Michael Michelini is a reformed Wall St banker, who moved to China eight years ago and has never looked back.

Today, Mike is a very busy man. In addition to his two business podcasts, his column on Forbes Asia and his regular TV appearances, Mike runs a collection of China-based businesses.

On the side, he helps foreigners navigate a very complex China and Hong Kong regulatory business environment and set up more transparent, mutually beneficial, relationships with their factories.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– How his one month business trip has turned into eight years so far.

– How he has progressed from using MySpace to source his customers.

– What are the biggest mistakes people make when doing business in China?

– How to build relationships and trust with Chinese partners.

– The differences in corporate culture between China and the West.

– How he employs staff in China.

– Why it’s important to talk to the owner of your factory.

– How cheap it is do get your factory inspected by a third party company – without you needing to go there.

– How to know the factory you’re dealing with is actually the one making your products.

– The importance of ‘face’ in China.

– How Chinese factories respond to ‘ethical’ initiatives.

– The value of an abundance mentality.

– The impact of the Chinese government’s crackdown on corruption.

– What entrepreneurs can do to help the employees of their Chinese factories.

– Why it’s important to know your product inside out.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– Global From Asia

– Mike’s Forbes Asia show

– Destination China (and Mike’s other book)

– Mike’s Blog

– Upwork

– Alibaba

– Article on Mattel lead paint scandal

– Article on Walmart in Bangladesh

– Wikipedia Article on Foxconn suicides

– Article on Chinese baby formula scandal

– The Tropical MBA

– Article on the Shanghai pig scandal

– Global From Asia Podcast

 – The Fair Marketeers Ethical Business Challenge

 Thanks for Listening!

As requested, we (Ross and Mel) share our backgrounds and the journey of how and why we came to start Fair Marketeers.

We’ve taken a bit of a windy road, but are thrilled to be building a resource and community of likelminded people who want to use business to make a positive change in the world.

 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

– Where we came from

– Our experience in international development and entrepreneurship

– Our motivations for starting Fair Marketeers

– An overview of the Ethical Business Challenge, which will see us build an ethical business before your very eyes and ears in a full transparent way

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– AusAID (now DFAT)

– G20

– Alibaba

– The Blog Post on our Tailor

This episode’s show notes are available at: www.fairmarketeers.com/episode7a

 Thanks for Listening!

Original Beans Chocolate is one of those companies that makes us say ‘wow’ a lot.

From their 100% sustainable product – end to end; even the packaging is biodegradable – to their commitment to help the communities that farm their beans, Original Beans is an amazing example of what you can achieve if you set your sights high enough and build a great team.

This episode was recorded in person at the Betahaus in Hamburg.

 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– The shocking truth of how most chocolate is made (and how real chocolate should be made).

– When is the best time of the day to eat chocolate (it’s not when you think).

– How Original Beans manages to be 100% sustainable and addresses conservation is its suppliers’ communities.

– How Original Beans has scaled to 13 countries so far – and their plans for the future.

– How fair trade is only a minimum standard and why Original Beans opts for direct trade instead, using local farmer cooperatives.

– How they develop their products through on-the-ground partnerships, rather than third parties.

– How the founder of Original Beans ‘rediscovered’ and cultivated a bean in the Peruvian Andes.

– How they make decisions as a company, with an international distributed team.

– How they work to transform local economies into sustainable cacao-growing economies.

– Why it’s so hard to get ‘organic’ certification.

– How they have planted over 1 million trees with their ‘one bar, one tree’, initiative.

– How you can track the eco footprint and conservation efforts in the origin of your specific bar.

– The amazing things Original Beans is doing to empower women and protect Gorillas.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– Original Beans

– Original Beans Founder Philipp Kaufmann

– WWF in Indonesia

– Original Beans’ Sourcing Principles

 Thanks for Listening!

Andrew MacLeod is the Managing Director of Good Super, which aims to grow its investors’ retirement savings by investing only in ethical companies.

Andrew has a long history working in the international development arena, including for major International Organizations including the UN and ICRC.

His perspectives on the international development system are strident and hard-hitting and he doesn’t pull any punches in this wide-ranging interview.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– What life is like working in 6 conflict zones

– Why Andrew thinks the international aid system is fundamentally broken

– How private capital can be used to drive developmental outcomes

– The benefits of “well-regulated capitalism” and how we should fine tune it

– The 3 tenets of long term sustainability

– Andrew’s views on the only meaningful indicator that you’ve broken the cycle of poverty

– Where he thinks foreign aid should be spent and how it should complement private investment

– Why large resource companies don’t publicize the good things they do

– Why we should hold NGOs and companies to account (and to the same standard)

– Andrew’s views on the reasons for UN dysfunction

– Definitional issues around the word ‘refugee’

– Why ethical investment is good for risk mitigation

– How Good Super identify and assess ethical investments

– Investment categories that Good Super won’t touch

– And much more…

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– Andrew’s book ‘A Life Half Lived’

– Andrew MacLeod

– Good Super

– Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

– BHP Billiton’s Malaria program in Mozambique

– Rio Tinto’s education program in Mongolia

– Oxfam

– Ag Results

– Ansari XPRIZE

– Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funding for the Malaria Vaccine

– Jobs Australia

 Thanks for Listening!

 

Carsten is a highly experienced business consultant, having spent over 15 years managing risks and compliance for customers in China and throughout South-East Asia.

In particular, Carsten is a supply chain expert for the Chinese market, which is why we were particularly excited to pick his brain in this interview!

Carsten drops a lot of nuggets about how to do a better job with your own supply chain and manage some of the difficulties and challenges we can face when we try to do the right thing.

This episode is essential listening for anybody thinking about sourcing from China.

 

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– What motivated him to work in this unique field.

– The value (or otherwise) of certifications for sustainable business practices.

– Why only 3000 factories in the world have achieved the top certification.

– What Corporate Social Responsibility actually means.

– What is meant by ‘environmental compliance’.

– What a snapshot audit looks like (and how to avoid ‘shadow factory’ tactics).

– Why a business owner shold investigate their own supply chain.

– How to make supply chain management part of your profit center and stop looking at it as a cost.

– Why ‘fair working hours’ are not necessarily the best thing for some workers.

– And much more.

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

– Vantage Compliance

– Carsten’s Book (still called ‘Shanghai’d’ at time of posting)

– The Rana Factory Collapse (lest we forget)

 Thanks for Listening!

James is a social entrepreneur with a very interesting product – fashion bags made from old, discarded cement sacks. You wouldn’t think that is something you could build a business out of, but that’s exactly what James has managed.

In this episode, you’ll hear James’ story of how he started the business, how his ‘family’ in Cambodia work closely with him to develop their unique product and their sustainable program to support school children in developing countries.

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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– How a trip to build a nursery school in South Africa changed his life

– Where his passion for giving school kits came from and why it’s important that they are developed where they’ll be donated

– How James found a family in Cambodia to manufacture his products

– Why Google approached Elephant Branded to supply a conference

– The impact Elephant Branded has had on the community they work in

– Why business is about people for James

– How Elephant Branded uses free and recycled materials

– Why it’s important to James that people buy the bag not just the story

– The difficulties developing scale of production in the communities they work with

– The journey to get Elephant Branded into retailers

– Why word of mouth is the best marketing

– How James deals with imitation and rip offs

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LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Elephant Branded

Google Young Minds Competition

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Thanks for Listening!

Tim Scott is part empire builder, part social enterprise die-hard. He has worked to build his brand, Mitscoots socks, into a big player while giving a huge ‘leg-up’ to the homeless around Austin, TX. With its unique buy one, give one approach to every pair of socks sold and novel hiring practices (most of his staff are homeless), Mitscoots is the living embodiment of a business that does well, while also doing good.

We’d also encourage you to check out their Instagram feed – it’s really fun!

“If it doesn’t scare the crap out of you then maybe the idea’s not big enough”.

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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– What inspired Tim to get into the sock business

– The rationale behind employing and empowering people experiencing homelessness

– Why the one-for-one model works for Mitscoots

– How Mitscoots used crowd-funding to launch

– How to use partners to accelerate your growth, focus on your strengths and ensure you don’t reinvent the wheel

– Advice for starting your “one big thing”.

– Why Mitscoots won’t do something if it only benefits the business and not the people they are trying to help.

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LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Mitscoots Socks

The Indiegogo Campaign

Toms

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Thanks for Listening!

Adam Boesel is a stay-at-home dad who has revolutionized gyms by creating exercise equipment that generates electricity.

After selling his own gyms, Adam pivoted to a new business, which teaches others how to open and manage their own green gyms and sells the necessary equipment to transform pieces of gym equipment into mini-electricity generators.

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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– How growing up in the Pacific North West inspired Adam to start a green business

– Why you can’t expect everyone else to change their behavior when you start an ethical business

– How being different can get you exposure

– The difference between competition for attention and competition for business

– Why Adam is now helping others to start their own green gyms

– How Adam balances family and business as a stay-at-home dad

– How to decide to not do things

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LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Green Micro Gym

Seth Godin

Adidas Global Innovation

Intel

NB: Since this episode was recorded, Adam partnered with Chevrolet on an amazing event, where athletes used pedal power to race on the world’s largest slot car circuit. You can view the fantastic videos on the GreenMicroGym.com website!

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Thanks for Listening!

Asian Efficiency has gained a huge following through their blog and podcast (‘the Productivity Show’), but we’re fans of his for the things that have been less well-publicised.  We first met Aaron in mid-2014, when we had the chance to pick his business brain and wax lyrical late into the night, until after the bars had closed in Sydney.

We learned a lot about Aaron’s operation and the unique things they do to treat their staff, who are located all over the world, exceptionally well – and it’s reaped dividends for his business in terms of loyalty, trust and of course, efficiency.

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IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

– How a blog for friends turned into a successful business

– Innovative ways to structure remote teams

– How to create a healthy company culture

– How an unlimited vacation days policy works in practice

– The impact of people choosing their own hours

– Impact of investing in your staff, regardless of their location

– Why you should trust your team to deliver for you

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LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Asian Efficiency

The Asian Efficiency Team Page and their Core Values

The Productivity Show Podcast

Base Camp (which used to be 37 Signals) and their employee benefits

Eben Pagan

Upwork (formerly Odesk)

Richard Branson’s unlimited holiday leave announcement

Toyota

IBM

Spotify

Amazon

Apple

Pat Flynn’s Food Truckr Landing Page

Jim Collins

Who Says you can’t make an Elephant Dance

Mastering The Rockefeller Habits

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Thanks for Listening!