Posts in Business
Ep 81 - How to Meet High Level Contacts in Hong Kong

A back to back episode with Alan Scanlan at the Pullman Hotel in HK. Let's talk about building connections in Hong Kong. One of the places where you can meet some of the most successful people. Let's find out some tips on how you can meet those people so you can do business more effectively.

Topics Includes:

  • The advantages of Moving and Living in HK, 

  • Making a lot of connections in HK

  • Supportive Expat Community 

  • Joining Networking events such as Invest HK*

  • Banking in China

  • Email Inbox Organization

  • Working on weekends and holidays

  • Living in mainland China vs HK

  • Handling distractions while trying to focus on Work Goals

  • Dealings of a Boss: Making it Work for your staff as well

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Ep 80 - Building an 8 Figure Family Dynasty From Ireland to China

This week's episode is another video cast episode Featuring Alan Scanlan, who runs a Family Sourcing Business that was started in the 1970s by his Father. They talk about the history of how his dad coming from Ireland came about sourcing in HK and how he turned it into an 8 figure dynasty for more than 4 decades now.

Topics Includes:

  • Difficulties during the first 5 years

  • Tipperary Crystals

  • History of the Family Sourcing Business

  • Manufacturing and Importing from everything irish such as the Shamrock

  • Coming to Hong kong 

  • Allied imports and allied international

  • Doing business with Mark and Spencers 

  • Coming into the business as a young man

  • How he found Rico

  • Sourcing for Whiskey Bottles

  • Newlands Sourcing

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Ep 79 - Managing Clients

In this Episode, Rico and Noam Discuss how they respectively manage clients and what lengths they have to do to maintain them.

Topics Includes:

  • The difficulties of maintaining a Routine!

  • Approaching from the Clients perspective

  • What's your Brand Story

  • Making your decisions base on your core values

  • Just be honest with your clients; Never give bad news without a solution

  • Clients who negotiate for cheap price

  • Selling Service vs Selling Finish Products

  • Taking on Enough Projects that you can Handle

  • Getting clients is just like "Dating"

  • For every negative there's a positive 

  • Systemizing your Business: SOPS SOPS SOPS

  • It's good to have friends in your industry even if they are your competitors

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Ep 78 - The Growing pains of Consulting Businesses

This week, we welcome back Noam Lightstone to the Podcast who is one of Rico's Core Friends from way back during college in Canada. In this episode they exchange each other's Growing Pains that comes with running a Consulting Business, their shared values and how it is being a Young Entrepreneur.

Topics Includes:

  • Micro Expenses

  • Big Sin City vs Small Transitioning City

  • Does Systemizing your business really give you more free time?

  • Making the right Hire and managing your staff.

  • Having someone who can get task done aside from yourself

  • S.O.Ps

  • Strategizing and moving your staff like chess pieces

  • Wearing different "Hats" within your company

  • Challenges of working with an unreliable Company or Client

  • Giving Trust to your employee as part of encouraging growth.

  • Can there be balance when starting a business and having a relationship?

  • "You can have it all you want but not all at once"

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Ep 77 - What The SFA Team (2016) Thought of Rico

Here is another Back log Episode to Start 2019, Recorded Back in 2016, Rico puts his Staff namely; CiCi, Immigen and Sunny on the interrogation chair to get their feedback on how it is to be working for Source Find Asia and having Rico as their Boss and Mentor.

Topics Includes:

  • How it is working for SFA.

  • The difference working for a Foreigner and a Chinese Boss

  • Views on talking to Manufacturing Factories

  • Communicating with the customers using emails vs wechat app

  • Manufacturer's frustrations on SFA not sourcing specialized products.

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Ep 76 - A Globally Sourced YT Channel with Mr Mafan of the MAFAN Crew

This is not a “MAFAN” episode! Here Rico chats with Mr Mafan Himself over drinks. Aka Luigui Mangasha, an expat in China for the last 8 years, shares with us his experience working in Beijing then moving to Shenzen and as well as talking about his brainchild The Mafan Crew, a youtube channel he created for the Multi-cultured Expats living in China.

Topics Includes:

  • Mafan crew's purpose 

  • What mafan means

  • Luigi Mangasha channel

  • Being Aware in China: watching out for spit!

  • Learning to be patient and accepting in China

  • Shenzen Vs Beijing

  • Networking through WeChat app

  • Learn to sell yourself

  • Why a Chinese would hire a Foreigner?

  • Competition improves a company

  • Misconceptions of foreigners on the business side of things.

  • Challenges working as a the lone foreigner 

  • Designing toys as the next business move

  • Starting out the youtube channel

  • Vloggers.

  • "Make yourself different"

  • Youtube is Practically Illegal in China

  • MR MAFAN!

  • Youtubers in China WeChat Group

  • Advice to "young Youtuber" Rico

  • "Keep it real and believe in yourself"

  • "Gratefulness is the greatest virtue of a man"

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Ep 75 - Second year in China Lessons

This week’s episode, We coincide the Youtube Video Channel and the Made in China Podcast to release a VideoCast. Rico captured this moment Interviewing Harrison Bevins, an Amazon FBA Reseller, who you can recall from previous Made In China Episodes; Lessons learned in China year 1 and the Reply all episode. Here they revisit their conversation on lessons they learned in China year 1, and a year since after they both discuss the continuing process and challenges of having and handling their business in China.

Topics Includes:

  • The Adjustments made, From living in Taiwan to Mainland China

  • Discovering making money online, Drop shipping

  • Reply All Episode

  • Selling the drop shipping store through Flippa.com

  • Amazon FBA, Why FBA and Lessons Learnt while selling the Company

  • Product Photos from Rico's Source Find asia

  • Communicating in China. "WeChat App"

  • Biggest Lesson learned 2nd year in China

  • Rollercoaster of emotions comes with doing business

  • The Importance of having a community of like minded people surrounding you.

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Ep 74 - Black Panther in China Movie Review Part 2

This week we continue to listen to Rico and Nick’s Critique on Black Panther and other topics about the MCU Characters and it’s Rival, DC Comics.

Topics Includes:

  • Marvel VS DC

  • Bucky's Story

  • Captain America's the ladies Man and The Ironman Scandal

  • Asian Superhero?

  • Marvel's renting their superheroes to other movie studios

  • Captain Canada and Deadpool

  • Marvel movies inspiring the real life superheroes of the future

  • Rating Top 3 Marvel Movies

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Ep 73 - Black Panther in China Movie Review Part 1

Enough Business talk! This week we are releasing an old Podcast that didn't get released until now. Nick Nerov joins Rico in this 2 parts podcasts to review Marvel's Black Panther that was released on China's Movie Theatres. They became movie critics in this episode and give their own observations and perspectives as well as sharing each of their favorite experiences of the movie.

Topics Includes:

  • Marvel Superhero Characters are still new to the Chinese Audience

  • Rico is being compared to Obama

  • Chinese's peception of a black man

  • Unassuming Africa's rich economic countries

  • Nick's and Rico's Favorite part of the movie

  • Rooting and being emotional for the Villain

  • Immigration issue parallelism 

  • Superb Fight Scenes

  • Favorite supporting actor/ actress

  • Intrigued by Wakanda

  • Strong Females, Gender Equality properly portrayed in the movie

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Ep 72 - Working for a Foreigner in China

For this week we are reposting a quick episode from the youtube channel where Rico interviews his project manager Immigen and ask her questions on how she feels working for a foreign company in China

Topics Includes:

  • What her role is as a project manager

  • Comparing working for a foreign company to a chinese company

  • What she thinks about the company from when it started to what it is now

  • The future of the sfa company

  • Organizing a client's company

  • Being systemized is a necessity

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EP 71 - The China Business Cast Podcast Episode feat. Rico

Here's a repost from Michael Michelini's podcast China Business Cast where Rico switch sides from Interviewer to the Interviewee. They touch on topics regarding Original Design Manufacturing from its process and the steps.

Topics Includes:

  • What it takes to run a company

  • Critical to have a clear and detailed communication with your employees or suppliers”

  • “Molding”

  • The importance of coming to china to meet your manufaturer/ supplier

  • The Process - step 1 come to china: DFM (design for manufacture)

    Step 2 : Create a Sample

    Step 3 : Full Mass Production

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Ep 70 - Crowdfunding for Sex Toys, Lovach

Warning!!! This conversation contains Explicit topics!!! NSFW! It's a first in this Podcast where sex is part of the topic which was heavily discussed between Rico and Leony Tan. Leony, who works for a company who specializes in sex toys called Lovach, Introduces Molly and gives a brief description and the benefits regards to the product as well as sharing more in depth issues about the sex toy industry, indiegogo crowd funding campaigns and the common challenges they experience when manufacturing products with chinese factories.

Topics Includes:

  • Starting out as a teacher in China.

  • "Focus on something you can control"

  • Product Features: 2 point stimulation

  • Benefits of sex toys in today's world and how it helps long distance relationships

  • Flaws from other products: Invading privacy and unregulated toys, “be careful what you put up in your @$%!

  • The Lovach Team and their roles

  • The steps to manufacturing the product

  • Issues with factory : best to get an industrial designer

  • indiegogo launching

  • Marketing Plans

  • Expectations on the campaign

  • Next product after "Molly"

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Ep 69 - Evolving your Business with Mark O' Connell Part 2

In this sequel, Mark continues to share his experience importing from China and dealing with the Australia’s government’s strict customs policies. Later on the conversation, he gives positive details why he chose and continues to work with Rico.

Topics incl:

  • Customs Issues; “Tags on Bags”

  • What it means to be a Sourcefindasia Client.

  • Transparency needed between the client and supplier

  • Why he LOVES Working with Rico.

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Ep 68 - Evolving your Business with Mark O' Connell Part 1

Over the years, Technological Advancement has progressed rapidly and has affected everyone including how you run your business system, from sharing files using floppy disks to sending files on the email. In this part 1 of 2 episodes, We have Mark O' Connell who has had a printing business since the 90s to share his overview of the transition to the digital age and how he had to adapt his business according to times.

Topics incl:

  • Starting the business during the 90s and to how it is now.

  • His Definition of an Entrepreneur

  • How digital changed his Printing Business "Innovating through the times"

  • From trading to Sourcing

  • Language barrier - Dealing with the chinese trading companies

  • "You make your own luck"

  • Shipping and Border Control

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Ep 67 - Over $1 Million in 45 days - The Bento Bag Indiegogo Campaign w/ Kish

A Fascinating story we have in this podcast episode, Rico gets to Interview good friend, Kish, Who along with his wife founded Nomad Lane. He graciously shared their success stories and how they were able to gather $1,000,000.00 in 45 days through crowdfunding with their indiegogo campaign and the challenges and strategies they had to endure along the way.

Topics incl:

  • Start in E-Commerce

  • Each partner's role using their respective skills and training 

  • Enter China Community

  • CrowdFunding

  • The Fast Company Article and how it made an impact.

  • Maximize Maximize Maximize

  • “Try to be something to Someone”

  • Canton Fair

  • Tips and Advices based from Experiences

    • Being Cautious

    • Do not Deviate from the Campaign

    • Have a solid foundation with a supplier

    • Plan well to meet Deliveries

    • Having A Good Support System

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Ep 66 -Importing into China with David Sheu Bears Nutrition

We are Back! In this Episode, Rico Chats with David Sheu, CEO and Co-founder of Bears Nutrition. Here they touch on topics mainly about Importing into China.

Topics incl:

  • Importing into instead of manufacturing in China

  • Business in China is like the wild west

  • Exotic food in China; "Kentucky Fried Snake"

  • History of Bears Nutrition and transitioning to the Chinese market

  • Challenges faced and the need to Develop Relationships, Trust and Lots of Networking.

  • Bears Nutrition Launch

  • Explaining its Distribution system; Warehousing. 

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Ep 65 - The “Rent a Foreigner” Industry in China

In this episode, which was taken from the Sourcefind asia youtube channel, Rico Sits down with his buddies Nick and Ben, to talk about how Ben got into the famous Chinese "acting" (Rent A Foreigner) industry.


Topics incl:

  • Acting for chinese business presentations

  • how ben got into the acting industry

  • getting repeat Gigs

  • Knowing the "Real Market Price"

  • Loving and Adpating with China 


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Ep 64 - How to find Meet-Ups in China?

In this episode, Chinamike and Rico connected to discuss about China's Meet ups in general. The good and advantages for sourcing entrepreneurs who are hoping to get educated or even grow their own personal network in the industry.


Topics incl:

  • Access to Information is Key

  • The importance of having Meet Ups

  • Digital Nomads in Chiangmai Vs China

  • After meet up-meetups

  • What would make an interesting and fun meetup

  • Digital Nomads Summit

  • TUNI TALKS

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Ep 63 - Review of Reply All Podcast #124 The Magic Store (Amazon FBA)

Episode 63 covers the Interview of Harrison Bevin in one of Rico's favorite Podcast "Reply All by Gimlet". They share their reactions and expanded even further on Topics regarding the ugly side of Amazon's imperfect system that most consumers aren't aware about.


Topics incl:

  • Being interviewed at Reply All 

  • Drop Shipping

  • The dark side of Amazon 

  • Hi-Jacking

  • Price wars

  • The Cons of Being an Amazon Reseller

  • What Amazon can do to Improve and protect their sellers and consumers.

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Introducing the Canton Fair Pre-Accelerator 2018

Click here for more info: Canton Fair Pre-Accelerator 2018. 

Coming to China to source private label products around the Canton Fair?!? Well, don't you fret, cause our main man Rico will show you the way! Introducing the Canton Fair Pre-Accelerator 2018. You would not want to miss this!!

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