What Is Mike Michelini Up To Now: October 18 to 24, 2026

I am in the middle of the travel insanity that seems to arrive near the end of every year.

Right now I am leaving Siem Reap, Cambodia, after a private event built around business conversations, time together, and temple tours. It was my first time in Cambodia, and I really enjoyed it.

Some people asked why I went. The practical answer is that I am investing in relationships.

I think relationships are becoming more important, not less, as we move deeper into an agentic world. Software can help us research, organize, draft, and follow up. Agents can give us leverage. But trust still develops through shared experiences, honest conversation, and showing up.

That is one reason I chose Fellowship as the theme for the eighth annual Cross Border Summit. We are working hard to create a place where people can build quality relationships while learning new ideas and finding fresh inspiration to grow their businesses.

A Strong Bangkok Dinner

Before Cambodia, I had a one-day layover in Bangkok. On Tuesday evening we held a Global From Anywhere Advanced Ecommerce Seller Dinner.

It was a very successful evening. We had existing community members and long-time friends around the table, along with some fresh blood: experienced and impressive operators bringing new energy into the group.

The conversation moved between AI agents, human teams, ecommerce, systems, and the reality that sometimes you also need to slow down and rest. You can read the full Bangkok Advanced Seller Dinner recap.

That dinner and the Cambodia trip reinforced the same point. The technology matters, but the relationships around it are what give it direction and meaning.

Stepping Away Tests the System

Even while traveling, I am still investing heavily in agentic workflows.

Sometimes stepping away from the four-plus computers in my home studio office is exactly what the system needs. When I am sitting at my desk, I can quietly patch problems, answer questions, and keep things moving. When I leave, the weak points become much easier to see.

A few things broke on this trip. That is frustrating, but it is also useful information.

I see it the same way I see a human team. You need to step away sometimes and see how people and systems operate without you hovering over every detail. That is how you find the gaps, improve the handoffs, and make the whole operation more independent.

After about a year and a half of nonstop development work, I keep coming back to the same phrase: hardening and polishing.

This is not the glamorous part of building. It is fixing the thing that fails on the second attempt, clarifying who owns the exception, tightening permissions, and making sure the workflow works outside the perfect office setup. It is the work that turns experiments into infrastructure.

Next Stop: China Trade-Show Season

After Cambodia, I am heading back to Chiang Mai, picking up my son, and then continuing to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

There will be trade shows, high-level meetings, and a lot of learning. I also want to show my son Huaqiangbei, the electronics market of the world. It is one thing to read about how products are made. It is another to walk through that environment, see the components, meet people, and feel how quickly ideas can become real objects.

It will be an action-packed week, and the Cross Border Summit is now only a couple of weeks away.

Yes, I Am Stressed

Yes, I am stressed. Yes, I am overloaded.

At times it feels like a firehose of information, learning, relationships, travel, decisions, and unfinished work. But I also believe this is a test and an adjustment for a new way of living and working.

The goal is not to eliminate every difficult moment. The goal is to build the capacity to keep learning, keep improving the system, and remain present for the people in front of me.

I cannot wait to meet more amazing people, new and old, during the next few weeks of travel and events.

Push your limits, but pay attention to what breaks. That is often where the next improvement is waiting.

What part of your work only reveals its weaknesses when you step away?