This past week…so much has been happening….between meeting current staff, partners and allies, re-negotiating on the phone with customers, allies, partners….it seems I have strong relations because talks have been easier then I thought. Seems the staff is very supportive, and we are setting sales targets and if we can reach them as a team the office may stay. But …
Merry Christmas from China!
Besides some scattered christmas decorations, there isn’t much christmas in China. Plus in southern china the climate is warm – so no feeling at all of the Christmas I knew growing up in Connecticut, USA! Christmas eve night though – the city is packed with people, restaurants jam packed with higher sticker prices due to the christmas holiday – bars …
Old Next to New
Move went pretty smoothly…haha….paid approx $10usd to two “lawn mower” motor 3 wheel bikers…hilarious, although nerve racking that all my belongings are hanging and strapped from these bikes…..but move went along nicely. Exciting to see the change, and its motivating the whole staff to work harder and with more room they can focus better…..its working
Thanksgiving – No Turkey but New Office!
Normally on Thanksgiving I’m chowing Turkey and watching football….this year I worked hard all day and signed a new lease for an office (pictures above) things are really moving along…..able to negotiate some good office prices and terms. This place needs some carpetting, but other then that its ready to go….really want to do rapid product development here, exciting to …
The world is changing fast, are you on top of it?
Wow, I always believed in the theory “the world is flat” but its definitely happening faster then I could have ever imagined!!!! While it is sad, it makes us as a human race realize that we have to be flexible. And we have to stay on top of our game! We cannot get lazy, we cannot get comfortable with our …
Get It Done – on a budget
Cash flow is tighter then ever these days, but I love the pressure…..especially when its the fact that an ATM machine takes your USA ATM card and mails it back to US to “protect your account” – oh..thanks, can I borrow money from you now??!? just makes things more interesting. I love critics too, I notice how easy it is …
China – transitioning from Export Driven to Self Sustaining Domestic Market
Great article below – China is going through tough times – BUT it will become less dependent on exports – and with the Chinese government last week investing INTO CHINA instead of the normal US Dollar, we’ll see RMB continue to strengthen (worse for exporting) but the Chinese people getting richer…..and spending more. What does this mean? CHINA IS GOING …
Halloween in China
Halloween in china isn’t much – gotta head over to the expat areas. See one block doing a mini trick or treat. Tried explaining to some of my chinese friends what “trick or treat” is – but gave up after a while. Amazing how something that was embedded in my upbringing was never even imagined on this side of the …
Bai Jiu & Ducks in the Road
Group photo in the office……….took some shots of the Chinese White Wine Baijiu to celebrate FRIDAY…..everyone seems to be getting along nicely and becoming my Chinese family!!!! Brent ran into these in the road the other day visiting the electrapour factory…hilarious….never know what you can run into driving in China.
Financial Disaster – World Continues to Flatten & Consolidate
I believe this financial disaster, while really is sad, is a wake up call. Where did this money come from? It was a house of cards. But what this means to me is that the US dollar will be less of a dominant force in the future. While this tragedy is worldwide, with the US government financing these bailouts – …
Mid Autumn Festival, Mooncakes, & Lost Potential in the World
Today is mid autumn festival in China, so a public holiday (Monday). Represents the full moon, harvest, families sitting around a table as the moon is symbolic of a circular table for the family. Spent Friday evening at a friend’s factory party. It stil amazes me the life of a factory worker…..lives in a dorm next to the factory, what …
Like a Fish in a Fish Bowl
Sitting here late Sunday night…trying my best as a fish in a fishbowl…..really am centered around this computer….where location doesn’t matter and my mind wanders towards the feeling of being a fish in a fishbowl…especially during my skype video conference calls….amazing world we live in these days….location matters less and less! Some recent photos to share my friend Vicky …
Fighting everyone….banks, factories, landlords, refrigerators
Today was a funny story between my landlord and me – my building had a scheduled power outage on Friday (all day, had to work remotely) – and when I turned the fridge back on it started smelling like someone threw up…..cleaned it out, let it dry out, etc – all weekend was trying to figure out what was wrong. …
Spyble kickoff – a bit of insanity
applied for a trademark on spyble last night directly on uspto.gov Really pushing more for online marketing these days…..have been success and seems to use my knowledge much more. Differentiate myself. Spyble SEO competitive intelligence [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jEnTi6pTFY&hl=en&fs=1]
Am I just a white guy trying to profit off low cost labor?
Guess I can say my time here has been somewhat emotional at times…but its sad that I get used to seeing beggars and dead broke people walking the streets. Visiting factories with workers getting paid such small amounts of money (side note – I have not seen child labor – or conditions not workable). Seeing these things day in and …