Father-Son South China Trip: Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou Canton Fair, October 2026

This was one of the most intense trips I have taken, and one I will remember for the rest of my life. My son Miles, 12 years old, joined me for a father-son South China trip through Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Trade shows, masterminds, networking dinners, electronics markets, maker spaces, Canton Fair, and a lot of moving around.

What a trip!

I only decided to go about a month beforehand. I am always on the fence about being away from the family, but Miles has been so deep into products, electronics and making things that I thought: this is the trip for him.

So I said yes to the Top Dog Hong Kong mastermind, a networking dinner in Shenzhen, guest mentoring at China Magic, seeing old friends at FBA4U, and the other meetings that filled the gaps. With our eighth annual Cross Border Summit coming up, there was plenty of networking to do.

Hong Kong: One Closed Door, One Open Room

Arriving in Hong Kong is always an intense, futuristic experience. Miles had been through the airport and visited my old office when he was too young to remember much, so this was a chance for him to actually experience the city.

We tried to register him for the Global Sources trade show, but we were told there was a strict 18-and-over requirement. That was disappointing. I wanted him beside me, watching how I look for products, talk with suppliers and work through the details. This time, he could not join me at the show.

The Top Dog members' mastermind, led by Tomer, was a different experience. Miles joined a room of established ecommerce sellers talking about strategy and business. He kept up with the conversations, which was amazing for me to see.

Hong Kong also wore us out. Tight spaces, high costs, and my usual hunt for a power outlet and decent Wi-Fi, haha. By the end, we were both ready for Shenzhen and the electronics markets.

Shenzhen and the Buildings Full of Electronics

The border crossing felt brand new, and we did not have to take a bus between the Hong Kong and Shenzhen checkpoints. After a fairly smooth crossing, we checked into a hotel in Huaqiangbei.

I have barely stayed in that area since a few nights when I first moved to China in 2007, which I only vaguely remember. This time I chose it for Miles. Finding the electronics he wants in Chiang Mai has been a struggle. I knew buildings and buildings full of components were going to blow his mind.

We spent the next few days exploring them. Components, boards, tools, and things to take apart or build with. Watching him wander around and learn was inspiring.

A 3D Printer from Troublemaker

On our first day in Huaqiangbei, I took Miles to Troublemaker maker space. Henk has been running it for more than ten years, and the place was packed with engineers, entrepreneurs and builders.

We pointed out the shelves of 3D printers. Then Henk gifted Miles one.

Wow. Speechless.

He explained that it was not being actively used and they needed the space. He was happy to put it in the hands of a 12-year-old who wanted to learn. I got choked up. A tool sitting on a shelf for one person can mean a whole new set of possibilities for someone else.

Thomas was another amazing person there. He and Miles even had matching clothes! He told us he started getting into hardware and electronics at 12 too, and spent a lot of time showing Miles things and letting him shadow what he was doing.

These few days were for Miles. Sure, I am working on some hardware ideas myself, and I would like to do more with the people there. But seeing him around people who understood what he wanted to build was the part that mattered most to me.

Watching My Son Bargain in Chinese

Then there was the moment in the market.

Miles was talking to a shop vendor and bargaining in Chinese, by himself. I got so choked up that you can hear it in the vlog footage.

My son was doing things I had never done before.

Maybe that is hard to explain if you are not a parent. Other parents will probably understand immediately. I had brought him along to show him my world, and there he was finding his own way around it.

Of course, we now had a 3D printer and a growing pile of electronics to lug between hotels. Our first hotel was too noisy, with workers and a subway station underneath. So there was plenty of moving, carrying bags and hustling in between those moments.

A Shenzhen Dinner and the Easy China Warehouse Team

On Thursday night, we brought old and new friends together for a cross-border dinner. There were around sixteen of us, with plenty of conversations and possible deals being discussed. Miles enjoyed it and wanted to know how we had managed to get all these people together.

Friday took us up to Bao'an, an important logistics area of Shenzhen and the home of our Easy China Warehouse business.

Justin, our partner and CEO, has worked incredibly hard. On Saturday, we had lunch with the twelve-person team. After two and a half years of work since taking over the operations, seeing everyone together was a proud moment.

Guangzhou: Guest Mentoring at China Magic

On Saturday afternoon, Justin, Miles and I drove to Guangzhou for the final leg of the trip.

I was joining China Magic as a guest mentor. That evening, we had a mastermind dinner on the 99th floor of the Four Seasons in downtown Guangzhou. Quite a setting!

I shared some stories and tried to keep it real. It was an unrecorded, behind-closed-doors conversation, so the discussion stays in that room. I was glad to answer questions and help where I could.

Miles joined us again. Seeing him follow along was inspiring to me and to some of the people there. Hopefully he can learn from a few of my earlier mistakes without having to repeat all of them himself.

Getting Miles Into Canton Fair

As much as I wanted to sleep in on Sunday, we got up for Canton Fair.

I still did not know whether Miles would be allowed in. I had not received a reply to my question about bringing a 12-year-old. The badge pickup point at the Four Seasons said they could not issue a child's pass and that we needed to go to the fair itself.

So, after the disappointment in Hong Kong, we were going to try again.

We were in luck! At Canton Fair, I filled out a child authorization form, they took his photo, checked his passport, and issued his badge. He came into the show with me.

That was our experience on this visit, and it was such a relief. I had been worried we would get all the way to the gate and have to leave.

Once inside, we looked at products, spoke with suppliers and bumped into existing contacts as well as new leads. The place is huge. Miles said he hit an all-time high on his pedometer. I believe it!

Sunday evening was the FBA4U networking event, seeing more friends, old and new. Another busy room, another round of conversations. But this trip I had my son as my co-pilot.

Back to Chiang Mai, With a Lot to Remember

Monday was our last day. I tried to catch up on work, but heavy construction at the hotel pushed us outside in the morning. Then it was a taxi to the airport and back to Chiang Mai.

Now we are in the final stretch before Cross Border Summit, with tons still to do. I am feeling confident this could be our best event yet.

But when I think about this trip, I keep coming back to Miles in the electronics market, the people at Troublemaker, and getting to walk into Canton Fair together.

I am glad I brought him.

Have you taken your child along on a work trip, or had someone open a door for you when you were young? I would love to hear what stayed with you.

Keep working hard to upgrade yourself and those around you.