But I just have to face facts…I am going to stay in Asia for the foreseeable future, and running a USA business while here makes no sense to me. I have talked to call centers, stayed up all night myself for months on end, talked to possible USA sales partners, just nothing that makes me feel like “I can sleep at night” on Asian timezone. My friends always ask – “how did I get into the bar products business” to begin with?

From front to back this business is built, suppliers, logistics, and customers….it is definitely vertically integrated. It just needs the attention and care of someone on the America side, with a portfolio of other USA ecommerce businesses. Maybe someone who wants to run a small business from their home, with a warehouse in the back and some part time staff.

There are also so many possibilities to build up this business…..but I am not in America….I almost stayed behind in New York when I arrived back there in September 2010, looking to open a retail store / distribution center, but then more nyc warehousing issues….I was convinced by many during those rough days in New York to take that return ticket to Hong Kong and think things over when back in Asia.

Just seems I really see myself sticking in Hong Kong, sure its expensive…but its free (free information) on the internet, and I can easily travel within southeast Asia as well as internationally. Seems like the best center of the world in the current economic climate.

I am still emotionally attached to it, but by hitting the submit button today…I know it has to be the best thing. I have to start fresh. Leon “cheerleaded” me through it today at a cafe, photo he took is on this blog.

Normally I would type more…..but really just want this to be a shorter blog post

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But really, this video is so true…..again I’ll generalize “us Americans”, but the average American is brought up to believe their life is measured by the size of their bank account, the neighborhood they buy their house in, the style of their car. A year or so ago I blogged about the saying from Will Smith – Too many people spend money they haven’t yet earned to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like” and damn, isn’t that the truth.

Think back to those horrible high school days, those peer pressures to buy the newest fashions, to fit in with the crowd, to have designer name brand clothing. And if you didn’t do this, you were normally exiled as a nerd, or laughed at, or just not put on the same level as the cool people who did follow the trends.

Hopefully, as we grow and mature, we realize this is purely silly nonsense, and its not what on the outside that matters, its what inside that counts.

Yet we get sucked into the American society way of thinking…that we have to spend money! That we need to consume. That we need to prove our worth to others by collecting more clothes, cars, jewels, to show we made it as a human being.

Sure, maybe my years in Asia transitioned me to some extremist/ minimalist that maybe I have lost touch with my daily life as an American and am going to turn my back on normal living for some strange new lifestyle.

But really, life is meant to be lived. And I don’t think living is about accumulating STUFF.

Guess I’ll keep up this George Carlin “extremist” theory and keep on living life as a minimalist, though he is no longer with us on this Earth today, I think he would consider himself part of this minimalist movement I am seeing in some people these days.

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It was great to see his operations, parents are both actively working in the office.  Met with his inhouse web marketer, Nat, and used a few hours in the conference room going through marketing online.

The fascinating part to me was not my passion, internet marketing, but instead the after effects of his having a baby with his wife and starting a family.  He said how much his life has changed, his eyes have opened to life in a whole new way.  He loves his new addition to his family, and has put it way ahead of his current business…..making him find new ways to manage his business that has been consuming the past 5 years of his life.

We have been in touch even while I was overseas in China / Philippines, and have discussed ways I could help too.  Its also especially difficult for him, because just as he is having his new baby daughter, his father, who started this family business – is coming into retirement…thus adding more stress / responsibility on his plate.

In his shoes, I wonder what I would do.  Its his family business, who have put all their time and money into growing and building this business.  Yet his father is the one who started it, has the sales and client relationships, now its passing on to him.  And at the same time, he is in love with his wife and new baby, who demand more TLC (tender love and care) and the work is piling up.

This is one of those hard (maybe easy to some) decisions you have to make

MONEY  OR LOVE / FAMILY

And it makes you think, what is life all about?  He and I were driving around a bit today, and in cars seems when real stories come out.  We both seem to agree money isn’t everything, and that Americans are under false sense of security with their jobs, home mortgages, nice new cars, and other possessions.  Money comes and goes.  So do possessions.  I think they can be replaced rather easily.  But life, love, family…those are things that we have to think about….can’t get time with our family back.

And this is another reason I am waiting for marriage, sure everyone says you can’t time things, and it happens when you least expect it, but….right now I have to develop business…and still “Find myself”.

Having too many choices has been confusing.  I talked to my friends in China, and they are jealous of American freedom, especially mine that I utilize (As most americans don’t really appreciate/realize/use their true freedom), to go where I want to go, get loans rather easily, and do the job I want to do.  In China, friends tell me they have to work a certain job in order to save money, to pay for family, to pay back debts, etc.  But we have this in USA as well.  ITS CALLED AN EXCUSE if you ask me.

Its hard to do what you really want to do in life.  Even me now…I am hesitatnt to think I can really do what I want to do, and make money with it, for fear that it won’t make much money, or that I won’t impress my friends and family.

So back to Mike Andrews, he is a guy in a crossroads as well…..trying to live up to his family’s hopes and desires by maintaining and growing the family business, yet at the same time, in love with and wanting to spend more time and attention to, his wife and daughter.

What would you do?

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EVERYONE hated India outsourcing. I was just starting in 2002 – 2003 and whole departments in New York were being evaporated…..the american workers would have to train the indians who were visiting New York / New Jersey to learn their jobs.

I, a new hire in the graduate training program, was always assured that my job was SAFE….that my job was to manage the outsourced team, to facilitate clear communication between the trading floor department and the back office in India. I remember seeing the 40 to 50 year old workers there scared as hell that their department was next. I was working in middle office, so I was between the sales and trading floor and the midtown office that handled the stock and bond settlement area.

There were also my friends in the IT department that had already learned how to manage their India outsourced team. The American IT graduate, just out of college, was managing a team of India programmers on developing trading platforms for financial markets.

Definitely an experience…..scary one. Realizing that we have to always be on top of our “game” in this world. Be aware of the trends in an industry, in business, and position ourselves to maintain our value.

So back to tonight’s movie – “outsourced” its about an american call center manager who is told his American call center staff is outsourced to India – and he has to go there to train and manage it until its under control!

I feel a bit in his shoes now, while I am in the Philippines, I am also training and organizing the team here to better organize and manage the flow of systems. And its culture. ON BOTH SIDES. Not just the workers in India (or Philippines) to know the American culture, but also for the management of that company to understand and respect the cultures of the country their call center is in!

Again, I am a big believe in “the world is flat” theory. In the Philippines especially, the English is almost perfect, they are very kind and gentle people (almost too gentle….as I am a “rougher” american with little patience) and they ARE HUNGRY to work. They want opportunity, they want a job, and they want to learn and grow!

I just wonder how this world will be in another 50 to 100 years. As people all around the world better understand and respect each others cultures. As technology and global communication continues to improve…..I am continually amazed by the technologies out there to better manage “virtual offices” from time management, data management, password management – it is getting easier and easier to have “the world as your office”

But we have to first understand and respect cultures from all parts of the world. Be open minded, try new things….

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I can remember when I was working at Deutsche Bank – there were some high level execs that we would never even see on the floor, they would walk in, pop to their corner office – shut the door – conference call, a couple meetings, and head out again for a sales meeting or something.  This was annoying.  I think it is important to show face time……and to have everyone realize the pressure and stress.  But then again, big business is different then small business.

I think the startup guy, the small business owner, the entrepreneur has the most extreme stress – This “birdshit” that may come upon a upper level manager is things like:

• Sales numbers – normally its the big boss, or executives to get the sales in.  Or maybe not directly get the sales in – BUT MAKE SURE THE SALES ARE COMING IN……
• Investors pressure – if you take OPM (other people’s money) as a manager, you are gonna get them asking a lot of questions, very often.  Not just getting in sales, but managing those budgets, operations, people, PR, the list doesn’t end.  You are their face, the one responsible.
• Political pressure – Government, keeping good filing – especially in China, have to keep all these reports in order, monthly filings, contracts, documents, the list doesn’t end.
• Accounting pressure – Similar to government, but keeping receipts, records – proof of orders, supplier information.  And in the past, so many big corporations “cooked the books”, squeezed things in, stretched it as far as they could….its getting to be more and more red tape for the rest of us….everything is scrutinized.

Again, while these top execs may not be doing the routine work, and may not be seen all the time – it is their reputation and name and credibility on the line.  sometimes I wish i could take the pressure off….every day its pressure.

Sure, so many critics can say its easy to be the boss…..and they can do better – HAHA – I challenge it, and support it.

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But then it says, WHAT IS WEALTH , what is being rich? The quote a Michael Reiter, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona paper calling it:

“Wealth” is the present value of the expected stream of future utility [human happiness] that an “infinitely lived individual or a dynasty” [or a nation] could hope to extract from the real resources available now and in the indefinite future, assuming these real resources are allocated and managed now, and over time, so as to maximize that present value of future utilities (at the “proper” discount rate).

Two practical points can be extracted from this abstract definition.

First, economists think of wealth not just in monetary terms — as cash, stocks, bonds and real estate — but in terms of human well-being.

Second, and most importantly, the wealth a nation believes itself to possess is based strictly on the citizenry’s expectations about the future. It is in good part a figment of the citizens’ imagination.

Yea, I know, that is a bit deep for me too, but basically what we are saying is ITS ALL IN YOUR HEAD. Cash in the bank, the value of your house, the value of that PATENT on a super cool new invention. Wealth is the idea that over time, you will be able to pay for the things that you and your family need. But what if the US dollar crashes? What is the value of home continues to decrease. So the TRADITIONAL idea of RICH and WEALTH can dissipate very quickly.

Then the article talks about CASH FLOW, and how everyone thinks real estate is an easy bet, surefire way to make money in the longterm. But its all about RISK PREMIUMS – or risk vs. reward. When everyone is thinking the economy is great, people will have jobs to pay their rents, and rent prices will increase – real estate investors push prices of houses / buildings higher – EXPECTING that they will get a higher, and stable income / cashflow of rental income.

Well, as we have seen with the real estate market, its not that easy, and there has to be

1) someone ahead of you that will buy your house for more then you paid for it (minus the cost of borrowing the money, and the cost of the inflation of money)
2) someone will rent it from you, and pay the rent on time, and pay the rent that is higher then your costs of maintaining it.

Actually, I think the same thing is happening right now in the Chinese real estate market – THE PRICES HERE IN CHINA HAVE SKY-ROCKETED.  And I keep hearing from more and more chinese businessman that they CANNOT LOSE, and that the prices will keep going up.  And they do not want to waste money on paying rent to someone else….they want to earn the rent for themselves.   These are all signs to me that a crash in the market is near.

Anyway, I don’t want this to be too technical, but my point is, WEALTH IS ALL IN YOUR MIND. Based on what YOU PREDICT the future to be. And if you say its not your prediction, then yes, maybe you’re right, its the HERD, the market’s prediction of the future. And you cannot for sure control a herd of mindless sheep, that get scared and run as soon as they hear something bad coming up ahead.

And of course i’m not saying SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY NOW, and don’t save. But I am thinking, and also tryin to get into that mindset, that richness is not really cash in the bank – but how you live your life, and living the life you want to live. Being able to secure that lifestyle, for the longterm, with some cushion in case you hit a speedbump along the way.

That, my friend, is what we should call wealth!

they are on a business trip with their company…..it really makes me realize how much different a small business is from a corporate business…and how much I have changed…..

They are there with their corporate cards, expense reports and large travel budgets. Sure, i am jealous and somewhat miss that during my corporate days at deutsche bank….but i still prefer small business and boot strapping self financing….that money spent on the expensive hotel or private driver would come out of my pocket….makes it harder to open up the wallet.

I think this was all decided when I choose to start a business over get my MBA. I was in Deutsche Bank, wanting to expand my career and grow as a person. I was taking the GMAT prep test classes, talking to people about it. And everyone who went to those MBA prep tests, went there to GET A HIGHER SALARY in the field that they were already studying in. I was there to grow as a businessman, and as an entrepreneur. Then I realized, shit, I’m gonna spend all my savings on MBA school, and then be stuck having to work for a big corporation again to grow savings back to start a business…..

So I decided MBA wasnt for me, corporate america wasn’t for me, and I would venture out to build a business on the internet and overseas. Thus where I am today.

And as crazy and as unbelievable as you may think, i enjoy the fight. I enjoy it because i know its difficult. Because its more challenging. Keeps me a lean, mean, fighting machine. Its because you have to deal with everything, and its more about relationships and following through.

But most of all, it keeps my feeling of freedom. Sure those corporate travel budgets are great, but you have someone to answer to, reports to bring back to the office after you return. And the decision making, deal structure – you cannot be as flexible. You have your predefined agenda, what you came to do, and what you can offer.

Small business is more seat of your pants, adventure into the somewhat unknown. More risk….more opportunity. The stakes are higher, and your ass is on the line every day. You have to make it happen, and you have to find a way to move forward.

Yea i have to admit, it is scary at times….and i am constantly told i have to plan better….focus, and more defined.

But i refuse to be normal. To do what everyone else does. Need to trailblaze…..

Tag Heuer to drop Tiger Woods from US campaigns

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Swiss watch maker Tag Heuer said Friday that it will “downscale” its use of golfer Tiger Woods’ image in its advertising campaigns for the foreseeable future.

The company said it will continue its relationship with Woods but is modifying its marketing programs in certain regions out of respect for his request for privacy.

How long the change last will depend on Woods’ decision about returning to professional golf, the company said. Woods has been a pitchman for Tag Heuer since 2002.

Full article on Yahoo Finance News

Not many people reach the public relations level of  Tiger Woods, (not me, for now at least, hehe), but we can all learn how quickly it can come crashing down….Sadly, personal life and business life are so integrated now….imagine in the future (ALREADY REALLY) people will check facebook profiles when considering to do business with a company.

BECAUSE COMPANIES ARE PEOPLE.  and now, people are online.  Its strange….and weird…and why I am trying to do ecommerce, because by selling to consumer directly, I have more control and less risk dealing with a few large clients then many direct customers.  It takes the “face” off the business and allows the masses to pay money directly, quickly, without needing to have a real person behind it.

The older i get, the more i keep realizing, companies aren’t products or services….they are groups of people fighting to grow – working hard to add value to an industry, to educate people in their following, and to build a great team.

Thats why i realize its essential to attract and retain top performers in the industry you provide….

How do you do this? You have to represent the industry, live and breath it. Set an example for others to follow. To work hard and fight alongside the team.

Then there is the idea of DISC method (above) to evaluate people is a great tool I have tried to implement in business.  Its the idea that you need to have the proper mix of people in a team / company to offset strengths.

• Dominance: Direct and Decisive.
  D’s are strong-willed, strong-minded people who like accepting challenges, taking action, and getting immediate results
• Influence: Optimistic and Outgoing.
  I’s are “people people” who like participating on teams, sharing ideas, and energizing and entertaining others.
• Steadiness: Sympathetic and Cooperative.
  S’s are helpful people who like working behind the scenes, performing in consistent and predictable ways, and being good listeners.
• Conscientiousness: Concerned and Correct.
  C’s are sticklers for quality and like planning ahead, employing systematic approaches, and checking and re-checking for accuracy.

If you are a businessman, I think you should try your best to get a good balance of the above people in your group.  You need each part here, and you need to realize that no one person can be every part.

I took this exam when I was at Deutsche Bank, I ended up being a D and an I – meaning I am pretty dominant / extroverted as well as Influencial trying to push my sales / ideas onto others…. I have tried to grow that over time and realize S and C just aren’t my strengths and I need to find people to fill those.

There is a difference between leaders and managers – Leaders trailblaze the path (with a machete knife cutting down the jungle), and the manager helps to build and develop the road to the new destination. Both need each other to survive.

I think that is why sports athletes are said to make good CEOs, because they can lead groups, they are strong physically (yea, well being a bit intimidating helps push across your ideas), and can deal under stressful situations and stress.

Same goes for military, those from the army learn to work in teams, organize a plan, and execute orders.

Sadly…i was never involved in either a sports team or military, actually, i thought i would join the military when i was younger, it seemed “sexy” in that you were seen as a glorified warrior, fighting for your country, protecting women and children back home.

But in high school, during recruitment phase, i got high grades in the exams but couldnt take orders….they were already ordering me around and i didnt even sign the contract yet.

That is why i love the internet……i can blog about what i want…..people read because they want to. People work in an e commerce company, sure for money, but also to learn and grow their mind. We all go through challenges together, we learn, we fight, we expand….

There are no boundaries, no hierarchies, study, learn, network

Sad that governments and company firewalls try to hold people down and trap them in into working and thinking a certain way.

Internet will continue to thrive and break boundaries

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This is a great quote…i mean, funny because its so damn true!! But sad at the same time.

And its even sadder because i would have to say americans are feeling the after effects of living the lifestyle summarized in this quote…

Let me analyze each section of it…

Spending money they havent earned….. – wayyy too true, how many credit cards do people have, carrying balances greater then their income can generate…..but the “system” (banks pushing credit cards on us since entering universities) tells us buy now, pay later…..I remember my freshman year in university, all over the campus, and surrounding the campus there were people stands of people pushing me to sign up for a CREDIT CARD.  But i was a freshman, I didn’t have an income, well maybe I did some work study…they gave me a free t-shirt I remember, so my friends and I signed on the dotted line…..sad that is how the generation grew up.  Spend now….pay later….

….For things they dont need…. -do you really need that 2 story house in the suburbs?  And once you get the nice house, you have to fill it with brand new, designer furniture, right?  Maybe take out a 2nd mortgage on the house to pay for it.  An investment, right?  And you need a nice, new fancy car to drive to work, since the suburbs are so far from your office, and there isn’t any public transportation to get there……

….to impress people they dont like…. -and with that nice house and fancy car, you can show off to your co-workers.  And they will say to  your face how great it is, but then later talk badly about how you show off your money.  Or maybe even you do it to show off to your competition in other companies.  To impress a guy or a girl to like you.

Its all a scary, but real thing.  I hate picking on US of A, but it seems more in that culture than in others I have seen.  Maybe its because Americans have this great opportunity to have nice things, money.  But then, like so many different proverbs and sayings – money isn’t everything.  And does money make us happy and fulfilled…

One would question that….

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Photo above: me, Jon Conte, and David Ho

Sitting next to him now, and we are both laughing about that. He and I both say we are in China for such different career purposes, but the same idea that USA is in a bad spot now and the future of opportunity is here in China!

Below is his MBA personal statement, he is studying at Fordham University in New York City and in an exchange program with Beijing University. He allowed me to put his statement of use to receive funding, so if you would like to read this before I start asking him questions (below this text). Right now I am helping him get his own blog setup on jonathanconte.com – check that after the next couple days to see what he is up to.

I have always been a high achiever and I believe that my academic and work records speak to that effect.  As a youth, I attended Regis High School in New York City, an all-scholarship boys Catholic High School, where I had my first experience in the true qualities of Jesuit education and learned the Jesuit credo to be a “man for others.”  I am versed in the classics, having studied both Latin and Italian while at Regis, and it was in these classes where I originally noticed my love for language and the opportunities linguistics opened to experience and interact with foreign cultures.  Regis High School pitted me in my first international setting, as I commingled with young men my age from around New York City, most from backgrounds far different than my own Italian heritage.  In many respects, it was my experiences at Regis that crafted my intellectual development, as I escaped the homogeneity that characterizes most students’ high school experiences.  I have never been afraid of others’ cultures and I embrace the diversity that characterizes our human experience.

Upon graduation from Regis in 2000, I began my undergraduate studies at Fordham University.  I was enthralled with the qualities of a liberal arts education enjoying my subjects equally but particularly enjoying philosophy, economics, language, and history.  Following the completion of my first semester at Fordham, I was asked to participate in Fordham University’s select Honor’s Program.  I readily accepted the opportunity, and was pleased to undertake my classes in a more close-knit and structured environment outside of the University’s general core track.  My time at Fordham saw my initial foray into the international sector as I obtained my degree in International Political Economy, partaking in this multidisciplinary field and studying key subjects such as International Politics, Economics, Italian language, and Anthropology.

Nevertheless, excluding my course study, my attempts and opportunities at exploring my passion for the International Development field were very limited.  In many respects, my efforts at this time were not to the best of my abilities, particularly for someone seeking opportunities in a field which requires significant independent study and outside internship experience.  There are several reasons for the lack of development of my passions at this juncture of my life, but none more prevalent than my need to work during my undergraduate career in order to support my education.  I was a commuting student as an undergraduate and although I received a modest scholarship, it was necessary for me to maintain employment throughout the year to meet my expenses.  My first working experience in college was working for my local City-Councilwoman in the Bronx as a legislative assistant.  I participated in this role starting in sophomore year and continuing through my first year after Undergraduate graduation.  If I was to characterize my favorite aspect of my work at the New York City Council, it was definitely the opportunities I had to help others.  I am particularly proud of some of the programs I was able to arrange such as flu shots for senior citizens and free dental screenings for children.  At the same time, I found the day to day interactions and inter-workings of New York City politics devoid of the cross-cultural opportunities that so endear me to the international setting.

The Councilwoman I worked for was on a term limited appointment and following the expiration of her term at the end of 2005, I was at a cross-roads.  Believing that security and stability were necessary aspects for my career I began my MBA in Finance at Fordham University and also started on a career in banking in mid-2006.  After three years in the banking industry, both at The Bank of New York Mellon and Merrill Lynch, I learned several important characteristics about myself.  For one, I was very good at the work, but truly this never endeared me to my day to day tasks.  I am a high-achiever from a hard-working middle class background.  When put to task, I do not know any other way to respond than to do my best.  My grandfather was a working class immigrant, who left his home in Italy at the age of seven-teen to make his way in America.  The dirt that stained his hands from a hard day’s labor is still present in my mind’s eye.  I will always work hard.  Secondly, I learned that I do not like, nor am I am I man who values the trappings that are associated with an investment banking career.  I have no great love of monetary gain, which whether good or bad, is most definitely a key motivator behind a banking career.

The financial crisis was also a crisis of conscience in my life.  I watched many people around me, good people, lose their jobs and feel lost as they faced a juncture in their careers.  Their careers had been dominated and characterized by what the firm expected them to be, what the firm expected them to know.  Now the financial crisis put them in a position where their skill sets were less their own and solely dominated by what they had been bred to be.  They now stood lost with nothing to show for their efforts except a mortgage payment and car loan.  I did not lose my job during the financial crisis, but rather I found the courage to believe that my career can only be dominated by work that I am passionate for.  I do not value money, but rather I value knowledge, wisdom, and experience.  My career should not be developed by an organization, but rather should be developed according to what I love and who I am innately at my core.

So here I stand before you, having left my job at Merrill Lynch in July, refocusing my degree aspirations to the study of Management and Leadership. I have begun my foray into the International Development field some 5 years after earning my undergraduate degree.  My life has come full-circle, but I have been tempered and emboldened by my life-experience.  My values are unshakeable and that is truly the wealth that I have received these past 5 years.

My career aspirations are clear.  I have been studying abroad in Beijing, China this fall semester and this experience has led me to form a passion for the people of China and a burning desire to master Mandarin.  My time at the UN Democracy Fund this spring will open significant doors for my career.  I believe it will be the perfect bridge for my political and financial backgrounds, but most of all ensure that my daily efforts are devoted to bring about change for the betterment of others’ lives.

So now that you got a better idea of where he is coming from….I am going to start interviewing him with some questions and get his own ideas.

in his own words:

i was originally a finance major, and was to follow the lines of a banker, continued in finance in Merryl Lynch – or another bank as a trader. but soon i realized i didnt have a passion for the work, for finance in general. so i feel my original path was misguided because i am more macroeconomic as i am more interested in politics. i switched to management because i didnt just want to be another guy who got an MBA for a better job. i value knowledge, wisdom, and experience. i wasn’t getting those, and i felt my MBA wasn’t allowing me to get it. my school is an b-mba, and wouldn’t help me get that much higher salary. a lot of the classes are like my undergrad. so i didn’t see the value from the traditional school outline – so i made my own based on the social – political side, instead of on the finance and math side. That is how I ended up in China, reading up on the political issues, this is the next battleground of the next century, or at least half century. USA has a lot of work to keep relations with China.

what about the students in your class

here in China, its 70% chinese. i am noticing that the chinese are going to mba for the same mistaken reasons americans go for an mba – just for social standards, to make more money in their jobs – but not for true embetterment. they are more focused on monetary gains then on knowledge. they see the mba as an opportunity to make more money, which i feel is the wrong reason to get an education. the only extra benefit in china as an mba is still more noticable than in usa. in usa, everyone these days seems to get an undergrad, and it doesnt seem to differentiate your self from one another. “once you start giving everyone a gold metal, its not a gold metal anymore.” everyone has an undergrad in the usa, and its almost getting that way with an mba.

there aren’t enough risk takers in mba programs anymore. they are just after money. my view in life now is money will follow what i do. i am not sure how much that will be, but the money i make will suffice for what it is a truly enjoy doing.

anything else you want to add.

it upsets to hear me that fordham university is offering a 2nd degree for chinese students who want to get their fordham degree. its a 5 week program in the summer for $10,000usd. these chinese students save for so long, and is this investment worth it. 5 weeks in usa for that much money. seems fishy to me.

=========================

Well, I have talked about MBA in the past and I hope my chat and discussion with Jon give you another angle.

you can see some of my previous posts for your reference

surrounded by hard working people – does it require an mba

maybe i should have gone to mba school…

survived cyber monday, who needs an mba

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But recently i have delegated and empowered even more….for 2 reasons, 1) to grow my business and 2) to have more personal time (seems that is still taking some time)
But this process has been difficult for me, personally,
For example, sales, i have usually always had the primary relationship with company accounts, but now i have to take an inquiry and have a colleague take the lead….
This makes me nervous for 2 reasons;
1) i seem to be a control freak
2) i am afraid the coworker will leave the company

This has been most strenuous the past couple weeks, as i am away from the office a good amount of time, and i have to delegate so much….transitioning from an “on the fence” type B personality to a “full blown” type B personality..so i get edgy and fight myself internally
So that is why i need to rely on good people, and i almost call them my “family”
My colleague, and friend, mark, pointed out that i always hire inexperienced fresh graduates, and thinks its due to this lack of trust of an experienced worker…. Yes i have to admit, that is a big part as to why. But a couple others are salary requirements, as well as…..i think it would be odd to hire people much older then myself.
But…look, i am trying. Also, i am more experienced myself. And older. Plus i believe i have a solid staff and loyal clients who value the services i provide and the person i am.
Rock on, and if i get screwed over….guess i will blog about it!

=============================
Story of 2 Fishermen
2 fishermen are sitting in on a quiet beach, each day they catch fish, some to eat, some to sell to make a living. They grow up together, living life and sharing stories and chatting.

Then one day, one of the fisherman says “I want to try to make something of myself….I want to become something! I’m going to do it, go out into the world and become a success!”

The remaining, content fisherman says “I wish you the best my friend, but I enjoy my life right here”

So the departing fisherman does just that, works hard, gets a corporate / office job. Climbs the “corporate ladder” and builds his wealth. Gets the corporate car, awesome promotion, retirement savings account.

Later, the corporate fisherman retires from the corporate world. He retires.

…..where do you think he retires to…????

He returns to the fishermen village. And he picks up a fishing pole and sits next to his old friend.

He turns to his old friend and says “hows everything? I missed it so much here. I worked so hard, made something of myself, made some money, look at me”

The long time friend replies, “welcome back, I’ve been enjoying life right here all along”.

===============================

And that story should make all of us think. What are we here to do? Make money? Make business? No, while some of may enjoy that, we are here to enjoy our lives, share stories with our loved ones, and pass knowledge from generation to generation.

Then I sit back and think, am I living the right way? I’m here in China, on the other side of the world from my family, and my hometown friends. They are “fishing” back home, but then again, I know they are routing the best for me. And I want to bridge the divide of east and west. I love to share stories I have experienced in USA to eager, hungry Chinese listeners. Also, I am just starting to give some guest presentations to a local university, Shenzhen Tourism College Jinan University e-business students about USA and China ecommerce differences and similarities.

So I am trying not to just make money, but also share and learn. As I realize that is what life is about. And if I can help others to think outside the box, and grow, then maybe this is why I can justify “leaving my hometown fisherman village”.

Can you justify why you left your hometown fisherman village? What will you tell them after you retire and return – what will you have accomplished. Just money, or more?

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“did you get my email about that notice”, “dont you read my email?”. Then there are the guys who write book-long emails…and expect people to read it…..

I mean, i remember when i made my first email account, maybe it was in 1995, i was in 8th grade and i had a 25mhz processor pc with a 1440 baud dial up modem. I got a CD for a free juno email account, installed the software on my computer and then could create a free @juno.com email account (actually cant remember the handle i picked). To get the email i would have to open their email software and dial up to their email server to download the messages. In exchange for this free email account, i had to watch banner advertisements and download extra email advertisements.

It was exciting. before that i remember dialing up to local bulletin boards (BBS) and posting messages there to communicate online.

And then there was the AOL craze, with the cool and famous “you’ve got mail” voice alerting you of new messages. I remember going through multiple free “10 hour” trial CDs acting like different people. I remember trying to convince my dad we should pay for AOL internet, but the $29.95 usd/month was too expensive…..so i kept finding ways to get online for free.

But back to email……i have maybe 10 active email accounts. Sure, that seems crazy, but mostly they route to my shadstone company account.

I try to push my friends and work colleagues to use twitter…..why, because its FAST, and forces the sending party to GET TO THE POINT. Plus, if the message is on the internet, other people can see it, and contribute to solving the question or issue….not just a 1-to-1 conversation. Plus, being an internet dude, those messages are archived on the worldwide web to be indexed by search engines and be found in the future….
Also, when sending an email, the person sending should consider, “what is the end goal on writing this message?”

Emailing shouldnt be a full time job! i read the book “four hour work week” by tim ferris, and he says we shouldnt check our email when we start work each day. That is because we are being reactive instead of proactive! So i have to wait for someone to email me for me to work? NO! I should have my tasks ready, get to the office, have my coffee and get to work NOT open emails and be responsive. Do your immediate to do tasks done first, and then check emails. Prioritize!
People think i am crazy when i say email will drop in usage over time. More people will talk through social media, such as twitter, facebook, and others. I have yet to play with it, but google made a new tool – google wave – and it will combine email and social media into publiv conversations….even contact form submissions can be treated as a conversation, no more needing to forward contact us forms filled out throughout a company.
And i try to dig out of unread email….i remember when i quit my job at deutsche bank, i had over 1000 unread emails, that i never read! I didnt have time to open them, i would scan the subject lines and from field to pick the ones i needed to open. Same in my hotmail now, thousands of unread messages…..i will never open them, just scan and open….

Sure, i am not very organized, and sure, i dont have good focus….but i think others out there will feel my pain…..

I look forward to the days emails become a less imprtant part of our daily lives. Thoughts???

that quote inspires me! I relate to it in the fact that I am taking risks, many of which people think I am crazy to do. But I think to myself, I only live once, and if I make a mistake, then who cares, I learn, I move on, lesson learned and I’ll be a better person the next day.

So while traveling, I picked up the book “Business the Richard Branson Way”, and it was definitely a great read! Not a long book, so I can get through it rather quickly and get the main bullet points from it.

Here are some main points I picked up from it:

1) Pick on someone bigger than you – You will never grow if you don’t go after the big boys. Fight any way you can, use marketing tactics that your big competitors would be afraid to be known to use, and get deals with questionable upstarts that may become big hits.

2) Do the Hippy, Hippy Shake – a hippy capitalist, Richard is a guy that works hard and plays hard. He inspires his staff to do the same, having big parties and long nights in the office. Get everyone in the organization to buy in.

3) Haggle – everything is negotiable – one thing about Richard Branson seems to be his ability to negotiate. Another thing is, he doesn’t give shares in his parent company Virgin very easily, Instead he sets up new companies where the shares are divided between the businessmen. Interesting…

4) Make Work fun – like I said up above, Richard has his team buy into the company idea. He says “people work cheaper if they like it”. Its not just money that has people work hard for a company, its about achieving a mutual goal. Inspire others, create energy in the company. Praise instead of criticize, motivate others.

5) Don’t lead sheep, herd cats – this chapter really inspired me. If you have a team of independent workers, let them take ownership of a project. Make a team of ENTREPRENEURS within your company. Master of Mayhem, Branson allows the teams to run independently, his Virgin network operates pretty independently, and Branson becomes an “orchestrator of chaos”, as if it were a rock band.

6) Move faster then a speeding bullet – push people to keep learning new things. challenge your team. When a joint venture opportunity comes to him, he brings the brand and the energy, the other side brings the experience and knowledge.

7) Size does matter – Branson wants to keep his operations to talk on a first name basis, so smaller is better . If the group becomes too big, he splits them up. He wants the workers to be in a startup culture, and have a web of startups. He is a builder of businesses, not a buyer of existing businesses.

Never lose the common touch – Branson has charisma. He is charming, and fun to be around. His energy brings people to him, and opportunities keep on flowing. Even though he is a billionaire now, he is still on the same level as the general public.

This book was an awesome read for me. I didn’t understand the Branson way that much before, and I really connected with his ideas in the book. I hope to apply these to my day to day life…

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