Made in China Podcast

While in Manila, Rico discovered a gentleman's club that defines him, The Refined is a members only lounge that provides a gentleman's lifestyle experience. Rico sits down with the owner, another Toronto Boy, Noelle Naguiat who was very gracious enough to share his experiences in entrepreneurship and the birth of his "Mancave".

Topics Includes:

• Coming Back to Manila

• Advantages leaving in the Philippines compared to North American countries

• Beginning with Mankind then opening Refined after

• What didn't work at Mankind then corrected at Refined

• Finding the right Investors 

• Making Connections

• Mastermind groups

• Finding Focus

• Early Mistakes with the Refined

• Paying for The "Experience" of Refined

• Being present as an owner 

For this week, Rico and Harrison connected at the Refined, Manila to talk about the lessons they learned after 3 years in China. They give their very own perspectives about how different individuals particularly expats decide to stay or while some others like themselves eventually leave even if they have their businesses connected in China.

Topics Includes:

• Transitioning from living in to leaving China 

• "Lifestlye creep"

• Price hike in China

• Why some guys stay longer

•  "Health Issues" a reason for leaving

• Business lesson learned by the 3rd year in China

• The advantages of being in China while doing FBA Amazon Retailing

• Anxieties about transitioning out.

• Present tools such as podcasts and youtube channels to help expats in China.

• Finding the right Supplier for your Amazon business

• "analysis paralysis" - Figure the first step and then go on from there.

• Guru Courses are unnecessary expenses

In this episode, let's listen to Rico and Noam Once again where they talk about how to further systemized a consulting business in their respective areas, to make it easier for them to manage the company.

Topics Includes:

• The Ups and Downs of running a company

• Hiring process

• Language Barrier Between Clients and Chinese Employees

• How much can you systemize 

• Reaching Unrealistic Goals

• Focusing on your own work

• Amazon investments on Technology

• People vs Apps that can help ease your business effectively

A "hockey stick" chart is a line chart in which a sharp increase occurs suddenly after a short period of quiescence. The line connecting the data points resembles a hockey stick. 

This week, we bring you one of the last throwback episodes from the series of Rico and Noam's recorded Podcast 2 years ago (2017). Their conversation circled around the benefits or importance of having a home base for your business and the pressures of maintaining a company's rapid growth .

Topics Includes:

• What it means to be Riding a "Hockey Stick"

• Why having a Home Base for your business is Essential

• Being Consistent is the fundamental key

• Operating around your Schedule

• Systemizing will lessen the stress

• Your City Surroundings can motivate your drive

• Handling a rapid expansion

• Fast Growth Company needs to look at their quarters like a normal company would look at their year.

• Keeping your feet on the ground despite having quick success 

• "Pessimistically Optimistic" 
  

For this week’s episode, Rico and ChinaMike or now known as ChiangMike, Hangs out yet again to share each other’s observations of China’s rapid development through their respective duration of time spent living in the country.

Topics Includes:

• The Sourcing Table Meet Ups

• The Changes in China from 2008 to it’s Present

• The Government has tighten up

• The Decreasing Quality of Food as the Cost of living Increases.

• Nantong, A City that’s much cheaper then it’s neigbouring Cities.

• Old School Sourcing vs Present Day Sourcing

• China being the first to develop the apps

• Pollution is getting better

• More Businesses being established.

• The Challenges retaining workers/ and dealing with the minimum wage hike

• How Different this generation of workers compared to it's predecessors
  

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

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
  

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

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"

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.