What Mike Michelini is up to Now – October 19 – 25, 2025
Listen as audio here [4:10 minutes long] (or scroll down for text)
Welcome to the Weekly “Now” Update
Hey everyone, Mike here with your weekly dive into the chaos and excitement of building in the cross-border world. This week’s footage pulls from my recent garden chat with Peter on the podcast—those unscripted moments under the trees where we geeked out on scaling businesses with AI. If you haven’t caught it, it’s a gem for anyone feeling the pull of this tech revolution. Let’s jump in.
Max Stress Mode: Seventh Annual Cross-Border Summit Incoming
It’s that time every year—the max stress sprint with the seventh annual Cross-Border Summit just a couple weeks away. Picture this: deadlines stacking like shipping containers, but the payoff? Game-changing connections and insights for ecommerce warriors worldwide. I’ve officially decided I’m an introvert (who knew?), but this AI world we’re hurtling into has me buzzing. It’s like rocket fuel—we can scale ourselves and our businesses in ways that felt sci-fi just months ago. More on that below.
“AI isn’t replacing us; it’s upgrading us to centaurs—half-human, half-machine hybrids ready to conquer.” — Mike, riffing with Peter in the garden
Katrina on the Prize Winners: GFA Gems Giveaway Kicks Off!
Handing it over to my rockstar co-host, Katrina McKay:
Katrina McKay is our GFA VIP maestro, turning giveaways into community magic. Thanks, Mike! We are thrilled to announce we’re giving away the new GFA Gems—super cool digital collectibles that unlock exclusive perks in our ecosystem. This is the first week we’ve issued them, so congrats to our lucky winners:
- John Doe – Ecommerce trailblazer from Shenzhen
- Jane Smith – Content queen out of Bangkok
- Alex Chen – Logistics ninja in Hong Kong
- Sarah Lee – Marketing maven from Seoul
Once you get your codes via email, head over to wallet.gfavip.com/redeem to claim your gems. These aren’t just shiny pixels—they’re your ticket to VIP upgrades, early summit access, and more. Back to you, Mike!
Onboarding Magic & Making It Rain with Meetups
Last week, we kicked off onboarding our attendees to the shiny new GFAVIP system. We’re all ears on feedback and rolling out tweaks to make it seamless—like polishing the tickets.gfavip.com app for effortless event vibes.
And to build that pre-summit hype, we’re making it “rain” with meetups! Join us for:
Local Ecommerce Meetup
When: This Tuesday, Oct 21
Where: [Venue TBD – Check link]
Dive into AI tools for sourcing wins.
Partner Event #1: AI Scaling Workshop
When: Next Monday, Oct 27
Where: Virtual + In-Person Hybrid
Hands-on with dev tools—echoes from my garden pod with Peter.
Partner Event #2: Cross-Border Networking Night
When: Next Wednesday, Oct 29
Where: [Local Hotspot – Details Incoming]
Schmooze, strategize, and sip on summit previews.
AI Immersion: From 15-Hour Days to Team Ninja Mode
As I’ve been hammering home these last couple months in our weekly updates, I’ve been neck-deep—15+ hours a day—in mastering these AI dev tools. Think code generation that dreams up apps overnight, chat interfaces that handle customer chaos, and analytics that spot trends before they trend. But with the summit looming, it’s balance time: shifting gears to user onboarding and those essential tweaks.
My absolute favorite slice of this pie? Upgrading our team with these bad boys. We’ve got about 10+ core crew members, and they’re embracing it like pros. We’re rocking a ninja + centaur model: ninjas for stealthy execution, centaurs for that human-AI hybrid power. The challenge? Level up their systems, skills, and workflows by year’s end. I truly believe they can crush it—we’re stepping into a whole new era of work and life, where creativity meets computation.
Our team’s evolution: From solo hustlers to AI-augmented squads.
The Fear Factor: Pushing Boundaries in the New World
Lastly—and I mean this from the gut—I’m scared as heck. Seriously. Never pushed and changed so many things at once, and in such a fundamental way. Overhauling systems, betting big on AI, rallying a team through the unknown… it’s exhilarating terror. But here’s the truth: Without these pressure-cooker moments, we stagnate. We never grow those roots deep enough to weather the storms.
Hope all of you are out there doing the same—pushing your boundaries, especially in this wild new world we’re entering. What’s your biggest “scared as heck” move right now? Drop it in the comments or hit me up on X. Let’s grow together.
Until next week, keep shipping, scaling, and staying curious.
Mike Michelini
Cross-Border Evangelist | GFA Founder | AI Enthusiast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download