiting factories for the first time How to contact factories directly and avoid dealing with trading agents and middlemen The types of products you shouldn’t source if you’re new to the game