Still here in Shenzhen, China in the hot July heat! And it is hot for sure – after almost a year of hard work re-positioning Excalibur Brothers to a product brand, trademark, and tweaks in the product line. Back story, the original founder of Excalibur Brothers, Lawrence, and I had been friends since 2004. We met in ecommerce marketing forums …
Getting a Body and Heart Checkup
We are all under huge stress and pressure these last few years. Kids home from school 1+ week, constant changes in business and workflows, moving, the list goes on and on. Finally, I felt I had to pay attention to the pains in my chest and get it looked at (well Wendy is the one who insisted). Monday, July 4 …
Fathers Day 2022 – This is What Matters
And as a father of an 8 and 6 year old – this is what matters. The time I spend with them , support them, and encourage them to be good human beings. Maggie made a paper tie for me (in the photo) and insisted I wear it as soon as she returned home from school on Friday. Snapped a …
Proposal Party for Chris & Cindy ZhuZhu
It was a pleasure to be part of Chris Davey + Cindy “Zhuzhu”s wedding proposal party. Finally! After a few re-scheduling (I think mostly due to lockdown and COVID restrictions for the first half of 2022) it finally happened on Saturday June 11, 2022. Up in Mission Hills of Shenzhen (originally Huizhou but the rainy season changed that plan) – …
Our Family’s 2022 Living Situation (Visa/School)
Hi friend, I’m thinking why not just make it a blog post: So quite a few friends have been curious why am I still in China. And what is the plan. Last weekend the family took a trip to Huizhou city to look for options, but I think we need to step back and share the full story: July/ Aug …
Trip To HuiZhou (Hunt for Next Home)
On the hunt, again. Wendy and I want to stick in 1 place longer than a year – but covid and current events have made that close to impossible. We move down to Shenzhen from Shenyang the end of last summer (August 2021) to get our kids into school for the Fall Semester. Also I had gotten an opportunity to …
Leather Factory Visit For The New Amazon Project
I took the vlog camera with me to the factory to keep myself active on the video blogs, ha! Luciano and I are working on Excalibur Brothers brand using the Blimp Method (Brand Licensing Improved) with the Global From Asia community. We have a very patient and amazing franchisee group with all the China lockdowns and delays to get these …
Speaking On Going B2B To D2C at the Benelux Chamber Event in Shenzhen, China
With Shenzhen opening up a bit, finally time to get out and network and speak. Well funny thing – this event was scheduled to happen in March but got pushed back due to the lockdowns (in 2022!) I was invited by Bob to speak at the Belgium, Luxembourg, Dutch Chamber event at Brass house bar in Futian, China on Friday …
Another Notch on the Tree, Happy Birthday to Me!
Well another year, and a third birthday in lockdown life. But like throws you curveballs, you need to adjust your batting position. From one lockdown to another (david’s home to my home with wife and children) – just amazed at how well the team has grown. Just letting go, and trying my best to provide safety, encouragement, and positive culture …
Visit to 1 Factory (But Rejected in Another Due to COVID)
Mid-February 2022, and we are grinding along as best we can, right? Luciano and I are upgrading / re-building a product brand that started in 2003, and bringing a new product line that we are launching on Amazon. It is called Excalibur Brothers (https://www.excaliburbrothers.com) and we have gotten great support from franchisees in the community via the Blimp Method. Now …
Where Were You When the Coronavirus Came? (Mike’s COVID-19 Story)
Two years have passed since the world learned of COVID-19. The question, “Where were you when it happened?” is a common one. Today, both in video and text form, I want to answer that question and document it here for all of you. While video form is much more entertaining, I’ll also recap it through text, and also link to …
Happy Chinese New Year 2022 – Tiger Time
We are entering Chinese New Year, and it is the year of the tiger coming up! Years keep passing by here as I am “semi-trapped” (well, can leave, but can’t come back!), and we just keep chugging along. The family and I went to Park Hyatt for a “small new year” celebration (Wendy said that a week before “big Chinese …
Converting the Home Studio to a Home School
The journey of being a parent overseas is becoming a common occurrence for more and more people; I being one of them. It is already a complex and dynamic experience, what with multiple cultures and languages. And when you throw COVID-19 on top of it all, it becomes pure insanity! The schools in Shenzhen closed on Monday due to a …
Ferris Wheel Family Day at Oh Bay
2022 has just come and we’re working harder than ever before, but we always remember to squeeze in some fun while working. The family, David Ho, and several friends went to the Oh Bay park in Bao An, Shenzhen last Saturday. This Ferris wheel is high-end! You barely feel like it is a Ferris wheel as you are fully enclosed …
Christmas in Shenzhen, China, 2021
Moving past 2021 and into the new year means passing through Christmas! Here in China you never really get the Christmas feel, but with kids it is unavoidable – ha! The school and kids pep them up and I felt a bit guilty this year not getting a big Christmas tree for our apartment. Eventually though, the kids finally accepted …