Newsletter: Busy season and the two rails I am learning to run
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Busy season is here, and last week gave me a sharp reminder of how fragile an ecommerce business can feel.
I survived another Amazon account suspension, one of the hardest reviews yet, including a video call that lasted more than 30 minutes. I came through it, but it was scary. I do not know whether platforms are using more AI to scan accounts, whether larger accounts receive more scrutiny, or whether this is simply the new normal.
Either way, hope is not a recovery procedure. Clear account ownership, organized documents, and tested response steps matter before the crisis.
What I am up to now
Cross Border Summit is one month away. We are improving the systems and attendee experience, but the heart of it remains good people in cross-border ecommerce sharing and connecting. See Cross Border Summit 2026.
The October road is filling up. There is an advanced seller dinner in Chiang Mai on October 8, Bangkok on October 13, a quick Cambodia meeting, then Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou with my son from October 17 to 26.
Two connected events. I am helping connect people around Howard Thai's Elite Seller Society Paris Castle Mastermind and Lyden Smithers's China Magic trip. I plan to join ESS online and guest mentor one or two China Magic sessions in Guangzhou.
Product development as a process. We are building a repeatable path from customer evidence and supplier qualification through samples, compliance, launch, and learning.
Dual rail work. One rail is building and creating. The other is managing and reviewing. Agents can hold bounded threads, but the human still owns judgment at the handoff.
See the complete weekly discussion board.
How are you adjusting to the new way of working and creating with agents? Are you separating maker and manager time, or learning to move between both?
Mike
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