Ep 37 - Over $10K in 14 Days on Kickstarter, Heather Shuster Returns

In this historical episode, Rico spoke with Heather Shuster (the podcast's first ever return guest) about her successful and ongoing (as of April 6th, 2017) OLLI Fair Trade Rubber Flip-Flip Kickstarter campaign.

Topics Incl:

The importance of pre-campaign prep work.
How they secured her first $3k in sales prior to the campaign.
One clever hack OLLI is using to speed up her shipping process.
How Holly Shuster's duck face game fairs on Instagram
Now that she's got the money, what's up next for her business?

Crowdfunding, China, Enter China, Business, Kickstarter, NetworkingRicoApril 6, 2017social entrepreneurshipComment

Ep 35 - Leveraging High Paying Jobs in China While Starting a Business (w/ Nick Lenczewski)

In this episode we interviewed Nick Lenczewski (Len-chess-key) the author of Ultimate China Guide: How to Teach English, Travel, Learn Chinese & Find Work in China. He writes books and makes movies to help people discover the incredible life that living and traveling in China brings. Made in China Podcast listeners can download the first 30 pages of Ultimate China Guide for free here.

Topics Incl:

Eating Chicken Feet at 7 / 11
Going from 0 words to being a medical translator of Mandarin to English
How he found and now helps foreigners find non-teaching jobs in China
Opening his own English teaching school in China
Dating and being treated like a celebrity in China
Getting a Chinese Driver's License

China, Business, Lifestyle, NetworkingRicoMarch 10, 2017teaching, china, hustleComment

Ep 33 - First Year in China Lessons

In our first episode of 2017 (which was recorded in 2016), Rico sat down with Harrison Bevins - whom you might remember from Ep 19 Inside Rico's Private Mastermind - to discuss what life lessons you might learn in your first year in the wild wild East.

Topics Incl:

Getting over cold stares and being shoved in and out of elevators
The strategies we used to settle into life in China
Living in Taipei for comfort vs Guangzhou for hustle
Why no one concurs China in a year

China, Lifestyle, Networking, Enter China, BusinessRicoFebruary 10, 2017china, life, cultureComment

Ep 31 - Meeting Two New Friends A Week w/ Heather Shuster olliworld.com

In one of my (Rico) favourite episodes I sat down with Co-Founder of Olli and Enter China member Heather Shuster (also known as Indiana Jones in the community) about her journey sourcing from Sri Lanka and manufacturing fair trade rubber footwear in China:

Topics Incl:

Her journey to China
Why she chose to go out searching rubber plantations in Sri Lanka
Being called "Mr. Shuster"
Making the decision to meet two new friends a week for self-improvement

Kickstarter, Enter China, Networking, Crowdfunding, China, BusinessRicoDecember 13, 2016Comment

Ep 30 - International Business Payments Using Bitcoin? w/ Neil Woodfine COO @ Remitsy.com

In this episode we had the pleasure of talking to Neil Woodfine COO of Remitsy. His Fintech startup processes international payment into China (at the moment) through Bitcoin. Which allows for faster and cheaper transactions than your typical international wire transfer.

Topics Incl:

What Bitcoin and Blockchain tech is and how it's going to affect the future.
How you can save money on international payments through Remitsy's service.
Why YOUR banks are trying to adopt the blockchain technology ASAP.
How convoluted the traditional SWIFT network (wire transfer) system is.
The biggest misconceptions behind Bitcoin, Blockchain tech and cryptocurrencies in general.

China, Business, NetworkingRicoSeptember 10, 2016finance, factories, fintechComment

Ep 28 - Footwear Design, Dealing with China Remotely & High Volume (w/ Ryan Flynn)

This week's episode was a first! We got the chance to interview a fan of the podcast, he reached to us via email, Rico met him for drinks in the Guangzhou IFC Tower and now he's guest on the show. His name is Ryan Flynn, he's a designer in NYC, who works for a multi-national sportswear brand as their Design Director - specifically in their athletic footwear department.

Topics Discussed Incl:

When working with Chinese trading companies is actually the best option for you
What happens when your factory switches out materials on you
Dealing with China remotely
Ensuring you get the best out of your designs when certain materials are expensive
How he gets high volume orders done with insane time contraints

China, Business, NetworkingRicoJune 25, 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

Made in China Podcast

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