Newsletter: Is Hong Kong and Shenzhen Coming Together Destiny?

Dear Global Business Enthusiast,

Michael Michelini (@michelini) here. You’re getting this email because you requested my periodic thoughts on international business from Hong Kong.

[Edit: Actually, it’s possible that you’ve never gotten an email from me. Somebody might have just given you the link to this page, which is an online archive of an email that I sent to folks who had asked for it. If you’d like to get articles like this in your inbox, totally free, about once a week or two, give me your email address.]
This week: HK/SZ cozying up, HK talent, Chinese families visiting a town near you and more


Writing this up from the Rise Conference “Media Village” area – intense few days and getting some great podcasts in the queue.

GFA Pulse Number 130


Will a “merger” of Hong Kong and Shenzhen be inevitable?
Hong Kong cozies up to Shenzhen
Via David Li


The world is all about innovations now. I love startups and working with startups. I love the drive, the enthusiasm, the speed and the ambition. But undoubtedly, when startups seem to focus more on certain innovative ideas, they lack putting the attention into scaling their business early on in their initial stages.
Why we need to rethink how innovation scales


Starting up a business can be like experimenting with an extreme sport. It is scary but a hell of a fun journey! We might hear some successful stories like Airbnb and Stripe incubated via YCombinator. However, we will also hear people complain about why YCombinator cannot help more startups like Airbnb and Stripe succeed. Helping startups to hit their next level definitely seems like the right thing to do, but it is also important to note that it is equally important to have the ecosystem to back them up when they stumble and fall. Capitals can set a high expectation on ROI but it is important to build an ecosystem for those who fail to get back on their feet again.


Failure should be an option, even an expectation for those who enter into start-ups


Discussed this on a podcast this week – on why a hardware company developed their software over Hong Kong
Hong Kong companies grappling over getting digital talent
Via Andre Martin


Andre also says this is a potential business for me and my family:
“you could do this easily for your own kids and consider as a business too?
(read the first couple paragraphs, I think it’s easily doable for your US side)”
Overseas study tours for preschoolers: China’s latest parenting trend
Via Andre Martin


Innovation in China has been unstoppable.
Recently, unmanned convenience stores in China (similar to AmazonGo) have the potential to go big, but are running into some very basic obstacles. The business model relies on a mixture of mobile phone technology, facial recognition software, and a smattering of personal accountability. Potential customers must first register with the company using their real identity. Once approved, they can enter by using their mobile phone camera to scan a QR code at the door, sending the data over WeChat. Inside, they choose the items they want, scan them at the register and pay either through WeChat or Alipay. Although two stores are currently closed due to summer heat, it is always good to see how new ideas are being tested in China, especially in the traditional retail sector.



China’s hi-tech snack shops run into low-tech snag – summer heat

From the Global From Asia Media Desk



We are working hard on a new program called “Scale By Outsourcing”, which is a MASSIVE deep dive into organizing, recruiting, and scaling online teams. Stay tuned and get on the cutting edge of leveraging an online team at https://scalebyoutsourcing.com/.

On this week’s podcast we have Jon Myers, the “King” of Saigon, and he gave us a guide on relocating in Saigon and useful life tips in general. As a designer and the former CEO of AMZ Tracker (a powerful suite for building and scaling your Amazon Seller business), Joh offered useful insights on startup scenes and what to make the best out of Vietnam! We did the interview when GFA crew headed over there for first ever meetup there in Saigon.

Shortly after the first meetup, we will be having our second Saigon monthly meetup on 27th July!
Book your free ticket here

If you are interested in becoming a local chapter organizer or know more about us: simply drop us a email us at: blog@globalfromasia.com
This week’s blog is about Stripe’s official launch in HK. Actually I went for one of their talks at Rise Conference and have been trying to get him on our podcast. They seem have a very restricted rule on PR but we will try our best. Anyhow, I will remain one of their fans no matters what happens to their decision on whether he agrees to attend the show or not :). For those who are a fan of Stripe as me, check it out:

Stripe Officially Launches in Hong Kong

    Listen to more podcasts →   
We also went to Rise Conference and hosted an event there last Wednesday July 12th.

Tonight, July 13, we also had an e-commerce startup demo night in Shenzhen. Event details are here

Market Listing of the Week

Want to verify if you factory can actually do what they claim? Insight Quality Services does just that (and more) with this listing on our GFA Market

Job of The Week

Our GFAVIP member, TRNDlabs, is seeking a supply chain operation lead. TRNDlabs is growing faster than ever before! The coming years TRNDlabs aims to continue its meteoric rise. This ambition is fueled by the expansion of the collection with new stylish and innovative products, building their channels globally and providing the best customer service in the world. Apply here

Iintense week at Rise Conference – catch some of the highlights (also making some great podcasts for GFA)
We are having some of our GFAVIP member’s join in our podcast interview calls and get real interaction with our guests, trying to innovate and give more value to our members.

Join in our membership and start connecting with others today!

Sent July 13, 2017

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I’d love to hear from you!

– Michael Michelini
mike @ globalfromasia.com
Hong Kong

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Michelini

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American internet entrepreneur in China, Asia, and Hong Kong. Helping companies do business globally from Asia

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