China Business Cast

China Business Cast

China Business Cast is a podcast featuring experienced entrepreneurs and business people making things happen in China. If you want to learn from on the ground accounts of how business actually gets done in China, this is the program for you.

China Business Cast Business 119 rész A Podcast from the Front Lines of Business in China
Ep. 114: How to sell your brand in China? A Case Study.
41 perc 114. rész Domas Grinkevicius, Lina Bartuseviciute

The Conference Speech.

How to sell your brand in China? Real Success Story of ‘Daumantai’

In 2020, a Lithuanian sauces & condiments producer ‘Daumantai’ hit 500 shelves in Chinese supermarkets with their new brand ‘Wow Mama’! It is no small achievement for any brand at any time, but this particular story emerged during the months of pandemic and with products representing one the most competitive categories, most sensitive to consumer tastes and preferences. 

So how did this happen?

During this session, Lina will be interviewing Domas and sharing the story of what it really takes to make it happen in China. Domas managed China market entry for Daumantai and developed 10 new products specifically for Chinese consumers. Lina managed a team of cross-cultural consultants at LITAO and designed the B2B sales strategy & execution. For the first time, you will learn all the tips & tricks first-hand, from people who have ‘walked the talk’.

Domas Grinkevičius.

Product Develpment Manager of Daumantai LT. He has spent more than 3 years in the UK finishing a Masters Degree in Strategic Management and collecting experience in such companies as Unilever and Nestle. Since then he dedicated his work for Daumantai LT expansion to international markets. Started with local markets such as Poland, Latvia, Estonia and some Nordic countries. Now he managed to get their products to China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan. 

Daumantai LT is a condiment producer in Lithuania with almost 30 years expierience and the highest level of quality. They are the only condiment producer in Lithuania which can produce organic products and at the moment they have almost 200 products in their portfolio. 

Lina Bartusevičiūtė.

Originally Lithuanian, she has lived in Shanghai since 2009. She speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, and started out as an interpreter for business and negotiations. Lina soon found that language is just the first barrier in cross-cultural projects, so she did a Master's degree (in Chinese) and upon graduation opened a boutique cross-cultural business consulting firm LITAO in 2015. 

LITAO works on bringing the world’s best products and ideas to China by building sustainable market entry solutions, managing B2B sales and helping the foreigners understand how the Chinese think. 

NAPA BALTIC Packaging Design Awards.

NAPA Baltic Packaging Design Awards are organized annually by the Lithuanian Design Association. The NAPA BALTIC Packaging Design Awards aim to assess high quality and innovative product packaging design created in the Baltic Region and publicise the best examples to various professionals and to the wider public as well. 

The project is financed by the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

 

Episode Content:

We will be discussing the recent story of a new sauces and condiments brand from Lithuania entering China market. We will share the step-by-step process, the required investment (of financials, of time and of personal commitment) and the results that come out of following the process. 

  • What is the China Market Entry process for a new, unknown foreign brand?
  • Differences in product design and consumers’ expectations
  • Creating 10 SKUs specifically for China market
  • How working with China can benefit your native market
  • What is the ‘flexible channel’ in China distribution?
  • Performing Customs Compliance Assessment before exporting your product
  • Choosing the right partner
  • How to talk with your Chinese partner?
  • The importance of being humble and patient

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 113: Sustainability, China and Ecommerce
38 perc 113. rész Simon de Raadt, Emmanuel Dean, Laurine Chamberlin

Bio Emmanuel Dean:

Emmanuel Dean is from Indonesia and graduated from Colgate University, NY, in 2018, majoring in Economics and Chinese. Emmanuel has a deep passion for entrepreneurship as well as making a positive difference. He wanted to make a start-up that was not only profitable but also beneficial for the Earth. That was when he decided to found Boomi in the summer of 2018. He himself is still a novice eco-warrior, but as the company grows, so does his passion for living more sustainably.

BOOMI is a multi-brand e-commerce platform home to 50+ local purpose-driven businesses. Their mission is to empower and enable our partners and individuals to make a positive lasting impact. Boomi comes from the Indonesian word "bumi" meaning Earth.

 

Episode content:

We cover all kinds of things around sustainability, but in short it comes down to the following:

???? Why he transformed Boomi from bamboo toothbrushes into  a sustainable platform.

???? How to vet suppliers and brands on sustainability?

???? Recent developments on sustainability in China and what is needed to grow the attention for it

???? How you can join this movement?

???? Planting trees as part of the reward program.

???? Managing an international team from different cultures

???? What the world would look like in 2050

Planting trees ???????? is a core element in Boomi, 8.8% of the revenue is donated to Boomi Forest Initiative to plant trees in Inner Mongolia. You can take a real-time look here: https://720yun.com/t/a5vksq7w719?scene_id=48057252#scene_id=48057252

 

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 112: Being a Commercial Diplomat in China with Agnese Stūrmane
60 perc 112. rész Simon de Raadt, Lina Bartusevičiūtė, Agnese Stūrmane

About Agnese Stūrmane

Agnese is a young ambitious professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Asian Studies (Sinology) and an MBA from Xiamen University, who has started her professional career in China as an intern in an educational company, in 2011.

In 2015, after completing her Master’s Thesis on business opportunities for Latvian cosmetics manufacturers in China, Agnese started putting her academic training to practice and got hired as Business Development and Export Manager for a Latvian natural cosmetics brand.

In 2016, she started working for a Latvian translation agency in Beijing and in a year was promoted from a Project Manager to Country Manager, a position she held for a year.

In 2018, she has been appointed as Counsellor of Economic and Commercial Affairs and the Head of the Representative Office in China for Latvia’s Investment and Development Agency.

 

Episode Content:

We sometimes hear SME's complain on the support that can be provided by local representatives of their home country. Our experience has been positive when it comes to network, introductions and support. From a business side you of course have to make it happen, but a little push in the back often opens new doors. Especially as more and more diplomats have gained actual work experience in China, hence our interview with Agnese.

  • Working in a traditional Chinese company for a Chinese boss
  • Giving constructive feedback
  • Chinese method of teaching MBA: selling real estate for your grade
  • Asian negotiations
  • Chinese perception on cosmetics: Korean vs. French brands
  • The significance of language and translators
  • Pitching a small country in China
  • Most important things to consider before you start engaging a Chinese party
  • When and why would you reach out to your commercial representative in China?
  • Being quarantined in Latvia vs in China

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 111: E-commerce and International Trade with Simon de Raadt @Choy's Podcast
44 perc 111. rész Simon de Raadt, Choy Yiu Chan

Simon de Raadt has been in China for over a decade and he became an expert in cross-border trade and logistics from and to China. This expertise also includes deep knowledge of e-commerce, the most relevant sales channel in China.

In this episode we talk about so many relevant topics: the impact of the pandemic on e-commerce, the Chinese eco system, the new VAT rules that will apply in the EU soon, the attitude of Chinese companies going to Europe and the other way around and so much more!

Simon speaks often at events, is a podcast host of the China Business Cast, managing partner of MAiNS International and the VP Business Development Europe at HyperSKU. 

 

About Choy Yiu Chan

Choy Yiu Chan is a Dutch and International lawyer with more than 15 years of experience working in the Netherlands, Hong Kong and China. She is partner at Bonnard Lawson ILF Shanghai since 2010 and co-owner and director of Equasia Ltd - a corporate advisory firm with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. 

Choy's specialties: focus on corporate and business law in an international context, particularly Asia. This includes the following expertise: market entry, corporate governance and business strategy in greater China and Asia, tax structuring for investment inbound and outbound China, international employment and HR matters, commercial contracts, intellectual property protection strategies, introduction of Chinese companies for investment purposes in Europe and company secretarial support in Hong Kong. 

Choy also started her own podcast (Choy's podcast) which can be found on Spotify (https://lnkd.in/gishv3n) and Apple podcast (https://lnkd.in/gV5WtDz) where she talks with her guests about entrepreneurship, life and business in Asia to share knowledge, learn from each other and give platform to great people with relevant business and life experience.
 

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 110: China Business Adventures with David Atnip
38 perc 110. rész Simon de Raadt, David Atnip

About David Atnip

After spending 20 years practicing law in the US in civil and commercial litigation he decided to move and become more familiar with the upcoming superpower called China in 2003. Over the years he did some freelance work as an advisor and partnered with two Chinese business partners in two different business adventures for an extensive period of time.

His knowledge on China and China Business is extraordinary and I always walk away with new nuggets to expand and deepen my China knowledge. In this episode he did exactly that again.

 

Episode Content:

Topics that will be discussed:

  • Why he didn’t want to join a foreign company or joint venture company to kick off his China career.
  • Takeaways from working with two different Chinese business partners during his China career.
  • Registered his own company due to change in regulation to encourage entrepreneurs with lower capital registration.
  • What 3 criteria he uses to start a partnership?
  • Is Chinese language skills needed to do business in China?
  • The most recent article he found is worth sharing.
  • How crisis has helped China to thrive innovation.
  • What tips he has for foreigners and foreign companies to become successful in China.
  • The most common question David get asked? And his answer to this.
  • What is the Next Normal?
  • Main reason people are leaving
  • Is it more difficult to run a business compared to ten years ago?
  • The impact of China’s urbanisation
  • His war story in China

 

Episode Mentions:

 

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Add Jons ('jslemmer') or Simon ('sraadt') on WeChat to join China Business Cast WeChat group

 

Ep. 109: Flexpat China with Francis Kremer
37 perc 109. rész Simon de Raadt, Francis Kremer

Some of the language can be considered as inappropriate. 

About Francis Kremer:

After an early career in China he returned back with unfinished business. Sometimes it is hard to shake off China. To find his way back to a career in China turned out to be harder than expected. These lessons triggered him to help others to share his and other people's experience on his China Flexpat podcast. 

Besides running a podcast he is employed at JULI Automation. A Chinese company shaping the global electric car market. Francis helps foreign companies save money by building their top quality motor lines in China. No need to import. He was asked to make this company international and coach the sales and project managers in providing English speaking customer interaction, including documentation. A true China Flexpat.

 

Episode content

Of course we will go into what Flexpat exactly is, but you will also hear about the journey of Francis and also your host Simon as a flexpat. Nowadays you see less expats coming to China, but foreigners are still trying to tap into the Chinese labor market. How to land a job? What opportunities are there? Are amongst the questions answered in this episode.

  • How to land a job in China and prepare yourself?
  • What is a reasonable salary range to expect to land a job in China?
  • Why people who don’t speak Chinese tend to earn more money?
  • Where to start to kickstart you career in China?
  • Francis' advise for other Flexpats
  • The impact of Covid on the job market
  • Future job market for foreigners looking for a China career
  • Francis experience working for a Chinese family owned business
  • His war story in China

 

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 108: Living a fulfilled life with Ben Ivey
50 perc 108. rész Simon de Raadt, Ben Ivey

About Ben Ivey

Ben is CEO of the Entrepreneur Lifestyle, an international bilingual speaker and mentor. He helps entrepreneurs globally to accelerate business success whilst living an extraordinary lifestyle. As a Keynote Speaker and Entrepreneur Lifestyle Accelerator he is helping fellow entrepreneurs, leaders and individuals with bootcamps and even has a certification program to train new mentors following his principles.

Episode content

Having a work-life balance is very tough. Especially in 2020. We hope this episode gives you some tools and suggestions to overcome this years' obstacles and transfers it in a learning experience. You are never going to be completely in balance, but you can have a fulfilled life.

  • What made Ben dedicate his life to helping others living a fulfilled life.
  • How to go from a stressed and overwhelmed mindset to a great lifestyle.
  • What are differences in stress levels between Chinese and Western culture.
  • What entrepreneur lifestyle hacks can result into a fulfilled life.
  • Self development market in China.
  • How to cope with feeling behind, while everything around you is changing.
  • When everyone is on their mobile how to handle other ones expectations.
  • Why he did a TEDx Talk in Mandarin Chinese


Episode Mentions:

  • Find Ben Ivey on LinkedIN, reach out on Wechat: benivey or follow him on Instagram: ben_ivey_ or Youtube: beniveyinternational
  • Ben also has his own podcast called Entrepreneur Lifestyle and WeChat group with like minded people. 
  • His TEDx Talk in Mandarin Chinese: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ag2kT379JDRmLV3tOr12lg
  • Chinese communities focused on personal growth http://www.motivateshanghai.com and http://behivego.com
  • Find Jons on LinkedIN
  • Find Simon on LinkedIN
  • Join China Business Cast WeChat group

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Ep. 107: Social Commerce in China with Miro Li
52 perc 107. rész Simon de Raadt, Miro Li

About Miro Li

Miro is a native Chinese and has been living in Hong Kong for a decade. Graduated from one of the TOP 3 Universities in Hong Kong (CUHK), she joined a Chinese eCommerce startup and was in charge of overseas business development.

In 2017, Miro founded Double V., a consulting company helping overseas brands enter China market from 0 to 1. Double V. is specialized in Chinese niche social platforms, including but not limited to the most popular Chinese social commerce APP RED/XiaoHongShu, and the Gen Z video sharing platform Bilibili.

In 2019, Miro founded CHINAble Academy, a training and resources sharing platform for industry leaders to offer courses and workshops about China business, Internet, e-commerce and marketing. 

Episode Content:

  • Consumer behavior on social platforms
  • More about platforms like Xiaohongshu (Red APP) and Bilibili
  • Other social-driven platforms
  • How to use these niche platforms for cross-border e-commerce platforms
  • Why the Gen-Z (post '95) population is so important for platforms
  • Gen-Z behavior characteristics
  • What are bullet screens, such as AWSL
  • Biggest trends on social platforms in 2020
  • Insights and expectations on Singles Day (11-11)
  • CHINable platform offering free knowledge on Cross-Border E-commerce

 

Episode Mentions:

  • Reach out to Miro via info@doublevconsulting.com or on LinkedIN
  • Website: www.doublevconsulting.com and www.chinableacademy.com
  • WeChat ID: miro509
  • Social shipping platforms: Pinduoduo, Toutiao, Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu
  • Platforms: JD.com, Tmall.com, Yangmatou, Jumei, Kaola, Xiaohongshu, VIP
  • KOL = Key Opinion Leaders & KOC - Key Opinion Consumers
  • UGC - User Generated Content
  • ACG - Animation Comics & Games
  • AWSL - a wo si le, literally "I am dying", but used by Gen-Z to express excitement.
  • O2O - Online to Offline and Offline to Online

 

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Ep. 106: Making Taobao shopping available to foreigners with Jay Thornhill
56 perc 106. rész simon de raadt, jay thornhill

About Jay Thornhill

Starting as a English teacher Jay is an Australian-American, born in Australia and grew up in the US. To cease his entrepreneurial spirit he left his home and travelled to China. With the intention of staying for 1 year he ended up staying for over 12 years now. 

In 2015 he ventured Baopals together with two of his friends Charlie and Tyler Baopals.com as the first platform to give foreigners in China an easy and enjoyable way to shop on Taobao, Tmall and JD.com. All 1 billion  plus products on these platforms are available, with up-to-date pricing and product info, in English, and reorganized to make shopping on baopals as easy as pie. The pas years they have sold over millions of product become a solid market leader in the industry.

They are an digital interface between the factory of the world and foreigners in China eager to buy online. With a multi-cultural team of 40 they are bound to make a bigger footprint for foreigners in China and exploring ways to service a much more global audience. And even paying it forward to other start-up entrepreneurs with different business services.

Episode Content:

  • How to benefit from grants as a foreign start-up in China
  • Jay's and his China dream
  • What problem they are trying to solve with their business
  • How getting started and perseverance paid off
  • Entrepreneurship in China
  • How to reach scale targeting foreigners in China
  • How to keep a friendly vibe and company culture after maturing the business
  • Navigating platform based selling and social selling and incorporating this into Baopals
  • What peak season festivals such as Single's Day (11-11), 12-12 and 618 looks like
  • How focus helped progress the business
  • Giving back to China's start-up communities
  • His China war story

Episode Mentions:

  • Find Jay  on LinkedIN or reach out via email: jay@baopals.com
  • Website: www.baopals.com
  • Platforms: Taobao.com, Tmall.com, JD.com, Xiaohongshu.com, Fancy.com
  • Social shipping platforms: Pinduoduo, Toutiao, Douyin.
  • Find Jons on LinkedIN
  • Find Simon on LinkedIN
  • Join China Business Cast WeChat group

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Ep. 105: Promoting global art & culture to Chinese millennials with Emily Cheung
43 perc 105. rész Simon de Raadt, Emily Cheung

About Emily Cheung

Passionate about innovation and technology, she is a firm believer that the right technology has the power to enhance consumer experiences and bring positive changes to businesses, society, and our daily life. With over 13+ years of experience in Brand strategy, digital transformation, social media, eCRM & digital communication strategy, she is equipped with the relevant technical know and leadership skills to inspire a team within a 40-people size creative digital agency (CREATEC : www.createcdigital.com). And she founded a technology company mainly focused on cultural tourism (ShaketoWin : www.shaketowin.net) too.

Her vision & mission involves working side by side with cultural foundations, Charities, & NGOs to make the world a better place. She believes that we evolve as humans to become better versions of ourselves, and we all can rise as a society by lifting each other by preserving nature and culture and by building mutual understanding and trust between different cultures across the globe. More than commercial benefits, she value humanity benefits, which can bring a sustainable impact in the world.

Episode Content:

  • Her secret to keep high energy as an entrepreneur
  • Her journey till now
  • Promoting cultural preservation at low entry barrier and be a bridge towards Chinese millennials
  • Preparing Chinese millennials before their travel starts and create cultural awareness
  • Behavior differences between '85, '90, '95, '00's borns.
  • Innovation and Technology in Cultural Tourism incl. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
  • How to mix non-profit with profit focused businesses
  • Chinese tourism behavior
  • Creating local experiences besides just visiting a spot

Episode Mentions:

 

 

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Ep. 104: Starting and growing a F&B franchise in China with Tony Leong
32 perc 104. rész Tony Leong, Jons Slemmer

About Tony Leong
Tony Leong is a Restaurant Opener Expert, Franchise Advisor and Concept Developer with over 20+ years experience in the Food & Beverage industry. Tony has helped companies, investors and entrepreneurs and established brands from around the world to bring their concepts to life globally. In June 2018 Tony opened the first Marché Movenpick flagship store in Shenzhen, China and elevated the client’s experience bringing the unique franchise concept and approach to the Chinese market. 

Episode Content:

  • Introducing the Marché Movenpick concept.
  • The process and operational steps to open a franchise chain in China. How is the process different in China in comparison to the rest of the world?
  • How to scale the global F&B restaurant franchise in the Chinese market?
  • Tony´s surprising challenges when picking his flagship location in Shenzhen.
  • Best practices and tips to find the right team for your F&B and what are the best training concepts.
  • Build up your own marketing team or hire an agency? Tony´s Marketing strategies for the Chinese market.
  • F&B Franchises usually follow strict rules and guidelines. Why does that not work in China and what kind of internal tricks did Tony use to adapt faster to China's Market?
  • How have the Chinese consumer behaviours changed over the last few years in the F&B industry?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 103: Hong Kong and China Fintech Scene with Simon Lim
31 perc 103. rész Jons Slemmer, Simon Lim

About Simon Lim

Simon Lim is a long-time entrepreneur, digital marketing and IT consultant who discovered a market niche and high demand for better cross border payments to China. Since then Simon moved into the Fintech and payment industry and is today located in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. He is the founder and CEO of GoRemit.HK - a leading cross border payment service provider to transfer money from Hong Kong to China and southeast asia based in Hong Kong. Founded in 2016, GoRemit.HK is a registered and licensed Money Service Operator (MSO) - 17-01-02074 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region serving Hong Kong SME and individuals targeting China and SouthEast Asia. He started his business with helping friends and customers to pay suppliers in China and with growing volume and demand he transformed the operations into a full cross border payment platform.

Episode Content:

  • What is GoRemit.HK and how does GoRemit.hk help SME and Startups to remit money to China and southeast Asia today?
  • What are the current trends in the HK and China FinTech sector?
  • How are HK consumers embracing new payment solutions like WeChat Pay or Alipay?
  • How does the new virtual bank licence in Hong Kong help FinTechs?
  • What are the challenges for FinTechs to grow in Hong Kong compared to China?
  • Why is it easier to open a bank account in China than in Hong Kong?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 102: Exploring Yunnan Province with Yereth Jansen
43 perc 102. rész Simon de Raadt, Yereth Jansen

About Yereth Jansen

Yereth Jansen is a long-time entrepreneur, marketing, digital and creative expert located in Yunnan province. He is founder and CEO of CloudBridge – Media by Design, located in Yunnan. CloudBridge is the company behind www.destiationlijiang.com and expat website GoKunming, offering travel information, event listings and all the latest news on what is happening in Kunming City and Yunnan province. Jansen’s Beijing company, China Bridge Solutions, offers consulting, marketing and branding services to companies entering the Chinese market. And if that is not enough to keep him busy he works on World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) projects as a Product Development and Marketing Expert and was recently awarded with the 2019 China National Tourism Travel New Talent.

Episode Content:

  • What is Yunnan province famous for?
  • How does this region contribute to the Belt Road Initiative (BRI)?
  • What is the business environment like?
  • Recent developments that will make you consider investing in this region.
  • Why you should visit this region?
  • Are there any difference between promoting a region versus promoting a brand?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 101: The Sharing Economy in China with Barbara Ex
35 perc 101. rész Simon de Raadt, Barbara Ex

About Barbara Ex

Barbara Ex is the founder and CEO of Whitespace. Barbara’s long international career has brought her through many countries, but the last 15 years have been in China, working in both international and domestic companies. Prior to founding WhiteSpace, Barbara was an Executive Director of Business Transformation at Lenovo in Beijing. With an MBA from London Business School and engineering degrees from MIT, Barbara approaches business with a professional, international, and technical mindset. Over the years she chaired the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, was founder and past president of MIT Alumni Club Shanghai, IPWS Entrepreneur of the year 2019 and chair in the mentorship program at EO.


EPISODE CONTENT:

  • What keeps her in China for over 15 years?
  • What is the difference between co-working space and co-meeting space
  • How are meetings and events run differently in China
  • How to integrate O2O into the physical meeting experience
  • Some good examples of the sharing economy in China
  • Barbara's personal war story, which turned out to be a very recent one
  • How mentorship has helped her grow her China Business

 

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 100: Celebrating episode 100 and looking back with all the hosts
52 perc 100. rész Jons, Shlomo, Mike, JP

Today’s podcast is featuring a look back into history of the China Business Cast with all the hosts from the past!

We revisit the past and get all the previous hosts on the show, we get to chat with JP on how it all started, how soon after Mike got involved and from there how Shlomo joined.

Episode content:

  • How did JP get the show started?
  • Mike got involved early on and then took over the show, JP moving to the USA
  • Shlomo teamed up with Mike
  • Mike and Shlomo both going through transitions in their lives

Episode Mentions:

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Impact of Corona Virus on your China Business with Jons and Simon
32 perc 104. rész Simon de Raadt, Jons Slemmer

Today’s podcast is featuring Jons and Simon while they share their experiences on being on the ground in China during the COVID-19 crisis and their thoughts on the impact on business in and with China.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • We share our experiences and difficulties of travelling through China
  • And we discuss our thoughts on the impact on business in and with China

Episode Mentions:

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SheLeaders Podcast Series - Ep. 3: Being Bold Pays Off-Keep Up with Raquel Ramirez
38 perc 103. rész Jons Slemmer

About Raquel Ramirez

Raquel Ramirez is the founder of RR Consulting, as well as a proud mentor and an active member of SheLeads. Growing up in Mexico City, Raquel has had 15 years of experience working in the public, private and international sectors all around the world including Mexico, USA, and China. During which she has held positions such as Sub-director in the United Nations Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico in the General Assembly and the UNESCO, Conventional Disarmament and Financial Affairs. Additionally, when working in academia she held the positions of Director of Bicultural Program and Department Director of Social Sciences at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. Currently She runs her own consulting company in China. Raquel is passionate about positive social impact through education, community building and empowerment through self-awareness. She has strongly devoted herself in relevant programs for female empowerment.

 

EPISODE CONTENT

This episode will address the following topics：

• How did Raquel get her first internship with the Mexico office for the UN?

• What qualities helped Raquel move forward way faster than her peers in her career?

• What made Raquel choose to give up her career in diplomacy, but came to China starting her own business?

• Her experience in mentoring young female professionals in China

• Raquel's new life experience after having her first child

• The balance between work, passion, and family

• What should women do to support each other more professionally?

• The importance of self-care

 

Episode Mentions：

• RR consulting and Career Master online workshops WeChat program

About Sheleads
Sheleads is an empowering female platform, which is run by women and specially for women. This international network is created to build long-term valuable relationships among female professionals at workplace. Sheleads only enables women to share their expertise, learn from each other in a safe and comfortable environment where common challenges are shared particularly to females, but also helps emphasize the role of female leaders in professional careers.

Ep. 99: Expanding by Merger & Acquisition with Valérie Hoeks
47 perc 99. rész Simon de Raadt, Valérie Hoeks

About Valérie Hoeks

During her first visit to China in 2000, Valérie Hoeks was fascinated by the energy of the country and its people. Their resourcefulness and tenacity motivated Valérie to complete her Sinology Masters and spend the next twenty years gaining valuable experience in the Chinese business world. Valérie is energized by working with ambitious and innovative companies that want to increase their impact on the ever-changing Chinese market. She is a skilled strategist, mediator and management coach with a keen understanding of the Chinese market and ways of working. Her TEDx-talk on cultural differences has 400K views on Youtube and is still regularly referred to.

About China Inroads: https://www.chinainroads.com/
China Inroads provides customized strategic solutions for European companies at a crossroads with their Chinese partners (takeovers, mergers, investors, JV partners, distributors, agents). By collaborating at the executive level, Valérie and her team of local specialists help European companies solve complex China-related business challenges and achieve long-term growth in the evolving Chinese market.

EPISODE CONTENT:
This episode will address the following topics:

  • How her China journey started at the age of 18
  • Why being quiet actually means you are in trouble, and how to solve this
  • How to bridge two perspectives
  • How to fix any stressful and urgent situation
  • Why people need to change themselves to succeed in international business
  • How to overcome cultural differences to make a cooperation work
  • Why you should watch the documentary American Factory

Episode Mentions:

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Cross-Border Summit 2019: Amazon and Beyond
41 perc 101. rész Simon de Raadt, John Cavindish, James Chane, Emma Schermer Tamir

Emma Schermer Tamir – Marketing by Emma

Selling online is about story telling. This story is told in pictures, words, packaging, product listings and much more. Emma and her team are experienced copywriters that help you tell your brand story.

  • Why you should use verbal textiles?
  • How to present your brand and present yourself?
  • What to consider when you localize and personalize your brand?
  • How to manage your creative team if it is outsourced?
  • How to provide feedback to your creative team?

Find Emma on LinkedIN or check out http://www.marketingbyemma.com

 

John Cavindish– ecomDNA | SellerCandy | FBA Translations | FBA Frontiers

As offline distributors started to open Amazon stores brands can lose the control on how to properly present their brand and their story. EcomDNA offers a solution to have a long-term growth strategy in their B2C presence as a partner of their marketing team.

  • What is the Amazon GAP report?
  • How the VAT system works in Europe for Amazon sellers?
  • Main differences on US vs EU Amazon sales?
  • How to differentiate from Chinese Amazon farms

Find John on LinkedIN or check out http://www.ecomdna.com or http://sellercandy.com/

 

James Chane– Online mediahost and teacher

James has spent more than 8,000 hrs volunteering and doing charity in China for more than 13 years. He has produced and uploaded more than 800 videos on China's popular video sharing sites Youku, and Miaopai. teaching English, interviewing businessmen, and sharing people's talents, passion and dreams. Some of his short videos have received over 1 Million views in a few days.

  • Why he is so passionate about teaching English?
  • Differences between Western and Chinese education
  • What can we learn from Chinese education?
  • What video’s work well on social media?

Find James on LinkedIN

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Cross-Border Summit 2019 - Amazon Special
40 perc 100. rész Simon de Raadt, Paulina Masson, Will Tjernlund, Danny McMillan

Paulina Masson – Shopkeeper

As an Amazon seller Paulina developed her own software tool to keep track of the 72 different fees that you have to pull from many different reports within Amazon. This software turned into a commercial product called Shopkeeper. The conversation with Paulina is more about pricing strategy showing her pure interest in the psychology behind pricing, but I recommend to check out her website too.

  • Which numbers are most used to set your price?
  • What is the psychology behind the number 9?
  • How to differentiate your price for bargain and luxury items?
  • Why Chinese manufacturers cannot just become a seller on Amazon?

Find Paulina on LinkedIN or check out https://shopkeeper.com

 

Danny McMillan– DATAbril | ProductLine | FBA Speakers | Seller Sessions

Actively selling online since 2008, more by accident ran into Amazon during his research after a music adventure. Selling online is the future and buying on Amazon has become a daily habit. Therefore it is important to educate, inspire and share tools, tips and tricks to elevate the industry to a new norm.

  • Beginner tips and tips for more experienced
  • The future of online sales
  • Relationship between China and Amazon
  • How to succeed during the holiday season?

Find Danny on LinkedIN or check out https://sellersessions.com

 

Will Tjernlund – GOAT Consulting | Amazon Seller

An experienced Amazon seller that has dedicated his efforts on building, protecting and developling commercial company brands on Amazon. To do that Will and his team are using real data collected from humans to identify the potential, positioning and target audience.

  • Optimizing for the human side vs computer side of things
  • What is the mechanical Turk and how to use it as a profiling tool?
  • When is your Amazon store successful?
  • How to plan for your Canton Fair visit?
  • How dependent is Amazon on China?

Find Will on LinkedIN or check out http://www.goatconsulting.com or Wtjern (@ Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).

 

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Ep. 98: How can foreign companies make their brand known to Chinese tourists and consumers with Betty Touzeau
40 perc 98. rész Simon de Raadt, Betty Touzeau, Jons Slemmer

About Betty Touzeau

Fell in love with China in 2006. Founded her first E-commerce company in China in 2008 focused on selling Chinese products online in Europe, like Amazon, Cdiscount, Groupon, Alibaba etc. Learned Chinese Mandarin during her first four years to truly connect with the Chinese community and her Chinese family. From 2014 she started to reverse this business model helping European companies sell online in China via cross-border e-commerce with a focus on French brands to sell in the Chinese online market. To be closer to her target group she moved back to France after 8 years in China to offer her services to French companies. This is done via her company Paris2Beijng connecting with Chinese consumers either located in mainland China or traveling to Europe and attract their attention.

About PARIS2BEIJING: https://www.paris2beijing.com
Help brands and retailers to connect with Chinese consumers:

  • Professional trainings: understand WeChat, E-commerce, marketing digital in China
  • WeChat management: launch and manage your Official account and WeChat advertising
  • Consulting: help you find the right strategy for your online activities with market study, benchmark, marketplaces and social media recommendations

EPISODE CONTENT:
With approval of Jons, co-host Simon de Raadt took over this podcast covering the following topics:

  • Transforming the business model from China to Europe into Europe to China and determine possible overlap and learnings.
  • How guanxi kickstarted her current company.
  • Why European brands are just in the beginning stage of entering the Chinese market..
  • What is Betty's best guess on how the market will evolve after Alibaba their competitor Koala.
  • Why online visibility and content are your key starting point of focus.
  • How to get started, what budget will you need, some success cases and thing not to do.
  • How the Chinese dream is so alive in the minds of Chinese consumers and foreigners living in China.
  • The role of the Chinese government supporting the Chinese dream to become a reality.
  • Do your homework or find a partner who can help you do your homework on how to attract Chinese consumers to interact with your brand.

Episode Mentions:

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Bonus: Making a Successful Digital Entry in China (Jons @ China BizConnect)
28 perc 98. rész Jons Slemmer

The audio below is a collaboration podcast I did with Tim Lindeman from China BizConnect. Together with Tim, we have discussed how to make a successful digital entry and get started with digital marketing in China.

Digital marketing in China requires a different approach than in other markets. Foreign companies looking to enter China should first investigate the unique requirements of their target Chinese customers. They must also learn to use new marketing channels to reach these customers. While China offers great opportunities, it is a fast-moving and highly competitive business environment. In order to succeed, foreign companies need to fully commit to the effort.

China's Walled Garden

In most countries, digital market entry is fairly straightforward: you just need to get a domain and set up a server. No one tells you what you can do or how you should do it.

Digital market entry in China is quite different. There are procedures for obtaining proper licenses. There are many rules about what you can and can't do. Certain business industries are regulated or limited for foreigners. And certain topics are sensitive, so you need to be very careful what information you publish on the Chinese internet.

China-based Websites
Foreign companies often choose to register a China-based website. Accessing information from foreign websites in China is generally slow. In addition, some content may not be accessible through China's firewall. Having a Chinese website with a ".cn" extension makes sure your content is fast and signals to the market that you are serious about China.
Before registering a China-based website you first need to get a license. The requirements for obtaining a license are strict and complicated. A prerequisite is having a Chinese legal entity, which is a sizable commitment for some foreign companies.

App-Based Marketing

In contrast to other markets, websites in China are generally not the most important digital marketing channel. Relatively few Chinese own personal computers, and they prefer to get content using native apps on smartphones.

WeChat is the most important platform for marketers. Most Chinese have WeChat accounts and spend hours a day on the platform. WeChat enables marketers to publish company pages with built-in navigation. Companies can also develop mini-programs for more advanced e-commerce or service applications.

In addition to WeChat, marketers should also consider Weibo, a popular microblogging platform, and the steady stream of up and coming apps such as Douyin and Little Red Book. Many of these platforms, including WeChat, allow foreign companies to register official accounts without establishing a Chinese legal entry. This makes app-based marketing a popular strategy for foreign companies looking to get started in the China market.

Content Strategy

One similarity between China and foreign markets is the importance of content marketing. In order to differentiate yourself in the market, you need a good content strategy and then put in the time and effort to deliver a steady stream of content that provides value to Chinese customers.

When a potential customer hears about your business, they will likely research you on various mobile apps to see what they can find out. In general, Chinese customers require more contact points before making a purchase than customers in other markets. So you need to keep popping up on different platforms and consistently provide valuable content to acquire new customers. A Chinese language website can be part of your overall content strategy, but mobile apps are more important.

Remote Market Entry

In the initial stages of your China market entry, it may make sense to market your products and services from abroad. You can do this by opening official accounts on WeChat, Weibo, and other platforms, and support your social media marketing with a Chinese language website hosted offshore. This strategy may be sufficient if you have business partners in China responsible for distributing your product. And it is a good way to test the market before you go all in and set up your own legal entity and get a China-based website.

Going All In

China is not an easy market. And in order to make the most of the opportunities, you will need to fully commit to the effort.
After you gain some traction with remote marketing and distribution partners, you should physically spend some time in the country. Spend at least a week or maybe a month to see how people live and how businesses run. Get to know your target customers. Talk with them and learn about how they use your product. Also, reach out to local governments and visit the high-tech zones.

Many companies come to China and leave disappointed because they are not able to match the speed of the market or adapt to the local requirements. Unless you are 100% committed, you will not be able to create content that connects with your target audience.

Recommendations

  • Adapt your playbook to resonate with the China market.
  • Gain a high-level understanding of the China market. Get some expert advice and adapt your marketing playbook to meet the cultural and technical requirements of China's walled internet.
  • Start with remote market entry.
  • Start marketing on WeChat, Weibo, and other platforms that specialize in different kinds of content without having a physical presence in the China market. Experiment with different content and channel strategies to gain traction before going all in.
  • Physically go to China before setting up a local presence.
  • In order to be truly successful in China, you will need to be 100% committed. Take a trip to China and spend enough time to understand how businesses work and how customers use your product. Then invest the necessary resources to establish and support a local office in China.

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SheLeaders Podcast Series - Ep. 2: Female roles with Lisa Renkin
51 perc 97. rész Pearl Yang, Anita Lai

The second episode of Sheleaders Podcast had invited Lisa Renkin with us to talk about female roles in politics and diplomat area, the importance of taking risks and having a mentor, strategies on identifying opportunities and maintaining work-life balance.

About Lisa Renkin
Lisa represents the interests of Victoria State of Government, Australia in China, Hongkong, and Taiwan and has worked in strategic and technical leadership roles in China for last 15 years. Prior to her role at the Victorian Government, Lisa was Manager of International Initiatives and the Head of the China program for the Burnet Institute. She also was Vice President of the Victorian branch of the Australia China Business Council, and is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University. With international experience that has spanned an impressive twenty years, taking on roles from healthcare to humanitarian development to commercial projects, Lisa has really been a force for good with regards to effective leadership to strengthen initiatives throughout the developing world. Lisa is also our mentor in SheLeads Empowering Female Mentorship Program.

Episode Content

  • Lisa talks about her career path, what does she do, and what makes her jump over the fence to work in China.
  • Discussion about the difference of female roles in leading position between Australia and China, and the culture shock she has been encountered.
  • The importance of taking risks and the methods of identifying opportunities.
  • Lessons have learned across the twenty years work experience.
  • Insights about work-life balance and advices for young female professional to maintain this balance as they build their careers.
  • The importance of having a mentor and how to find a mentor suits you the most.

Episode Mentions

  • Book: Becoming by Michelle Obama
  • Book: Madeleine Albright, first female Secretary of the States (US)
  • 996: a work style adapted by many internet companies in China which is 9am-9pm, 6 days a week
  • Find Lisa on LinkedIn
  • Find Anita on LinkedIn
  • Get to know more about SheLeads, follow our Wechat official account: sheleads
    or Linkedin:Sheleads Professional Females Network

About Sheleads
Sheleads is an empowing female platform, which is run by women and specially for women. This international network is created to build long-term valuable relationships among professional females at workplace. Sheleads will not only enable women to share their expertise, learn from each other in a safe and comfortable environment where common challenges are shared particularly to females, but also help emphasize the role of female leaders in professional careers.

Bonus: RISE 2019 - short clips on the ground @ RISE
16 perc 96. rész Michael Eagleton

Today’s podcast we’re together with guest host Michael Eagleton from Trovitech (a leading Supply Chain Solutions Company) visiting the largest tech conference in Asia “RISE” which is held annually in Hong Kong. Michael talks with Anthony Baker Executive Director, Technology at R/GA, and Patrick Siu COO at MEGA Automation about the conference, their business and China

RISE is produced by the team behind Web Summit and Collision – two of the largest and fastest-growing tech conferences on the planet. Rise attracts leaders from the world’s biggest companies and most exciting startups, who are joined by journalists from major global media outlets, hundreds of influential investors, and thousands of attendees who flock to Hong Kong to share their stories during this three day Tech conference.

ABOUT EPISODE GUESTS
Today’s podcast features

Anthony Baker Executive Director, Technology at R/GA
Anthony is a seasoned technologist with 15+ years of experience, leading digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies around the world. He’s one of the founding members of R/GA Tokyo, helping to establish and grow business in Japan, from 5 core team members to 30+ in 12 months. As Executive Director of Technology, he leads the technology vision, strategy and execution for clients in Japan, supporting the rest of R/GA offices in Asia Pacific. Anthony is often speaking at international conferences, and has authored several articles in publications like The Guardian, Contagious and Campaign.

Founding member of R/GA Tokyo, and Head of Technology for R/GA Japan, working in tandem with executive leads in APAC. Leading Digital Transformation for Japanese and International clients through accelerated development, leveraging modern architectures and cutting-edge technology and platforms. Focused on orchestrating best-in-class digital services, innovation consultancy and tech strategy to help grow our clients' business, create unique consumer services and experiences, and our grow our presence in Japan and APAC. Top clients include Google, Shiseido, Mori Building, Disney, Glico and LINE among others.

Patrick Siu COO at MEGA Automation
Patrick graduated from the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering, Patrick has extensive experience in developing cloud data management systems that has served over 200 global companies. Patrick is well aware of the difficulties encountered in the management of corporate data, he is an expert in advising clients on relevant aspects.

MEGA Automation - Connecting buildings through IoT & AI technology- to reduce energy use and enhance tenant comfort. MEGA was founded by building professionals, engineers and research scientists in 2013, Mega Automation is one of the leading building automation system providers in Hong Kong. Their products integrate traditional building management systems (BMS) with advanced information and communication technology, to help corporates understand their energy consumption with the aim of cutting their energy bills. MEGA make products that take the people & environment into the core equation

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Anthony & Patrick briefly introduced themselves, their companies, impressions of the RISE conference, and their relationships to China.
  • Discussion about advancement & progress in the digital landscape in China.
  • China’s digital ecosystem, use of data and the innovation coming from China
  • The importance of telling a better brand story when entering the China market.
  • Smart building solutions optimising energy efficiency
  • Insights into entrepreneurship mindsets in startups and achieving growth.
  • Importance of getting your product to market and in the han of users early.

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 97: Cross-cultural market entries with Lina Bartusevičiūtė
57 perc 97. rész Simon de Raadt, Jons Slemmer, Lina Bartuseviciute

About Lina Bartusevičiūtė
Lina got her HSK 6 in 2010 and became a sought-after Mandarin Chinese interpreter for official meetings and business delegations, and soon she noticed that language was just a minor barrier in building sustainable cross-cultural partnerships. So she got into a top Chinese school for diplomacy and after graduation opened LITAO in order to solve the issues arising in cross-border projects: language is important, but it's really the clarity in your competitive advantage for China market and quality in preparations that will make it work.

LITAO works to bring the best ideas and services to China market and make them appealing to Chinese businesses and consumers. Within 5 years of operations, they worked with over 100 companies and 200 individuals offering tailor-made strategies and go-to-market operations for governments, corporations and SMEs. They are accountable to over 6 mln. EUR investments, 40+ deals closed, and countless dreams made reality. LITAO is always on a lookout for the next big idea - let’s talk about yours!

LITAO's signature services include:

  • Chinese competitive naming
  • Building a China-friendly pitch
  • Finding your competitive advantage through LITAO's 5-facet research
  • Business matchmaking & Roadtrip
  • Strategic communications through WeChat

EPISODE CONTENT:
Together with guest host Simon de Raadt we will be covering the following topics:

  • Lina's journey from Lithuania to China and her decade in China
  • How being in China opens up doors to inspiring people and organisations
  • How to prepare for and during your meetings with Chinese counterparts
  • How to simplify the core message you want to bring across
  • Why putting the project interest above the clients' interest
  • Why you need to localise your slides and presentation to eliminate confusion
  • What your advantage is as a foreigner dealing with China
  • How language skills are a tool, but in the end it is about overcoming cultural differences
  • Why Chinese naming and storytelling is important for your brand presence in China
  • Wechat as a tool to overcome cultural differences and how to communicate in Wechat
  • A 3-stage market entry model that can help you get prepared entering or growing into China
  • How to sell a consultancy service in China
  • Why stamina is needed to overcome the unknowns China will bring
  • The value of localisation of your business
  • Why Lina was linked to Jack Ma's recent visit to Lithuania

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 96: Update on WeChat Mini-Programs with Tommaso Sora
29 perc 96. rész Tommaso Sora, Jons Slemmer

Today’s podcast is featuring a dialogue about some thoughts on WeChat Mini-Programs with our Guest Tommaso Sora.

About Tommaso Sora
Tommaso is the founder of Sinaweb 脉国 and Smallchina; Respectively Sinaweb 脉国 is a digital web agency that develops web applications and solutions in China and for China, and it’s also a community of small businesses, entrepreneurs, passionate people, based in Shanghai. Smallchina's mission is to help people with a passion to find their purpose and get connected with like-minded networks. He helps people to refine their value-proposition and marketing message, offers them different tools to reach their audience in China. Chinese often refer to him as 'An old China hand' (中国通). He has been living in China for more than ten years working as a manager and consultant, now he lives in Shanghai with his family, where he leads the development of Sinaweb and Smallchina and follows his life-long passion of taiji.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • WeChat Mini-Program is a program itself, it’s installed inside WeChat, it can be easily opened and shared it. You can call it ”An application inside an application”. Basically you can do 80% of what you normally do with other mobile app functions with WeChat Mini-Program, but it still has a limited scope since it can only installed inside WeChat.
  • If the company wants to enter Chinese market, they need to know WeChat and install it. Then use WeChat tools to promote what they are doing. Because today WeChat is the main media and main tool everyone uses in China. It was born as a chatting tool, but now is a working tool, everyone use it for work, for advertisement, for communication. There are many functions to use, and it’s very powerful tool to have.
  • If you use WeChat, you are with many audiences since there are over a billion people signed up and use it everyday. WeChat is the main tool for communication and business, those 1 billion users can be your potential audience and clients.
  • Alan Zhang, the founder of WeChat, he sees WeChat as a tool, something to be quickly used, to accomplish some tasks like talking to your friends, sending money to someone, paying your groceries, etc. Whatever task you want to accomplish, he wants WeChat to be that tool you can quickly do that. He sees MP the same philosophy. But reality might be different, some people might use other apps as well as using WeChat at the same time.
  • Mini-Program is a tool to use solve different problems or perform some tasks, it’s mainly used in China for Chinese market. We had this client before, they develop productivity tools. They already have some existing customers on their website. When they want to promote this product to China, they asked us to develop a Mini-Program for them. It’s a simple but a powerful product. With the Mini-program, you can easily have your result of the assessment soon, share with your friends and your network fast. A lot of people can see the results and take the assessment to get their results and share it again. The marketing cost is lower because people easily shared it and it became viral fast, It’s very convenient and easy for users to use, to share and to understand. And the barriers of entry are much lower than installing an app.
  • People wants to have WeChat Mini-Programs is because they are trendy and popular, everyone just wants to put their website in WeChat Mini-Programs. But it’s important to educate users that WeChat Mini-Programs is not a website, it’s something different and more useful by performing something else, the primary purpose of WeChat Mini-Programs to perform various tasks. They can use WeChat Official Account to present their business or sharing more information and to serve different contents and several media tools like videos and website link.
  • If you are dealing with small or micro business, one thing I learned is that it’s good to connect and engage with your audience both online and offline. Eventually you build very good relationship with them and make them become your potential customers.
  • WeChat Mini-Program being a powerful tool and there is a big competition among other companies that other companies copy similar functions to compete. It’s a good development, because they serve different audience and customers by using different platform. For example, Alipay is a financial app with stronger position, Douyin is more entertainment-based. Operating Mini-Programs on WeChat is so much quicker quickly compared to Andorid or iOS, which is completely different development and projects.
  • The process of starting an internet business in China is not easy, you need some Chinese business licenses and an ICP linked to your business license to start. The license is depends on your business scope and how it’s defined on your license. So it’s important to know what you want to do for your business.
  • Tommaso’s #1 Tip: As a person who consults small business for others, I think people who are more successful always have a clear idea of what they want to do, so they can talk to people about their business in an easy way. So everyone they talk to will understand what they do easily. Put it out and trying to reach out to more people once you refine those marketing messages and valuable propositions from others. It takes time to build your network, you might need to be pushy. You need to be consistent, you need to get out and be loud for your business or project. Don’t be afraid of failing and find new ways to do things.

Episode Mentions:

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SheLeaders Podcast Series - Ep. 1: A Dialogue Between Male and Female Leaders | Panel Discussion From SheLeads 1 Year Anniversary
53 perc 93. rész Anita Lai

This is a new series of CBC in collaboration with SheLeads, an empowering platform for all professional females in China. SheLeads dedicates to promote female leadership, and in this series, we will bring you interviews with inspiring and successful female (She) LEADERS in China and share with you their exciting life stories, work experience, professional insights and career advices.

Today’s podcast is featuring a dialogue about female leadership between male and female leaders. This panel discussion was taken place at SheLeads 1 Year Celebration event and navigated by our special guest Ms. Adelmise Warner from Pandora USA and a respectful Eisenhower Fellow. The theme is chosen to create meaningful conversations between decision-making leaders. In particular, male champions are invited to encourage a discussion of such matters between men and women, to avoid one-side dialogue, and to inspire more male audience to be involved.

Our Guests

Adelmise Warner (Panel Moderator)
(Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion, SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Pandora USA)

After practicing employment law for 18 years, Adelmise is accountable for developing and implementing diversity and inclusion strategies in her company. She is a participant in the Eisenhower Fellowships, and is one of 9 diverse leaders from the United States who have been selected as a 2019 Zhi-Xing China Eisenhower Fellow. During her visit in China, she joined as our special host to navigate the SheLeads panel discussion.

Eleanor Bedford
Director of Programming in Peace Corps, USA;
SheLeads Mentor

Eleanor is currently the Director of Programming in Peace Corps. Before coming to China, Eleanor held important managerial roles at organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations, U.S. Agency for International Development（USAID) with more than 20 years of experience supporting leaders, organizations and communities. She is also a proud mentor of SheLeads.

Zhang Yi
Zhong Lun Law Firm Partner;
SheLeads Mentor

Zhang Yi is a SheLeads mentor and advisor. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Sichuan University Law School before her master's degree from University of London. She has been engaged in legal work for 21 years, serving as a judge in economic crime courts, foreign-related and intellectual property courts, as well as handling dozens of major economic crime cases and more than 200 intellectual property disputes. Currently, she provides Fortune 500 companies legal services.

Jim Mullinax
U.S. Consul General in Chengdu, China

Jim Mullinax began his assignment as U.S. Consul General in Chengdu, China in August 2017. Prior to this position, he served as Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. He has spent the majority of his career in Asia, previously serving in Manila, Philippines; Surabaya, Indonesia; Taipei; Hong Kong; and Shanghai.

Kurt Macher
General Manager of The Temple House

An Austrian native, Kurt Macher has over 28 years of experience in luxury hospitality. Kurt joined Swire Hotels in July 2016 as the General Manager of The Temple House, Chengdu. Prior to joining Swire Hotels, Kurt was the Group Director of Projects & Rooms for Wharf Hotels in Hong Kong.

Sean
HRD of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Chengdu

With a Bachelor of Business (Hotel Management) from Griffith University, Sean has over 10-year experiences in hospitality industry working with The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong, The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu and The Shanghai EDITION.

• All panelists briefly introduced themselves and their relationships to China.

• Discussion about top characters of a good leader?

• Globally, there is a gender imbalance in the workplace, particularly at the senior and executive levels. Do you agree there is an imbalance? If so - what do you believe are some of the biggest factors contributing to this imbalance?

• What companies can do to help advance more women, or clear some of the barriers to senior leadership？

• Discussion about what companies can do to get more males involved in supporting female leadership or related issues. How do we not only empower women but also empower men for such matter?

• Discussion about acceptance and definition of “feminism”.

• Discussion about difference in the leading behaviors of men and women and cultural difference between the west and China regarding confidence.

• Advices to women in terms of what they can do to be successful leaders.

Highlights

Eleanor - Leadership is about a way of being instead of doing. Be a true leader means ‘stick to who you are’. Without this commitment and vision, you are not able to inspire other people.

Kurt- The key (of eliminating advancing barriers for women) is that every organization should hire people based on their experience rather than skin color and gender. Women has a nature of nurturing. They are more willing to mentor others when they are in the leader position. We should support them.

Yi- Guanxi (connections) make things better, but not essential. Change the world by changing your mindset.

Jim- If you want to change the culture, you have to change it for both men and women. Award people who promote diversity, men have to want it, women also want it.

Sean- Forget about female and male, you can be a leader.

Eleanor- You can do hard things, it just takes believing in yourself.

Jim- To make a change, you have to call up the behavior publicly you want to change.

About Sheleads
SheLeads is an empowering female platform, which is run by women and specially for women. This international network is created to build long-term valuable relationships among professional females at workplace. SheLeads will not only enable women to share their expertise, learn from each other in a safe and comfortable environment where common challenges are shared particularly to females, but also help emphasize the role of female leaders in professional careers.

Join & Lead
Wechat ID: sheleads
Linkedin: SheLeads Professional Females Network

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Ep. 95: Trade wars and cultural differences with Richard Conrad
40 perc 95. rész Jons!, Richard Conrad

Today's podcast we are talking about trade wars and cultural differences with Richard Conrad, author of "Culture Hacks"

Call out for the donation campaign
The first 3 listeners who provide the screenshots of their donation can receive the Richard Conrad's book:"Culture Hacks: Deciphering Differences in American, Chinese, and Japanese Thinking"

About Richard Conrad

  • Richard Conrad grew up in Washington, DC, studied engineering and economics at Vanderbilt University, earned a master’s degree in economics as a local student at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and later earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  • He worked for the last sixteen years for a large US money management firm researching, analyzing, and investing in Chinese and Japanese equities.
  • Richard is fluent in Chinese and Japanese and continues to live in Asia with his family.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Richard tells a little bit of his background. What does he do, and what’s his relationship to China.
  • Discussion about studying in China as a foreigner - different way to teach
  • Richard explains how he connected to Asia at first - Japan to start
  • Insights about why do Americans think differently from Chinese and Japanese people.
  • Languages and behaviors in Asia - then globally.
  • Discussion about absolute and relative truth.
  • How does this impact the current trade war and tech war.
  • Where do you see things go from here? Further down hill, before things normalize?
  • Ways to get in touch with Richard

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 94: Entrepreneurship, accelerators and unicorns in China with Matthieu Bodin
33 perc 94. rész Jons!, matthieu bodin

Today's podcast we are talking about entrepreneurship, accelerators and unicorns in China with Matthieu Bodin, Regional Manager at Techstars.

Note: In between the time of the recording and the release of this episode, Matthieu has move from Techstars to XNode

Matthieu Bodin

  • Frenchman, lived 10 years in Greater China and currently based in Shanghai.
  • Worked in fintech, luxury retail and for a startup prior to joining Techstars.
  • Helping to grow ecosystems of entrepreneurs throughout Greater China.Regional Manager Greater China at Techstars | Community Builder & Entrepreneur
  • Was leading the Techstars Startup Programs in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
  • He built bridges between Techstars and Chinese innovators: sharing his understanding of China within Techstars and its network, or presenting Techstars with Chinese officials and entrepreneurs.
  • His role is to identify, train and coach Community Leaders locally so they can support the next generation of entrepreneurs.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Matthieu tells a little bit of his background. What does he do, and what’s his relationship to China?
  • “We need more inventors vs innovation. Radical new discoveries vs incremental (small) improvements.” Details on where does Techstars fits in the global and Chinese ecosystem.
  • Discussion about entrepreneurship, capital investment and growth strategy
  • Matthieu shares insights on the whole startup / accelerator / VC ecosystem in China
  • #1 actionable tip for doing business in China
  • Ways to get in touch with Matthieu.

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 93: Open Entrepreneurship and Innovation with Amado Trejo & Luis Sarre, Co-founders of Free Entrepreneurs.
43 perc 93. rész Amando Trejo, Jons Slemmer, Luis Sarre

Today's podcast we are talking about Open Entrepreneurship and Innovation with Amado Trejo & Luis Sarre, Co-founders of Free Entrepreneurs.

Amado Trejo:

  • Previously, working for the Mexican Government in Shanghai, he devoted his endeavors and know-how to promote Chinese investment in Mexico and vice-versa, to position Mexican exports in China, and to consolidate Mexico as a tourist destination for Chinese travelers.
  • He has advised key policymakers and leaders in the private sector in both countries about trends, opportunities and best practices in business, education, innovation, and tourism. Given his residence in different countries and involvement in various economic sectors, Amado has developed an international and comprehensive contact network.
  • He is the Asia Bureau Director of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (Mexico), focus on boost cooperation between Research and Development Centers, Universities and Innovation Ecosystems both in Asia and Mexico. He is the Co-Founder and COO of Free Entrepreneurs; a Shanghai-based startup dedicated to developing networks worldwide for open innovation projects.

Luis Sarre

  • Automotive and Mechanical Design Engineer with strong technology innovation background and 25+ years of hands-on multidisciplinary experience; currently developing products and running open and corporate innovation initiatives with a UX(user experience)-centric approach in the fields of Mobility and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT).
  • He has founded his experience working in China, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Mexico, USA, Canada and Italy developing teams and sharing knowledge to innovate, design exciting products and run cross-technology projects.
  • Currently he is Principal Consultant at InnOvatio; and Co-Founder and CEO at Free Entrepreneurs.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Amado and Luis are telling us a little bit of their backgrounds. What do they do, and what’s their relationship to China?
  • A bit more about your work with Free entrepreneurs: How did it get started, what is the goal, why is there this need? Different verticals that are covered?
  • One of the core parts they focus on is innovation. How do does that work in China? Especially from a non-Chinese point of view?
  • Comment saying that "we need more inventors vs innovation / Radical new discoveries vs incremental (small) improvements". What is Amado & Luis stance on that?
  • And how does this all link to the Chinese business environment? How do they currently view the business and startup environment in China?
  • There are so many networks, accelerators, incubators and more in the world and also plenty in China. What makes Free entrepreneurs different and why should people want to join?
  • What are some of the challenges or pitfalls that can be seen businesses encounter while trying to make it in China?
  • Mistakes Amado & Luis have made and learned from
  • #1 actionable tip for doing business in China
  • How to get in touch with Amado & Luis or learn more on what they are working on

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 92: How to structure your finances as an expat with Mikkel Thorup
27 perc 92. rész China Business Cast

Today's podcast we are talking about “How to structure your finances as an Expat” with Mikkel Thorup, host of the popular podcast The Expat Money Show, expat for 20+ years and author of the book “Expat Secrets”

Mikkel Thorup:

  • Host Of The Expat Money Show Podcast
  • Author Of Expat Secrets on Amazon
  • Visited More Than 100 Countries
  • Lived Overseas As An Expat for 20 Years
  • Works In The Offshore Markets Helping People To Legally Reduce Their Tax Bill
  • Protect Their Assets & Regain Privacy And Control Over Their Lives

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Mikkel Thorup tell us about his background, and the relationship with China.
  • Guest is giving a definititon of 'expat' - Talk about his expat story and journey - especially in China.
  • Explanation of 'offshore' term
  • Talk about common issues or mistake from a personal financial perspective or even business financials occurred by expats in China, Asia and all over the world.
  • Mikkel talks about strategies or solutions he recommend on employing to avoid or correct those.
  • Specific tips/strategies for China or Asia.
  • Discussion about first steps to medicate your taxes, building offshore companies.
  • Mikkel's #1 actionable tip to start.

Episode Mentions:

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Bonus: TECOM conference impressions and insights
26 perc 88. rész China Business Cast

First of all a big thank you to Marian from WeHustle for the invite and having us run around grabbing guests left and right. Thank buddy!

So this bonus episode is a bit of a different format. Where we normally have one or two guests in the episode and go in-depth on a specific topic, in this one we gather some impressions and quick insights from 7 guests to the TECOM conference.

For each guest we cover the these 3 questions:

  • Who are you, what do you do in China?
  • What is the biggest challenge you face when doing business in China
  • One more actionable tip that our listeners can take away?

A big thank you and shout out to our guests on this TECOM compilation episode:

  1. Micheal - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrayinchina/
  2. Alvero - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvaro-montoya-%E6%A2%A6%E9%BE%99-b1970279/
  3. Wenny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenqianhuang/
  4. Ossian - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ossianheulin/
  5. Daphne - https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-tuijn/
  6. Giuseppe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/giuseppe-tomasello/
  7. Andre - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-gisiger-283933/

This episode was supported by IMEX Sourcing Services! As mentioned in the episode they are looking for a 'Client relationship manager'. If you are interested in learning more about working for them, have a look on their careers website.

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Ep. 91: How to Optimise and Use LinkedIn for business in China with Daniella Santana
37 perc 91. rész China Business Cast

Today’s podcast we are talking about how to optimise and use LinkedIn platform for your business and how is it used in China? This the question we will answering with Daniella Santana in the 91th Episode.

About Daniella Santana:
Daniella Santana is from country side of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and moved to China in 2005. She is an inspiring Entrepreneur / LinkedIn Trainer / China Business Consultant & Female Catalyst.

EPISODE CONTENT:

  • Daniella Santana introduces herself and her activities in China.
  • Guest explains how she started using LinkedIn and when did she realize its business potential in China
  • Differences between Linkedin and China based alternatives which are rising and growing larger; like Maimai, Zhaopin and Liepin.
  • LinkedIn Audience insights in China
  • More about Daniella's main activity “LinkedIn Training”
  • Info on how to join the LinkedIn Boot Camp
  • LinkedIn messages discussion and good practices
  • Personal branding on LinkedIn
  • 3 best practices on how to grow your LinkedIn faster and attract more customers in China
  • Jons and Daniella are talking about pricing - need or not to spend a lot of money to be effective on the platform
  • About “Tools Of The Trade" - free eBook with the tools of the trade for entrepreneurs who work with or in China
  • Ways people can reach Daniella and her business

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 90: Douyin/TikTok and Influencer Marketing in Asia with Fabian Bern, Partner at UPLAB
31 perc 90. rész PARKLU, China Business Cast, Fabian Bern, UPLAB, Jons Slemmer

In today's episode we are talking about a very popular topic over the last few years in Digital Marketing which is Influence. Which in Asia is the one of the most cost-effective customer acquisition channels. And to talk about it, we invited a fellow China-preneur, Fabian Bern who will explain his way of reimagining Storytelling in Asia through Influencer Marketing.

About Fabian Bern:

  • From Netherlands like Jons - 25 years old - studied - passionate by marketing, technology, and mental health.
  • Fabian travelled the world, lived in different countries, spoke at events and worked with people from different cultures.
  • For over 5 years he has helped brands and people with growth marketing and business development. From starting a media-company and giving people access to affordable sports clothing, to help people make their dreams come through while working for venture capital.
  • Today, he spend most of his time on UPLAB, a creative & influencer agency where they help brands tell their story to the new generation.
  • On the side, he manages Lively, a place where people can understand more about their feelings and help them find the right professional help.

About UPLAB:

  • They focus on Douyin and influencer marketing.
  • Just rebranded to do just that, but not only for China, but for Southeast Asia
  • They are organising 'China Influencer Summit'
  • And launching 'Influencer Network'

Episode content:

  • Fabian Bern introduces himself and UPLAB's activities in Asia and China.
  • We define Influencer Marketing and why according to Fabian and his expertise this marketing segment is so popular in Asia - and for the new generation UPLAB targets
  • Fabian talk about the Younger Generations
  • Talk about Douyin (TikTok) and explain the massive success of this platform first in Asia and now all around the world
  • Fabian is a Douyin user, is he influencer himself? We explain how people become influencer with a 10-15 secondes video content sharing
  • Talk about China Influencer Summit UPLAB is organising this year - the goal and the expectations
  • Explaining the process when brands want to engage and build relationship and create content with influencers
  • How much does an Influencer Marketing operation costs? Minimum budget for brands
  • Talk about the Influencer Network created by UPLAB - needs and process
  • Differences compare to PARKLY (other agency).
  • Best cases sharing - Brilliant Influence/Douyin campaign in Fabian’s opinion and tips to create a successful campaign
  • Ways people can reach Fabian and his business

Episode Mentions:

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Thanks to the production team that made this episode happen: Grace, Laurine and Boban.

Ep. 89: Exciting News about China Business Cast - With Shlomo, Mike and Jons Slemmer
13 perc 89. rész Jons Slemmer

A very interesting episode where Shlomo and Mike are introducing Jons Slemmer as our new host of China Business Cast. From Thailand, Sri Lanka and Chengdu you’ll hear our hosts talking about the exciting news of our podcast.

About our new host:
Jons is a digital entrepreneur with current adventures in China, Hong Kong and Estonia. He is building a global future for brands and consumers going in and out of China.

Feel free to ask your questions!

Episode content:

  • Introducing of Jons Slemmer as new host of CBC
  • Explanations about the transition from Mike and Shlomo to Jons
  • Talk about Chinese New Year events
  • Jons shares his background
  • How Mike and Shlomo met Jons
  • Mike and Shlomo’s next steps
  • More help is needed from the community
  • Few ideas for CBC content - provincial episodes ?
  • Let’s get in touch!

Episode Mentions:

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Thanks to the production team that made this episode happen: Grace, Laurine and Boban.

Ep. 88: How to Avoid PR Mistakes When Chinese Tech Companies Going Global with Elliott Zaagman
30 perc 88. rész Jons Slemmer

Elliott Zaagman (aka “Ell”) is a writer, executive coach, and speaker, helping Chinese enterprises grow into global organizations. During past years he’s been a writer, journalist and researcher on China’s tech industry, as a regular contributor to Huxiu, Tech in Asia and Technode, as well as a coach and PR assistant for a number of Chinese tech founders, including LeEco during their global takeoff and crash and various made-in-China Internet giants. Recently, he launched his own podcast China Tech Investor to mystify the investment landscape in the Chinese technology industry.

Episode Content:

  • Elliott Zaagman introduces himself
  • Why did you want to write about China and its tech scene in the first place? Since you are a critic of China’s tech industry, in your observation, what are the big trends in 2018 that foreigners who want to do business here should know about?
  • Why do you think Tech investments environment in China is drying up?
  • You have coached many high-profile Chinese tech companies and tech leaders, in your observations, can you tell us about that?
  • What are the common mistakes in PR they tend to make when going global?
  • Through your practices, what have been some effective ways to improve their PR abilities? Some examples?
  • Recently you started your podcast called China Tech Investor, what is it about? Why did you want to start it?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 87: Unleashing the Power of Mini Programs with Jesse Cai, Founder & CEO of 80percent.io
24 perc 87. rész Jons Slemmer

A serial entrepreneur who was co-founder of P1, a fashion social network before Tantan, and served as chief technology officer, reaching from 0 to 10 million users.

He went on to work and study in Silicon Valley, USA from early 2014. started a new business in Shenzhen from 2016, help non technic founders getting started their startup from 0 to 1, several projects have been successfully invested by VC.

Focus on build WeChat mini-program for e-commerce and enterprises, an VC invested SaaS called Danmai has been served more than 5000 customers.

Episode Content:

  • Jessie Cai introduces himself and talks about mini program development
  • What is the general landscape of businesses adopting mini program in China? Has it become a common practice? What is the significance of having one in China?
  • When WeChat launched mini program, what challenges it aimed to solve for business owners?
  • Before mini program, businesses use apps and websites to connect and serve customers, what significant changes mini program made comparing to the two?
  • What types of businesses or organizations, or under what condition, should consider launching a mini program?
  • How to select the right mini program developer for you? What will an effective communication between the client and the developer?
  • When the mini program is built, what channels can help promote it, or expand the user base? What are some effective practices?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 86: Cultural difference and leadership in China, with Gene Hsu, Founder of EME China Consultants
59 perc 86. rész Jons Slemmer

Gene is an American born Chinese (ABC) with over 20 years of cross-cultural management, business development, consulting, and teaching experience in APAC and Greater China. Gene began managing key accounts, establishing channel partners, and developing new business in Mainland China in 2004. He received his first permanent assignment in Shanghai in 2012, leading all sales in Asia Pacific for a German B2B manufacturing company. Gene has led M&S activities in Asia for several MNCs, worked as a PMS consultant at Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs), started a cross-cultural performance training, coaching, and consulting business, and founded the most diverse Meetup group in Shanghai that has grown organically to over 7,000+ members and hosted over 200+ events. He has taught MBA and EMBA classes in Shanghai and the US and cross-cultural management courses to Chinese executives at HKU-IBC locations in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.

EME China Consultants, the latest entrepreneurial iteration of Gene’s passion for coaching people towards more favorable outcomes thru self-awareness and empathy, is positioned at the intersection of soft skills development and doing business in China. Gene speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, and he has a BSME and MBA degree from Georgia Tech.

Episode Content

  • Mike and Shlomo discuss about holidays
  • Mike talks about upcoming events
  • Gene Hsu introduces himself
  • Gene Hsu and Mike talk about political and cultural differences between Mainland China, Taïwan and Hong Kong.
  • What is a “Mindset for China Business”?
  • Gene Hsu makes a parallel between US and China about bearing arms
  • How is Chinese “Guanxi” different than building relationships in Western cultures?
  • What are the risks and potential rewards for starting a business in China?
  • What are the most important considerations before deciding to start a business in China?
  • What adjustments should I make when dealing with Chinese MNCs versus foreign MNCs versus Chinese SOEs?
  • Gene Hsu talks about his various activities

Episode Mentions

Intro

Interview

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Ep. 85: Learnings From Being An Ultramarathon Runner with Greg Nance, CEO of Dyad.com
36 perc 85. rész Jons Slemmer

Greg Nance is working to expand education access. Greg is the founder and CEO of Dyad.com, a mentorship platform that has helped students earn over $27M in university scholarships.

Greg loves exploring the outdoors he is an ulthramarthoner and has solo climbed Mont Blanc, swam across the Nile River, and run 250KM through the Gobi Desert. Next up, Greg will run 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents, beginning in Antarctica on January 30, 2019 and finishing in Miami six days later.

Episode content

  • Mike shares about his his E-Residency in Estonia
  • Greg Nance introduces himself
  • Greg shares why he started MoneyThink and Dyad.com, and how they help students earn scholarships
  • With Dyad.com, what were the toughest challenges in getting a startup up and running in China?
  • Greg shares what has kept him always motivated from academic to professional
  • What is an ultramarathon runner? When did you start training for one and why?
  • What are the hardest runs and races you have done?
  • You have done some pretty impressive runs yourself, what are the most memorable ones and key lessons you have learned from them?
  • Your next challenge is Running 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents. How does that work?
  • How do you manage your day-to-day energy level? Any tips for people who want to get healthier and stronger but have limited time or expertise to work out?
  • What books/people have helped you most to prepare for the mental and physical challenges of running ultramarathons?
  • How people can get in touch with Greg

Episode Mentions

Intro

Interview

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BIG THANKS to our star crew that made this episode happen: Grace, Boban, Honey, Jessa and Verena.

Ep. 84: Making An Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) Product For Entrepreneurs, with Rico Ngoma, CEO of Source Find Asia
40 perc 84. rész Rico Ngoma

Rico Ngoma is the Founder, CEO & Vlogger at Source Find Asia, a manufacturing consulting company based in Guangzhou China. They make sure their clients are working with top quality suppliers so they don’t have to lift a finger. Having spent over 10 years on the ground in Asia, their market experience allows them to tackle problems in ways nobody else can.

He is also a podcaster at Made in China Podcast and is super passionate about creating engaging and informational free content. He always aims to give value first.

Episode Content:

  • Shoutout to Tech Buzz China podcast by Pandaily, our friends Ying Ying Lu and Rui Ma. Both of them are in Silicon valley, giving their in depth view about China tech.
  • Rico Ngoma was a guest speaker on Global From Asia back in the day for Episode 145
  • Rico shares some of the challenges he has seen from people making a new product design
  • What is a better way for people to put a real timeframe on manufacturing a custom product?
  • A realistic budget! What are some of the costs you would remind people about?
  • How do you work with clients, or hustling bootstrapping entrepreneurs, on making a product here? Do they need to relocate here for some time at least?
  • Rico shares some of the major steps of making a custom product in China
  • What are the biggest stumbling points that you've noticed?
  • Rico discusses what he's currently working on and how people can engage with him
  • How people can connect and work with Rico

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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A big THANK YOU to our awesome production team: Boban, Jessa, Verena, Honey, Grace to make this happen!

Ep. 83: Landscape of Biotech Startups and Investment Trends in China, with Stephen Mallon of Triwise Capital Investment
31 perc 83. rész Jons Slemmer

Stephen "Steve" Mallon studied molecular biology of viral infections and oncology for PhD and post-doc at the University of Chicago before moving to China in 2016 to help start a biotechnology incubator and work for the biomedical team at Triwise Capital Management. His background is in infectious disease and oncology

Triwise Capital Management is a venture capital and private equity fund focused on funding innovative enterprises in the biomedical, technology and clean tech space. They are located in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen and are chaired by Tang DaJie.

Episode Content:
Steve shares why he moved to China in 2016 after spending most of his life in the U.S. and what opportunities brought him to China

  • Steve tells us more about Triwise Capital Management and his role in the company
  • You helped start a biotechnology incubator here. How’s it working now? What’s the incubating model and what projects came out of it?
  • What involvements does the government have in this project? Any support, if any in this incubator project?
  • Last year, the industry was shocked by the blood testing startup Theranos that turned out to be mostly a scam. Do you think something like this would happen in China too? Do investors in China have the tools to fully gauge the legitimacy or feasibility of a rising startup?
  • What’s your view on the investment trends in biotech?
  • Do you think working with big medical or pharmaceutical companies would be a good way for small labs to jump start? What are the pros and cons in working with them?
  • What are the things the entrepreneurs should really look out for when starting a new startup that will lower their risk of failing?
  • Are you enjoying your time in China? What is your plan in China and what would you recommend others coming out?

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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Big thanks to our awesome production team Grace, Jessa, Boban, Honey and Verena!

Ep. 82: STEAM Education in China and Makers Culture, with Luke “Skywalker” Henderson of Wikifactory
30 perc 82. rész Jons Slemmer

Luke Henderson came to China five years ago. First he taught English but soon after he realized Shenzhen was a paradise for makers. As a young maker himself, he started riding the wave of 3D printing and teaching 3D design classes to kids. Now he has developed a full curriculum of steam classes and become a connector for people who are interested in looking for maker resources in Shenzhen.

Episode Content:

  • Shlomo and Mike talk about RISE Conference
  • Mike announces a new way of connecting to our WeChat group
  • Introducing Luke "Skywalker" Henderson
  • Luke explains the differences between STEAM and STEM.
  • Luke is the community manager of Wikifactory and runs his own STEAM classes. He shares what those titles entail.
  • Being a maker from a young age, what did you perceive of the maker’s culture in Shenzhen compared to your home country’s?
  • Why did you choose to do STEAM education for kids here and what were the challenges in the beginning?
  • Luke talks about the challenges he encountered in the beginning of his STEAM education journey
  • The concept (STEAM education) is very hot now and more companies are doing it. In your opinion, what are the key elements in making good workshops for kids?
  • In the past few years, you have held many maker trips in Shenzhen. What are some maker organizations or communities worth noticing?
  • Luke shares tips to new makers in Shenzhen - the must-sees and must-dos
  • Luke's next steps
  • How people can get in touch with Luke

Episode Mentions:

Interview

  • Sign up for [Wikifactory's Alpha] (http://wikifactory.com)
  • Luke Henderson's WeChat ID - lukasmaximus89
  • SteamHead Makerspace

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Thanks to the production team that made this episode happen: Grace, Honey, Jessa and Boban.

Ep. 81: Taking Big Chinese Brands Overseas, with Sonat Yalcınkaya, CEO of Soyaka AI
40 perc 81. rész Jons Slemmer

Our guest today is Sonat Yalcinkaya. Sonat has helped multinational companies increase their sales in hundreds of millions or perhaps billion, through his experience with Big Data and now AI. now He takes Big Chinese brands overseas and using Big Data and AI to do that. He is a global eCommerce professional with 7+ years of experience globally, living and working in EU, USA and China. He has worked at two Fortune Global 500 companies; Philips HQ & Midea HQ, crafting global ecommerce strategies, and executed these strategies in 17 of G20 countries. He also has extensive startup and freelancer, agency network. The author of 3-Months Online Store: Build Enterprise Level Online Store Under 3-Months.

Episode Content:

  • Having a very successful academic life and showed high intelligence at a very young age, Sonat shares what made him join the industry, quit, and eventually became an entrepreneur.
  • How his analytical skills apply to the sales of Philips. Philips people didn’t believe his predictions and suggestions at first. Sonat shares what made them change their mind and realized the power of data
  • Question for Sonat: After transferring to China, what brought you to Midea and what did you do there?
  • Sonat talks about his first impression of big Chinese corporates and how he made it work there
  • Sonat discusses his first endeavour in crafting out the e-commerce strategy for Midea, and what challenges he had to face
  • As many traditional mega brands in China were starting to catch up with the e-commerce trend, Sonat shares what he did with Midea where other Chinese companies were still struggling with.
  • Sonat talks about the essential elements needed to implement a successful e-commerce strategy for Chinese brands
  • Sonat is starting his AI startup at the moment. He shares the story behind it, what his idea is, the startup's stage right now and why he chose China.
  • Sonat is known to have a very unusual daily routine to make his work efficient and body strong. He shares what it is and why he does it.
  • How people can connect with Sonat

Episode Mentions:

Intro:

  • Israel Mobile Summit
  • Mike is thinking about making some moves, see here for details, and let us know if you have tips for moving! (Leaving comments or email: hosts@chinabusinesscast.com)
  • Shlomo now offers Financial Fitness Call program to help freelancers and solopreneurs to be financially solvent and stress-free, if you are ineterested, add Shlomo via WeChat "shlomof" or email at shlomo@chinabusinesscast.com

Interview:

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A big THANK YOU to our awesome team: Boban, Honey, Grace, Jessa, Verena and all the people who have helped make this happen!

Ep. 80: Kyle Ellicott of ReadWrite Labs, China-US Cross-Border Investment
37 perc 80. rész Jons Slemmer
Ep80.jpg

Kyle Ellicott is the Founder and Chief Labs Officer of ReadWrite / ReadWrite Labs (formerly known as Wearable IoT World, Inc.), a San Francisco-based Media and Ventures company dedicated to creating the social fabric for businesses around Wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. The company is focused on connecting technological experts, thought-leaders, corporate/startup executives, and investors as they build these emerging technologies through fostering dynamic relationships between brands, businesses, and bright minds.

Originally from Michigan, Ellicott is a lifelong entrepreneur who started building computers for clients at the age of 15 and worked his way through college in a variety of IT roles, including networking, security, and forensics. His passion for innovation led to his founding of several startup companies, including a media company and prominent digital agency, and his leadership in the Wearables and iOT space led to his creation of ReadWrite Labs (formerly known as Wearable World Labs), a division of Wearable World, Inc., which is the world’s first accelerator/incubator blend solely focused on Wearables and IoT. Ellicott is a noted speaker, consultant, and published author with over 10 years of technical and product experience with such companies as Live Nation, Ticketmaster, Eventup, and TechZulu.

Episode Content:

  • Kyle shares a little bit about his background

  • Discussion on what ReadWrite Labs does, specifically in Asia and China these days

  • Kyle shares what he's seen and felt during the 2018 Startup Launchpad

  • Kyle shares a bit about the speech he gave during the 2018 Startup Launchpad

  • Kyle's first impression of Shenzhen compared to Hong Kong

  • Question for Kyle: How is doing businesses internationally, and what have you learned in doing businesses in Asia?

  • Kyle shares the impact of his perspective of doing businesses and building companies

  • Question: What does cross-border investment mean within the current economic context of China and the U.S. to you? What are the potentials in it and challenges?

  • Kyle is helping many expat-founded startups in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. He now shares what most of them need with and how he goes about helping them

  • Kyle shares tips on building networks in China

  • How people can reach Kyle and his business

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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A big THANK YOU to our amazing crew who made this happen: Jessa, Boban, Honey, Verena, and Grace.

Ep. 79: Johan Nylander, Are Shenzhen Superstars Challenging Silicon Valley?
24 perc 79. rész Jons Slemmer
Ep79.jpg

Johan Nylander is a China correspondent based in Hong Kong. By looking beyond the daily news grind, he aims to find people and entrepreneurs, trends and social movements, that explain what’s really going on in the world’s second largest economy – and how it affects you. His stories are frequently published by media like the CNN, South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asian Review and Al Jazeera. He's also a China stringer for Sweden’s leading business daily, Dagens Industri. He has an MBA from the University of Gothenburg in his native Sweden, and is author of an award-winning management book. Today, he spends his time traveling in China and neighboring countries, conducting interviews with presidents and peasants, entrepreneurs and migrant workers, triad members and government officials; all those who shape tomorrow’s China.

Episode Content:

  • Johan shares what made him write about his book, Shenzhen Superstars, in the first place and why Shenzhen

  • His most impressive fascinations about Shenzhen while discovering it

  • Some behind the scene stories while in the process of writing the book and why he touched on different aspects of the tech and innovation scene of Shenzhen (e.g. hardware accelerator, tech titans, maker culture, parts market, pirates etc.)

  • What he didn't write on the book that he wants to add now and his latest observations

  • Feedback he received after writing the book

  • Johan shares some stories from the book

  • Johan tells a little about the second book he's currently writing about the greater bay topic

  • How to get in touch with Johan

Episode Mentions:

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A big THANK YOU to our crew: Verena, Jessa, Boban, Grace and Honey whose awesome work made this happen.

Ep. 78: EU / China business with Maximilian Rech of ESSCA
33 perc 78. rész Jons Slemmer
Ep.78.jpg

Maximilian Rech is the program director and assistant professor at International Affairs at ESSCA Shanghai which basically bridges Europe and China. He strives to provide students and colleagues with a Campus that acts as their home base and network when conducting field research and deepening their knowledge about China, Asia, and EU-Asia relations.

Episode Content:

  • Max Rech gives a brief introduction of himself and what he does

  • What people should be thinking about and what they should understand before moving to China

  • Europeans like minimalist designs, Chinese like flashy and colourful designs

  • Max shares his perspective on WeChat and where brands look to reach the Chinese youth

  • Question: Are there any restrictions in targeting the youth in China?

  • Max discusses the best ways to get your feet wet with digital marketing in China

  • Max shares common mistakes, pitfalls and examples where people can learn from

  • Max shares some positive cases and experiences where we can learn from

  • Question: How much does a business need in order for them to make some kind of movement in China?

  • RMB500,000 is too little for a startup

  • How people can connect with Max

Episode Mentions:

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A big THANK YOU to our amazing production crew: Boban, Jessa, Venera, Grace, Honey, and all the help from people who support the team.

Ep. 77: WeChat Communities with Michelle Ibarra of Girls Gone International
25 perc 77. rész Jons Slemmer
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Michelle Ibarra is a Mexican American multi-tasking millennial that lives in the hip and trendy Former French Concession neighborhood in Shanghai, China. She has established herself as a leader and collaborator in Asia. As the Asia & Oceania Regional Manager of Girl Gone International, a non-profit app, website, magazine and community dedicated to the new generation of expat women living abroad, Michelle has supported and developed communities in 21 Asian cities.

Michelle is also the Co-Founder and Owner of a graphic design and consulting business in Shanghai, China. TONIK Design consulting helps brands find their visual identity utilizing minimal and modern elements popular in Western design. TONIK Design also has a new home decor line, TONIK Prints, which show different Shanghai-based neighborhoods in a colorful yet minimal way to elevate any space.

Episode Content:

  • How the WeChat communities get started

  • How Michelle started a group during an event

  • Question: Are you the manager in each group?

  • Tips on rules within the group

  • Question for Michelle: Do you verify and approve each person who joins each group?

  • What the questionnaire form is for members wanting to join

  • Do Michelle’s groups generate income or not

  • Michelle shares her process of checking the WeChat groups

  • How the WeChat groups are structured

  • Names and categories of the WeChat communities

  • Question: What other platforms are there?

  • Question: Has there been any negative incidents in one of your groups?

  • Tips for people wanting to start their own WeChat groups

  • How people can connect with Michelle Ibarra

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

          <img alt="微信图片_20180308122619.jpg" src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51492c05e4b0dd6717b1867a/t/5aa1ddc171c10b1becd8403a/1520557560019/%E5%BE%AE%E4%BF%A1%E5%9B%BE%E7%89%87_20180308122619.jpg?format=1000w" />

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Ep. 76: How Shenzhen Startup Scene is like, with Greg Curtin from Zocus
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Greg Curtin is an American working in the tech sector in Shenzhen, China. His work across four continents over the last 15 years has taken him through the materials sciences, agro chemicals, financial analysis, logistics, and consumer electronics industries. He's has worked for Fortune 500 companies as well as small start-ups. Curtin is a TEDx speaker, host of local monthly debates and a member of the Shenzhen rugby team.

Episode Content:

  • The main differences between Shenzhen vs. Guanzhou

  • During TechCrunch, people had different opinions about Shenzhen, which is not all positive, but it has changed after they’ve been to Shenzhen. How did it change and what did people really think about that?

  • Question for Greg: Would you recommend technology startups not doing hardware coming here?

  • Greg compares Shenzhen with other places in China he has lived in before

  • Shenzhen adapts to new technology really fast. Greg names a few examples of this.

  • Greg shares a few words about One Belt, One Road initiative

  • How can get in touch with Greg

Episode Mentions:

Intro

  • WE NEED YOUR HELP! Mike and Shlomo are getting very busy with their businesses and don’t have a lot of time to put in the podcast. We need your support to find somebody committed in helping us in running the show. We need somebody who would find and filter new guests, and prepare the questions for the interview. Email us at hosts@chinabusinesscast.com

  • Support China Business Cast on our Patreon page

Interview

  • WeChat ID: curtin9

  • Email address: curtin@zocus.com

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Ep. 75: Developing a Tech Startup on Wechat’s Platform, with Drew from Yoli
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Drew Kirchhoff is a co-founder of Yoli, a WeChat-first on-demand English and Chinese language learning platform. Before co-founding yoli, Drew worked at Yodo1, where he helped build up the mobile gaming company’s international biz dev and global publishing business. He was the product manager of Crossy Road, a casual mobile gaming title that won an Apple Design Award and earned Google Play Game of the Year in 2015, tallying more than 100 million downloads worldwide. Since co-founding yoli just over a year ago, he has been an avid WeChat entrepreneur, featured by WeChat’s Enterprise Account team, and frequently consults for companies on their WeChat product development strategy.

Episode Content:

  • Drew shares about his history and how he got into startups and e-commerce

  • Drew discusses how he met his co-founders and how Yoli started Yoli is running within WeChat

  • Drew shares why they decided to keep it within this platform

  • Question: How technical is developing Yoli on WeChat?

  • Drew explains how they got the word out about Yoli in the beginning

  • Transitioning from H.I. to A.I.

  • Using QR codes in China vs. in the West

  • Drew shares how they have developed and are still developing Yoli

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

  • Yoli Chat

  • WeChat

  • WeChat ID: YoliYingyu

  • For the Chinese account, search WeChat ID: YoliMandarin

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Ep. 74: The Mass Entrepreneurship Movement in China, with Allan Chou
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Mr. Allan Chou is a former partner at Garage Cafe China, the first coffee themed Nationally recognized TMT incubator and co-working space in China. This early stage startup space is the first to open in Innoway in Zhongguancun, Beijing (The Silicon Valley of China).

He's lived in China for 21 years and is a pioneer in digital marketing and online consumer research in China having founded his own agencies in both discipline in Beijing. He previously worked at both Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy Advertising in television programming and brand management.

Episode Content:

  • Allan discusses when the startups began to flourish in China

  • The fuel behind it must have been the government's support for innovation, maybe around 2012. Allan shares his insights about the government's support and the general entrepreneurship movement

  • How Chinese entrepreneurs adapted to this movement

  • Question: Instead of copying and killing small startups, BATS started to acquire the startups instead of copy and kill. Do you think this helped encourage entrepreneurship?

  • People were hesitant to begin a startup before because they didn’t want to take the risk without investment but now, there are tons of investment firms in China. Allan discusses what the tipping point was for this.

  • How Chinese startups build their founding team and early stage team, where they find them, and how they grow

  • The typical track of a startup in China and its similarities to those in Silicon Valley

  • Where startups should base today. Beijing is still the unquestionable place, but can startups get away with these newer startup hubs?

  • Opportunities for foreigners listening and strategies for them to get in on this entrepreneurship movement

  • Allan shares about his new venture, Rocket Space

  • Other things that Allan is up to and how people can connect with him

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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Ep. 73: Building A Unicorn - In Person Interview with Mobike Co-Founder, Joe Xia
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Yiping (Joe) Xia is the co-founder and CTO of bike-sharing company Mobike.

Prior to working at Mobike, Joe Xia worked as head of APAC Uconnect Connectivity at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, APA SYNC team leader at Ford Motor Company, and senior engineer for system and software development at ZTE.

He finished his Master of Science (M.S) in Telecommunication and Information Systems at University of Essex in 2006, and his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Communication Engineering at Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications in 2004.

Episode Content:

  • Joe Xia explains how Mobike started and how the co-founders came together

  • Joe describes what a typical day is for him

  • As we see the first consolidation of bike sharing companies in China, Joe discusses if this a viable strategy for them to reach a larger market share

  • Question for Joe: Do you see a merger with Ofo one day, just like the User Didi deal? Two giants consolidating eventually?

  • Joe shares which markets he wouldn't go into and why

  • Joe discusses upcoming interesting new development

  • Question: If you wouldn’t be the CTO of Mobike what would you be interested in doing?

  • Joe recommends two books for entrepreneurs

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Book Recommendations

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Ep. 72: Business and Non-profits in China: Is it possible? With Elyse Ribbons from GeiLi Giving
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Elyse Ribbons is an American entrepreneur, writer, businesswoman, and playwright who lives and works in Beijing. Known in China by her Chinese name Liu Suying (柳素英) who spends time on both corporate work media work (via columns, a nationally syndicated radio show - China Radio International's Laowai Kandian, regular news media appearances and filming movies). She is currently the CEO and Founder of GeiLi giving. She has authored several articles for Forbes magazine [1] on business, culture, and life in China.

Episode Content:

  • Elyse introduces herself and what she's been engaged with recently

  • Elyse mentioned in another interview that she is half Chinese. She explains how this is expressed

  • Question: Do you see yourself more as an artist or as an entrepreneur?

  • Elyse tells us more about GeiLi Giving, why she started it and what her vision is

  • Elyse shares her experience when she joined Chinaccelerator and how it helped develop Geili Giving

  • Overview of social enterprises nowadays in China

  • The future of social enterprises in China

  • Elyse's biggest challenges with GeiLi Giving and how her performing skills helped her in building it

  • Recommends two books that influenced her the most

  • The best way to reach out to Elyse

Episode Mentions:

Intro

We have a few supporters now on our Patreon campaign helping us run the show. We really appreciate it. You can also go to our website and see the names of supporters on our Hall of Fame page. If you care about the show and like it, we invite you to have a look at our Patreon page and choose a contribution tier with a perk that fits you. We’ve got a wide range there.

Interview

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Ep. 71: Running a Business in China and Having Kids
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When we started the show, Mike had a single child and then our two daughters were born 3 weeks apart. So, things have changed. We will try to bring the perspective of how it is to run a business with kids in China and out of China.

Episode Content:

  • The benefits of living in China with kids

  • Question: What are things you bump into that wouldn’t be somewhere else?

  • Education in China is expensive for foreigners because of international schools

  • What people do in Shenzhen with education

  • Costs of international schools in Shenzhen

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 70: The Fast and the slow / How things work in China VS. the west
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It's "Rosh Hashanah", the Jewish New Year celebration. Happy New Year to all our listeners! Things in China are changing so fast and the way things that we expect in the West to work are already way beyond that point in China. This is a special format we haven't done in a long time. We would love to get your feedback.

Episode Content:

  • Bike Sharing: In China, a new company does bike sharing every month. In the West, this does not exist, or if it does, there's only very little in selected cities.

  • Messaging: WhatsApp vs. WeChat

  • Delivery: The standard now in China is same-day delivery. In the West, Amazon Prime is presented as the most advanced and this is a one to two days delivery.

  • Sending Packages: No more going to the post office. In China, someone comes to your house, picks up the package, and ships it. You give the postman the address and pay him.

  • Payments: In China, there is no need to carry a wallet anymore as payments anywhere can done through WeChat or Alipay using your phone. In the West, payment options are still cash or credit card.

  • TechCrunch Perspective: In TechCrunch, other foreign people express why they like China so much as it's all fast paced.

Episode Mentions:

Download and Subscribe

View full show notes on China Business Cast

Ep. 69: Forget about WeChat and Weibo. Learn about other social media channels in China
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Entrepreneur and marketer with strong focus on Mainland China and over 12 years of experience in the region, Ashley Galina Dudarenok is specializing in creative, social media, digital content and campaigns – supporting client’s growth and expansion strategies. Major clients include Star Cruises, Cyberport, Sa Sa, Astana Expo-2017, Synergetic, Preciosa, etc.

Ashley was repeatedly featured in a variety of local and international press including Forbes, Huffington Post, SCMP, TVB, Asian Entrepreneur, China Daily, HK01, Jumpstart Magazine, Do Marketing, ITAR-TASS, etc.

Specialties: WeChat & Weibo; influencer marketing in China (KOLs), partnerships and creative campaigns.

Languages: Mandarin, English, Russian and German

Episode Content:

  • Planning a business trip to Portugal

  • Shanghai trip on September 19-24, Chat Conference on September 21-22 and a GFA meet-up on September 20

  • New Patreon Campaign "Supporter": Jons Slemmer

  • What Ashley is doing these days

  • Talking about other social media channels that people can use on their marketing in China

  • Best social media platforms in China now aside from WeChat and Weibo

  • Video Streaming: How it's different from the west, how foreign marketers can use it, and examples of successful foreigners of foreign companies doing well with live streaming in China

  • Question: When would you choose to go with the largest platforms WeChat and Weibo vs. other social media channels?

  • Interesting partnerships between social media platforms like payment and cross promotions of feeds

  • Examples of companies who did really well in the alternative social media channels, as well as bad examples

  • Ashley's book recommendations

  • How to get in touch with Ashley

          <img alt="Picture1.png" src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51492c05e4b0dd6717b1867a/t/59b08946a803bb8658bf0142/1504741712038/Picture1.png?format=1000w" />

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 68: Is China ready for foreign startup? Differences in Various China Startup Communities
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Jan Smejkal is originally from the Czech Republic but currently lives in Shenzhen (China). He builds an awesome startup community in China, APAC and beyond on behalf of Startup Grind.

Episode Content:

  • How Jan got into the startup community scene in China

  • Question: You've been to San Francisco startup scene and Europe startup scene as well since starting here at Startup Grind in China. Any major differences you are seeing?

  • The biggest opportunities to be seen in the startup community in China

  • The biggest challenges seen in the startup scene in China

  • Question: Any stories of startups you have seen blossom into giants since being involved in the community?

  • Strategies entrepreneurs make when raising money in the startup community

  • Pitch events, networking and executing

  • Foreign startup scene in China and the differences with the local Chinese startup community

  • How to best bridge the foreign and Chinese startup community

  • Highlights in Chengdu

  • Differences even in the different cities startup ecosystems within China

  • How to connect with Jan

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Outro

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Ep. 67: The Story Behind Technode, Early Beginnings to Now with Gang Lu
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Gang Lu is the founder of Technode which is a big website for tech news in Asia. They also organized TechCrunch China.

Episode Content:

  • Shlomo and Mike plan their next workation, either in the Philippines or Vietnam

  • Mike talks about E-commerce experiments

  • Announcement: ‘Write a review’ for our iTunes channel

  • How Technode started

  • Why Gang Lu chose to write the blog in English rather than in Chinese

  • How Technode developed into a formal blog

  • How the partnership with TechCrunch started

  • Technode’s business model today

  • Question: Where do you see Technode in the next five years?

  • Technode’s difference from other English tech publications in China

  • Question: Is Technode being held back at all?

  • How people can connect with Gang Lu

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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Ep. 66: Industry 4.0 and What It Means For China Manufacturing with Ralf Willecke of IMIG China
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Mr. Ralf Willecke is VP Plant Engineering and Manager of Nanjing branch at consultancy IMIG China. Before he was Facility and Administration Manager at Qoros Automotive Plant Changshu, Technical Director of Facility and Maintenance at BS Home Appliances, and Technical Consultant and Project Manager at INGENICS AG. Mr. Willecke successfully realized projects in industries such as automotive, consumer goods, aviation, and logistics, among others with industry heavy weights Mercedes Benz, BMW, Bosch Siemens, Airbus/Eurocopter, or Brilliance. Mr. Willecke has more than 25 years’ experience, thereof 20 years in China, in planning, realization, expansion, relocation, and maintenance of plants in China and abroad.

Episode Content:

  • What is Industry 4.0?

  • Industry 4.0's comparison in China vs. Global industrial environments

  • What stage are we at in Industry 4.0?

  • Mr. Ralf Willecke talks about what an industrialist should look for when evaluating converting to Industry 4.0

  • What people buying from factories should look for

  • Will Industry 4.0 make a difference for buyers from factories?

  • The global impact of Industry 4.0

  • Other industries affected by Industry 4.0

  • How people can take action on it today

  • Ways to reach Mr. Ralf Willecke

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Outro

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Ep. 65: How to do Video Promotion in China with Jim Fields of Relay
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Jim Fields is the Founder and Managing Director of Relay. He specializes in creating stunning pieces of video content, both for large technology brands and disruptive startup businesses. His work has gained millions of views in China for clients such as Baidu, Tencent and Lenovo.

Episode Content:

  • Facebook videos are hot. But what are the video trends on WeChat?

  • In creating videos, does it require a different thought process or strategy from the West such as the length of the video and engagement?

  • The main differences between how videos are created for foreigners and how videos are created for Chinese people.

  • Question: When it comes to dealing with language, are all videos in Chinese with Chinese subtitles?

  • Jim discusses some of the most successful videos / genres in Chinese videos

  • Jim talks about what video platform he uploads the videos to

  • Question: animated GIFs, emoticons, holding the phone down to record a video, mini-videos shared around and downloaded locally on a user's phone to watch -- Are these helpful or you have worked with?

  • How to get people to actually watch the videos

  • Question: As an Indiegogo Evangelist for China, what exactly does this mean and how can you help people run their campaigns?

  • Tips for those coming to China - books, resources, etc.

  • How people can reach out to Jim

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

Book Recommendations

Outro

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Ep. 64: Media in China Today, Balancing WeChat and Websites For Your Content Marketing Strategy with John Artman and Matt Brennan
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Matt Brennan and John Artman are the hosts of the China Tech Talk podcast (CTT).

Episode Content:

  • Posting new content - is it done in the website first, or on WeChat?

  • Matt and John talk about the differences of the contents they publish on their website and on their WeChat Official Accounts

  • Question: What content is working in WeChat today?

  • WeChat SEO - Can people find your content after publishing it like in Google search?

  • Strategies for balancing WeChat and websites

  • Conferences in China

  • How to succeed and maximize your time at a conference in China

  • China Tech Talk (CTT) podcast update

  • How people can find Matt and John online

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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Ep. 63: Working in publicly Traded Chinese Tech Company as a Foreigner with Robyn Shulman And James Stewart From 51talk
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51Talk is China’s leading online English education platform. The company’s mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable, and through their online platform, they enable millions of students across China to take live, one-on-one interactive English lessons with North American teachers.

James is the North American Marketing Manager at 51Talk. Before his work at 51Talk, James worked at several FinTech companies, and was most recently based in San Francisco where he ran the business development segment of his previous company. He is now based in New York City, where he focuses on growing 51Talk's operations and teacher community in the west.

Robyn is a Senior Editor at 51talk, Linkedin influencer in the education sector and education reporter.

Episode Content:

  • Robyn talks about her first responsibilities in 51Talk and a bit about her background

  • Robyn and James talk about their positions at 51Talk, the qualities necessary for such roles, and what one has to bring to the table in order to make worthwhile contributions

  • How was 51Talk started?

  • Question from China Business Cast audience (James): How did 51Talk start prior to its fundings? What was the strategy back then considering there were giants in the industry such as English First and vipabc?

  • How 51Talk is doing things differently from their competitors

  • James talked about how he connects with students and teachers and how he engages with them. He gives an example of one thing that worked really well and something that was a total failure

  • Question from Nicholas, a listener from the WeChat group: How did you manage to reach 8,000 - 10,000 teachers?

  • (Robyn) As a LinkedIn influencer who reaches a very large crowd, what does this role really mean within the LinkedIn platform and how is this position attained?

  • Robyn and James recommend two books that they recently read

  • How people can get in touch with Robyn and James

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Book Recommendations

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Ep. 62: The State of the AR/VR (Virtual Reality) Market in China with Alvin Wang Graylin of HTC
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Alvin Wang Graylin is today's guest. Mr. Graylin is the China President of Vive (VIVE.com) at HTC leading all aspects of the Vive/VR business in the region.

He is also currently Vice-Chairman of the Industry of Virtual Reality Alliance (IVRA.com), president of the $15 Billion Virtual Reality Venture Capital Alliance (VRVCA.com) and oversees the Vive X VR accelerator in Asia. He has had over 22 years of business management experience in the tech industry, including 15 years operating in Greater China. Prior to HTC, Mr. Graylin was a serial entrepreneur, having founded four venture-backed startups in the mobile and internet spaces, covering mobile social, adtech, search, big data and digital media.

Additionally, he has held P&L roles at public companies such as Intel, Trend Micro, and WatchGuard technologies.

Episode Content:

  • Shlomo talks about upcoming events

  • Mike talks about Global From Asia Amazon Workshop

  • Introducing Alvin Wang Graylin

  • Alvin Talks about what he is currently doing these days

  • A Quick review for the current VR/AR market in China? Is China no less than the promised land for AR/VR?

  • How is China doing in this industry VS the west? Same levels of innovation on this sector?

  • Question from WeChat group (David): What needs to change to solve the lack of VR content and what HTC is doing to solve this?

  • (David) What is a killer application for AR/VR?

  • Question from WeChat group (Zina): What kind of change will it’s products bring to media if there is? And how many and what kind of media companies in China would like to Use AR/VR in news or news products? Any broadcasts planning on doing VR content for news or travel shows?

  • Question from WeChat group (Nate): Education: Are there any classroom examples of Vive VR in action?

  • Question from WeChat group (Uriyah): Where are the earliest use cases for AR/VR in China in the B2

  • Question from WeChat group (Junse): What psychological effects will VR bring to Human mind like smartphones has on our daily lives?

  • Alvin recommends 2 books

  • How people can get in touch with Alvin

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

Alvin's Book Recommendation

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Ep. 61: Getting Empowered Through Practical Training and Getting Admitted to Top Business Schools with AJ Warner from Touchdown.
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In today's episode, we have AJ Warner as our guest. He is the founder of one of the top 5 education consulting firms in China.

AJ Warner founded Touchdown! to provide expert admissions consulting to China’s brightest and most ambitious students and young professionals. He works in close collaboration with clients to get admitted to top business schools, masters programs, universities, colleges, boarding schools, and private high schools. AJ makes the seemingly impossible possible, enabling every client to score his or her own “Touchdown” by getting admitted to the best possible program or university. Most Recently, he is empowering Chinese students studying in the USA to gain practical training through internships in NYC for SMEs.

Before founding Touchdown in 2005 , AJ consulted fortune 500 companies when working for Deloitte.

He is also the Beijing Chapter President for Entrepreneurs Organization (EO).

Episode Content:

  • Introducing AJ Warner.

  • What exactly does Touchdown do? Why do students need its unique services?

  • What was the deciding factor to start Touchdown and what were the biggest difficulties at the beginning?

  • Main challenges today? (How to thrive in Beijing while so many are leaving)

  • Operated Touchdown for the past 11 years. As Entrepreneur, we are always looking for the next thing. Interested to do other things?

  • What is the most important aspect should an entrepreneur focus on when building his or her company? And is it different in China compared to other places?

  • AJ talks about Entrepreneurs Organization - EO. There are pretty set of rules if a person would like to join and it's quite hard.

  • Does EO support earlier stage entrepreneurs as well?

  • How can people engage with AJ Warner's global organization for entrepreneurs?

  • Two books AJ recommends.

  • Two tools he uses to help run his empire that are lifesavers.

  • Best way to get in touch with AJ.

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

AJ's Book Recommendation

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Ep. 60 Comparing Startup Ecosystems Around the World and Asia With Rebecca Fannin From Silicon Dragon
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Rebecca Fannin Is our guest for this episode. She is a Journalist, author and media entrepreneur She is the founder of Silicon Dragon which organizes events and research. Rebecca writes a weekly column about innovation and venture investment trends at Forbes.com

She wrote two books about China; Silicon Dragon and Startup Asia.

Episode Content:

  • Introducing Rebecca

  • How did Silicon Dragon start? How the idea came up?

  • Let's talk about the startup ecosystem. Thoughts on comparing each ecosystem to Silicon Valley?

  • Are US and Europe somehow behind of everything happening compared to the bustling entrepreneurship in Asia? Are they missing the train or have missed it?

  • Rebecca talking about her impressive network of events all around the world connecting different ecosystems to Asia.

  • Rebecca interviews a lot of interesting people. Who was the person that was most difficult to bring to an event? And which one was the most interesting one to interview?

  • Rebecca recommends two books she read recently.

  • What are two tools she use every day to make her work better?

  • How can people reach out to Rebecca?

You can help us create even more content for you - Support us on our Patreon page

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

Rebecca's Book Recommendation:

  • Wechat - ID: rebeccafannin
  • Rebecca's Facebook page

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Ep. 58: Becoming an Influencer and thought leader, China Vs. the west with Josh Steimle from MWI
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Hey All, It's been a little while as I (Shlomo) was traveling. We are back on track now and we've got a new episode for you.

This time Mike hosted Josh Steimle speaking about becoming an influencer. He has a global marketing Agency in the US, Hong Kong and Shenzhen and is helping other people becoming influencers.

We are also glad to say we launched our Patreon page, where you can support the CBC podcast & be more involved in our growing community. You can become and Avid follower, a super contributor or the China man! (or woman). Take your pick, and help us grow.

Episode Content:

  • Intro to Josh Steimle
  • How did Josh end up in Hong Kong and now, Shenzhen, China
  • Josh is the authority on becoming an influencer. What the definition of an influencer is.
  • Differences Josh can see in becoming an influencer in China vs International Market.
  • Monetizing yourself once you’re an influencer - what are the ways to do it on both sides?
  • Monetization Differences Josh notice between East and West?
  • Any drawbacks of being an influencer? And are those drawbacks the same on both sides of East and West?
  • China Marketing summit - The main event is in July , highlights and what people can expect?
  • How can people engage with Josh and his business.

Episode Mentions:

Intro

  • Support us on Patreon - Here's our brand new cool page!
  • Cross-border Summit - April 21-22, 2017
  • China Busienss Cast We chat group - Add Mike ('michelini') or Shlomo ('shlomof') on wechat to join China Business Cast WeChat group

Interview

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Ep. 57 What It Takes To Be A Serial Entrepreneur In Beijing with James Lalonde from Yoli
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Episode Content:

About James Lalonde

  • Co-founded and ran or helped run 3 successful startups all operating today employing over 500 people and growing.

  • Established 212 distribution partnerships and closed 98 OEM contracts with a minimum value of $1 million each.

  • Opened more than 90 offices in foreign countries.

  • Hired and managed over 2,950 employees. Made 5 acquisitions of software and mobile gaming companies.

  • Founded and operated 3 companies, including VC-funded Yodo1 and self-funded yoli.

  • James, reading this sounds like there are 3 of you at the same time. How do you maintain managing this? What are you primarily focused on these days?

  • Yoli is your newest startup, leveraging the Wechat technology. Can you tell us a it about it and how did you come up with the idea for it?

  • Yodo1 is an app publishing company. What about it? There is a huge change in regulation especially for game apps in China. How do you cope with it ? Has this generated any new opportunities?

  • I saw on your profile that you read 200 books a year. Many people would want to achieve that especially with the amount of distractions we’ve got these days. Do you have a set time for it allocated? Or just whenever you are free?

  • How do you find Beijing these days? You hear of many foreigners that are leaving because of pollution and cost of living. Do you still see it as attractive place?

  • Where do you see there are still opportunities for foreigners opening companies in China?

  • Tell us of two online tools you are using every day and love using.

  • Best 2 books you’ve read recently.

  • What’s the best way to find you online and reach out?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 55: Chinese Regulation Updates in Cross-Border Investments with Bruno Bensaid from Shanghaivest
39 perc 55. rész Jons Slemmer

We are hosting Bruno here already for the 2nd time. Last time we spoke about investors mindset in China and this time because of regulations the Chinese government there are constrains over outbound investment.

Episode Content:

  • Hey Bruno, so for the listeners who didn’t listen to our previous episode, which was a bit over a year ago. Can you brief us of what are you doing these days?

  • We brought you on the show to speak about the change of Chinese policy towards outbound investment. First, what are the restrictions exactly?

  • What are are the reasons for those restrictions?

  • Should small local and foreign startups in China should be worried?

  • Is there any way around this policy for now. Any legal structure that can work to still being able to move the money?

  • Because of these new regulations, is there any shift in Which companies Chinese investors are currently looking to invest?

  • Where are the best places looking for Chinese funding these days? Where are the easier areas?

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Ep. 54: Starting Out With a Job in China with Nick Lenczewski
29 perc 54. rész Jons Slemmer

How Nick went from not knowing Mandarin upon arrival in China to working as a Mandarin medical interpreter and translator.

Nick first moved to China after college to teach English and ended up staying 6 years total. He is the Author of the book Ultimate China Guide: How to Teach English, Travel, Learn Chinese, & Find Work in China.

Where he goes in-depth about many of the experiences he had there including playing violin with an orchestra, directing and producing 2 films, dating, how to prepare for living in China, where to live, and how to find a job among other topics.

Episode Content:

  • Intro Nick Lenczewski and current projects
  • How did you land in China and what was your main goal when arriving there?
  • How did you land on your first job in China, without knowing Chinese?

  • Do you think you can start with other jobs different than English teacher? I know of many people who start that but really don't like it and then try to move and work in something else.

  • The market in China becomes harder for foreigners. From what you see, where are the best opportunities that left?

  • What's the best method in your opinion to learn Chinese? when or where was the place where you feel you've improved the most?

  • Can you tell us a bit about your book, "The Ultimate China Guide"? Why you've decided to write and what's unique about it?

  • Any more books planned?

  • Let's get to the digital nomad part in you. Where would you like to go next? and Why?

  • What's the best way to get in touch with you?

  • If you were coming to China now, in 2016/2017 - what would you do differently from the time you came? Or would you do the same and recommend the same path to others?

 

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

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Ep. 53: Marketing With Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in China With Kim Leitzes from ParkLU
29 perc 53. rész Jons Slemmer

Ready for the last episode of 2016?!

This episode is quite different from the ones we did before as it's a recording from a talk given on one of Mike's Global From Asia Hong Kong trips given by kim Leitzes from ParkLU. ParkLU built a platform that connects brands and SME's with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in China.

So, don't expect an interview, but it's still really interesting. Have a look at the show notes, lot's of topics there.

To all our listeners have a Happy 2017!!

Episode Content:

  • Kim Leitzes - background
  • The Increasing budgets on KOL marketing. How much companies are spending now?
  • Which KOLs should you approach?
  • Who are these KOLs?
  • The difference between celebrities and a KOLs?
  • How does a Chinese consumer find your product? What’s the customer journey?
  • Why or why not consumers will buy from you?
  • What’s the reason Taobao has 20 images presented?
  • Do and don’t when reaching KOLs?
  • What are the 3 steps you need to ask the KOLs when posting for you?
  • Is there a minimum of KOLs you need to work with?
  • Is it more powerful to get one top tier KOL or working with many smaller ones?
  • What’s the biggest mistake brands make when approaching KOLs?

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Interview

 

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Ep. 52: Buidling a business on wechat - How chatting works within businesses today with Mickey Chee from Fresh Prints
22 perc 52. rész Jons Slemmer

Hey All, this episode is another interview that Mike made in the CHat conference back in Shanghai Interviewing Michael Chee from Fresh Prints

You thought you need a website and different social media channels to run a startup? Think again, because the weeks guest does it ONLY using WeChat.

Mike and myself (Shlomo) have sometimes hard time coordinating the recordings. we are not on the same time zone.

This time when recording the intro we were really in a rush. I'm sure you can hear this in our voices :)

Also, Mike had a chance to meet two of our listeners (Tim from Australia and Phillip from Beijing) in shenzhen which is great. For the rest of you, let us know if you are around!

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Episode Content:

  • Intro Michael Chee - WeChat printing service
  • How they started the business only through Wechat?
  • Do you need a website in China for this? (or at all?!)
  • How they started without an official WeChat account?
  • Do you need to wait until you have an Official Wechat account?
  • Finding Chinese people to open your Official Wechat account
  • How long did the application for the official account took? And how he got it as a non-Chinese national?
  • How Michael got his first customers on Wechat
  • What were you doing before your current entrepreneur venture?
  • When should someone in corporate make the jump? How much validation first?
  • How you deal with customer service?
  • Tactics on what you can do when you first get started with your Wechat business
  • Tips for others starting their business on WeChat.

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Enter China & Startup Noodle communities

Interview

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Ep. 51: The Evolution And Future of Western Entrepreneurs in China with Ryan Shuken from Chinaccelerator
25 perc 51. rész Jons Slemmer

Ryan Shuken is a growth hacker in residence of Chinaacelerator in Shanghai as well as the program director of MOX which is a mobile Only Accelerator. He's been in China for 12 years now building and helping startups (...and failing like all entrepreneurs do).

Ryan is also a co-host at The China Startup Pulse

“Entrepreneurs can build things here so much faster”

Mike got him for a chat at the CHat conference in Shanghai speaking about how western entrepreneurship in China evolved and what's next for tech entrepreneurs boldly coming to China to build their company.

 

Episode Content:

  • Introduction of Ryan

  • The biggest learning Ryan has about startups and expats in China

  • What Ryan think is a normal track for entrepreneurs in China? How entrepreneurs are starting out in China?

  • Is China still a good place to live even with rising prices in China for entrepreneurs?

  • How shell entrepreneurs start in China? Shell I work someone else first? Teach English or immediately build my startup?

  • Why is it most important to start with your own startup?

  • "Tech in China" - is this something for foreigners? Most of the successes are in the traditional industries.

  • Chinese co-founder requirement. Yes or no?

  • What are some tips, books and resources for entrepreneurs to prepare themselves for entrepreneurship in China?

  • How can people find Ryan Online?

Episode Mentions:

  • Intro

Enter China and Startup Noodle Mastermind

Cross border summit 2017

Join our podcast Wechat group!

Send a message to either Mike or Shlomo and we will add you to the group.

Shlomo's WeChat ID: Shlomof

Mike's WeChat ID: Michelini

  • Interview

Silk Road Technology

Alibaba

China net cloud

Kamden - Separate club

That’s Shanghai

Techcrunch Shanghai

Chinaccelerator

The China startup Pulse

MOX - Mobile only accelerator

 

Ryan contact details:

Email: Ryan.shuken@sosv.com , Ryan@thechinastartuppulse.com

Linkedin profile

 

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Download this episode: right click on this link and choose "save as"

Subscribe to China Business Cast on iTunes

Or check out the full list on subscription options

Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

 

Ep. 50: WeChat Engagment for Brands & SME in China with Philip Beck from Dubeta - 多倍达投资
23 perc 50. rész Jons Slemmer

This week we've got an interview for you from Philip Beck who has 38 year career at C-Level positions in SME’s and publicly-listed companies across the advertising, digital media, eCommerce, marketing, recruitment and traditional media sectors in China, Asia-Pacific, the UK and Ireland.

Here is a quote I think says it all about building your business in China:

So the biggest issue i find with major brand is just they just too slow and in china compared to the rest of the world What happens and in china, in a space of one year is equal to 7 years in any other market so you have to move quickly and if you don’t move quickly you just get smashed - Philip Beck

Hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to join our WeChat group. Either send a request to 'shlomof' or 'michelini'

Episode Content:

  • How did Philip end up in China?
  • Speaking about WeChat engagement done right.
  • What is a Wechat CRM? And what can you do with it?
  • Is WeChat marketing & CRM fits small businesses as well?
  • What is the thought process behind making a customer engagement campaign?
  • How to measure your success , specifically in Wechat?
  • What are common mistakes you see brands making, specifically in Chinese marketing / Wechat?
  • Tips or resources to someone thinking to start their digital marketing in the Chinese market? Books, blogs, etc?
  • Philip Beck contact details (Also on Episode Mentions section)

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 48 Smart Product Differentiation with Chris Dobbing of Cambridge Masks
26 perc 48. rész Jons Slemmer

Episode Content:

  • Hey Chris, Why don't you tell us more about Cambridge Masks and specifically why you need another mask company. What’s more to invent there?

  • Usually when people think of startups, they think of tech, mobile, iot, but not masks. So, gotta ask. Why you decided to work on such unsexy startup of creating masks?

  • I saw that you worked previously for another mask company. I guess it was the trigger for starting Cambridge Masks. What did you improve vs. the previous company?

  • You told me you’ve been to Y Combinator. Was that for Cambridge masks? How was the process like and why you decided to go?

  • How is your startup now different from before joining YC?

  • I saw on your LinkedIn account that you are manufacturing all masks in the UK. the funny thing is that your office is in BJ. it’s usually the other way around. How do you handle the manufacturing costs and competing with manufacturing in China?

  • Any other surprising markets you’ve discovered other than China? A place you didn’t really think would need your masks?

  • Which blogs do you read regularly?

  • Which online tools do you use to manage your company and for what?

  • What’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

Download and Subscribe

Ep. 47: Building a Chat Concierge WeChat Platform with Swan Huang From Ringy
30 perc 47. rész Jons Slemmer

Today we have Swan Huang, is the founder and CEO of Ringy. Mike got her for a one on one interview. Ringy is a platform built on top of Wechat giving instant help to foreigners who needs to communicate in Chinese and find info online. Pretty amazing how she managed to build this network of volunteers who are so passionate about her platform.

You will also hear about Mike's teaching experiences in shenzhen.... I guess it's impossible to avoid being an English teacher in China.

Also, Shlomo is talking about big events coming up on China Israel front next week.

Enjoy!

Episode Content:

  • Swan, you are not a local here. Tell us how you came over here to this amazing city?
  • How your English is so good? Where did you learn it from? Movies? School? (Listen to which was the first American series succeeding in China. )
  • So you are very passionate about helping foreigners come to China and have a smooth landing - thus your current startup Ringy - but before we get into your business - what are some common pitfalls and mistakes newcomers to China make?
  • Tell us about Ringy?
  • What’s the most common questions you get from your users?
  • Share with us some of the cool stories from people?
  • How did Ringy start? How did this come about?
  • How the interpreters finding Ringy?
  • What are some of goals the interpreters have on the platform?
  • What kind of help you are looking from our listeners?
  • How do you start using Ringy?

 

Episode Mentions:

Intro

Scan to join China Business Cast WeChat group - Expires in 7 days 
      <p>Scan to join China Business Cast WeChat group - Expires in 7 days</p>

 

Interview

Scan the QR code to join Ringy 
      <p>Scan the QR code to join Ringy</p>

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Ep. 46 Chinese Investor & Beijing Startup Insights
39 perc 46. rész Jons Slemmer

Nils is a sought-after and often quoted speaker and author, whose work is regularly featured in prominent publications and blogs like Game Developer Magazine and Gamasutra. By merging the fields of meme theory, behavioral psychology, and game theory, Nils has created a compelling new vision and understanding of what drives human behavior in the Internet era, and is a recognized thought-leader in game design.

He has taught his own brand of sales and consumer psychology to companies like Apple and Sina in over 10 countries.

Before founding Mention and Traintracks, Nils was the International Channel Manager at HansaWorld. He studied philosophy at Lund University, and served in a special operations unit in the Swedish Army.

Episode Content:

  • Shlomo Intro

  • Nils tell us a bit of what you do these days?

  • How did you come up with the idea for Traintracks.io?

  • What were the things you’ve done for starting out and keep it lean? Also, listeners ask us about grants and help from VCs/government. Can you elaborate on this; what kind of "help" you had?

  • Basically, Traintracks is an enterprise solution, guess it has a long sales cycle because of that. How do you handle this as a startup?

  • I’ve read somewhere , I think it was on a post you wrote , where China is where REAL big data is. So big data in the US is just not interesting? Not challenging enough? The problem in China is more challenging?

  • Let’s get to #BeiArea movement

  • What’s the goal of #BeiArea movement ??

  • Which kind of startups you think are better to grow in China vs. better to grow in the US?

  • Since you spend time in SV every year I wonder what you think of it compared to China? In what terms it’s better and in what terms with worse?

  • What are the best ways to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

Download and Subscribe

Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 45: How to Improve Your Chinese Language Learning Skills in Fast and Efficient Way With Anthony Metivier From Magnetic Memory Method
47 perc 45. rész Jons Slemmer

 

“We are driven by passion - so no, we are not learnings the same way. “ Anthony Metivier

This week we host Anthony Metivier who is a memory expert from Memory Magnetic Method. This is an in person interview I (Shlomo) made with him in Tel Aviv which was very interesting.

Our goal is that you'll gain new tools to be more efficient in your learning through this episode.

We've got two special links with a mini course and a discount code for you. So scroll down to the episode mentions

Episode Content:

  • Anthony give a short intro about himself?
  • How did he start learning about memory techniques and why
  • Do all people learn the same way? Is the idea of visual learners, listening learners, those who write to learn - is this a valid thing - that people learn differently? And how can we adjust to this or find out what works for us.
  • What are the major memory techniques these days that can help language learners?
  • Is learning a language the same as learning any other topic, or are there differences in the tactic of learning a language vs a new knowledge.
  • Anthony has a very successful series of Udemy courses bringing you to be a top instructor on Udemy How did he start the course? And why he decided to create it?
  • As many of our listeners are doing business in China, Chinese language is something that is probably on their to-do list. Anthony refers them to where they can find materials on efficient language learning and memorization
  • How to get in touch with Anthony and find more info about efficient language learning?

Episode Mentions:

 

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Ep. 44 Cross Border Investment Between China and Portugal
33 perc 44. rész Jons Slemmer

This week, talking cross border investments! Joao Monteiro, discussing how deals are done between China, Europe, Portugal- dealing with cross cultures, borders, and more!

Episode Content:

  • Intro Joao Monteiro

  • How did you end up in china?

  • Great to meet in Rise conference - you are helping startups get to China, or Chinese startups go abroad?

  • What are some of the bigger differences you see in the startup scene in China from Portugal and Europe

  • China, heavy on developers but lower on marketing? Is this something you would say?

  • Can you go back to the time that you started. Did you get investors to go to Portugal? Or you first found the startups?

  • Are these angel investors or funds?

  • Any tips on Western entrepreneurs getting Chinese developers. Or should they keep their development in Europe?

  • Do Western entrepreneurs have a chance at succeeding in doing a China startup?

  • How can entrepreneurs attract investors - this must be a common question you are asked?

  • Business model

  • What stage should a startup be before approaching you? Maybe some listeners are interested.

  • How can people reach out to you and your business?

Episode Mentions:

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 43 How a Small Businesses Can Leverage Wechat for a Chinese Business
29 perc 43. rész Jons Slemmer
matt-chinabusinesscast.jpg

This week we are talking - wechat! The king of Chinese internet - how can small businesses tap into it? We have Matt Brennan from China Channel giving us some tips and insights on today’s show.

Episode Content:

  • How a Small Business Can Leverage Wechat for a Chinese Business Kick Start

  • Intro Matt and China Channel

  • Early beginnings of China Channel

  • Where are we with Wechat now in Summer 2016, in terms of numbers?

  • So let’s talk to the listeners today who are outside of China, they have an SME, maybe doing a few hundred thousand dollars a year in sales in their home country. Can they do business in the Chinese market? Some say get bigger first - you think they have a chance to do something here at this stage?

  • Wechat is making life for businesses and people much easier - so what can some of these overseas businesses do?

  • But for an overseas business, an official account - can’t reach local chinese right? What should they do? Even bother with an official account?

  • Is it all about official accounts? Or leveraging personal accounts, groups, and other elements of Wechat?

  • How about your own Wechat channel how is it going? How did you get yours up to the level it is ? How to build up that important initial following?

  • Ways to stand out from the crowd - as there is so much noise today in Wechat

  • How to reach out? Best ways to get in touch.

Episode Mentions:

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 42: Jump Into The Water! Build an HR Company Right Out Of School With Samantha Kwok from Jing Jobs
22 perc 42. rész Jons Slemmer

(Join the listeners community. All details inside)

Note from Shlomo: We didn't have China's internet spirits with us this time at the recording, so we are not happy with the quality it came out. Still, we feel that there is still value for our listeners and hope you still enjoy this episode.

This week we have Samantha Kwok from Jing Jobs, tell us about her war stories in China. Samantha started the company as her first job right after school and got great results so far with just jumping into the water.

While for us, Mike is back from a long trip in Europe on a jet-leg mode & Shlomo is still busy with moving his house.

Episode Content:

  • Samantha - Why don’t you start by telling us about JingJobs and what’s unique about it?

  • What’s the need for another job search website?

  • We had listeners asking us about external help companies get in China. Did you have any attempt to get support from local organisations? government?

  • What were the major challenges when starting out?

  • After all you are a market place kind of website so have the chicken and the egg problem. Is it first more important getting the users to use the website or having employers post which they wouldn’t do before you have decent traction.

  • Give us an insiders tip you’ve learned for people starting out in China. A resource that would be helpful.

  • What’s the best way to reach out to you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 41: Building an iOT accelerator in Hong Kong With Nick Ramil from Brinc.io
27 perc 41. rész Jons Slemmer

(Special QR code to join our WeChat community inside)

RISE conference ended a few weeks ago. I (Shlomo) flew to Hong Kong to the conference and met Mike as well. It was a good chance to do our very first in person episode recording. This one is with Nick Ramil from Brinc.io accelerator. We went to their cool space and managed to find the time to talk right before continuing to the next drinking event. Enjoy!

Episode Content:

  • Nick Ramil intro; What Brinc does? and how Nick is involved?
  • Nick is the founder of The Elevator Life and enter china community dealing mostly with sourcing and manufacturing. Then he moved more to the digital world, doing launching products on kickstarter for your company , then building Brinc. How was the transition to brinc.io ?
  • How is it working with other startups?
  • What are some of the biggest challenges / mistakes you see these startups make?
  • Focus! Some example teams
  • What kind of products Brinc.io is dealing with.
  • And what they'd prefer not to deal with? Any specific stages?
  • Why choose HK as your hub vs. other places in Asia?
  • The most exciting product you launched so far at Brinc ? Did Brinc even had to make a tough decision between two good products?
  • How they evaluate the startups when reached and what's the process they are going through?
  • How does the program work - for those interested to apply
  • What's the best way to reach out and find more info ?

Episode Mentions:

RISE Conference Hong Kong

Enter China /The Elevator Life

Brinc.io

Soundbrenner (Germany)

Related : Is Hong Kong A Sustainable Location For Entrepreneurs And Startups?

Kello - First alarm clock you'd want to hear (France)

Ruggie - The ultimate clock for sleep lovers

Brinc.io - Twitter

Nick Ramil - Facebook

Our new WeChat group QR code (scan to join)

 

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 40: China Market Entry Tips & Tricks From SME to MNC with Sam Goodman
32 perc 40. rész Jons Slemmer

Today's guest is Sam Goodman, author of Where East Eats West: The Street - Smarts Guide to Business in China. Sam is a seasoned market entry and greenfield strategist and advisor, he helps companies to strategically market themselves across various industries. He has established and built businesses for restaurant, manufacturing, internet and Cleantech projects in China and is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.

Episode Content:

Intro Sam Goodman

  • We talked while you gave me great mentor session back when I was in Chinaccelerator - I remember you as the Restaurant guy of China, is that one of your specialties?

  • Which type of clients do you work with most these days? As you have several specialties...

  • How did you first get to China, you’re a China veteran!

  • So about restaurants, Beijing Sammies, I remember a few of your stories about some of these restaurant openings, care to share with listeners

  • When you talk to an SME vs an MNC about China market entry, what are some of the differences in the conversation?

  • With such a massive barrier for companies to enter China, what do you think the chances of a bootstrapping startup has in China ? If they’re here vs if they are trying to expand in china remotely.

  • How have you withstood China so long, any tips for newbies?

  • how can people find you online?

Episode Mentions:

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 39: Building an Electric Motorcycle Business in Beijing with Nathan Siy
30 perc 39. rész Jons Slemmer

Episode Content:

mike@chinabusinesscast.com

 

Today we have Nathan Siy, in the show. Nathan , is running a high speed electric Bike company, he is also a TV host and a voice over artist. He tells about his (REALLY!) unique company, why he decided to build it and how. It's a chance to see how a small company grows in China from scratch.

 

  • Mike: So, Nathan. Must say, out of all people we interviewed so far, what you do is the easiest to explain. So, Why really Electric motorcycle? These are everywhere. At least in China.

  • Shlomo: You’ve been running Electric bike tours for the past few years. What made you decide to transition and open another business.

  • Mike: So, you are making high speed motorcycles, are there many companies doing this? You usually see the small scooters ,so this at least for me looks like a niche market.

  • Shlomo: Are the motorcycles out yet? I read an interview saying that it’s not out yet.

  • How long did the whole process took to figure out how to turn gas motorcycles to electric ones?

  • Shlomo: Why do you think, electric bikes are taking so long to take off? It’s a promising technology but seems like in the west it’s not catching up.

  • Mike: What’s your vision for this industry? You see everybody giving up their cars and taking their kids to school on a motorbike?

  • Shlomo: What’s the best way to reach out to you?

Episode Mentions:

Intro Mentions:

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 38: James Flanagan - Building communities in China
25 perc 38. rész Jons Slemmer

Episode Content:

Shlomo: I met James when I lived in Beijing, and he is one of the major community builders and engine behind Barcamp, TEDx , part of the world economic forum (At least these are the ones I’m aware of…) and other events in Beijing.

  • I think your linkedin title says it all. “Media and tech: TEDx, Yang Lan, +others”. you’ve been doing so many stuff, how about helping out making sense in all those activities you do and what you are involved in.

  • So, you are super busy between YangLan (Oprah of China), world economic forum, Beijing commons, how do you balance everything?

  • Let’s talk about tech community building. You are one of the experts in my opinion on this in the China foreign community. You’ve done TEDx Beijing, and bar camp many times. What’s the drive building all those.

  • How do you start building a community from scratch?

  • What’s the best way to grow it?

  • Can you tell outline how you start a TEDx event? What exactly you need for that? Permission from TED?

  • You are a global shaper as they call it at the World economic forum . How do you join this organization? And what type of influence you have when working (volunteering?) there?

  • I think that for most startups traction is the most difficult part building a community around their product or service. How similar you think online community building is to offline community building? And if you have any best practices here.

  • What’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep 37. Using Corporate Coaching in China To Differentiate Your Skills
34 perc 37. rész Jons Slemmer

Episode Content:

We are happy to host Jerel Bonner who is the Author - Sharpening China's Talent, - Published June 2015, and a TEDx Speaker April 2014 Shanghai, "Becoming the Knowledge Worker". He lives in China since 2003 and built a successful corporate coaching and consulting business in Shanghai.

  1. Jerel, first tell our listeners what you exactly do? I see that you are involved with social media consulting, management consulting….(wow long intro...missed these questions!!!) ha… :)

  2. When we spoke the thing that came up many people have problem with is prospecting. And what I mean by that is identifying if the person you are speaking with or researching on can really help you achieve your goal. Can you give a few guidelines for people to do better prospecting?

  3. I know of many people who does corporate training. What kind of skills you need in order to work in that? And what’s the best way to start your own corporate training business.

  4. Do you think corporate training in China would be different from other places around the world?

  5. How can you leverage social media today to stick out for a future job seeking? Is it different in China than in other places?

  6. I think that the job market in China is changing a lot and it’s becoming harder and harder for foreign talents finding jobs in China because of regulations and competition. How can foreign talents keep been relevant for Chinese companies?

  7. What’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

Download and Subscribe

Periscope Live broadcasting of the recordings follow @StartupNoodle (open link on mobile)

Ep. 36 - From Inside The American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing
30 perc 36. rész Jons Slemmer

Episode Content:

Communications professional with 4+ years of experience in China and a 10-year-long passion for journalism, writing and editing.

Hello Everybody, this is episode #36 and today we have Bridget Riley with us as a guest. Bridget is not the classic entrepreneur guest of ours but it was still super interesting for us having an interview with her because she is the magazine editor of AmCham (American chamber of commerce), so business in China is something that she breath and see in her everyday work, getting to know everybody.

Bridget how are you?

  1. There are many Chamber of commerce around the world and countless of those in Beijing in particular. Can you first tell us what is AmCham and why someone would get in touch with you?

  2. I looked at your Linkedin page, seeing that San Francisco and Silicon Valley are also quite familiar to you. Wondering what’s your perspective on both startup eco systems.

  3. Why you decided that China is the place for you?

  4. What do you think is the sentiment towards China nowadays for American companies? Seems like it’s a love hate relationship. do you see any change while you work in AmCham?

  5. Do you see any change in the typ of companies coming? sector? Company size?

  6. Who are the type of people you are meeting during your work? Who is the most interesting person you’ve interviewed to the magazine?

  7. Censorship comes a lot on our interviews obviously . How do you deal with that? Do you need ot approve every publication?

  8. What’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 35 Running a Chinese and Overseas Art Production Company with Alison Friedman
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Episode Content:

  • This week we have Alison Freidman who runs Pinpong Productions, a non profit in the performing art sectors. She was featured in the New York times and many other places such as:

    International Arts Manager: “Is Capitalism Harming the Arts in China?”

    sino-us.com: Alison Friedman and Ping Pong Productions: Linking China and the World Through Arts

    BON TV Feature: “Ping Pong Productions and Cultural Diplomacy in China”

    Sinica Podcast: "Alison Friedman on China and the Arts”

    China Daily: “Chinese and Overseas Arts Serve and Return”

    Asia Pacific Arts: “US Artistic Ambassador to China: Ping Pong Productions' Alison Friedman”

    The interesting part for us was the whole business part of running a production company.

  • So, first Alison, tell us a bit of what you do and about PingPong productions.

  • I saw that PPP is a non profit? Why did you choose to build your production company as a non profit vs. for profit production company?

  • You hear about non profit in China but it’s not wide spread concept like in the west and it sometimes seems that non profits in China has harder times managing their organization. Do you really think this is the case?

  • I’m going to ask more of a personal question here. Looking at your impressive keynote speaker list seems to me you turned it also to kind of your profession. I wonder if that’s true and perhaps you can outline a career path for somebody interested in that.

  • Can you tell us a bit of how you started Pingpong productions and why? What kind of gaps you identified in the market that you wanted to solve?

  • Can you tell us about the work with Chinese authorities. How is the regulation over cultural events is happening? Who are the government organizations you need to speak with?

  • How do you start a production company in China? what would be major milestones and perhaps noted difficulties on the way?

  • What’s the best way to get in touch with you?

  •  

Episode Mentions:

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Ep 34. Leveraging Ed-tech To Help Entrepreneurs Transform Education for Chinese Learners
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Today's show we have Meredith Karazin and Kelly Yang from LearnLab. LearnLab /光合空间 is an educational entrepreneur community, bringing together the best in education and business to help entrepreneurs transform learning for all. Our vision is that educational innovation—such as new modes of learning, adaptive curriculum, teaching tools that are smart and nimble, training for teachers, online courses, and so on— allows all learners to reach their full potential and dreams. Our flagship program is an accelerator, a four-month program that will provide early-stage educational entrepreneurs with educational partnerships, mentorship, talent, and funding to help accelerate their success. LearnLab also creates and supports a broader community through educational and entrepreneurial events and learning experiences.

 

Episode Content:

  • I'll start with you Meredith, Telling us about Learn Lab and what you guys exactly do?

  • Meredith, So you are essentially an accelerator, what kind of companies you accept to the program? and what stage? Any special criterion?

  • Kelly, education in China is perceived as not being creative and based on repetition & memorization more than on analysis and understanding deeply the material.

  • Do you see any change in that approach ?

  • How do you cope with that when bringing new solutions to schools? Would they even listen?

  • Meredith, I was advising an edtech company before in China, they had major difficulties moving forward because the adoption of technology in schools in China is really slow. How do you cope with that in learn lab?

  • Meredith, Tell us about your most exciting startups so far, and your biggest success.
    didn’t we talk about this already? Mike: both, do you still see untouched areas in Ed tech that startups can still search for opportunities of growth in China?
    let me spin it differently

  • Any conflicts or sensitive issues that you face from the government?

  • From reading your bios You both live and breath education. What would be your best advice for young startups going to this field? And do you think China is best place for that to start? Be honest :)

  • What’s the best way to get in touch and perhaps apply to the program?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 33 Chinese Government Investment Programs In Foshan City + Beyond
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Looking to come to China and bring your technology and IP? Want to have the ultimate partner, the Chinese government? Then today's show is for you! We have with us Yahya Yuksel representing a special division of the Foshan city government who is working hard to get companies like you to build your business expansion in China, let's listen in.

Episode Content:

  • Tell us about your current job. I understand it’s pretty unique nowadays in China.

  • How do you get into this kind of position? Is it hard?

  • Do you know of similar positions in other cities?

  • Tell me about your team recent achievement with attracting foreign investments to Foshan?

  • How do you prevent from not being just the foreigner face in this kind of a job?

  • Does Foshan help startups as well? They don’t bring in a lot of money...

  • What benefits Foshan give to investors? There are many industrial parks in China with lots of benefits so you need pretty unique

  • What opportunities for getting government investments are there?

  • How long a typical deal would go. Chinese government are not known for being fast….

  • What would be the reasons for startups coming to Foshan? Which technology types?

  • What’s the best way to reach you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 32 Wechat Marketing Strategies for Chinese Business Success
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This week we are talking Wechat! We have Thomas Graziani from Walk the Chat agency. WalktheChat is an agency focused on helping companies making the most out of WeChat. They provide four key types of services: consulting (helping companies understand how they can leverage WeChat), IT development, content creation and analytics for WeChat.

Episode Content:

  • Thomas , first tell us about Walk the Chat? And why you decided to build the company?

  • Can you share the current stats about Wechat? And where this app (or shall I say platform) is heading?

  • Wechat is by now a whole platform . Did you see it already killing other apps because of that?

  • In an interview from October 2014 Ask about Apple pay. And If I’m not mistake they decided on an entry to China just recently. Do you still think they have no chance?

  • A lot of your strategy for WalkTheChat was content marketing. Can you tell us more about the strategy what worked for you ? what didn't?

  • How do you develop an official Wechat account and what’s the best strategies to get followers there?

  • Leveraging personal accounts and groups

  • If my target audience are non Chinese should I consider Wechat at all?

  • What’s the best way to reach you ?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 31: PR done right in China for Startups with Simon Vericel from Influence Matters
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This week we interview Simon Vericel speaking about the right way to do PR (Public relations) in China. Simon has 10+ years of PR experience helping Chinese companies managing their PR overseas and helping foreign companies running PR campaigns is China.

About Simon Vericel

He is a seasoned communication strategist and team leader with a knack for business development and kick-starting things.

Simon has more than 10 years experience designing highly efficient influencer and stakeholder engagement campaigns for leading Chinese brands overseas, global multinationals in China and tech startups experiencing rapid growth. He has particular focus on B2B, corporate communications, strategic positioning and messaging, media relations and crisis management across all traditional and digital platforms.

Over a decade working in China has given him a unique perspective on the key factors for successful communications campaigns in the country that translate into increased awareness, reputation and sales.

His industry focus covers high tech, mobile, semiconductors, IT services and software. He also have deep experience in healthcare, automotive, energy, F&B, government, finance and sports.
 

Episode Content:

  • Can you focus us on what you do now? what your company does?

  • Is PR in China is different than the rest of the world?

  • What Strategy mean in the PR world?

  • what exactly you do to find the right strategy?

  • Tips for startups and SMEs companies doing PR themselves in China.
  • When is the stage for a foreign business that they would need a PR firm in China?
  • Can they do it themselves? Is this about saving time building the connections with local websites and magazines?
  • Should you do your PR in English, Chinese? How about both languages on the same channel?
  • How do you do PR work, in a country where journalism is ‘censored’?
  • Are there best practices for companies on what NOT to do when doing PR in China?
  • Example Case studies
  • Do you change your PR message in the middle of a campaign?
  • What’s the best way to reach you?

 

Episode Mentions:

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EP. 30: Education programs as a way to start in China with Richard Coward from China Admissions
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This week Mike and Shlomo are hosting Richard Coward speaking about Education programs in China as a way to come to China and start a business. Richard actually did the same track. Here is a little more about him.

About Richard Coward

Richard Coward set up his first internet business at 15, selling ebooks online.

He is a graduate from University of Exeter in Politics Philosophy and Economics and Chinese, and studied Chinese at Peking University and learnt Chinese selling tea in the largest tea market in China. Whilst in China in 2008, he gave a speech in Chinese to 8000 Chinese students.

After graduation Richard worked for the inventor of the Cornetto Soft Ice Cream Machine (which was acquired by Unilever).

After inspiring a number of his friends study in China, in 2010, Richard signed the first contract with China University of Political Science and Law and set up China Admissions (formerly CGES), www.china-admissions.com.

Episode Content:

  1. Richard, what is your story? How did you start China Admissions and what China Admissions do?

  2. Do you see any change in the way students apply these days to Chinese schools? Is the market growing?

  3. What opportunities are still out there for new education companies in China?

  4. China is a perfect place for Ed Tech companies, as education is an important in a Chinese family. do you follow this kind of startups? Any interesting ones in particular? Any interesting ones out of China?

  5. How are Chinese Universities changing? How do you see it developing in the future?

  6. Are the university are foreign friendly?

  7. What advice would you give to people who want to come to China to start a business?

  8. What’s the story with that speech you gave to 8000 ppl?

  9. What's the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 29 Investor Thinking & Entrepreneur Psychology, China & Abroad
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About Bruno Bensaid

Arrived in Shanghai in 1997 for a year studying Chinese at one China's top-10 universities. I then moved to Singapore in 1999 to join the APAC Finance team of Cisco Systems. Back in China (2002), I co-managed the China operations of French VC-backed Mobile Internet startups (we helped one of them raise financing from a Hong-Kong based VC).

In 2006, I started helping French VC firms and portfolio companies expand into China and later officially joined Ventech (a US$ 500-Mil Fund) as the "first China employee".

In late 2008, I started Shanghaivest, an investment banking advisory firm. It started focusing on cross-border M&A transactions between Europe and China in 2010 when a DLA Piper Partner joined me as a co-founder.

On the non-profit side: He founded the Shanghai Chapter of MobileMonday (a mobile industry community) in 2006 and joined the Steering Committee of AngelVest, a pioneering China-based angel investment organization in 2010.

I share my time between Europe and China, and I am a regular speaker and moderator at technology and investment conferences. Contributor of several articles and theses on China investment, cross-border M&A and technology environment in China.

Specialties: mobile technology, cross-border M&A and Investments with China, early-stage and seed financing, venture capital, private equity, mobile and internet, coaching, psychology of negotiation and working across cultures, public speaking

Episode Content:

  • Bruno, so what you’ve been up to these days? I know you are all over the place.

  • Tell us a bit about Shanghaivest and Angel vest

  • Let’s go to the startup’s side first. Is it hard to raise money these days in China? Any particular fields that are easier?

  • What kind of trends you see with Chinese Investors right now? I definitely see a change in Israel, where for the past to years Chinese investments in Israel are up in 50%. Seem like the Chinese are buying the world.

  • What will be the best way to get involved in the VC world in China?

  • what to look for in a startup and team of entrepreneurs?

  • Which interesting companies you’ve seems recently coming from China among smaller ones that you see interesting potential?

  • million $$ question, do you really need a partner to succeed in China?

  • Where do you see the opportunities for investments in the next few years?

  • how can people get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. #28: Navigating Fintech in China with Gregory Van den Bergh from MiCai
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Greg from MiCai

This episode like all others is broadcasted live on @Startup Noodle (open on your mobile device to subscribe) periscope channel.

Hey All, today we have Gregory Van den Bergh as our guest from MiCai Inc.

MiCai is a financial technology company (You might have heard the term 'Fintech' previously) based in Beijing. MiCai designs products combining world-class financial expertise and cutting-edge technology to provide sophisticated investment management tailored to a person's unique needs.

Episode Content:

  • What Micai app is?

  • Greg how did you get started?

  • Greg you've been to finance most of your career and moved from large corporations to a startup. Tell us about the moment you decided to quit and why?

  • Did the China financial crisis nowadays influence you in any way? Did you need to change your strategy or product?

  • Fintech is a hot topic now in China. Which are some of the best companies in fintech in China you see today (Except of miCai obviously… :) )

  • Do you think there is still more space for fintech companies in China, or is it too late by now?

  • What kind of regulations you get because you are a fintech company? What obstacles other entrepreneurs might encounter when going to this field in China? (Or highlights of regulatory for finanace in China)

  • If you weren’t doing a fittech startup what you would have done?

  • what’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 27. Andy Tian Co-Founder and CEO at Asia Innovations-云智联，“碰碰”
41 perc 27. rész Jons Slemmer

 

 

Episode Content:

This episode like all others is broadcasted live on @Startup Noodle (open on your mobile device to subscribe) periscope channel.

  • Andy, Looking at your linkedin profile, it seems you had a dream career path bringing Google into China as well as managing Zynga China a few years ago until you founded Pengpeng. Where you think were the most challenging roles, when leading your own startups or leading an international company in China?

  • Which part of the work you like to most? Product? Growth hacking? development?

  • What’s the best viral/growth hacking techniques that work today in china?

  • What do you think are the best ways promoting apps these days in China?

  • where do you see still opportunities in gaming in China? Any future trends you see?

  • What’s the future for foreign company or app developers coming to China? Can they compete in this complex market?

  • Any advantages for foreign internet companies in China?

  • How about finding a local partner in the Chinese market, what are some strategies for a Western tech company?

  • Do you have idea what’s going on with Google coming back to China? rumors are all around…

  • How can people get in touch with you?

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 26: News and business reporting in China, Ins and outs with Martina Fuchs from CCTV english
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Today we welcome Martina Fuchs from CCTV (China Central Television) telling us about the career path of a business news reporter for the largest broadcasting organisation in China. Martina is a frequent traveler as part of her work and has great stories to listen to. Tune in!

Episode Content:

1. Intro to Martina’s work

2. How do you become a business reporter for CCTV?

3. How do get new stories or decide what you will cover next?

4. what’s the process for bringing a new story in China?

5. How did you get started in China ? Was it a big transition to China?

6. How do you develop a career in international business journalism?

7. Highlights of differences between the west and China.

8. Best ways to reach Martina.

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 25 Comparing Mainland China and Hong Kong Tech Scenes And Living for Entrepreneurs
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Episode Content:

  • Opening Mike

  • Talking about the change in the podcast and introducing Shlomo.

  • Talking about the subject and why we chose it.

  • Mike: Wait, isn’t HK China

  • Shlomo: Let’s start with Visa Issues …

  • Mike: How easy / difficult to open a company

  • Shlomo: Currency

  • Mike: language

  • Shlomo: cost of living

  • Mike: main networking events

  • Tips for border crossing between HK / China

  • startup scene overall.

  • Salary Ranges in HK vs China

Episode Mentions:

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Or check out the full list on subscription options

  • We are broadcasting live our recording on Periscope. Follow @StartupNoodle to know when we are live. Join in the discussion.

Ep.24 Hiring and Managing Chinese Staff
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beijing.jpeg

Welcome to China Business Cast episode 24! Today’s show we have Anthony Johnson, a British entrepreneur who has had a few ventures in China and a lot of experience hiring and managing staff.

But before we start, let’s do a 3 second moment of silence for those in Tianjin who went through that horrible explosion disaster. The person who connected me and Anthony, Russell Smith, was just a building complex away from the explosions, he is ok, but is being evacuated like the other local residents.

...3 second pause...

Ok, thanks everyone for your respect, we talk about China, and USA, and international business- but we are all humans on the same planet, let’s love and respect one another - now onto the interview!

Episode Content:

  • Tips for assembling / managing the team, keeping them happy at work, or how to train Chinese staff...

  • Setting up an office / putting together a team on the ground in China.

  • Russell introduced us, thanks Russ!

  • Spent some time in Fujian province where he put together an office of staff to build a teacher placement agency. He handled the recruitment, the branding and the training etc. The office is still up and running and profitable: TEFL Panda

  • Set up a Shaolin Kung Fu School in Guilin

  • Tons of things we can chat about - but today we’re focusing on assembling and managing a team on the ground in China, and thanks for sharing! Before we get started - Can you give us a bit of a background on how you first came to China?

  • So the first business you did was the teacher placement agency, how did that get started?

  • Assembling the Chinese team - how did you manage that?

  • Finding and hiring is one thing, which is a challenge in itself, but I think the real challenge is maintaining the team and managing the staff, care to give us some tips on how the first few months went once you had the Chinese team in place

  • How do you keep them happy and motivated?

  • Any issues that came up with HR or staff?

  • you speak Chinese pretty well, was that a factor in managing the team, did you operate mostly in Chinese?

  • What tips can you give listeners who are at the beginning stages of opening an office in China and hiring Chinese employees?

  • So you appeared on a Chinese Dating TV Show, Fei Cheng Wu Rao - care to give us some ideas how you got on and how it went, behind the scenes action? :)

  • What is your current venture, care to share

  • Thanks for sharing Anthony! How can people reach out to you and your business?

Episode Mentions:

Thanks Anthony for coming on! Please reach out to him and give him a thanks if you enjoyed this show.

Also - I know these shows don’t come out too often, trying to make a plan for the show - talking to some potential co-hosts or guest hosts. If you have ideas, I am open minded!

Also if you are looking to hire a Chinese assistant, and need a hand, check out my service China Business Assistant .com - I have a package where I can give you some online training and qualified candidates to take your business in China to the next level, check it out at China Business Assistant .com - thanks!

Til next time everyone , take care

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Ep. 23 How Do Internships in China Work, For Interns & Employers
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Sunset in South China

Episode Content:

  • About Brandon King from Smart Intern China

  • College Interns - Looking for a summer job in China, how does it work

  • What is the passport visa requirements for China-based interns

  • How to select the right job

  • Companies and Hiring Managers - How to tap into this resource of hungry and talented college interns to come to your company.

  • What are the costs and what does the company need to provide.

  • Some "horror stories" and fun experiences from past China intern experiences

  • How you can reach out to Brandon if you're interested in using his service to find interns in China, or to apply to come to China for an internship.

Episode Mentions:

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Ep 22. Questions on China Business - Chinese Social Media, Hiring an Assistant in China, Need a China Partner?
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Looking Out Into Old Shekou Village

Episode Content:

  • Introduce Adrian Bye

  • Question 1:

    Hi Mike from Miami, Florida

    I have found your youtube videos very informative and have a question for you.

    I plan to make my first trip to China late this summer and want to know if you can recommend a Chinese translator for hire.

    Thanks in advance,

    Berman

    Sent from Mobile Device

  • Question 2:

    From Steve in Colorado

    Major Question:
    How best to market/advertise both the website and the App to get any "play"
    in China?

    There seems to be no FB, and Weibo is all Chinese - how do American
    companies push their products? A partner in China?


    Thanks again Mike, I look forward to hearing from you.

  • What do you think of the question series? We need your questions for upcoming shows!

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 21 China Expat Tips and Getting Through the China Dips
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Expat Communities are Commonly Clustered Together

Episode Content:

  • Welcome Ally Mona to the show - so tell us - How You Got Here, What is your China Story?

  • When and why did you first come to China?

  • What did you do between then & starting your latest company Limitless Laowai?

  • How did you get the idea for the show?

  • How did you get things started - your first listeners and sponsors?

  • And then what happened once things got going?

  • I like your shows about repatriating, its a bit sad, but seems to be a tough thing that there isn't much about - what are trends you're seeing?

  • What are some tips on newcomers to China?

  • How should they prepare themselves?

  • And how to get through those "I'm fed up with China days"

  • What were the hard parts in your experience in China? Were there any major setbacks?

  • What were you biggest mistakes? What would you have done differently?

  • What worked really well?

  • What challenges are you facing now?

  • Ways people can reach out to you and listen to your podcast Limitless Laowai

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 20: Medical Environment in China for Foreigners
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Walking into a Chinese hospital in Nanshan district, Shenzhen, China. 
        <p>Walking into a Chinese hospital in Nanshan district, Shenzhen, China.</p>

Curious to learn more about the medical options for foreigners in China, and get some business tips from a doctor who has his own startup - this show is for you - Welcome to the China Business Cast - I am so excited to be with you and I hope I can live up to JP’s great job running this podcast over the years - my name is Michael Michelini and I’m going to be interviewing people doing business on the ground in china - selling in china, importing to china, hiring in China. I would love any feedback so please comment on the episode at chinabusinesscast.com/episode20

Also I’m going to kick off my start here with a free gift for everyone, I have a checklist for setting up a company in China, the documents and files you should have ready when doing it along with some templates, you can download that at Chinabusinesscast.com/checklist - be sure to check it out

ok - so now on to my first episode - we have Harsh Sethia, an Indian entrepreneur in Guangzhou working on a startup Meddibuddy, helping people find hospitals in China - and today he’ll be giving us some tips on how healthcare works for expats in China as well as his story on how he started his business, let’s listen in

Episode Content:

  • Welcome Harsh to the podcast we connected when my kid was having the complication - you had been following my personal blog and added me on wechat and said you were praying for Miles - much appreciated man!

  • Can you introduce yourself to the listeners?

  • How did you end up in China?

  • When a westerner first comes to China - well - probably before they even come, what should they do?

  • What kinds of choices for hospitals are there?

  • Public private anything in the middle

  • What are some of the costs

  • How about dental

  • How does insurance work

  • Medication - if you have prescriptions overseas, how does that transfer over can you import them?

  • Any positive examples you can share

  • How about negative (I have a couple myself) trips to the hospital,

  • How does it normally work in china differences for different expats- Europeans, Americans, etc. Are there any?

  • And how does it work for your business - Meddibuddy how did it get started?

  • Any offers for our listeners?

  • Where can they go to check it out how can people reach out to you after the show thanks!

Episode Mentions:

          <img alt="Homepage of MeddiBuddy" src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51492c05e4b0dd6717b1867a/t/555c77bfe4b0ef95f49c51a2/1432123335019/?format=1000w" />
        
      

      
      
        <p>Homepage of MeddiBuddy</p>

Thanks Harsh for coming on the show and sharing - be sure to check out his http://meddibuddy.com/?lan=en

Stay tuned for the next episode, we’ll be talking all about China business each and every show! If you have a topic you’d like - please comment on the show notes at chinabusinesscast.com/episode20

and also don’t forget to get our free checklist at Chinabusinesscast.com/checklist

til next time, best of luck on your China business endeavors

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Ep. 19: News, Updates & New Host for China Business Cast
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Crazy Pandas Near Jing'An Temple in Shanghai, China 
        <p>Crazy Pandas Near Jing'An Temple in Shanghai, China</p>

Thanks JP for that kind message, I am really hoping I can live up to the listeners expectations for the show after his amazing job. I was JP’s first guest on this show, back in episode 1 if you want to go back and check it out - and I’m glad we are able to keep the current shows online and moving forward I’ll start from episode 20.

So today’s show will be a quick one where I explain the plans for China Business Cast and a little bit about who I think- you- the listener - are and what I think you want from this show - of course if I’m wrong please let me know!

So China Business Cast - to me is about helping Western small to medium sized business owners have a chance at starting and succeeding inside China. Setting up your Chinese company, taxes, hiring, how to import your products into China, sales, marketing, social media, website hosting. Tons of things to talk about and a lot of people to interview for sure.

I believe there are already enough shows about buying from Chinese factories and exporting, this show is focused on domestic China business, “inside the great walls” and I think this has a lot of potential to be uncovered online.

While there may be grey or illegal ways to make some of these tactics work, I am going to avoid those on this show, for the long term success of the show - and I will not get into political debates - this show is all about China business “above board”.

I already have a few interviews ready to go, and some of the topics are health insurance in China for expats, getting accustomed to the culture when you get here, and selling inside the Chinese market.

Some of the guests might not be native English speakers, but they will try their best to talk in English and I will do my best to clarify. I want these kinds of guests on the show, “real Chinese business people” even if their English isn’t perfect - because these are the kinds of people no one hears about outside of China - and these are the people who have the most valuable knowledge and experience. I wonder if sometimes we have Mandarin language on the show and then translated to English, will that be acceptable to you the listener?

So again, this show is for people setting up a company in China, operating a team inside the “great wall of China, or trying to sell and market to the Chinese domestic market. I’m really excited to start my journey with you, and if you have any questions please leave a comment on the show notes at Chinabusinesscast.com/episode19

And a final note, some of you may know I have an already existing podcast, Global From Asia - about Hong Kong and international business - and so that show will continue as usual - but not have Chinese business in it as specifically - expect those about exporting and selling into the international market for China.

This show is for those targeting the Chinese market - Global From Asia is for those targeting the international market from Hong Kong / China / Asia.

Episode Content:

  • JP's announcement
  • Mike's introduction and plans for the show

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 18: Running a Peer To Peer Lending Platform in China
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Rui Ma from 500 Startups interviews Soul Htite, co-founder of the Chinese peer to peer lending platform DianRong.com He explains his background prior to starting Dian Rong as well as tips for entrepreneurs for what it takes to get your startup really going.

Episode Content:

  • How Htite got into entrepreneurship and co-founded Dian Rong
  • How regulators influence startups in the financial industry
  • What it takes to define your level of innovation and finding your right position in the marketplace.

Episode Mentions:

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Ep. 17: A Brief History of Manufacturing in China
30 perc 17. rész Jons Slemmer

Today’s guest is Laszlo Montgomery, the host and humble narrator of the must-listen China History Podcast. If you haven’t listened to the podcast, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s a truly excellent listen for anyone with even a passing interest in Chinese history. Aside from having an interest in Chines history, Laszlo also has a breadth of experience in the Chinese manufacturing industry, having worked in the field for over two decades. Today, we’re here to discuss the history of the manufacturing industry in China, where it is now, and what the future holds.

Episode Content:

  • The early days of the Chinese manufacturing industry
  • The progress of manufacturing in China over the years
  • Where the industry is now and the challenges and opportunities ahead

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Ep. 16: Entrepreneurship and Startups in China with Chinaccelerator
40 perc 16. rész Jons Slemmer

Today’s guest is Todd Embley, program director at Chinaccelerator, China’s first mentorship-driven seed stage accelerator program. The Shanghai-based, 90-day accelerator program is driven by the mission of helping entrepreneurs who are innovating at the cutting-edge of information technology to create successful start-ups. It also claims to be China's only pure & authentic accelerator program. Today, we’re here to discuss the tech accelerator and tech start-ups scene in China.

P.S. Chinaccelerator is accepting applications to Batch 6 of their program (deadline Friday July 18th, 2014 midnight). To apply, visit http://www.chinaccelerator.com/apply

Episode Content:

  • Understand the environment for technology accelerators in China and their role in shaping the Chinese start-up ecosystem
  • Learn about some exciting start-ups that are innovating at the cutting-edge of technology

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Ep. 15: The Venture Capital Environment in China
29 perc 15. rész Jons Slemmer

Today’s guest is Rui Ma, Venture Partner at 500 Startups for Greater China. 500 Startups is a Silicon Valley based early stage fund and startup accelerator with an international presence. Rui is China-born, Silicon Valley raised, and currently based in Beijing China. Recently she wrote an article called "What I learned in my first year as an angel investor in China" over at techinasia.com. Today, we're here to discuss some of her learnings about the venture capital environment in China and how we can best navigate it as entrepreneurs.

Episode Content:

  • The environment for venture capital in China
  • Touch on the key points Rui raised in her article
  • Suggestions for entrepreneurs on how to navigate the venture environment in China

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Ep. 14: From Guangzhou, China to Over $220K on Kickstarter
47 perc 14. rész Jons Slemmer

Today’s guests Nick Ramil and Tim Nybo are the founders behind Lexell, a stone & steel watch brand that raised over $220,000 dollars on Kickstarter. But like every overnight success, it was years in the making. They arrived in Guangzhou, China from the US in 2010 on a one-way flight looking for opportunities. Since then, they’ve taught English, worked on a wine distribution business, started The Elevator Life (a video blog about their experiences in life and business in China) and launched this Kickstart project, among other things. Today we’re here to learn about their experiences as young entrepreneurs in China and the story behind Lexell’s Kickstarter success.

Episode Content:

  • Understand, from a personal perspective, the experiences of Tim and Nick as young entrepreneurs who came to China looking for opportunity
  • Talk about some of the work and business experiences they've had before starting Lexell
  • Dig into all the work that went on behind the scenes to launch this successful Kickstarter project

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Ep. 13: Chinese Company Setup - An Overview
33 perc 13. rész Jons Slemmer
woodegg-guides.jpg

This interview is part of the Wood Egg project, a series of guides for entrepreneurs covering 16 different Asian countries. I contributed research for the China guide and this was one of the interviews. For the complete WoodEgg Entrepreneurs’ Guide to China 2014 version, please visit WoodEgg.com.

Today’s guest is Fabian Knopf, senior associate at Dezan Shira, a consulting and advisory firm focusing on services for foreign direct investment in Asia. Fabian is an expert in legal structuring, cross-border taxes, as well as HR laws and practices for foreign companies in China and Hong Kong. Today, we discuss how to set up a Chinese company, the different options, and the pros and cons.

Episode Content:

  • Understand the different types of companies a foreigner can set up in China
  • Explore the advantages and disadvantages of the different company structures: Registered Office, WOFE, Joint Venture.
  • Briefly overview of business permits and taxes

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Episode Transcript (provided by WoodEgg):

JP: Okay. Number one, options for business structures in China.

Fabian: Right. So, there are... You start at the bottom with the easiest form, essentially, which is a representative office which is not its own entity. It belongs to the investor outside of China. And you can employ people here. You can rent an office here. Everything is legal. The employment is through a third party and you're only allowed to do non-profit generated activities. For example, research, liaison suppliers, finding customers, market research in general. Just staying in touch, having an office, having a showroom, for example. Just being somewhat of a base in China for a company that doesn't want to make that jump.

The next step would be a wholly foreign owned entity which is a what is commonly referred to as WFE. That one is essentially a limited liability company as we know it as well, and can take the form of a limited liability company which is basically the most common one. It's all really like a pick and choose model, although, the options aren't very plentiful. And that's, as I said, essentially a limited a liability company. It has its own entity here in China. There's a registered capital or an investment connected to that. You can employ people here directly. There's basically a business scope that has to fall into a certain category, the foreign investment catalog. There's just three categories, essentially. It stays restricted. It stays encouraged and there's a [indiscernible 00:26:41] where it's not restricted, essentially. So, in everything within the restricted and with the non-restrictive category are encouraged that is feasible for the WFE to engage in. So, yeah, a really regular company as we know it everywhere else.

Then, the joint venture is essentially just the joining of two entities into one. Basically, the same for the WFE as well. The same characteristics. Other than that, maybe the foreign investment catalog might actually have a requirement for a joint venture with a certain percentage, with a certain ownership of one party toward another. That entity, that joint venture can then move into a more restricted investment category of the catalog. It's just a joint venture. Anywhere else, very similar for job placement as well.

There's a fourth one, essentially, which is a foreign invested partnership which is specifically for venture capital firms. For example, that one that invests in China. It's not an entity itself. It's more of a business structure. So, the FFE itself doesn't have an entity itself. It doesn't need to be registered. It's a bit difficult right now.

Legislation was passed in 2011 or came into effect, or 2010. Up until now, there's not that many in China. It's very difficult for authorities even in Shanghai or Beijing to grant approval of this. So, it seems to be a very, very controlled entity. There's [Collette (sp) 00:28:25] group has one with Folsom group in Shanghai. It's a $100 million fund. And there's a few other examples that have come up.

But, it's really, I guess it kind of relates to the financial development of China or the financial depth, the financial development in China of institutions, and the market in general which is not very progressive. So, that's also maybe why it's not been making much head way into the market. So, it's really the representative office, the WFE and the joint venture right now.

JP: Okay. Can you, just to give sort of perspective, most big companies when they come to China, if they're a big brand like PNG, for example, what are they using?

Fabian: They're using a WFE most of the time, exactly.

JP: I guess some of the things JV's are like Volkswagon.

Fabian: Exactly. So, the automotive industry was one of the restricted industries. That was actually redacted from last year, I want to say, so that's not a requirement anymore. For foreign, you know, they still have to be approved and it's certainly not an easy process.

JP: Right.

Fabian: To go through that. For example, one of the requirements is not necessarily Chinese ownership or part Chinese ownership anymore.

JP: So, before, there was a requirement that the Chinese had needed to own a certain percentage if they wanted to do automotives?

Fabian: That's correct, yes.

JP: I see. And then, so that's an example of JV. So, who has representative offices, like, research firms?

Fabian: No. Research is one of those that falls into the restricted category. Research is banned.

JP: Oh, I see.

Fabian: Yeah, it's one of those things where the authorities will ask further questions and when in doubt, not approve the entity. So, the representative office would be a typical model which is a sourcing model where you essentially have the typical South China model, I would almost call it. You have a company in Hong Kong. You have a representative office here in China and one more in wherever. And, essentially, you have people in that representative office that will go to the factories and do quality control and they run around with all the samples and make sure that whatever the Hong Kong company wants is being executed here.

And then, the factory ships to the Hong Kong company. So, there's no invoicing with the RO. The invoicing is always between the factory and the Hong Kong company. So, it's kind of a helper, I guess, if you like. And it's just like a market entry. You just kind of want to see is there... You have to [indiscernible 00:31:13] for market research essentially, not for other clients but for yourself, is there a demand for my product or my services and you just kind of start off with that. Also, law firms have to be registered as a special representative office. They can't register as a limited liability company, for example.

JP: Okay. What about those consulting firms that are international? Those are...

Fabian: There are different consulting firms and so the Big Four, for example?

JP: Yeah. So, like BCG has an office in Beijing.

Fabian: Right. Well, they are management consulting. So, they would most likely be WFE. I think it's the same for us. We're a consulting company which is a WFE in that sense.

JP: There are strict sort of... Well, I don't know if that strict. There are supposed limitations on the representative offices.

Fabian: Yes.

JP: And has the lease, like, has the enforcement gone more strict recently? Because there are probably people running around doing things with representative offices that they weren't supposed to, right?

Fabian: Yes. And there's many, many different ways that people have gotten creative in terms of... So, the problem is if you... I'm sure it isn't just one way of how people have misused the representative office in some way. If you want to buy something in China, you usually need an invoice. And with a representative office, you can actually buy something, essentially. So, in what way that really benefits the representative office now is up to interpretation, really.

But the could, for example, just get these invoices if the invoice is by [indiscernible 00:32:55] in some way through a legal channel, obviously, and then just pay with the money they receive from their mother company for a certain kind of product. And then, I'm not sure how they would be able to get it out of the country but I'm sure it's possible. Which, again, it's not from within the scope of the representative office.

JP: Right.

Fabian: So, yes, that has been something that's been cracked down on and actually been addressed by legislation in 2011 which basically limited the number of foreign employees that could be hired, and raised the tax rate, the effective tax rate on representative offices. And then, just make sure you are not, that you're explicitly saying, “This is not [indiscernible 00:33:34]. This is legal.”

JP: Okay. And for companies looking to enter China, is there any advantage to setting in Hong Kong first? Is there any special advantage?

Fabian: Yes, but not to every company. One big advantage is, I guess, but this requires a bit of planning, is any business that benefits from the CEPA which is their close economic partnership agreement between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland which is essentially saying, for example, the tourism industry, again, a restricted industry in China. If you are a foreign entity that's been setup, I think, it has to be five years in Hong Kong with all the necessary licenses in Hong Kong as well, be registered as a tourism provider with all the chops and approvals. Then, when you then make an investment into China and say, “I want to do this now,” and then be able to say, “Look, this is what I've done in Hong Kong. And on this agreement, I can do this, this and this now and I'm not restricted. I can actually do these things,” then, that it beneficial to having a Hong Kong company and having a business there.

JP: So, what entity would they be once they come to China?

Fabian: They would also be a WFE. They would also be a WFE in that sense.

JP: Oh, okay. But, not everyone can just come and setup that WFE?

Fabian: Exactly. That's right. But, a lot of people come and say, “I have a China business,” and they really only have a Hong Kong office, which it doesn't really matter whether you have that office in Hong Kong or in New Jersey. There's no difference. You know, exporting is all the same. You can't issue any official Chinese invoices. You're closer geographically, yes, but that's it.

JP: I see. Okay. So, the next one. We already talked about some of the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of businesses.

Fabian: I can go a little bit more, maybe, just into a quick comparison.

JP: Sure.

Fabian: So, the representative office is fairly low cost in starting up. So, you don't have to put up a registered capital. There's no initial investment. You, essentially, just feed it money every month, every quarter. And there's a limited business scope, although, of course. You're not, no profit making activity and it's not scalable. It's not scalable because, at least not from a monetary perspective, you pay an effective tax rate on costs. So, the higher your costs go, the more people you hire, the bigger office that you have to rent, the more cost that people generate, the higher your tax bill goes. So, there's are no [indiscernible 00:36:26] scale unless your profit margin in Hong Kong or wherever you are is dramatically increasing as well and you can make that justification for you internally. But, that's usually not the case. So at some point...

JP: It's much worse to get taxed on cost and on profits.

Fabian: It's awful. It's awful. Exactly. So, we've had clients that are, you know, they'd be occupying a whole floor of a building with over 100 people. You know, they were big companies too. But, it's not an efficient model. It's not what you want to run even mid-terms. It's something that you want to have in mind, okay, I need to move to a WFE. This is the much better, more suitable option here. So, WFE, relatively is high startup costs. You have the registration process is quite long and tedious and you have to put up a registered capital.

JP: Has there been a trend of that going up recently?

Fabian: Not by the law, no. The legislation doesn't have anything like that. They have a minimum that is written in the legislation bu it is the case that it's generally higher and especially in areas where clusters like CBE...

JP: Oh, it depends on the... Okay.

Fabian: Because you always have to see, the law is written by Beijing but it's being implemented by Fujing. So, the offices have a certain quota that they have meet in terms of foreign investment attractives. So, they will set that quota and they will set the registered capital according to the quota that they will have to meet. So, they have their own interest in that as well. So, that's something to keep in mind as well. The WFE has, also, in terms of compliance cost as well, you have to put up with taxes that are a bit more complicated than just for the representative office. But, you can be a full market participant. You're, essentially, free to do whatever you do within the business scope that you have chosen, essentially, within the restrictions of the foreign investment catalog.

And, joint venture, also has high startup costs which is essentially not much different from the WFE. There's a few more things that you have to do before the regular registration. You just kind of have to figure out yourself within the two partners, what you want to do. And there could be better market access with a Chinese partner, for example, that you can be introduced into a certain market to customers, to suppliers. It might also be easier dealing with authorities, although, you don't want to step over the line of being into a legality, essentially. [indiscernible 00:39:31] is nice but it's not always 100% clear whether or not this is legal. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to that.

JP: Okay. I think that's a good summary. Don't have any other follow questions with that one. So, let's move onto the next one. Any advice on naming businesses in China? Are English names okay or should they be localized? And maybe a little bit about how localization happens. It's kind of interesting but, like, [indiscernible 00:40:43] is sort of a fenetic localization. And Pizza Hut is a very odd localization which is like, “Must win customer.”

Fabian: Yeah.

JP: These should cover the whole... I don't know if you guys advise companies on this. How does that process manage? Is it some dude at the company who decides or is it like a localization naming company?

Fabian: No. So in terms of registering the company as a legal entity, first of all, you have to have a Chinese name.

JP: Okay.

Fabian: You can pretty much pick whatever English name you want. You don't register that name. At least, not with the registration authority. So, that's has to be a name. And there's certain restrictions of what you can say. For example, you can't just use the name China like [indiscernible 00:41:42] or others. So, they have to be somewhat correspondent to what you do as well. Although, then again, you have a lot of freedom in a way but you can't just go and do whatever you want.

English names, then... When you essentially pick that name, and then think about what makes sense. And what we do here, and I'm sure that this is mostly what companies do, you kind of make sure that it's not something stupid, that it doesn't...

JP: It doesn't mean tampons.

Fabian: Exactly. When you want to sell... Right. But, I mean, we're not a marketing... I guess, that will be kind of a PR company's job.

JP: So, I guess, do they have to operate under the same Chinese name that they registered or can they have operating as Mike Dunlaw of McDonald's?

Fabian: I'm not 100% sure but I would think so. It might just be their brand. And I'm sure they obviously have that as a brand. So, it's definitely a brand and that's really important. And it doesn't really matter, you don't really have to put your company name up on the board if you're selling burgers. You have to have your business license in the shop and that you can see in every restaurant. And there, it has to be showing your real name. But, that is not going to hurt your or your customer experience in that sense.

JP: So, legally your company has to be Chinese but it could just be something you keep on...

Fabian: Exactly. It just has to be your company registered name. You don't have to go advertising with it. It just has to be on all the necessary documents which is usually just stuff you need in accounting or just legal compliance. It's not something you go marketing with necessarily. It's really all about brain building that you can do parallel.

JP: Right. Okay. So, let's talk about the next one which is how long does it take incorporate a business structure in China? I guess, we'd have to separate between the different types of...

Fabian: Right. Generally, a representative office will take about two months, maybe three months. And what I'm using here is when the company is all setup, it has bank accounts, it has a tax registration, it can essentially operate, you know. Same with the WFE. It's about four to six months. Within two or three months, within two months, you have a business license but you can't do anything with it yet. You don't have bank accounts. You don't have any money. So, you can sign the labor contracts. You can't do anything with them because you can't actually pay your employees. So, there's that differentiation between company that legally exist and you can actually use it.

JP: What's the most time consuming part of the two months to get a WFE setup? Is it just waiting to here back on approval?

Fabian: Yeah. I mean, one of the big problems that you have is that you havestep-by-step process. And so, you do have to get approval from two authorities here. It's Off-Tech and AIC. So, Off-Tech is a bureau of foreign trade and economic commission. And then, you have AIC which is [indiscernible 00:45:25] for industry and commerce. So, those two entities have to approve. That usually takes a month and a half.

And before that, there's a couple things. You need a lot from the investor. And there's a lot of paperwork for them to go through and it needs to be prepared. It needs to be signed. Lots of passports and it has to be all the right color and whatnot. So, there's a lot of things that need to be done before that. But, yeah, it actually does take that long, essentially, a month and a half for the authorities to come through. It's not all the client's, no.

And joint ventures is, essentially the same, about four to six months. The clients or the company that wants to setup, it will take them a lot longer than with a WFE. And the foreign invested partnership, the FIP, also is on paper and what's been done before. It doesn't take very long. It's a fairly easy registration process because there's not a lot of restrictions on it at all. But, again, it's just one of those things that doesn't get approved because the FRE's don't want to. They're not 100% sure. It's been very [indiscernible 00:46:47].

JP: Okay. So, next is the cost including service fees, government fees.

Fabian: I think it's anywhere between... I mean, the good thing is we do both. We setup companies and we're accountants. So when a company has been setup, not by us, we can still see how much somebody else charged them for it. And we've seen some pretty awful figures.

JP: Do you get a range of...?

Fabian: Right. Exactly. For example, a bad example or a very high example is like an American law firm was charging their client by the hour which is, I think they were somewhere at $200,000. I think that's probably the high end but I'm sure it's not the ceiling. I'm sure it gets higher. You can probably get it as cheap as maybe $10,000 or $20,000.

JP: With all the fees and everything?

Fabian: Well, yeah, maybe not that. But, I put a range down here from $20,000 to about $200,000. It really depends on which service provider you have, whether they have something of a foreign connection, whether they are Hong Kong or whether they are Chinese, whether they are multi-national. So, there's a big range as well.

And what I mentioned earlier, what exactly does it include? Does it include getting your business certificates that shows that company exists or does it also include bringing in the capital and opening bank accounts, these kind of things because that doesn't necessarily always is included in what people cloaked. So, you do need to make sure that compare and equals which is sometimes difficult because it's process of a lot of steps.

JP: Okay. I think that's a good description of the range. What is the, not the mean, but the median, what are the most common costs around? Is it closer to 20 or closer to 200. On that end, it's closer to 20.

Fabian: Yeah, I think, reasonably you can expect something between 50 and 100 probably. But, again, I think there are definitely Chinese firms who do it for cheaper and there's definitely foreign firms who do it for more. These are all ranges that are for simply trading companies that don't need any other licenses. For example, just a regular import/export license, it's nothing special.

But if it's high alcohol distribution license or a catering license, you know, things that are not within the regular business scope that does require other licenses, that would add to the costs, obviously. But just the business structure, essentially, that would allow you to do certain things without any exceptions, without anything special. That's what we're talking about here.

JP: Okay. Well, that ties into the next question which is how can new businesses find out which permits are necessary? So can you just in broad strokes, paint maybe the categories or the different things that might require permits? And then, obviously, they probably need professional help to understand.

Fabian: Right. Just initially, how can they find out whether there is anything? The fold answer is always you have to check with the authority that you want approval from. That's the best source, that there's nothing else really. Obviously, have people that have been working with that authority for some time and they would know that as well. But, the ultimate source is really the guys that don't look at the law because that is not necessarily helpful. But, the authority that will actually approve you.

And, as I said, anything in food circulation, for example. If you want to certify, you know, the certification company. Certain products, like food circulation, like I said, seafood, raw seafood, milk, so cultural goods. So, there's a lot of things.

JP: Are they all under the same branch of government that governs it?

Fabian: No. No, unfortunately, not. There's different bureaus that are in charge of that. So, yeah, if you're lucky, there is... So, everything is extremely de-centralized in China in a way. If you think about it, that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. But, that's kind of the Beijing consensus, that you have a lot of people in the room and all of them have to agree. So, it's kind of everybody has the same vote but the vote doesn't count if not everybody agrees. So, that's what you need to make sure.

And that's kind of one of things, also, in terms of accountability. Nobody is every accountable because there's not one party in charge. There's always at least two people that are involved in something or two organizations. So, that's what makes it difficult. And that's why it's extremely important to make sure that you plan such a process. So, if you, for example, sometimes it makes sense to get the license after you get the business registration and sometimes it makes sense to get it before. But, you need to make sure why is that and it depends on locality. It depends on the kind of license you're getting.

And some cities have setup one-stop service centers. Suzhou, for example, has it. I don't thing Shing Jing has it yet. I don't thing Juan Jong has it. There's several cities who've been forward thinking in that way and it's been very helpful, obviously.

JP: So, you just fill out one and open...

Fabian: You just go and you have the AIC right there. You have the office right there, the tax building. You have, essentially, all of the entities that you need to check in with. They have a counter and you just go there and talk to them. You can spend plenty of time there as well. But, you have them all in the same place. You don't have to drive from office to office.

So, those are the sources where you need to look. I'm sure there's plenty of online blogs that you can look at as well. We have one, ChinaBriefing. You can get a general idea but you will never, it's not legal advice in that sense. You should definitely always check with the source.

JP: So once you know which permits you need, how can a new business get it?

Fabian: Most of them, I guess, the regular channels. For some of them, the authority might not be accommodating. You might have to use an agent that has [indiscernible 00:54:15] or whatever you want to call it. And I'm using that term for a reason. And to make sure that it happens. That's a fairly, I wouldn't really say efficient, but it's a way that works. It's not efficient but it works.

JP: Tried and true.

Fabian: Right, exactly. So, those are the two ones that you can do.

JP: What is in terms of the trading company, what's the most common permit?

Fabian: Food is actually quite a bit recorded, just trading, importing, milk powders are huge.

JP: So, you need a special permit just to import milk powder?

Fabian: Yeah, that's right.

JP: Just milk powder?

Fabian: Right.

JP: All dairy products.

Fabian: Right, exactly. Dairy products. And then, customs needs to approve that. It's a very tight process that a company needs to go through. Not just with registration but also in every time customs is bringing them in. And what I said before, for alcohol, raw fish.

JP: Any kind of alcohol.

Fabian: Well, they differentiate between just regular alcohol like beer or them like high spirits.

JP: Yeah, I heard getting a wine importation license in China is very tough.

Fabian: Right. And then, I mean, importation is in just circulation. And then, you know, a restaurant needs a special license. For example, hygiene and to pass that is not that easy either. So, it's hard to make generalizations really. For trading companies, or the one that helps is really into food.

JP: Okay, cool. Let's jump to the next one and make good progress.

Fabian: We're half way through, almost.

JP: Yeah. What are the current tax rates for businesses?

Fabian: We have a corporate income tax at 25% and we have a business tax that ranges between 5-20% which is mostly 5%.

JP: What's the difference between the two?

Fabian: Well, corporate income tax is a tax that's levied on business profits. And then, a business tax is just a transaction based tax, actually. And it's all services. So, just for a service transaction like a consulting agreement, that... Although, business tax is slowly being replaced by VAT as well. So, VAT is kind of trying to... I mean, they've been starting to reform from last year in January in Shanghai and it's being implemented now across the country from this month.

What it does is take all services but not yet. For example, our services would be considered VAT tax already which means that's a 6% tax now. So, the business tax is kind of going into... It's going to be replaced sooner or later. So, the range is also due to different kind of businesses. Twenty percent, for example, is for entertainment businesses. They charge 20% on a dollar and charge 20%. So, that's business tax.

And that's a very simple transactional tax. You have a certain amount, you slap 5% on top of that. That's how it works. VAT is a bit more difficult. I'm not sure, it was Canada I have VAT or the goods and services has a sales tax.

JP: Yeah, business services tax is actually visible on every receipt.

Fabian: Right, exactly.

JP: So, we add it on top of the product. But, VIT, I've only ever heard of VAT being used in customs.

Fabian: Right. It's important as well because VAT is being taken into consideration when capitalizing the customs, for example. So, VAT is similar to a goods and services tax. It's also called that in Singapore, for example. VAT in Europe is run on the VAT system as well. I know the US doesn't. They have a sales tax but it depends on the state and even within the state, it's not 100% clear.

JP: Yeah, the county.

Fabian: Right. It's a bit of a mess. It's like India. So, the VAT system in that sense is you have a VAT input, you have a VAT output. So whenever you purchase something, you have a VAT in if it's a VAT taxable service or product that you have. And then, you sell it on. And then, you have a VAT out. The difference between those VAT values is going to be your VAT payable. The fact that there is a difference is because you obviously have a profit margin. So, with your profit margin, you're controlling your VAT taxable, VAT payable. That ranges between 3-17% while 3 is actually, in most cases, you can't consolidate that one. You can't have a 3% VAT in and a 3% VAT output. That doesn't work that way.

There's a consumption tax as well which ranges greatly. It's not even possible to put a range on it. You can say from 0% to about 56 or 59%. For example, it's like a luxury tax almost.

JP: Where does that get taxed?

Fabian: Like, the different points. Usually, an import is a big point but also in manufacturing. Not often in trading, for example. So, usually, where it enters. And that differs as well. So, the highest ones are in tobacco, for example. That's around the higher 50's. You have it on oil and on cars, watches that are being imported, for example. So, it's a fairly messy tax but it's also one that's easily just applied like business tax. It doesn't, there's not discounting system like in VIT. But, it doesn't get applied very often. That's one of the good things. So, regular businesses don't usually deal with it.

JP: I see. So, say you're a French grocery store or whatever. So, everything that is sold has a business tax?

Fabian: No, that would have a VAT on it because that's a goods and services tax. Everything that's a good, that's a product, that's definitely VIT.

JP: Oh, okay.

Fabian: And so, there's still services that are taxed with business tax but there are already some services that are taxed with VIT.

JP: Oh, okay. So, business tax was supposed to apply to services but it's...

Fabian: Exactly, it's being pulled away. And the idea is just to make... Actually, there's a tax saving for service providers because they can also use the VAT that they get in and reconcile it with the business that they have. It doesn't work everywhere. Like, the south, for example, hasn't gotten the memo yet. But, in Shung Lai, that's the case.

JP: Interesting. Okay. And then, if you're the French grocer and you're importing some luxury...

Fabian: Like watches or foods...

JP: Some certain things, spirits, then that would get another consumption tax added on top of it.

Fabian: Exactly. That would only be on imports, essentially, or the import is kind of stuck with that. They've paid that much and they want to get the cost back and they pass on to consumers. At the end of the day, whether it's consumption tax or corporate income tax, the consumer makes...

JP: That's why wine is so expensive in China.

Fabian: Exactly. That's why Porsche and Lamborghini is so expensive. They're about 40% more expensive.

JP: And then, at the end of whatever financial period, you also get taxed on your profits?

Fabian: Exactly. And that's the corporate income tax, 25%. That's correct.

Ep. 12: How Uber is Expanding in China
21 perc 12. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today we have Martin Li from Uber’s Asia Expansion team on the show, talking about how Uber is expanding in the Chinese market. Uber, which has the motto “Everyone’s Private Driver”, allows users to summon a car at the touch of a button via its mobile app. In case you’re thinking that’s not a big deal, you should know that earlier this year, Uber closed a $360 million dollar round of funding, valuing the company at over $3.5 billion dollars. Today, we discuss how Uber is expanding into the massive Chinese market.

Episode Content:

  • Understand what Uber does, and how it’s approaching the China market
  • Dig into some of the intricacies and difficulties of localizing a Silicon Valley tech startup in China
  • Talk about some interesting ways Uber is gaining traction as a consumer tech product in China.

Episode Mentions:

Follow up:

  • If you know someone who wants to join this hot startup, check out www.uber.com/jobs/
  • Get your first free ride for free. Download the Uber app and enter the code "uberchina" to get the first ride for free!

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Ep. 11: Environment for Tech Startups in China
44 perc 11. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Steve Mushero is the co-founder and CEO of ChinaNetCloud - China's largest internet managed services company. Steve moved to China in 2005 after spending over a decade in Silicon Valley, where he worked as the CTO of a variety of technology startups. Before founding ChinaNetCloud, Steve was the CTO of Tudou, one of China’s largest video sharing websites. In this episode, Steve discusses some of the challenges of running a tech startup in Shanghai, as well as the overall environment for tech startups in China, compared to that of Silicon Valley.

Episode Content:

  • Challenges of running a tech startup in China
  • Human resources and salaries in the modern Chinese economy
  • The environment for tech startups in China versus Silicon Valley

Episode Mentions:

  • 500 Startups – a Silicon Valley based global venture firm and startup accelerator
  • Toudou – One of China’s largest online video companies, which merged with Youku, another video sharing website, in 2012
  • Light in the Box – China based eCommerce website
  • Qunar – Chinese online travel booking website

You can follow both Steve and Rui on Twitter:

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Ep. 10: The Truth About the Wine Market in China
28 perc 10. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Fongyee Walker is the founder of Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting, a company that offers consultancy, wine tasting, wine training and education services. Established in 2007, the company offers wine education in China in both English and Chinese. In addition, the company also assists wineries and trade bodies (like Wines of Australia) with promotion in China and helps wineries understand the Chinese market. Today, we're here to discuss the rapidly developing wine market in China and the opportunities that exist there.

Episode Content:

  • A high level overview of the wine market in China
  • Discuss the developments in the wine market over the past few years and how it is likely to develop in the near future
  • Discuss the challenges, misconceptions, and opportunities about the business of wine in China

Episode Mentions:

  • Great Wall Wine: please know that this is in no way an endorsement for the wine. Based on all my personal experiences, it’s quite terrible.
  • WSET: Wine & Spirit Education Trust
  • WeChat: Also known as Weixin (微信) in Chinese. A super popular chat application in China.

You can connect with Fongyee:

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Ep. 9: Bringing Foreign Brands to China via eCommerce
30 perc 9. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Frank Lavin is the CEO of Export Now, a company that helps international brands sell to Chinese consumers via Tmall, China’s largest B2C e-commerce platform. Among the brands Export Now works with are the National Football League and Tabasco sauce. The company handles everything from customs clearance, to localization, to trademark registration, to order fulfillment and customer support, making selling in China a turn-key experience for international brands. Today, we’re here to chat about the e-commerce market in China and some of the intricacies of bringing foreign brands to China.

 

Episode Content:

  • Understand the e-commerce opportunity in China
  • Dig into some of the difficulties and intricacies of bringing foreign products into China
  • Talk about marketing to Chinese consumers as an e-commerce business

Episode Mentions:

You can connect with Frank:

Via Twitter @HelloFrankLavin or via his LinkedIn profile

Download and Subscribe

 

 

Ep. 8: Building a Profitable Sourcing Business From Scratch
37 perc 8. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Antoni Watts is the owner of a sourcing company specializing in mobile phone accessory, consumer electronic and gift products. He started the company in October 2009 and quickly grew it to roughly 1 million units in annual turnover. However, since then, he has decided to exit the sourcing business and shift his attention elsewhere. Today, we’ll discuss how he was able to grow the company so quickly with limited capital, what challenges he faced, and why he eventually decided to exit the business.

Episode Content:

  • Learn how Antoni started and grew the company quickly with limited capital
  • The challenges he faced and lessons he learned
  • Why he decided to quit the sourcing business even though he was profitable

Episode Mentions:

You can connect with Antoni:

  • Connect with Antoni Watts (Hong Kong) on LinkeIn

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Ep. 7: Sourcing Your First Product from China Remotely
42 perc 7. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Terry Lin is the host of Build My Online Store, a podcast that helps ecommerce entrepreneurs grow their businesses by interviewing successful entrepreneurs, industry experts, and thought leaders. A few months ago, Terry decided to create an ecommerce product himself from scratch. He was able to find a manufacturer in China, get a sample made, and get the first production run done, while being remote the entire time. Today, we’ll discuss how he decided on the product and the process he went through to source the product from China without ever setting foot in the country.

Episode Content:

  • How Terry came up with the idea of an ecommerce product
  • What he did to estimate demand for it
  • How he did product design using Amazon reviews and Pinterest
  • Learn how he managed the entire sourcing process remotely, without setting foot in China

Episode Mentions:

You can connect with Terry:

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Ep. 6: Bootstrapping a Profitable Online Language Education Business
36 perc 6. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest David Lancashire came to China in 2003. He is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and he is the founder of PopUp Chinese, an online language education company that teaches Chinese. His company is completely bootstrapped and it’s profitable. Today, we’re here to talk about boostrapping a profitable online business in China (in the competitive Chinese language learning market to boot!). In addition, we’ll also get a few tips and resources for learning Chinese.

Episode Content:

  • We hear David’s story of how he bootstrapped a profitable online education business in China
  • The online language / Chinese language education market
  • Some tips and resources on learning Chinese

Episode Mentions:

You can connect with David:

  • Email: first name at popupchinese.com
  • Or, visit popupchinese.com and leave a comment

 

 

 

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Ep. 5: Avoiding Sourcing Mistakes
39 perc 5. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Jamon Yerger has been in China since 2004. He is the COO of High Cappin, a company that specializes in apparel and accessories sourcing, including quality assurance, quality control, and project management . Today, we’re here to talk about how to avoid sourcing mistakes.

Episode Content:

  • Using an example product, we walk through the entire sourcing process from beginning to end
  • We highlight the points at which mistakes are often made and discuss how to avoid those mistakes

Episode Mentions:

You can connect with Jamon:

  • Email: his first name at chinaopportunitypodcast.com

 

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Ep. 3: Managing Relationships with Chinese Factories
49 perc 3. rész Jons Slemmer
china factory relationship

Today’s guest Peter Keller is an entrepreneur with a great deal of experience in China sourcing for small and medium businesses. Peter is the founder of Fringe Sport, a company that specializes in CrossFit equipment and gear. Before founding Fringe Sport, Peter was vice president at Living Direct, an multi-million dollar online retailer of home appliances, where he helped build the overseas sourcing capability within the company. In this episode, we discuss how to manage relationships with Chinese factories.

Episode Content:

  • Some real-life stories of interactions with factories so you know what to expect: the good and the bad
  • Some guiding principles on how to manage relationships: from initiating the relationship, to developing the relationship, to maintaining the relationship
  • We also discuss the controversial topic of giving and taking bribes in China

Episode Mentions:

  • Dynamite Circle: a private online community for entrepreneurs with an emphasis on lifestyle design and location independence
  • Lifestyle Business Podcast: an awesome podcast by Dan & Ian where they talk about business and (sometimes) lifestyle design
  • Fringe Sport, which Peter founded, is a company that manufactures CrossFit equipment and gear
  • Living Direct, where Peter worked previously as Vice President, is an online retailer of home appliances
  • Alibaba: website where you can find Chinese suppliers and factories
  • Canton Fair: a huge export Fair held twice annually in Guangdong, China
  • Ramit Sethi’s blog: smart blog written by the author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich

You can connect with Peter:

  • Twitter: @petekeller
  • Via email: his first name at fringesport.com

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Ep. 2: China Sourcing Essentials
41 perc 2. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Michael Bellamy is a business owner, author, and a bona fide expert in China Sourcing, with over a decade of experience doing business in China. Michael is the author of the book “The Essential Reference Guide to China Sourcing” and the founder of PassageMaker, a china sourcing and contract assembly firm with a staff of over 150 specialists. He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board at China Sourcing Information Center, a not-for-profit organization that exists to at educate, develop, and advance the China sourcing profession. In this episode, we discuss the essentials of China sourcing.

Episode Content:

  • This episode outlines a roadmap for sourcing in China: from having an idea, to finding a factory, to finally getting your products shipped to you
  • We didn’t have enough time to cover all the details, so think of this as a compass rather than the turn by turn navigation to China sourcing
  • We touch important topics such as IP, purchase orders, and quality inspection

Episode Mentions:

You find Michael at:

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Ep. 1: Profiting from Chinese Social Media
26 perc 1. rész Jons Slemmer
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Today’s guest Michael Michelini left his job on Wall Street in 2007 and came to China. He’s currently the co-founder and CEO of Social Agent, an online tool that helps businesses leverage Chinese Social Media for sales. In this episode, we’ll find out what drew Michael to China in 2007, how he was able to put together a team for a tech startup even though he doesn’t code, and his experience with China-Axlr8r, one of the premiere tech incubators in China. We’ll also discuss the lay of the land for Chinese Social media.

Episode Mentions:

  • China-Axlr8r is a tech incubator based in Dalian, China. They’re currently accepting their 4th class of startups. Application deadline is May 15, 2013. You can apply to China-Axlr8r here.

  • Canton Fair is a huge China Import/Export fair held in Guangzhou twice annually (usually in April and October)

  • The Insourcing Boom an article in The Atlantic discussing the trend of "insourcing"

  • Lean Startup Machine hosts weekend workshops all over the world teaching entrepreneurs the Lean Startup methodology

  • Startup Weekend hosts events all over the world where entrepreneurs come together, share ideas, and launch startups over one weekend

  • Chinese Social Media: Weibo, Weixin (WeChat), QQ, RenRen, Kaixin

You can connect with Michael via:

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