American in Asia. Still writing. Still figuring it out.
Blogger since March 2007. Quit Deutsche Bank, flew one-way to Shanghai, built businesses across three countries — and documented all of it, one entry at a time.
writing
published
lived
Born in Connecticut. Raised in the New York–New Jersey corridor. Finance degree, then Wall Street — Deutsche Bank analyst, briefly — until a sourcing trip to China broke the whole plan open. In 2007 I quit the bank, started this blog, and flew one-way to Asia. I did not look back.
The years since: Shanghai, then Hong Kong, then Shenzhen as home base through the 2010s. Built a handful of businesses across ecommerce, sourcing, and consulting. In 2013, started Global From Asia — a podcast and events company still running at 540+ episodes. Got married in 2014. Became a father in 2017. Rode out the lockdown years in China. Eventually pulled up stakes for Chiang Mai, Thailand.
This blog was always the constant. I have kept a journal since high school — paper notebooks first, then the web. Started it in March 2007 and never stopped. Same reason then as now: think out loud, keep people in my orbit connected, maybe leave something useful for the next person coming up the same road. No guru pitch. Just the work.
── ALL WRITING 2,614 entries →
The long version,
in short strokes.
- 1983
Born. Connecticut. No idea what Asia was.
- 2001
Finance degree in progress. Paper journals started. The habit that never stopped.
- 2006
Deutsche Bank analyst, Wall Street. The plan: make money, move up.
- 2007
Sourcing trip to China. The plan dissolved somewhere over the Pacific.
- Mar 2007
Quit the bank. Started this blog. Bought a one-way ticket.
- Apr 2007
Landed in Shanghai. First apartment: one room, no heat.
- 2009
Hong Kong. The threshold between East and West.
- 2010
Shenzhen. Home base for a decade. Factories, markets, all of it.
- 2013
Founded Global From Asia. Podcast + events. Still running. 540+ episodes.
- 2014
Got married.
- 2017
Became a father. Everything rearranged.
- 2020-22
Lockdown. Wrote through it anyway. The blog as anchor.
- 2023
Pulled up stakes. Chiang Mai, Thailand. Still at it.
- 2026
Writing daily. Four books. One podcast. No end date.
Mike is a hustler and super-networker. To see him pull resources and people together, under pressure and even when outside of his element, is truly remarkable.