Ep 25 - Dating in China at 30 - With Chilli (Part 2)

Rico had the opportunity to interview Chilli, his ex manager from his English teaching days on being female, 30 and single in China. This is part 2 of a 3 part episode. We went in deep on marriage on this week!

Topics Incl:

Why it's normal for the husband to give his entire salary to his wife
Chili's friends telling her to date a "hot foreigner" because her English is so good!
The disadvantages of dating or marrying a someone
Picking sides between your significant other and your parents
What you owe your parents if they help you buy a house?

Lifestyle, ChinaRicoMay 26, 2016datingComment

Ep 24 - A 6 Month of Review of The Podcast

In this short but sweet episode ChinaMike and Rico broke down their favourite Made in China Podcast episodes from the first 6 months of podcast (at the time of the recording).

All podcast episodes mentioned are listed in the resources.

Amazon FBA, Business, ChinaRicoMay 19, 2016Comment

Ep 23 - EC Success Stories - Over $400K Raised, 2 Kickstarter Campaigns (with Winson Tam)

ChinaMike, Rico & Winson Tam Skyped in from Chicago, Guangzhou & Shenzhen to talk about Winson's insane Ruggie Kickstarter and his previous All Season Sweats campaign which have raised over $400,000 CAD.

Topics Include:

Why you should drop a product even after a successful campaign
How to launch a bootstrapped campaign by offering a % of the raised funds
Why the "Law of Attraction" isn't just some woo woo bullsh*t
How Winson leveraged a hometown relationship to get featured on MAJOR news outlets like The Huffington Post
The 2 must read books for your basic marketing knowledge when outsourcing your campaign

Crowdfunding, Kickstarter, NetworkingRicoMay 7, 2016Comment

Ep 22 - (Bonus Episode) The Canton Fair - How To Maximize Your Visit

In another short and packed bonus episode ChinaMike & Rico broke down some gems and a few hacks to help you maximize your Canton Fair visit.

Tips include:

How to easily register, avoid lining up with 1,000s of people and get your badge
Accommodation tips you won't find from a Google search
Some of the best places to eat and meet foreigners and locals
Why you shouldn't take a quote you get at the fair at face value
The best ways to come across as sourcing pro when communicating with suppliers
What type of suppliers to expect and which phase is best for you

China, Networking, AlibabaRicoApril 20, 2016Canton Fair, Guangzhou Comments

Ep 21 - Dating in China at 30 - With Chilli (Part 1)

Rico had the opportunity to interview Chilli, his ex manager from his English teaching days on being female, 30 and single in China. This is part 1 of a 3 part episode.

Topics Incl:

The pressure being the an only child in China puts on you to appease your parents
How society perceives a woman who's 30 and single as mentally disturbed
Jennifer Aniston...
Short term benefits vs long term negatives of buckling to the pressure
Why Chilli goes against the grain

China, LifestyleRicoApril 17, 2016datingComment

Ep 20 - (Bonus Episode) 7 Lessons Learned About Living in China

In this short bonus episode Rico and ChinaMike broke down lessons they've learned about living in China. Topics Discussed Incl:

How damn difficult it is to live a healthy life
Why you can get distracted or complacent
People are just people
Just try it!
Persistence is key
The USA is not the shit (people are just people)
Always bring headphones

China, LifestyleRicoApril 9, 2016 Comments

Ep 19 - Inside Rico's Private Weekly Mastermind/Accountability Group "NO.X 3.0" (No Excuses)

This week Rico takes you into one of his private weekly mastermind/accountability meetings aptly named NO.X (No Excuses). These weekly meetings are designed to keep members accountable for defining and completing weekly goals with a view of reaching your more ambitious long-term goals one step at a time.

Topics in the meeting incl:

The two automation apps that will absolutely change your life and business
Learning how to read 2 books a week almost effortlessly
Spending $15 on Facebook ads to achieve 1000s of viewers
The mechanics of an online business aimed at Chinese consumers
Setting up LinkedIn and Facebook Sales Funnels

Business, China, LifestyleRicoApril 2, 2016Comment

Ep 18 - Serial Tech Entrepreneur, Author and China Business Expert Michael Michelini

Another epic!

Rico interviewed Michael Michelini a serial tech entrepreneur/author/american Internet dude - based in Shenzhen, China. Michael's list of achievements include consulting for companies like Cisco Systems, Tencent and AllRecipes.com to name a few, running 2 successful podcasts (China Business Cast & Global From Asia) and co-founding multiple tech startups over his 9 years in China.

Topics covered in this episode incl:

Shenzhen vs Silicon Valley
His involvement in bringing the first Startup Weekend Event to Shenzhen
Why the average budding entrepreneur may get rejected by an HK Bank in recent times
His moment of rebellion against the judges at 36 Kr (Chinese Techcrunch) and how he got the crowd on his side
Why being too much of a friend can hurt your relationships with your staff in China
Balancing multiple businesses while being married with 2 young kids
How try as they might, governments can’t restrict global entrepreneurship and digital nomads because of the internet

RicoMarch 26, 2016Comment

Ep 17 - A Podcast About Our Favourite Podcasts

In our least formal episode yet! Rico and ChinaMike chopped it up about their favourite podcasts and why you should listen to them. Podcasts have been extremely beneficial in the lives of our hosts and continue to simultaneously be their main forms of entertainment and education.

Episode talking points include:

Being one of the key factors that brought them together to form Source Find Asia
How The Joe Rogan Experience helped ChinaMike get through rough periods in China
Why ChinaMike has beef with Neal Brennan
The podcast that gave Rico vital business strategies he implemented into SFA
How podcasts can keep an entrepreneur motivated during their journey

China, BusinessRicoMarch 20, 2016Comment

Ep 16 - Crucial Things You Need to Know When Forming a Startup in China - Nathan Jansen 1421.Consulting

In this episode Rico sat down with long time China friend Nathan Jansen from 1421 Consulting.

Nathan dropped knowledge bombs on topics such as:

The most commonly formed business entities in China (i.e. WOFE, Representative Office, Joint Venture etc) and the advantages/disadvantages of each one
What the hands down best city to register your company in China is right now
The biggest misconceptions people have about registering a company in Mainland
What the minimum registered capital is to form your startup in the Mainland China and what registered capital is exactly
Why registering your company in Hong Kong first, will save you TIME & MONEY
If the Chinese company registration laws are becoming less or more strict and why

RicoMarch 10, 2016Comment

Ep 15 - Wildball, How ChinaMike Makes Bank with Basketball in China

In the episode we focus on ChinaMike's love and history playing semi-pro ball in China, also known as "Wildball." He waxed lyrical on topics such as:

Not knowing people were getting paid off of his playing time, while he played for fun
The key differences between basketball in the Wild Wild East & the U.S.
How to identify sleazy agents that will sell you a dream and give you a nightmare
Which basketball players from the West succeed, which players fail and why
What happens when someone who's never been outside of the US, finds themselves playing in front of 10,000 screaming fans, in the most remote villages of China

China, LifestyleRicoMarch 3, 2016 Comment

Ep 14 - Author, Amazon FBA Expert, Electronics Sourcing Guru - Manuel Becvar from ImportDojo.com

One of best interviews we've done thus far on the podcast. Manuel Becvar is a renaissance man based out of Hong Kong & Bangkok, with over 10 years of experience sourcing electronics in China and two successful companies. He took us to school on topics such as:

Why he never took the leap from Hong Kong to mainland China
The sourcing skills he's mastered through his electronics trading company Mandarin-Gear and translating those into a successful Amazon FBA Coaching venture called ImportDojo
If Amazon will try to kill the competition and take all the knowledge/skills learnt from it's sellers
When an FBA seller should consider shipping via Air vs Sea
His FBA launch process and favourite marketing tactics
What the main differences are between Alibaba & Global Sources
The importance of networking and giving value without expecting anything return

Amazon FBA, AlibabaRicoFebruary 20, 2016Comment

Ep 13 - 100% Funded in 48 Hours Kickstarter - Wood MacBook Skins with Bambooti.be

Rico Skyped with the Bambooti.be Boys, Pieter Van Moll & Freek Gielen, about their 200% funded Kickstarter campaign. Their campaign ends in 2 days and their slogan is simple and catchy, "A Wooden Back For Your Mac" but the unique selling point isn't doesn't end there. Topics Include.

The strategy that got them 100% funded within 2 days of launching the campaign
Why they chose to manufacture in the UK rather than China
How Freek used his design skills to make a MacBook everyone adores
One of THE BEST ways to get influencers, tastemakers & major publications to pay attention to your campaign
How they plan on scaling their business via a drop shipping business model

Crowdfunding, KickstarterRicoFebruary 19, 2016Comment

Ep 12 - Hiring, Firing & Managing a Team in China

ChinaMike & Rico, took a break from the holiday festivities to break down how they've hired, fired and managed employees in a foreign country. They touched on:

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

RicoDecember 22, 2015 Comments

Ep 11 - (Bonus Episode) What It's Like to Teach & Study English in China - With Vivi Chow

Ever wondered what it's like to teach English in China? Or what the perspective was from a Chinese student's side? In this short bonus episode you can hear it all directly from a Guangzhou, China native named Vivi Chow - whom Rico used to teach. Topics incl:

Some of the main reasons why Chinese people study English
What Vivi thinks about the amount of "unqualified" foreigners teaching English in China
The main characteristics Chinese students like in their foreign English teachers
How good & how bad Rico was when he was teaching English

RicoDecember 15, 2015Comment

Ep 10 - Starting an Amazon FBA Business & How Being in China Will Save Your Butt (With Zam Tual)

Rico sat down with Zam Tual, a successful Amazon FBA Seller, to break down the benefits of being based in China while setting up your Amazon FBA business. Topics covered incl:

Zam's process of identifying the best selling products on FBA
The must have apps for any FBA seller
His first product failures and how he's launched 2 highly profitable products since
The #1 FREE resource that will teach you how to build, launch and sustain a successful FBA business
What level of customization he's doing and how it takes his product quality to the next level
The future of FBA and how to stay relevant in a saturated market
How being in or having connections in China has saved Zam's ass on numerous occasions

Amazon FBARicoDecember 7, 2015 Comments

Ep 9 - Ask ChinaMike & Rico Session #1 - Sourcing in China Q&A

In this episode we answer your questions regarding everything from sourcing, manufacturing, logistics and trading. Be prepared for some knowledge bombs as Rico and Mike get on a trans-Pacific call to address some of the following:

Getting your Chinese factory to provide you a warranty, particularly for electronic products
The best way to communicate with your supplier after they’ve done something wrong
How to go about structuring your pricing if you’re getting started in sourcing business
Dealing with traders vs. manufacturers and how much more the traders actually mark up the products
The 3 cardinal rules you need to know before you start importing to, or from, Asia

RicoNovember 22, 2015Comment

Ep 8 - The Hands Down Best Way to Validate Your Business Ideas (with Ryan Mulvihill)

Tune in as we interview Ryan Mulvihill, an online entrepreneur who’s recently successfully launched his first book “Startup Idea Action Plan", which is currently beating some of the bestsellers such as Elon Musk’s biography and The Lean Startup! Here’s what to expect:

How to take the principles taught in courses like The Foundation and apply them to any kind of business
Why validating your product via B2B is so much easier than via B2C
The number one (silly) thing that stops most people from validating their business ideas
The foolproof method of getting your business idea validated before you make any significant time and money investments (this is also the cheapest method possible)
How to get your first 20-30 customers literally out of thin air
How to use Ryan’s techniques for physical product validation (do this before you decide to source and design a product in China)
How Ryan’s friends have avoided spending thousands of dollars on products that wouldn’t have much of a success
The best ways to get over the fear of cold calling
How to warm up your leads and keep them engaged (yes, it can be automated)
Why sounding like an asshole will get you past gatekeepers on the phone

RicoNovember 15, 2015 Comments

5 Fundamental Tips for Effective Communication with Chinese Suppliers on Alibaba

So you, an entrepreneur, a purchasing agent, or an amazon seller – whoever you are, you want to make sure you do all the right things when talking to your potential Chinese suppliers.

You want to establish an effective communication – the key to any successful sourcing project. At this point it doesn’t matter whether you are doing product development and using a crowdfunding platform like kickstarter, or you’re just looking for another variation of a popular product.

The tips we’ve enlisted here apply universally to whatever it is that you want to source in China.

Alibaba SeriesMauriceNovember 13, 2015Comment

Ep 7 - How to Break Into A Chinese Network and Build Relationships (with Russell Smith)

In this episode we interview Russell Smith, a long-term expat in China who currently designs websites and does online marketing for Chinese manufacturers. Here’s what’s on tap:

How he got started in China and why sourcing is not for everyone
How he transitioned into providing services to Chinese companies
The staggering differences between forming Chinese vs. Western business relationships
How Russell managed to break into a network of hundreds factory owners and how he’s built his reputation with them from scratch
The one brunch with his Chinese contacts that resulted in landing 3 contracts simultaneously

RicoNovember 6, 2015Comment

Made in China Podcast

International Business | Crowdfunding | Entrepreneurship