TMBA 470: The Elephant in the Room

A wide view of buildings at night

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Today's episode is about a place that has played a very special part in Dan and Ian's entrepreneurial journey.

China has become one of the most important countries in the world for entrepreneurs. Chinese supply chains and manufacturing are the lifeblood of many online businesses.

Things have changed over the last several years in China, though, and arguably no one understands that better than today's guest.

Matt Kowalak of China Ecom Boost not only works with manufacturers in China, but also with major product companies and celebrities, helping them break into and market themselves into this enormous country.

In this episode, we talk about culture, commerce, and Matt's trajectory, including why he has had a major re-evaluation about the kind of business he wants to be doing in the future, focused on the vast potential opportunities that he sees in China.

Listen to this week's show and learn:

  • How China has become the world's largest eCommerce market. (14:30)

  • Why western companies struggle with selling things in China. (18:27)

  • Matt's first experience in China and what made him want to stay. (24:13)

  • The risks of working in the supply chain sourcing industry. (35:30)

  • What eventually led Matt to decide to pursue eCommerce opportunities in China. (39:22)

Mentioned in the episode:

Before the Exit - Our New Book
TMBA Masterminds
Sponsor the TMBA Podcast
The Dynamite Circle
The DC Podcast
Help Us Choose a New Name for the TropicalMBA Podcast
DC BKK
Dynamite Jobs
Lessons Learned from 7 Years of China Factory Visits
Matt Kowalak
China Ecom Boost
WeChat
Hubspot
Salesforce
Alibaba
Tencent
AliExpress
Peking University
Kickstarter
Indiegogo

This week's sponsor:

This week's episode is brought to you by Dynamite Jobs

Dynamite Jobs is a service that helps entrepreneurs and listeners of this show find top, experienced talent to join their teams.  These types of remote positions can be especially challenging to hire for, and we specialize in making that process easy.  For those of you who are on the hunt for a new opportunity, we know how frustrating it can be to find good remote jobs, so we only work with established, reputable companies offering great remote opportunities.

If you're looking for a new job in the new year, check out DynamiteJobs.co.

Enjoyed this podcast? Check out these:

TMBA 265: Visiting China - Why Entrepreneurs Travel to the Canton Fair
TMBA 460: Are We Being Honest About the True Cost of Bootstrapping a Business?
TMBA 468: “Allowing Myself To Dream That Big”

Listening options:

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HAVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE SHOW?

Do you have ideas for things you'd like Dan and Ian to discuss on future episodes?

Our producer Jane would love to hear from you at jane@tropicalmba.com or leave us a voice message using the record button below.

Thanks for listening to our show! We'll be back next Thursday morning 8AM EST.

Cheers,

Dan & Ian

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TMBA 471: The Helsinki Bus Theory

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TMBA 469: It's No Good Having Ideas if They Don't Bring You Results