Welcome 2021! We are all adjusting to the new normal and here in Shenyang, China there is a new outbreak of COVID, some new strain. I’ll be honest, I am not following the news. But all I know is, New Year’s morning, we woke up to mandatory COVID swab tests in a vocational school turned COVID testing center. A bit …
Company Retreat
March 2020 was crazy! I went to Bohol in the Philippines to meet my team. The plan was to do a strategic planning and team building or retreat. I just want to get to know the team better. Then, it happened. Lockdown. We were having fun one day then scrambled to try to get home the next. The rest, well …
My Son Wants To Become a Kung Fu Master!
We all have new year’s resolutions. My son, Miles may not even be aware of what those are yet but he has one: To become a Kung Fu master! All those Atom Man cartoons and toys combined with his love for Spiderman led him to want to learn Kung Fu. So Wendy found a nearby (well, 30 minute taxi ride) …
Top Productivity Tip
Keep the student mindset. This is a valuable tip that my friend, Rico Ngoma, shared in a short clip. It is true. In order to be productive and get on top of your game, you have to keep the student mentality. This means, you should never stop learning. Have a humbling experience of not knowing anything and learning about it …
Merry Christmas From Shenyang, China
We are coming to a close this year! While no Christmas tree or Christmas “Culture” here in Shenyang, China – was able to get a “hong bao” from Wilson Blues and went to the mall to grab some books and dig through various markets to find some wrapping paper. Kids pushed to open on Christmas Eve – but we insisted …
Top Copywriting Tip
“Copywriting and writing are two very different things.” This is what Ana Warren Gonzales said when asked about tips on copywriting. She also said something about Core Emotional Benefit. Watch and listen in to know what this is all about as she shares in a nutshell a top copywriting tip.
Why Rico Moved to Asia
I caught up with my friend, Rico Ngoma, CEO of Source Find Asia, in Manila, Philippines early this year. This was before the whole COVID-mania took over most of our lives. We talked about why we moved to Asia, what made us take that leap from where we were and why we decided to stay. It was fun thinking about …
Speaking in Quezon City
I have often said that what I love to do is content creation. But behind all that is the desire to share what I have learned in cross border trade, e-commerce and life in general. Hopefully, I get to help others do some innovation in their ecommerce businesses. Here’s a clip of me speaking in an event organized by a …
Why I like Inbound Marketing
A lot of e-commerce entrepreneurs rely on one channel and one marketplace for their sales. But it dawned on me when I woke up one day and got a sale that this thing is the future – inbound marketing. What is inbound marketing and why is this a thing that e-commerce entrepreneurs should learn to grow and scale their business? …
The Question: Scale or Sell An Ecommerce Business
We all wonder, when building up a business, what is the end goal? Build it for the rest of our lives, or part ways with our “baby”. It is true, a business, a brand, become part of our identity. For the first E-commerce Gladiator business, we decided to sell. We also believe the future owner has more funds and more …
Get Ahead in Q4
Year 2020 is a wild year and, I mean that in every aspect. Covid-19 has got everyone in a quandary on what to do next. Lockdown, quarantine and testing were just some of those buzz words that got everyone wondering what lies ahead. But it also brought many opportunities especially for e-Commerce business owners. Because, when almost everyone was in …
Why I Moved to China
This is a common question I get from people. An American in China, yes, that’s me. But the journey started from not having the idea on what to do. I know, we all went through that phase. We just differed in how we dealt with it. In my case, I crossed borders. Not getting what I mean? Watch this short …
How Much Sleep To Be Effective?
A common thing I get is how do we keep up with all the tasks and projects and still get rest? Following Gary Vee and his hustle mindset and agenda. I was fortunate enough to meet him in person in Hong Kong during the Rise Conference and got an autographed copy of his book. While doing that, I threw a …
Working Online With Kids
“It doesn’t happen.” This was what Anna said when I asked her how it was working online with her four-year old daughter, Ania, around. True, working remotely does have its share of disadvantages. But of course, one major thing that can erase all that is the fact that you will get to be on top of caring for your kids. …
Hosting Global Sources Webinar
The right product, the right price at the right time. This was the sub-theme of Global Sources’ Webinar on Omni-channel E-commerce held on October 15, 2020. I had the pleasure of hosting the said webinar and to moderate the panel. Learned more about Omni-channel and the cross border trade in general. Didn’t even notice that it got dark in my …