China Paradigms

Since its founding in 2001, Element Fresh has been a beacon of fresh and healthy western food in China's most bustling cities. The Founder and President, Scott Minoie has been in China for 22 years and has accumulated over 30 years' experience in the food and beverage industry. He is also co-Founder and COO of Planet O, a location-based mixed virtual reality and social experience hub. Moreover, Scott is the co-chair of AmCham Shanghai's Food, Agriculture, and Beverage committee. Let's turn to the interview and see what Scott has to share! 00:00 – Scott Minoie's introduction and background 05:21 – How did Element Fresh Start? From sandwich making in a friend's bedroom to a premium restaurant chain in China. 07:31 – Element Fresh concept was created accidentally. Cross-industry is a clever way to find your niche. 10:52 – The two big steps that lead Scott Minoie to take Element Fresh seriously 13:27 – Where did the initial investments go to? 14:45 – How did Element Fresh make it through the SARS pandemic in 2003? 17:30 – What was the impact of Covid-19 on Element Fresh? How was it different from the SARS outbreak? 21:53 – How many months did Element Fresh need to be cash-flow positive and break-even? 21:51 – What was Scott Minoie's vision after raising 250,000 USD and having a clear business plan? 29:04 – When did Element Fresh start to receive Chinese consumers? 31:11 – How does Scott Minoie ensure the safety, quality and consistency of the delivered products? 35:55 – How was the process of setting up the 2nd restaurant? Was it harder than setting up the 1st restaurant? 40:00 – How did Scott Minoie convince Frank Rasche (Coca-Cola's operation director for mainland China and Coca-Cola's general manager in Taiwan) to join the team? 46:40 – How did Scott Minoie raise the second round of financing? 48:35 – What was the growth model of Element Fresh? 50:49 – How did Element Fresh innovate to keep up with the different evolutions taking place in China at that time? 56:20 – Element Fresh's marketing innovation: collaborations and customer loyalty program 1:03:00 – What did the partnership with LiNa (李娜) bring to Element Fresh? 1:04:00 – How does Scott Minoie innovate the menu and come up with new recipes and dishes? 1:10:10 – What is Planet O about? daxue consulting website: https://daxueconsulting.com/ What do you have in mind for your expansion in China? Contact us now: https://daxueconsulting.com/contact-us-now/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #RestaurantChina #FoodAndBeverageChina

We interview Yael Farjun, who is present co-leader at Travel Massive and an experienced entrepreneur, who founded 2 travel companies. Both have now been shut down due to travel restrictions. In this episode, Yael shares her 10 years of experience in the travel industry in China, talking honestly about the ups and downs, challenges and achievements. Growing a travel business in China has a learning curve that is different than growing a travel business in the West. So what are the pitfalls of growing a travel business in China? Where on the Chinese travel market should foreign travel entrepreneurs concentrate their efforts? How has the pandemic affected the travel industry in China vs the rest of the world? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 00:00 Intro 7:11 My Way PCM and ChinaClickGo - companies history 13:54 What is the size of the travel market in China? 18:57 Why has TripAdvisor failed to take over the Chinese travel market? 25:03 Yael Farjun's thoughts on the flash sale approach targeting people living in China 29:54 What would Yael Farjun do differently if she were to be on the board of a travel company trying to get a share of the Chinese travel market? 41:58 What is the standard commission charged by intermediaries functioning in the travel industry? 49:59 2 Travel Industries - China vs the rest of the world 55:46 Who are some of the players in the Chinese travel industry that have disappeared because of the pandemic? 1:04:04 What travel businesses have strived during the pandemic in China? 1:06:50 Outro Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #TravelIndustry #TripAdvisor

We interview Douglas Corley, who is a Beijing-based healthcare entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO at DHB Global. For ten years DHB Global has acted as a bridge between foreign private healthcare companies trying to get into the Chinese healthcare market and the Chinese healthcare regulatory institutions to facilitate successful transitions from foreign frameworks and regulations to Chinese frameworks and regulations. 00:00 Intro 5:36 DHB Global - a brief company history 9:33 What services does DHB Global provide its customers? 13:22 How does DHB Global facilitate the link between the Chinese public health institutions and foreign private healthcare companies trying to sell their services on the Chinese market? 19:30 Are research universities in China incentivized totally different than foreign universities? 22:19 A precise example of the scope of services DHB Global provides 24:59 What is the level of internalization of operations for DHB Global? 31:43 Deep dive - the Chinese healthcare system 35:01 Is there a private healthcare sector developing for smaller Chinese cities? 38:52 Healthy China 2030 - what are the main directions? 43:55 What means will the Chinese government employ in order to fulfill the Healthy China 2030 objectives? 48:25 How much autonomy do science parks have in provincial China? 50:41 What is China's current vision on nursing homes? 54:59 How good is the Chinese public healthcare system? Is there room for a private sector? 1:03:28 What is DHB Global's experience in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis? 1:10:45 How does DHB Global use cryptography to reinforce transparency on its suppliers and supply chain? 1:16:15 What books have inspired Douglas Corley in his entrepreneurial journey? 1:17:18 What does Douglas Corley read to stay up to date with China? 1:20:01 What books on China have been a game-changing read for Douglas Corley? 1:22:25 What other activity would Douglas Corley pursue should he have extra time? 1:24:15 What advice would present Douglas Corley have for his ten years younger version? Learn more about DHB Global: https://www.dhb.global/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #Healthcare #BusinessPodcastChina

We interview Jean-Philippe Benoist, Founder and CEO at GED. GED helps establish cosmetics brands on eCommerce platforms in China and helps them drive sales in the Chinese market. Their services include both distribution and marketing. So what is GED’s winning formula for brand integration on the Chinese market, which products tend to sell the fastest, and what are the pricing challenges when transitioning a product from the foreign market to the Chinese market? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 00:00 Intro 1:12 Guest introduction 14:29 GED - company size and services 17:59 What does the price point look like when GED buys products from brands they want to be in business with? 21:29 What is GED's business model? 26:58 Does GED tolerate Daigou trade? 28:31 What is typically the initial cost for GED to start distributing a new brand and how high was the very first funding to start the company? 31:31 What would be the characteristics of brands that would have the potential to be big in China, in Jean-Philippe Benoist's point of view? 34:04 What revenue should a brand earn on their original territory before considering selling products in China? 37:08 The Quick Win Formula for successful branding in China 42:34 Using networks of KOLs to find out if the product could be a winner 45:20 How has the beauty market evolved in China from Jean-Philippe Benoist's perspective? 51:30 How does GED handle competition from already established brands when introducing a new brand of make-up in China? 55:46 Which products from the make-up sector have the most momentum in China right now? 58:19 Why is festival promotion a phenomenon in China? 1:03:18 Is live streaming part of the market strategy for GED? 1:07:56 What books have inspired Jean-Philippe Benoist the most in his entrepreneurial journey? 1:12:19 What unexpected success and failure has Jean-Philippe Benoist witnessed in China? 1:16:44 Why does Jean-Philippe Benoist not have a Linkedin page? 1:18:30 Outro Learn more about GED: https://www.gedchinabeauty.com Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #BeautyBrands #CosmeticsBrands

In this episode of China Paradigm, we interview Philip Beck. Philip Beck - 贝曦贤 is an Australian-born entrepreneur who’s been living and working in China since 2005. After 32 years across Asia-Pacific (1976-2008) as CEO and/or COO of publicly-listed international 4A’s media agencies and recruitment companies, Philip became a full-time Entrepreneur and Non-Executive Director in 2009. Philip Beck is a highly experienced angel-investor in China and a chairman & co-founder at Moojing Market Intelligence. In this new China Paradigm podcast we find out why Philip beck decided to move from Australia to China, what is his formula for good investments and how to stay away from potentially bad investments as well as why his SaaS Moojing is one of the best on the market in China. Stay tuned. 0:00 Guest introduction 3:12 What made Australian Philip Beck establish his roots in China? 4:39 Why is life in China "7 times faster" than in Australia? 6:49 What is Philip Beck's screening method for good investing? 13:15 In how many companies has Philip Beck invested in since 2009? 14:36 How does Philip Beck protect himself from bad investments? 18:14 Does Philip Beck belong to a pool of investors? 20:45 Why is Philip Beck involved in angel investing rather than real estate investing? 24:39 What is Philip Beck's current rate of return on his investments? 27:14 What is Philip Beck's focus after investing in a company? 29:30 How are the companies that Philip Beck is still invested in performing currently? 36:18 Should investors also be vetted by company founders? 41:36 In what business sectors do foreign entrepreneurs have a bigger chance of succeeding in China? 48:46 What do clients value most about Philip Beck's non-executive involvement in their companies? 52:12 Are entrepreneurs late on making the decision of getting coaching for their businesses? 55:42 Breaking things - the process of growth for companies 57:55 Moojing Market Intelligence - how do they extract data from the marketplace? 1:04:51 Why are APIs less used than scrolling and crawling for data gathering in China? 1:06:25 Can Moojing be used as a tool by investors to make smart investments? 1:08:04 Being a SaaS does Moojing offer another layer of services to its users? 1:12:49 What is Philip Beck's view on the evolution of advertising in China, in the past 10 years? 1:18:23 How does Philip Beck manage his time? 1:21:02 Philip Beck's formula for saying "No" 1:23:12 Are to-do lists still a relevant way to approach business schedule? 1:26:49 Outro Philip Beck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiphbeck/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #Investment #ROI

In this episode of China Paradigm, we interview Jie Zhang, a serial entrepreneur with a strong tech background and founder at AdChina.io a software as a service (SaaS) platform that makes advertising in China easier for foreign brands. The differences between advertising in China and the West are staggering when it comes to how the various Chinese social media platforms handle the way they push content to their users. This is where AdChina.io can be used by brands as a tool to test out different marketing strategies and gather valuable information about Chinese consumers’ behavior. But how does AdChina.io actually work and what level of integration does it provide in relation to the different Chinese social media platforms out there? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 1:10 Guest introduction 8:20 INSEAD - the missing link for beginning the entrepreneurial journey 10:18 AdChina.io - company size and funding 16:04 AdChina.io - how does it work, what does it offer clients, and pricing policy 23:47 How does AdChina.io handle censorship? 25:01 Can AdChina be used as an advertisement tool on Linkedin? 26:23 Does AdChina have access to all the big social media platforms in China? 27:50 SaaS - how can AdChina.io be used by it's customers? 31:45 The AdChina.io philosophy 36:13 Gathering the right info - what level of information does each platform offer AdChina.io? 38:54 Which social platform is the best to be targeted by advertisers in China? 40:37 Which Chinese social media platform makes it the easiest to target demographics according to their interests? 43:09 What level of programmable advertising can AdChina.io offer? 46:23 How are Nordic brands perceived in China? 50:29 What advice can Jie Zhang offer brands regarding cross-border eCommerce? 53:03 Which Chinese platform is best to start with for eCommerce? 55:31 What did Jie Zhang learn during his time spent working for Huawei? 1:01:24 Does the mispronunciation of Huawei in different parts of Europe affect brand recognition? 1:03:03 What is Jie Zhang's point of view on the success of Chinese brands overseas? 1:05:33 What does the next wave of Chinese companies that will be successful in the West look like in Jie Zhang's opinion? 1:09:31 Maotai - what is the experience of selling baijiu in the Nordic countries? 1:13:02 What unexpected business success has Jie Zhang witnessed in China? 1:15:20 How does Jie Zhang feel about working overseas as opposed to living and working in China? 1:16:50 What unexpected business failure has Jie Zhang witnessed in China? 1:18:41 Outro Learn more about AdChina.io: https://adchina.io/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #Advertising #Huawei

Matthieu David interviews Pierre Gilson, founder and chef at Stoneground Consulting. When it comes to the bakery & pastry industry there is definitely a paradigm in the context of the Chinese market. While westerners consume baked goods and pastries on a daily basis, Chinese consumers enjoy them on relatively special occasions. Pierre Gilson has been at the forefront of this industry in China, helping Stoneground Consulting’s clients open and adapt their bakeries to China’s market. How long has he been doing this and what type of success he has had over the years? How has the bakery & pastry market changed in China over the last 5 years and why is it that some popular products in the West are not so successful in the Chinese market? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:00 Guest introduction and current bakery & pastry market state in China 8:51 How sweet should a product be in order to satisfy the needs of Chinese costumers? 10:30 What other characteristics of a product need to be adapted for the Chinese market? 12:33 What is the process of coming up with a good mix of ingredients? 14:04 What other ingredients besides Sichuan Pepper does Pierre Gilson consider using for his products? 17:29 Does the addition of Chinese ingredients contribute to the marketing strategy? 18:55 What was Pierre Gilson's perception of the Chinese bake & pastry market when he first arrived in China 5 years ago? 21:11 How has the Chinese bakery & pastry market changed over the past 5 years? 23:05 Do Chinese costumers consume baked goods on a daily basis or does that happen more on special occasions in China? 26:32 How do Chinese people approach the consumption of croissants? 29:07 What new interesting pastry and beverage pairings has Pierre Gilson discovered in China? 30:46 Why are baked goods and pastries overpriced in Shanghai? 32:52 What is Pierre Gilson's opinion on the fact that there aren't any major French entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry in China? 36:36 What type of services does Stoneground Consulting offer on the marketing side of a bakery & pastry business? 41:56 What was the experience of opening the biggest Starbucks in the world like for Pierre Gilson? 44:15 What other types of market constraints have impacted the way Pierre Gilson works? 45:41 What are the challenges of operating a Starbucks kitchen? 47:22 Recruitment: how hard was it to find well-trained people? 48:49 What is Shanghai Young Bakers and what does it do? 51:11 What source of inspiration has impacted Pierre Gilson the most in his entrepreneurial journey? 54:08 What does Pierre Gilson do to stay up to date on China? 55:02 Should he had extra time what other business ideas would Pierre Gilson pursue? 56:29 What is the most surprising experience that Pierre Gilson has had so far in China? 57:49 What surprising business success or failure has Pierre Gilson witnessed in China? Learn more about Stoneground Consulting: https://www.facebook.com/stoneground.consulting/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #Bakery #PastryMarket

Matthieu David interviews Kai Hong, Chairman and Partner at JINGdigital. Customer Relationship Management is part of the day-to-day life of any company that needs to understand its customers better and in turn offer better services or products. JINGdigital is using its digital marketing automation platform and has been successfully serving 100+ global Fortune 1000 companies in China. This SaaS company offers its clients CRM software solutions that, in their own words, “do not reduce costs but increase revenue”. This is one of the many reasons why they are able to target high revenue companies and are able to stay highly competitive in the tech market. But what specific features do their services have and how hard is it to tailor a software according to specific guidelines proposed by the client? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:00 Guest introduction 5:57 Current company size and revenue 7:08 How did JINGdigital acquire luxury brand customers? 13:28 Why is JINGdigital the top choice for clients when it comes to CRM implementation? 21:12 The JINGdigital teams - how are they categorized? 23:15 What is the JINGdigital pricing policy? 27:16 Why is JINGdigital targeting companies with 50 million USD revenue? 30:41 Initial funding - how much money did Kai Hong had to raise to start JINGdigital? 33:55 Marketing automation vs Social CRM 37:27 What features do companies like about JINGdigital's software and which features do they often end up ignoring? 45:05 How does JINGdigital's software interact with other digital assets outside of WeChat? 48:32 Is the phone number still the key to identifying the lead client? 50:26 Are there regulations similar to the GDPR for personal data collection and storage in China? 55:08 How does JINGdigital manage client expectations when it comes to CRM software customization? 57:06 How does JINGdigital define their competition? 58:15 How does Kai Hong see the future of JINGdigital? 59:13 Outro Learn more about JINGdigital: https://www.jingdigital.com/en/ Building a SaaS in the Wechat, Weibo & Douyin ecosystems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WxmtJsXqgQ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #MarketingAutomation #SCRM

Matthieu David interviews Rodney Evans, Founder & CEO of Central Studios Shanghai. The photo and video production industry has definitely shifted to a more streamlined approach due to the emergence of social media in the last decade. Central Studios Shanghai, a photo studio based in China, has been able to endure and evolve since its beginnings in 2005. How were they able to retain their coveted location? What services do they offer their clients and how are they managing all the aspects of their business? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 3:12 Brief company history 6:09 What makes Central Studios Shanghai an international company? 10:06 How hard was it to keep the current location for Central Studios Shanghai? 13:15 What are the specific services that Central Studios Shanghai offers its clients? 14:51 Has the internet changed the request clients have for Central Studios Shanghai's services? 19:40 How has COVID-19 impacted the media production industry? 22:04 Current company size 27:19 What is Rodney Evans's view on artist management? 31:01 Are Chinese photographers starting to reach the level of fame that western photographers reached? 35:09 Current market structure for the media production industry? 37:36 What are the main trends that are influenced by the change of technology? 41:35 What books have inspired Rodney Evans the most in his entrepreneurial journey? 48:10 How does Rodney Evans stay informed and up to date with China? 49:29 What does Rodney Evans recommend for foreigners as a source of information about China? 51:43 How is the relationship between China and Australia? 53:37 What productivity tools does Rodney Evans use? 55:27 What would Rodney Evans pursue should he have extra time? 56:10 What has been most surprising to Rodney Evans about China? 58:38 What unexpected success or failure has Rodney Evans witnessed in China? 1:03:41 Outro Learn more about Central Studios Shanghai: https://centralstudios.cn/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #VideoProduction #PostProduction

Matthieu David interviews Founder at Maik’s Gourmet & passionate chef and F&B consultant. The Food and Beverage industry is a very competitive one in China and that’s why having a strong backend and a quality frontend are the factors that will make an F&B business succeed. Maik’s Gourmet provides F&B businesses with DIY foreign food deliverables that are fresh, health risk certified and in demand. But how hard is it to be able to deliver fresh food on a daily basis? How does Maik manage different inventory demands and how has the coronavirus impacted the way consumers approach buying food from F&B businesses now? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 1:49 What is Maik Juengst's perspective on how the coronavirus outbreak impacted businesses? 4:52 Are restaurants less affected by the outbreak than hotels? 8:39 Maik’s Gourmet - a company introduction 15:49 What does Maik’s Gourmet bring to the table in their partnership with Haidilao? 17:26 How much territory can Maik’s Gourmet cover in China? 19:37 What type of clients would benefit from Maik Juengst's F&B consultancy services? 23:19 How does Maik's Gourmet tackle the issue of inventory for their clients? 26:41 How hard is it to ensure the quality and safety of the delivered products? 30:58 How has the coronavirus outbreak changed the way consumers judge how they buy their food? 33:10 Was the WeChat platform created during the outbreak for B2B clients or for the end client also? 35:12 Why does focusing on B2C is not a priority right now? 37:45 How is foreign food perceived on the Chinese market? 39:43 Why isn't there a foreign food chain in China? 41:46 What unexpected success or failure has Maik Juengst witnessed in China? 44:47 Why has Maik Juengst decide to locate his business in Shenzen? 49:18 Outro Learn more about Maik’s Gourmet: http://maiksgourmet.com/ Opening 8 Shanghai restaurants & a club in 4 years based on data and tactful branding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5DxGiDlBAc Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #B2BChina #CateringIndustry

Matthieu David interviews Vincent Djen, Director of Cheng Kung Garments and CEO of REMAKEHUB. The textile industry has consistently been a labor-intensive industry. In this episode, we explore what the future hold for the garment industry and how a circular economy fits into that. Are Chinese consumers already requesting fashion products made from recycled materials? Can textile factories be digitalized yet or is there still a long way to go before that happens? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 5:59 How did the current outbreak affect the garment industry? 7:51 Is the winter collection delayed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak? 8:17 The story behind Cheng Kung Garments 10:31 How and why did Vincent Djen decide to take over the family business? 13:28 Cheng Kung Garments - the current size of business 14:27 What are the highs and lows of a season in the garment industry? 17:05 How much of Cheng Kung Garments' production is in-house and how much is outsourced? 20:53 Is China still the best place for the textile industry? 24:31 Why is the textile industry still so labor intensive? 26:39 What are the costs of using robotics for manufacturing instead of people? 28:56 What are the initial costs for entrepreneurs who would want to get into the textile industry? 33:01 Is there support from the Chinese government to make factories more innovative? 37:03 How is 3D printing helping the textile industry? 41:09 How does Recycling fit into the day to day activities of the Cheng Kung Garments factory? 44:06 Mechanical vs Chemical Recycling - how many times can a product be recycled? 46:42 REMAKEHUB - what and why have specific products been picked for recycling? 48:12 Why was adding traceability for waste products recycled by REMAKEHUB important? 49:42 REMAKEHUB - following the "Cradle to cradle" design concept 50:50 Do big fashion companies already use recycled products? 52:50 Is it easy to tell if a finished product is made from recycled materials or not? 54:03 Is recycling mandatory for companies or is it still an optional feature? 56:18 Are consumers already buying products because they come from recycled materials? 57:51 What are the challenges of creating a brand in the fashion industry? 1:00:26 What is Vincent Djen's greatest business goal? 1:01:28 What books have inspired Vincent Djen in his entrepreneurial journey? 1:02:43 What does Vincent Djen read to stay up to date with China? 1:05:24 What productivity tool does Vincent Djen use to run his business? 1:08:25 What unexpected business success or failure has Vincent Djen witnessed in China? Learn more about Cheng Kung Garments and REMAKEHUB: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cheng-kung-garments/about/ and http://www.remakehub.co/ Bridging Chinese suppliers, brands and consumers to make sustainability core product feature: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF7Q8pu7eno Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Nathan Siy Founder and CEO at Evoke Motorcycles. The company aims to be a market leader in the transition from gas to electric propulsion motorcycles. There is no doubt that going electric is the future and Evoke’s electric motorcycles seem to be the right type of products for this emerging market in China. Making a strong partnership in terms of manufacturing, how Evoke Motorcycles approach product development, and how do they compare with what Tesla is currently doing in the automotive business – all these topics and more are discussed in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 3:00 Evoke Motorcycles – current position on the Chinese market 5:56 What is the pricing policy of Evoke Motorcycles? 8:06 What was the initial investment for Evoke Motorcycles? 10:58 Guanxi - how important is it to build trust before establishing a business relationship in China? 12:52 Working with Foxconn - how was Evoke Motorcycles able to make that happen? 17:38 At what stage was Evoke Motorcycles before partnering with Foxconn? 19:36 How did Foxconn impact Evoke Motorcycles' business strategy? 20:57 Riding the Industry 4.0 wave - how Foxconn is able to pivot so fast 25:25 Building the product - how does that process look like? 29:21 How did Nathan Siy decide to build electric motorcycles? 33:03 Software - does Evoke Motorcycles have a software development team? 34:06 Who are Evoke Motorcycles' clients? 40:19 How hard was it for Evoke Motorcycles to obtain proper certification to be able to sell their products on the Chinese market? 44:51 Is Evoke Motorcycles' development process a client-focused or a product-focused one? 47:15 How does Nathan Siy see sustainability evolving in China? 50:59 What is the core feature of an Evoke motorcycle that would be aligned with the concept of sustainability? 52:37 Why is Tesla not building electric motorcycles? 54:28 What books have inspired Nathan Siy in his entrepreneurial journey? 57:21 What productivity tools does Nathan Siy use to manage his company? 58:51 Should he have extra time what other business would Nathan Siy like to pursue? 1:01:22 What unexpected success and failure has Nathan Siy witnessed in China? Learn more about Evoke Motorcycles: https://www.evokemotorcycles.com/ Building a hardware company on one of China’s niche segments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6ePhKtWoT0 Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Hong Zheng Founder of Adventi Communication and GREENEXT. Founded in 2004 Adventi Communication was engaged in communications for luxury fashion brands, helping international labels develop marketing strategies in China. Throughout the company’s years of activity, the theme of sustainable fashion has become a center of focus and that’s why the GREEBEXT project was created - to help fashion brands with their sustainability agenda in China. But how health-conscious are the Chinese consumers and how big is their need for natural products? Is sustainable fashion in demand on the Chinese market? Find out the answer to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:00 Guest introduction 2:13 Adventi Communication - a company introduction 7:27 How did the need for a service like Adventi come about? 13:52 Is having a Ph.D. in PR advantage for starting a PR agency? 18:26 The SARS outbreak vs the coronavirus outbreak - how have these epidemics impacted the PR business sector? 27:27 Why are Chinese companies not pushing for sustainability? 33:48 Is the market the deciding factor for sustainability? – the reason GREENEXT was launched 38:48 Are there any companies in China that are making a name for themselves in terms of sustainability? 41:37 What other industries will be impacted by the need for sustainability? 45:40 What social values do brands communicate in China compared to the West and what needs to change? 48:42 Do Chinese consumers buy natural products for their own health benefits or for society's health benefits? 49:43 What books have inspired Hong Zheng in her entrepreneurial journey? 51:17 What does Hong Zheng read to stay up to date with China? 53:23 What means of communication should people employ in order to get a good understanding of China? 56:48 What unexpected business failure and success has Hong Zheng witnessed in China? 1:02:00 Outro Learn more about Adventi Communication: http://www.adventigroup.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #Fashion #sustainability

Matthieu David interviews Michael Chiao, a Founding Partner at MEGI and Axel Standard. Finance and accounting management are important for companies as they weigh heavily in decision-making. That’s why MEGI, cloud-based accounting software has seen a great subscriber count since it’s creation. But is there a local market for such software? Are Chinese companies getting this type of management done internally or are they moving towards streamlining it? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 2:55 MEGI – brief company history 4:33 The coronavirus outbreak - growing the company in uncertain times 7:10 MEGI - current client base 8:03 Small numbers or niche numbers - what is MEGI's focus demographic? 9:35 Foreign companies vs Local companies in China - the culture difference in finance management 13:42 Do Chinese companies do analog SaaS services internally? 17:23 Are Chinese small and medium companies changing the way they manage their business internally? 23:25 Current company yearly revenue 26:24 What was the initial subscriber goal for MEGI? 29:38 What specific key features do clients value for MEGI? 33:04 How hard is the process of bank reconciliation through MEGI? 35:23 China's baking system accessibility - how hard is it to integrate with MEGI software? 37:48 How is MEGI able to handle finance reconciliation in the present? 41:16 Why did MEGI decide to focus on the financial statements? 46:12 Big Data Collection - has MEGI achieved critical mass yet? 51:42 What type of loans can small and medium companies expect to get from other companies or banks in China? 56:38 What is the process of deciding and then implementing a new feature for MEGI? 1:00:30 Listening to your client - a key requirement in software feature development? 1:01:49 What is Axel Standard and what do they do? 1:06:26 How has computer science evolved since 1998? 1:08:51 How has China benefited over the years by opening up to the world? Learn more about MEGI: www.megichina.com Building a SaaS in the Wechat, Weibo & Douyin ecosystems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WxmtJsXqgQ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #ChinaParadigm #SaaS #accounting

Matthieu David interviews Gennadii Bochkar and Chen Feng (Fiona) partners and Co-founders at BIBIMI Group with 10 venues in Shanghai. Situated between the fast-casual and casual dining experiences, the BIBIMI group manages 10 venues successfully and planning to open new spots and even night clubs. But how do they manage such a managerial workload, what principles do they rely upon when building a new venue and how important is social media for their business? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 4:48 Current size of BIBIMI group and revenue 7:19 Brief group history 15:06 What was the vision of scaling from Bites&Brew to the BIBIMI group? 16:54 Fast casual and casual dining - why is the BIBIMI group in between? 20:31 The Beginning - was money raised to start or to grow the business? 22:02 What were the investments required to scale the business? 27:54 The principles involved in building a new concept for a restaurant 31:46 Leveraging social media for building new restaurant concepts 38:17 How does BIBIMI group's competition look like? 41:02 Did the coronavirus outbreak affect the BIBIMI group's business in a positive way? 43:47 What economy of scale strategies can BIBIMI group employ in the future? 46:18 It's all about having a great backend strategy 47:52 What software does the BIBIMI group rely upon in their day to day business? 50:48 What are Fiona's responsibilities within the group? 53:43 Is the interior design service internalized or externalized? 57:37 Paying back investors - a BIBIMI group timeline 1:01:00 How does Fiona handle Gennadii not being involved in the business full time? 1:03:10 What books have inspired Fiona in her entrepreneurial journey? 1:06:12 What books have inspired Gennadii in his entrepreneurial journey? 1:11:11 Outro Creating 5 iconic restaurants in 3 different Asian cities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owlrUttlkf0 Meet the founder of the iconic 17 year old restaurant in Shanghai’s ex French concession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjL6OHsNpQo Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Carole Gabay, Analytics Manager & Market analytics consultant. Insightful market analysis is really important in order to accurately determine consumer behavior and make solid market strategies. Carole Gabay has been doing market analysis for 25 years and her skills in this field have been honed and perfected based on a strong professional experience. Her latest project is called covidminute.com What exactly does this project shed light on and how did it come to be? How is the approach to market analysis different for China compared to the rest of the world? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:00 Guest introduction 2:21 What projects is Carole Gabay working on currently and how does she describe the term "market analytics capabilities"? 7:23 What insightful tool does Carole Gabay use for market analysis? 10:51 How is market analysis different for China compared to the rest of the world? 14:04 The China drug market - worth tracking of healthcare insurance agencies come to the market 16:15 How did covidminute.com came to be? 20:14 How did Carole Gabay approach the COVID-19 impact analysis? 23:34 The COVID-19 epidemic - quantitative analysis vs qualitative analysis 29:13 Testing - an important variable to take into account when analyzing the COVID-19 epidemic on a global scale 31:55 How does weather impact the coronavirus spread? 36:05 Lockdown policy - easier to enforce in some countries and harder in others 39:47 COVID-19 spread in Israel - a brief case study 41:33 covidminute.com - choosing the everyday topic 43:18 Learning from mistakes - refining collected data on the coronavirus is crucial for research institutes 44:43 What books gave inspired Carole Gabay in her professional journey? 46:35 What does Carole Gabay read to stay up to date on China? 47:41 What book about China would Carole Gabay recommend? 51:45 What success or failure has Carole Gabay witnessed in China that could have an impact on Chinese society? 55:50 Outro Learn more about covidminute: www.covidminute.com How to score a 1.5 million RMB sales day through live-streaming twice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqJHpSlFpS8 Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. #chinaparadigm #china #covid19

Matthieu David interviews Josh Gardner, CEO at Kung Fu Data. The e-commerce sector has never been more relevant and richer in China than the present and Kung Fu Data is a big reason why businesses succeed in this field. Gathering the right data combined with having the right business relationships and taking advantage of present opportunities has made Kung Fu Data a force to be reckoned with in the e-commerce business. Find out why in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction and Kung Fu Data’s history 6:48 Current company size and workflow – pre and post COVID-19 17:13 The quality of the shopping experience - is it changing? 19:55 Calculation of conversion rates during a live stream – the new way of shopping 25:23 What other changes might occur as a result of the coronavirus outbreak? 28:50 Owning the marketing strategy - shopping platforms are integrating with social media platforms in China 31:51 Learning about e-commerce - how did Kung Fu Data come to be? 39:41 Rigging the Game - building strong professional relationships makes long term sense 47:46 How does Kung Fu Data gain it's clients' trust? 53:39 Valuable Intel - sacrificing a year to learn the market 58:57 Kung Fu Data strategies for optimizing e-commerce marketing 1:06:49 The smallest details matter - a Kung Fu Data approach to e-commerce today 1:13:48 What books about China has inspired Josh Gardner the most in his entrepreneurial journey? 1:23:47 What surprising success or failure has Josh Gardner witnessed in terms of business in China? Learn more about Kung Fu Data: https://kungfudata.com/ Leveraging data to surf China’s e-commerce wave: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvD1DYZgES4 Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Alex Duncan, Co-founder and Product Lead, and Alex Li, VP at KAWO Head of Brand and Agency Partnerships. If you are a big brand trying to establish yourself on the Chinese market you’re going to need a strong social media presence. Thus, we decided to arrange this interview to get the answers directly from experts and explore social media management platform, since KAWO offers support for foreign brands across all the major Chinese social media platforms. How hard was it to build this business? What were the challenges the team face when deciding their pricing model and what did they learn about how to handle the ever-changing algorithms of the Chinese social media platforms? Find out the answers to these questions and many more by listening to this interview. 0:15 Guest introduction and KAWO’s history 6:11 KAWO is always implementing new features based on user feedback 8:50 Present company size and user base 13:26 How did the coronavirus outbreak impacted KAWO's functioning 15:24 The early days - how did KAWO come to be? 19:24 How hard is pricing the service in the SaaS industry? 23:25 More about pricing - how adaptable does the pricing model need to be a for KAWO? 28:02 How does KAWO handle pricing for multiple account users? 32:26 Planning and Reporting - very important features for KAWO users 37:32 Does planning mean just pushing messages or is there more to it on KAWO? 39:06 How difficult is it to build a software service based on APIs of existing Chinese social media platforms? 43:15 How is KAWO's API leveraged by their clients? 45:15 Beside timing what makes a post great by KAWO's standards? 49:13 WeChat subscription accounts are the safe bet for tailored content 52:04 How hard is it to be viral on Wechat? 53:52 Post frequency on Weibo - avoiding diminishing returns 55:13 Catering content to your niche is the key to success on Wechat 55:58 What books have most inspired Alex in his entrepreneurial journey? 58:54 What do you read to stay up to date on China? 1:01:22 What unexpected failure and success have Alex witnessed in China? 1:05:41 Outro Learn more about KAWO: https://kawo.com/en/ Going from digital agency to SaaS business in China with Daphne Tuijn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y61fV3Eo3T0 Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Steve Mushero, CTO of China MSP YunChang. The cloud internet service is fairly new to China and Steve Mushero’s company has been one of the pioneers on the Chinese market. In 2015 he managed to raise 9 million USD to fund his business, but how embracing is the Chinese market for this type of service? How easy is it to reach Chinese IT investors and what are the main differences between the internet cloud service market in China vs the West? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 2:54 The niches that an internet cloud service company can take advantage of 6:07 Company size and a brief history of funding 7:29 Being part of the club - how hard was it to function on the Chinese market 9:58 How does YunChang cater to the international businesses that want to operate in China? 11:17 How does YunChang handle the competition? 12:58 Does YunChang provide client-tailored services? 14:14 Has the Coronavirus brought change to the time people spend online? 16:01 Has the market normalized yet? 16:53 What actions did YunChang take to cope with the lockdown period? 18:48 What are the main differences between China and the West regarding the way the IT industry functions? 26:37 Why is the software market so small in China? 33:27 How were the 9 million USD raised in 2015 by Steve Mushero used for? 35:37 The differences between financing an internet cloud service business in China vs the West 38:06 How easy is it to have access to investors in China? 41:37 What books have inspired Steve Mushero in building his business? 43:48 What book, publication or movie about China can Steve Mushero recommend? 47:04 What productivity tools does Steve Mushero like to use in China to run his business? 48:07 Should he have extra time, what other business would Steve Mushero pursue? 51:08 Is AI replacing the human workforce a worry? 54:03 What unexpected business success and failure has Steve Mushero witnessed in China? 56:33 A few details about Steve Mushero's blog Learn more about YunChang: https://www.yunchangcloud.com/ Going from digital agency to SaaS business in China with Daphne Tuijn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y61fV3Eo3T0 Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Johnny Chang Founder at Spa Solutions Training and Management Consultancy Ltd., Shanghai. How big is the spa industry in China and how much more of a quality service does it offer compared to the West? What training does Spa Solutions offer emerging spa businesses and in what way is the spa industry segmented in China? Find out the answers to these and more questions by listening to the interview. 0:15 Guest introduction and Spa Solutions’ history 6:12 Why does 19% of revenue comes from Spa retail sales? 7:16 Personalization and protocol - the two factors for running a successful spa 9:53 Why is the quality of the spa service in Asia better than in the West? 13:06 How is the coronavirus outbreak impacting the spa industry short term and long term? 18:43 The spa market segmentation - a brief analysis 20:50 What equipment could raise the efficiency of spa businesses? 23:58 Other examples of the spa business segmentation 27:36 The hotel spa pricing system 30:06 The spa market in China - big chain spas vs stand-alone spas 32:43 How are the independent spa chains impact the spa Chinese market? 38:30 How does a spa service business structure look like? 40:48 Are there other streams of revenue for spas expect treatment and retail? 43:06 The top spa businesses in terms of capital 44:04 A few key features a spa needs to have to survive in China 49:43 Does it make more sense to view the spa business as a retail business rather than a treatment business? 51:35 About the geographical segmentation of the spa business 56:25 Getting spa sales improved by 70% - a Spa Solutions quick fix 58:49 Spa products retail prices - higher or similar to getting them from another specialized store 1:00;21 About problems that need to be addressed in the spa industry 1:02:07 Is formal training by cosmetic brands required for spas in order for them to sell their cosmetic products? 1:05:28 What training does Spa Solutions offer big brands in terms of integration with spa services? 1:07:14 How does technology help the spa industry? 1:09:31 How does a profile of a typical premium hotel spa or medical spa look like? 1:12:16 Are spas adapting their offers based on the different weather climates existing in different geographical areas in China? 1:15:35 Outro Starting a healthy lifestyle business in China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSzBkv8_GHI Learn more about Spa Solutions Training and Management Consultancy Ltd.: http://www.spatm.net/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, Greater China General Manager at centdegrés. Building a brand in China might look like a very different process than the way brands are built in the West. But there are many businesses in China that were very fortunate to have the veteran brand builders from centdegrés on their side. They've been in China for more than a decade and if you ask anybody from centdegrés if they are a French agency or a Chinese agency you will get the inevitable response: "centdegrés is centdegrés". Let's find out why in this new China Paradigm interview. 0:15 Guest introduction 2:11 centdegrés - a company history 3:15 centdegrés - current company size in China 5:48 7 years in China - how many brands trust centdegrés their business? 7:47 An adventurous mind - branding came early to China thanks to centdegrés 9:19 China - a reasonable size of centdegrés 12:00 The centdegrés approach to branding 14:37 Managing the core of the business - Creativity 18:58 The centdegrés work process 24:02 Start and end point - the centdegrés brand building journey 27:22 The tools centdegrés provides their clients with to make them successful 29:58 How does centdegrés manage to stay competitive? 33:16 It's never to early to start pitching ideas 36:19 Leveraging the heritage of China - examples of successful Chinese brands 42:40 Brand domination - is it China's time to shine? 48:15 Case Study - what did centdegrés did for MG Mask? 53:27 Case Study - branding HAPSODE 54:32 Brands and politics don't mix - setting up Chinese-Korean business link 56:35 Case Study - bringing Marvel to Sephora 1:00:00 What books have inspired Matthieu Rochette-Schneider in his career? 1:03:25 What does Matthieu Rochette-Schneider read to stay up to date with China? 1:05:00 What book or movie about China does Matthieu Rochette-Schneider recommend? 1:06:25 Should Matthieu Rochette-Schneider have extra time what other business would he pursue? 1:07:38 What unexpected success and failure has Matthieu Rochette-Schneider witnessed in China? 1:10:00 Outro Building an event-native agency in China's digital world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui4wkQPoi6c Learn more about centdegrés: https://www.centdegres.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast?

Matthieu David interviews Guillaume Rué de Bernadac, Founder & CEO at Académie de Bernadac. Etiquette is a tool that any person should possess whether they use it in professional interactions or social ones. In China, royal etiquette is a subject of interest and more and more people are enrolling for courses. How does Académie de Bernadac service the need for royal etiquette on the Chinese market? How do they market their service and how are the courses structured? Find out the answers to these questions and many more by listening to the interview. 0:15 Guest introduction 2:30 Académie de Bernadac - a brief company presentation 5:10 What prices and services does Académie de Bernadac offer? 8:03 More details about the size of the company 10:28 Royal Etiquette classes - why clients may enjoy them for different reasons 13:54 Why is Tier 1 of royal etiquette the most popular set of classes? 15:33 Adapting to the Chinese market - how have the lessons changed to accommodate Chinese culture? 19:00 Selling luxury - the brand of a product is all about emotions 20:17 Do clients apply etiquette outside their professional lives? 22:18 Adapting the lessons for luxury brands the function on the Chinese market 27:30 How does technology mesh with the heritage component of luxury brands? 28:57 Using live streaming for open advertisement 31:09 Best practices to get the most out of livestreaming 32:51 The importance of the Zhihu QA platform for Académie de Bernadac? 35:53 Specifics: how does Académie de Bernadac use Zhihu? 42:06 Misperception - how is French culture viewed in China? 44:11 Royal dreams can be motivators for etiquette learning 46:44 What book has inspired Guillaume Rué de Bernadac in his entrepreneurial journey? 47:57 What does Guillaume Rué de Bernadac read to stay up to date about China? 49:04 What can be learned from using WeChat? 50:07 What book about China would Guillaume Rué de Bernadac recommend? 51:38 If he has extra time what other business would Guillaume Rué de Bernadac pursue? 53:27 What success and failure have Guillaume Rué de Bernadac witnessed in China? 57:38 Outro Learn more about Académie de Bernadac: https://acdebernadac.com/ Creating opportunities through connections (关系): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWEmgoyK9kE Listen & Subscribe: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/china-paradigms-daxue Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78qDpsYgQXWrkPpJyZJLtx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: https://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast?

Matthieu David interviews Lucas Englehardt, founder & CEO at xixilab. Hard work pays off. At least this was the case for Lucas’s first business which was food delivery. Using flyer marketing he’s managed to grow it into a sizable business and then eventually sell it to a German company for a great deal. Now Lucas Englehardt is focusing on the dental care market and has been successful in building xixilab into a profitable business in China, in a country that has a powerful public healthcare system. But what products does xixilab sell and what marketing strategies does it employ to generate revenue? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 3:13 Story Time: Why xixilab? 7:21 Customizing and Remixing - how xixilab develop their product 11:03 How to maintain product quality while going through the approval process 13:00 Supply and Demand - how xixilab keeps its prices low 16:19 The state of the market - how privatized is teeth care in China 18:16 How does xixilab market directly to their consumers? 19:25 Teeth whitening and teeth straightening - which one is xixilab's focus product? 22:34 More about xixilab's company size and business 23:29 How did Lucas Englehardt raise money for his business? 25:24 China Accelerator - why would a seasoned entrepreneur benefit from it? 28:10 Social Media Marketing - China vs The West 29:54 About food delivery marketing - Lucas Englehardt's second business 36:04 Making It Work - the vision behind Lucas Englehardt's food delivery business 39:26 The state of the food delivery business in China right now 43:39 Two Different Approaches - Lucas Englehardt's xixilab business vs his former food delivery business 47:39 What book has inspired Lucas Englehardt the most in his entrepreneurial journey? 49:50 What books about China would Lucas Englehardt recommend? 51:30 What productivity tool does Lucas Englehardt like best in China? 55:09 What failure and success has Lucas Englehardt witnessed in China? 57:40 Outro Learn more about xixilab: http://xixilab.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Philippe Ricard, Founder of La Creperie in Asia. The restaurant business in Asia and all around the world took a big hit with the coronavirus outbreak. But there are some places that can survive anything. La Creperie is a well-established brand in China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong because of its longevity on the market and its originality when it comes to creating an atmosphere. Find out how La Creperie came to be and why it is succeeding in this China Paradigm interview. 0:15 Guest introduction 2:23 La Creperie - a brief history and current situation 4:32 The La Creperie locations throughout Asia 7:07 The coronavirus outbreak impact - advice on re-opening restaurants 8:57 First actions taken when closing the restaurants 11:31 Will adding a delivery service affect the La Creperie brand? 14:12 The New Normal - how to make a comeback after the outbreak 20:08 La Creperie - how it all started 22:52 Before La Creperie - ideas that did not make the cut 26:24 From 2007 to the present day - an evolution of running a restaurant 29:47 How is La Creperie viewed by the Chinese customers? 33:30 How did Philippe Ricard manage to scale his restaurant? 36:20 Negotiating good rent is an important task 42:30 Building a brand - does it happen naturally or intentionally? 45:06 Originality is in the details - why La Creperie is a trademark 46:39 The hassle of managing a business in 3 countries 48:10 No Copy-Pasting - the reason La Creperie is not a franchise 52:00 What is the criteria on the basis of which Philippe Ricard would consider partnering with someone and opening a new restaurant? 54:32 What books or resources have inspired Philippe Ricard in his entrepreneurial journey? 58:08 What unexpected success or failure did Philippe Ricard witnessed in China? 1:04:13 Outro Learn more about Philippe Ricard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippe-ricard-220a1236/ Meet the founder of the iconic 17 year old restaurant in Shanghai’s ex French concession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjL6OHsNpQo Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Yoann DELWARDE, CEO & co-founder at Infinity Growth. If your company is struggling with Sales, do not fire your sales team. It’s probably way more efficient to hire a Sales coach. Infinity Growth can be helpful when it comes to teaching Sales tactics and knowledge to Chinese B2B businesses. But just how good are they? And what principles do they apply when approaching a sales pitch? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 1:33 Infinity Growth - what they do to help their clients 5:17 Success is not random - why ChinaAccelerator plays an important part for Infinity Growth 8:20 The Tools of Trade - what are the means which Infinity Growth employ to help clients 11:09 Focus, Fun and Follow-up - how Infinity Growth coach their clients 12:56 How deep does Infinity Growth do research for their clients? 15:19 Are sales an art, a science or a practice? 18:06 What mistakes or difficulties can be encounter in Sales? 20:49 Why is selling with integrity important? 24:55 B2B Sales in China - is digital an avenue to explore? 29:40 Getting in touch successfully - how to write a great e-mail 32:57 What book about Sales would Yoann Delwarde recommend? 35:45 Toastmasters - a passion for public speaking 41:43 What does Yoann Delwarde read to stay up to date with China? 44:22 What productivity tool does Yoann Delwarde like most? 47:11 What unexpected success has Yoann Delwarde witnessed in China? 48:43 What unexpected failure has Yoann Delwarde witnessed in China? 50:30 Outro Learn more about Infinity Growth https://www.linkedin.com/company/infinity-growth-shanghai-ltd/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Building a B2B sales network all over China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQINVIEAYsY Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Renata Thiébaut, Head of Research & Business Intelligence at Web2Asia. The most important foreign online selling brands in China are so successful probably because they had Web2Asia as their ally when they were first starting out on the Chinese market. It takes a lot of strategizing, data accumulation and re-strategizing to be successful on the different Chinese product selling platforms and this will be broken down into details in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 1:51 Company history and field of work 4:10 Size of business and details on revenue 6:38 Initial vision for Web2Asia 10:57 Case Study: How well was Web2Asia able to sell Jellycat on Alibaba? 16:36 Changing brand strategy was the key to success 24:16 Focusing on the market place - How to drive traffic to your online store 26:14 100% data-driven - re-marketing and re-strategizing 30:12 Strategizing for success - bringing a European brand to China 34:16 The coronavirus outbreak can also have a positive effect on some brands 35:23 Food delivery sales are still going strong after the coronavirus outbreak in China 37:06 The new era of retail - does offline compete with online? 39:12 Managing the different aspects of building a brand requires a great team 41:34 Creating a marketing campaign - stages and involved people 49:31 Double 11 - the shopping festival impact 52:22 China has many platforms that suit many types of products 1:00:06 What book inspired Renata Thiébaut the most in her entrepreneurial journey? 1:02:27 What does Renata Thiébaut read to stay up to date with China? 1:03:45 What would Renata Thiébaut recommend for foreigners to read, watch or follow in order to learn more about China? 1:05:21 What unexpected failure has Renata Thiébaut witnessed in China? 1:08:07 What unexpected success has Renata Thiébaut witnessed in China? 1:11:00 Outro Learn more about Web2Asia: https://www.web2asia.com/ The related interview: Why using WeChat for B2B sales is a game changer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMXFBCFCbcI Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Liang Sun, CEO at Generate and Board Member at Benelux Chamber in Shanghai. Selling anything on the Chinese market as a foreigner isn’t an easy endeavor since the language and cultural barriers make it difficult to understand how your product fits on that market. Luckily for European companies, the solution to this problem is Generate. But how does Generate help their clients sell their products on the Chinese market? How hard is it to recruit experienced Sales Associates and how does Generate define a successful business relationship? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 1:43 Company size and the services Generate provides 5:39 The key is to be flexible - Generate's a business model 7:17 Sales Navigation - Generate's incentive for new clients 9:18 The 3-month plan to generate success 12:28 Exhibitions - are they efficient? 17:02 Sales Associates - recruiting and dealing with conflict of interests 20:32 How does Generate make money? 25:06 Success is when the clients leave 26:53 Why Generate usually outsources digital marketing with the exception of Wechat marketing 29:54 What skills does a good Sales Associate need to have? 31:43 What made Liang Sun want to start the business? 37:08 Trusting results vs knowing the process 39:36 When can Generate deliver the first results to their clients? 41:10 How has the coronavirus outbreak impacted Generate and their clients? 43:38 Is China back in business? 45:04 Liang Sun's conclusions on Made in China 2025 46:25 How does Generate handle the proposition of a Chinese clientele? 47:34 What books have inspired Liang Sun in his entrepreneurial journey? 49:01 How has built a business affected Liang Sun's personal life? 50:20 What does Liang Sun read to stay up to date with China? 51:58 What book about China would Liang Sun recommend for foreigners to read? 53:00 What productivity tool does Liang Sun like to use for his daily work? 58:21 What unexpected success and unexpected failure has Liang Sun witnessed in China? 1:00:16 Outro Learn more about Generate: https://www.generatebvba.be/ The related interview: Why using WeChat for B2B sales is a game changer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMXFBCFCbcI Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Cotton Ding, Owner at Cottons restaurant and bar. The restaurant business is a tough business. That’s especially true in China and more so if we are talking about the last few months when people were under strict restrictions to socialize due to the coronavirus outbreak. How has Cotton Ding managed to stay in the industry for 17 years, what threats did her business face and what type of management does she promote? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:15 Guest introduction 2:58 Cottons - a brief history 4:28 Cotton Ding’s professional history 9:13 Size and scope of business 11:08 The cost of doing business – managing rent and business hours 16:20 Cottons team cost structure 19:26 Managing the everyday inventory needs and inspiring people 27:12 How has the coronavirus outbreak affected Cottons and what measures were taken to stay afloat? 31:52 How has the delivery strategy changed due to the outbreak? 34:19 What is it like to work with food delivery platforms? 37:04 How has Cotton Ding handled the common threats to a restaurant staying in business? 40:18 How was Cottons' brand identity built? 44:47 How the restaurant business takes a toll on free time 47:23 What has inspired Cotton Ding in her entrepreneurial journey? 49:50 What does Cotton Ding fight for? 51:03 What does Cotton Ding do to stay up to date with business in China? 54:08 What books about China would Cotton Ding recommend to foreigners? 56:04 How does business after the outbreak look like for Cottons? 57:20 Should Cotton Dings have extra time what other types of business would she pursue? 58:57 What surprising success has Cotton Ding witnessed in China? 1:00:22 What surprising failure has Cotton Ding witnessed in China? 1:02:09 Outro Learn more about Cotton Ding and Cottons restaurant and bar Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cotton-ding-370680109/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Gordon Dumoulin, founder and CEO at Dumoco Natural Ingredients. When it comes to eating healthy everyone knows that “natural” is the way to go. But where does Gordon’s company fit on the Chinese F&B market? Is there a need for an intermediary between a customer and Chinese farmers, processing companies, etc.? Find out the answer to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:14 Guest introduction 2:50 The business of natural ingredients – how does it work? 8:35 Doing business in China vs the West - the win-win scenario 12:30 How do natural ingredients fit on the Chinese medicine market? 18:24 How does Dumoco Natural Ingredients collect their product? 20:39 Who are Dumoco Natural Ingredients' clients in the West? 22:33 Transparency and pricing - how does one affect the other? 25:12 Managing the exports - a necessity for both small and large companies 27:40 Instant Bridge Education - another success story in China 31:53 Who are Instant Bridge Education's clients? 36:25 Education adapted for the need to express 39:47 Change is inevitable - why is that a positive thing? 41:58 5iZ - name origin and mission 45:32 What books have inspired Gordon Dumoulin the most? 50:46 What unexpected success and failure has Gordon Dumoulin witnessed in China? 53:45 What does Gordon Dumoulin read to stay up to date with business in China? 56:06 Outro Learn more about Dumoco Natural Ingredients: http://www.dumoco.net/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Related interviews: 1) How to succeed in China's tea market while starting from scratch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3pBFyMmCLE 2) Starting a healthy lifestyle business in China - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSzBkv8_GHI Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews David Beutin, Sales Manager – HORECA Food Service at Lactalis International. HORECA was and is one of the most impacted business industries by the Coronavirus outbreak. How does a food service company manage to recover from such a crisis in China and how different is the business model of such a company compared to the West? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:10 Guest introduction 02:53 State of the HORECA industry right now 08:48 How has the outbreak affect distribution? 13:29 What advice does David Beutin have for the HORECA companies in the west that are going through the outbreak? 18:38 China is back in business - how should foreign companies react? 21:31 Back in business after the outbreak - what challenges does that pose? 24:01 Hygiene can mare or break a HORECA business 26:29 How does business look like for Lactalis in China compared to the West? 30:47 A China Paradigm for Lactalis - does the business model need to be different? 34:42 Does Lactalis externalize any department? 40:04 How does Lactalis handle deals with its distributors? 46:46 Outsourcing distributors vs direct sales 51:12 What's missing in the Chinese food market? 55:20 Top priorities to consider when trying to sell food in China 01:00:19 What sources does David Beutin use to stay up to date with China? 01:02:27 Outro Learn more about Lactalis International: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbeutin/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Guillaume Sergent, founder and CEO at Ailion Golf, a company that offers fashion solutions to golf enthusiasts in China. How did Guillaume get his company off the ground and what are Ailion’s marketing and brand strategies? Find out the answers to these questions and others in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:10 Guest introduction 3:36 Ailion Golf - company history and size of business 11:03 What is Ailion's product development process? 14:32 Collaboration is key to success - how was the first prototype built? 20:52 It takes the right software to build the right product 24:31 First prototype - financial commitment and other requirements 26:56 Ailion's marketing strategy in China? 30:45 Brand building strategy - payoffs vs giveaways 35:24 Brand recognition - what brand ambassador did Ailion acquire? 39:19 How did Ailion partner with Ctrip? 41:01 Being present makes a difference 43:17 Is being a foreigner in China an advantage when it comes to doing business? 45:15 Ailion's online marketing strategy 50:49 What is Ailion's experience using Shopify? 54:12 How is Ailion using Facebook Pixel? Learn more about Ailion Golf: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guillaumesergent/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Related interview: Building relationships with the Chinese government - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq4D5WsxY2Q Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Sophie Sun, a founder at TravelRight. If you're a traveler and flying to your destinations is your choice of transportation then you've definitely dealt with flight delays before. For people flying from China the answer to their flight delay related issues seems to be TravelRight, which is not an insurance company but it is a valuable resource to OTAs and travel insurance companies across China. Let's find out why in this China Paradigm podcast! 0:10 Guest introduction 2:38 What does TravelRight do? 4:53 What is TravelRight's business model? 5:59 Who are TravelRight's customers and is the company meeting their needs? 9:56 Why do OTAs like to work with TravelRight? 15:20 TravelRight - a short company history 18:44 The delayed customer market - how big is it? 21:19 How did Sophie Sun come up with the idea for TravelRight? 26:33 The value of an Alibaba education 31:10 The funding behind Travel Right 36:17 The Coronavirus outbreak - how does it affect TravelRight? 37:44 The Pandemic Paradigm - how to manage a business crisis 47:07 Shopie Sun's management style - a western education 54:10 Opinions on being a women entrepreneur in China 1:01:41 Outro Learn more about TravelRight: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-travelright/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g?view_as=subscriber Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ The relevant episode: China Paradigm #25: How to connect an overseas store to 900 million Chinese consumers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1AlRRH4dng

Matthieu David interviews Yuan Yingzi, Executive Director at Europe China Foundation and Strategic Innovation Lab Strategic Analyst at Ubisoft. China’s business ecosystem is attracting interesting resources which fuel Chinese innovation. European start-ups are starting to look to Chinese investors and VCs for partnerships and funding. How does the Europe China Foundation function to help build these business relationships and how do these relationships affect innovation? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast. 0:10 Guest introduction 00:49 What is Europe China Foundation and what do they focus on? 05:35 How is the strength of innovation different for China compared to Europe? 09:43 Makerspace - a deeper understanding of this Chinese notion 12:31 What other specificities are there for China regarding innovation? 13:42 What is Europe China Foundation's purpose? 16:20 How are China-based VCs different than foreign VCs? 18:00 From production to market - China's blooming ecosystem 21:42 What is the next frontier to be conquered by China's innovation? 25:39 How is China leveraging European connections to accelerate innovation? 29:16 What are the factors that have contributed to the failure of many tech companies in China? 31:10 Is it worth coming into the Chinese market if companies have to reconsider their whole marketing strategy? 35;16 On the topic of "Open Innovation"... 37:50 What book about China has inspired Yuan Yingzi the most? 39:02 What does Yuan Yingzi read to stay up to date on China? 40:55 What book does Yuan Yingzi recommend for reading on the topic of business in China? 42:45 Should Yung Yingzi have extra time what would she be doing on the side? 44:06 What unexpected success has Yung Yingzi witnessed in China? 47:39 What unexpected failure has Yung Yingzi witnessed in China? 49:07 Outro Learn more about Europe China Foundation https://www.linkedin.com/company/europe-china-foundation/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/id1450916630 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Augustin Missoffe, a managing director of Greater China, Korea & ASEAN at HOPSCOTCH Groupe. How is event marketing progressing in China’s digital world? Is e-commerce marketing strictly digital now? And how different is running event-based marketing campaigns in China opposed to the West? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this new China Paradigm podcast! 0:09 Guest introduction 2:53 HOPSCOTCH - current size and company history 7:20 How does HOPSCOTCH operate? 9:57 HOPSCOTCH - managing an extensive network 12:29 Event-native - case studies 20:13 The process of working with a KOL or a KOC – a milk-powder anecdote 25:03 Product awareness vs personal brand strength 26:56 Reaching out to KOLs - what is that process like? 29:15 What differences are there between working on China-based campaigns vs western campaigns? 35:44 Opinions on New-Retail – why it is a philosophy 42:06 Event-based marketing vs the digital media 44:55 Why are some companies not going the event marketing route? 48:16 Is E-commerce still using event-based marketing for products? 49:49 What books inspired Augustin Missoffe in his journey? 51:35 What does Augustin Missoffe read to stay up to date with China? 56:16 What unexpected success and unexpected failure has Augustin Missoffe witnessed in China? 1:00:00 Outro Learn more about HOPSCOTCH Groupe: https://www.linkedin.com/company/publ... Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

China Paradigms interviews Hammer Guan founder and CEO of Youbangxin an online platform and a powerful tool for freelancers to showcase their skills. What is the sharing economy and why is Youbangxin functioning in this type of economic sector? How important is transparency for Youbangxin and what makes this platform different from any other platforms on the market? We find out the answers to these questions and many others in this new China Paradigm podcast! Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction 1:14 What is Youbangxin? 2:25 Understanding Hammer Guan's business - company size and other information 4:16 How does it work? - Youbangxin's business model 5:25 The limitations of B2C business model in China 9:21 Life as an entrepreneur – a journey from employee to CEO 12:40 Youbangxin's marketing strategy – not just a platform but a powerful tool for freelancers 15:19 How does Youbangxin attract professionals to use the platform? 16:41 How can freelancers find Youbangxin? 19:00 What makes Youbangxin different than other platforms like it on the market? 22:03 Becoming fully transparent - Youbangxin's transparency policy 24:29 What is Youbangxin's validation process for professional freelancers? 28:50 Combating false reviews - Youbangxin's filter mechanism 33:06 The sharing economy - why is Youbangxin functioning in this sector? 35:22 Has the Chinese government helped Youbangxin to grow by funding the business? 39:20 The difficulties of maneuvering the sharing economy - Hammer Guan's tips 43:39 Feeling the growth - China's shared economy market's potential 48:53 What book does Hammer Guan recommend for reading to stay up to date with business in China? 50:05 Outro Learn more about Youbangxin: www.youbangxin.com Listen & Subscribe: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews David Ammerschlaeger, a psychotherapist and executive & corporate coach at Excellence for Professionals and PsiCare blog author. Practicing psychotherapy in China is truly a paradigm. The economical layout, the way healthcare is provided there and may other factors come into play when trying to develop a proper framework for psychoanalysis. How much of an issue of mental healthcare in China and how easy it is to have access to a professional therapist? Let’s find out in this new China Paradigm podcast! Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and company history 5:15 EforP’s business model 7:43 EforP’s partners – who are they and what do they handle? 10:53 Practicing psychotherapy in China – what is required to be a psychologist compared to the West? 21:54 Are there any studies that can help a psychotherapist develop patterns of approach to therapy in China? 26:06 The China Paradigm of Psychotherapy - how different is practicing psychotherapy in China? 30:32 Can the same framework of psychotherapy be applied in China? 35:24 Meeting a Therapist – how much does it cost in China? 43:40 Mental healthcare is for life – the process of improving one’s self 48:24 Curing a disease or improving mental health? – conquering the stigma of going to therapy 51:50 Finding their way to therapy - how accessible is going to a therapist in China? 57:38 When do people usually come into therapy? 1:02:40 Finding a therapist through social networking in China 1:03:45 Does group therapy work in China? 1:07:05 What does David read to stay up to date with China? 1:08:13 Should David have extra time what other business would he be involved in? 1:12:00 What unexpected failure has David witnessed in China? Learn more about Excellence for Professionals: http://eforp.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Eloi Gerard, CEO & Co-Founder at CrowsNest. Virtual Reality has become a phenomenon in the past decade. But is China a proper ecosystem for this type of entertainment? How far has virtual reality come and what are it’s limitations in China vs the West? What is CrowsNest’s experience in the XR market and what are the differences between VR, AR, MR, and AV? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast! Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and company history 7:07 Telling a story – is VR capable or is it still in an experimental phase? 9:33 Entertainment or mass market - at what stage is VR right now? 16:13 Pushing VR entertainment in China – the Thomas Cook case study 19:33 CrowsNest's experience working with Logitech 25:27 What do XR and AV mean for the virtual reality space? What is MR? 31:38 The limitations of the VR industry in China 36:19 The tools of the trade - the type of devices that can be used to experience VR? 39:42 Creating the proper ecosystem for VR in China - what are the obstacles CrowsNest faces? 44:31 What does Eloi Gerard read to stay up to date with the VR industry in China? 46:42 Should Eloi Gerard have extra time what new business would he be involved in? 48:53 What unexpected failure and unexpected success has Eloi Gerard witnessed in China? 52:22 Outro Learn more about CrowsNest: https://www.crowsnest.space/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Carlotta Godio, General Manager at FLATMIND Video Productions. How has video marketing grown in China in the past few years? What future trends in video marketing can we expect to see in China? Is censorship an issue when it comes to shooting thematic videos? These questions and more in this new China Paradigm podcast! Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and company history 7:37 Flatmind’s work process – steps towards creating great media 19:53 Criteria for hiring the services of a video production agency – China vs The West 28:03 Flatmind’s approach to video production in China – “Video is a must for every brand.” 34:44 Bypassing censorship – how hard is it to shoot documentaries in China? 38:58 Getting aerial footage in China – drone piloting regulations 42:04 The future trends of video formats – a comparison to the present 48:04 Testing before publishing – is it a requirement? 49:02 How do you stay up to date with business in China? 50:41 Book suggestions for gaining more knowledge about China 54:37 What has Carlotta Godio witnessed in terms of big success and a big failure related to business in China? 57:14 Outro Learn more about Flatmind: https://www.flatmind.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews TechNode.com’s editor in chief John Artman. In this China paradigm’s podcast, we get an insight into the Chinese tech scene as we discuss what makes great tech news and what makes TechNode the best resource for staying up to date with the Chinese tech market. How is the tech scene different in China compared to the West? What is TechNode’s business model and how influential are they in promoting new technology in China? Let’s find out! Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and work history 7:34 Handling the Chinese tech info – TechNode’s editorial line management 9:51 Picking out the best topics – what is newsworthy for TechNode? 12:25 TechNode and TechCrunch – what unites them and what makes them different? 19:21 TechNode’s business model – much more than media 23:52 TechNode’s business philosophy – the customer is the end-user 27:44 Podcasting in China vs podcasting in The West – “Conversations are just fun!” 37:55 Complying with censorship in China 41:46 TechNode’s podcast – who are their listeners? 44:39 Why are so many tech companies failing on the Chinese market? 49:08 What are some of the misconceptions that the West has regarding the Chinese tech scene? 54:19 What resources would John Artman recommend for staying up to date with business in China? 56:25 Outro Learn more about TechNode: https://technode.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Sandrine Delabrière, Innovation & Strategic marketing consultant, Food expert - certified Chef, instructor & author. Is innovation something that can be taught? In this episode, we learn about teaching innovation through cooking and how Sandrine has managed to build her company by helping other companies think strategically and creatively. Her workshops are full of flavor! Let’s find out what the recipe for success is in this China Paradigm podcast. Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and company history 7:18 Cooking means innovation – building and improving the recipe 14:15 Strategic and creative thinking - where is learning crystalized? 17:38 Disruptive – an example of creative thinking 20:16 The Retail Safari – an alternative to jumpstart innovation 22:30 Ingredients, textures and aromas – how else can we learn innovation? 24:48 The key success factor for innovation 28:18 Is there a framework to help stimulate innovation? 32:07 The broader view - putting consumers at the core 33:33 Is innovation training more challenging for companies operating in China? 36:15 Fast learners – the Chinese wine industry example 39:05 Learning about business in China – the first six months 45:01 China vs The West – the difference in approach to innovation 47:36 What books have inspired Sandrine in her entrepreneurial journey? How does she stay up to date with business in China? 49:04 Staying up to date with business in China – exploring and targeting 50:03 If she had extra time what would Sandrine do besides innovation coaching? 51:59 What unexpected success has she witnessed in China? 55:04 What unexpected failure has she witnessed in China? 56:47 Outro Learn more about Sandrine Delabrière: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrinedelabriere/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Vincent Ghossoub, co-founder & CEO of Falafel Games. Building a company that handles game development and game publishing in China can definitely be a challenge. But how big does this challenge become if your main goal is to develop games for an Arabic market? In this new China Paradigm podcast interview, we learn about Vincent Ghossoub’s journey on his quest to hire Chinese talent for building the best gaming experience in the Middle East. 0:09 Guest introduction and company history 3:37 Falafel Games’ current business model 4:42 Current market size – the lucrative midcore audience 6:18 Midcore vs Hardcore vs Casual 9:42 “China is part of the recipe!” – why Falafel Games was founded in China 11:20 Rise of the Freemium – combating piracy in China and the Middle East 14:02 From freemium back to premium – what has changed? 19:03 Micro-transactions in the freemium model – what do people actually pay for? 28:21 The international mindset - how did Falafel Games start out? 34:22 When it comes to the gaming market “China is a bloodbath”– how cheap is talent really, in China? 37:17 Initial investment – what did it take to get Falafel Games off the ground? 40:21 Developing the first game – investments and payback period targets 44:19 The secret word is “Guanxi” – building a business relationship network and closing the cultural gap 52:16 Live streaming – the cornerstone of Falafel Games’ marketing strategy 1:00:00 US vs China – cracking the interaction between traditional media and interactive gaming Learn more about Falafel Games: https://www.falafel-games.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Fashionable Futures’ Kate Padget-Koh, a Founder & Consultant, Industry Expert in Fashion, and Kanch Porta Panjabi, a Founder & Entrepreneur. Their company specializes in helping clients build sustainable fashion brands in China. What Fashionable Futures’ definition of sustainability is and what their superpower is when it comes to developing brands will be the topic of discussion for today’s China Paradigm podcast. Skip to the highlights: 0:10 Guest introduction and company history 1:45 How does Fashionable Futures operate in the present? 4:55 How does Fashionable Futures define sustainability? 8:00 What is leading manufacturers to think about sustainability? 8:56 Converting sustainability into action – how does that work? 11:30 Fashionable Futures’ Superpower – turning complexity into simplicity 13:09 Maneuvering the Trade War – specific cases Fashionable Futures have dealt with 16:44 Ultra-transparency through traceability– China vs The West 21:37 Is there a need to always create a brand around a product or service? 25:35 How does Fashionable Futures know what’s going to be fashionable and what will not? 27:05 Creating brands in the 21st Century – social media and innovation catalysts 30:14 The philosophy of fashion 33:34 Is being active online a requirement for a brand nowadays? 36:18 Are there any already established brands in China that have adopted the sustainability quality that Fashionable Futures provide for their clients? 37:25 What books and podcasts have inspired Kate and Kanch in their entrepreneurial journey? 39:52 What would Kate and Kanch do as a side business should they have extra time on their hands? 41:41 What is an unexpected business success that Kate and Kanch have witnessed in China? 43:11 What is an unexpected business failure that Kate and Kanch have witnessed in China? 43:59 Outro Learn more about Fashionable Futures: https://www.fashionablefutures.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Greg Nance, CEO of Dyad.com. In this China business podcast, we learn about his company, how Dyad.com has been lucrative on a very powerful niche offering mentorship to students who want to study abroad and need to navigate the vast mechanisms of admissions that ivy league colleges have in place. Knowledge is power and that’s exactly why it is a valuable resource that Dyad.com manages to place at their scholars’ disposal. How Dyad.com can offer quality certified mentorship, how they attract mentors and how they put them in touch with aspiring scholars on a daily basis? We’ll find that out and much more in this podcast! Skip to the highlights: 0:08 Guest introduction and company history 1:56 Dyad.com – how does this platform work and who is it built for? 3:30 The business model perspective – how does Dyad.com earn revenue? 4:26 The traditional way of studying abroad vs the digital reach of a dot com 6:06 Certified mentors and scalable quality based on feedback – what Dyad.com takes away from the Alibaba model 9:20 A powerful niche - how big is Dyad.com? 11:19 Life is an ultramarathon – Dyad.com’s business philosophy and how they get better and better every cycle 13:13 Client acquisition – a “word of mouth” marketing plan 17:11 Accelerating growth – why creating an engaging and actionable service is important 19:54 The Upvote leads to conversion– where does Dyad.com engage with non-costumers? 21:32 How does Dyad.com get coachable and motivated costumers? 23:06 The conflict of interest and why remaining an honest broker is the best route 25:39 The many iterations of Dyad.com – what was the company initially to what it has become in the present day 27:53 Luck and good fortune – how Dyad.com started out and why they managed to attract and keep investors involved 32:03 Luck surface area – meeting the former CEO of MacDonald’s 36:39 How the current market situation looks for Dyad.com 38:59 Defining the middle-class Chinese family and what their budget is for studying overseas 42:37 How the Trade War is impacting the need students have for studying abroad 44:25 How does Greg Nance stay up to date with business in China? Which resources does he recommend for that and what does he recommend for aspiring entrepreneurs as reading material? 46:03 What productivity tool does Greg use for his business in China? 46:27 What was the most surprising experience that Greg had in China so far? 47:10 What was the most unexpected success Greg has witnessed in China? 48:07 What was the most unexpected failure Greg has witnessed in China? 49:00 Outro Learn more about Dyad.com: http://www.dyad.com/en Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! If you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Laurent Le Pen, Founder, and CEO of Omate. In this China business podcast, we learn about his company, how he managed to earn a million dollars on his Kickstarter campaign for the world’s first “truly smart” watch, and why his company made the switch to wearable as a service. “Less means more” is the philosophy that Omate takes to heart when designing new products for their users. But how much more do we stand to gain by wearing an Omate smartwatch and how many more or fewer features do their products have compared to big brand smartwatches? Let’s find out! Skip to the highlights: 0:09 Guest introduction and company history 2:05 Omate – current company size and what type of business they are into 6:08 Omate product evolution - from Kickstarter to wearable as a service 11:46 An initial buyer’s profile – who was interested in buying an Omate smartwatch at launch? 13:50 The Snowball Effect – Omate’s initial marketing strategy 15:22 What was the initial investment in order to get Omate off the ground? 16:56 Production logistics – How hard was it to get into mass production? 19:10 Manufacturing in China – a GoPro anecdote 21:26 Manufacturing the prototype 22:35 The Truly Smart Watch vs The iWatch 26:33 Who is Omate selling to? Is Omate a B2B seller or a B2C? 30:15 How is Omate handling software integration with Android? 32:14 The “Less is More” Philosophy - how user-friendly is an Omate smartwatch? 35:37 What are the features of an Omate smartwatch? 37:23 Is the Omate smartwatch built to prevent possible emergencies that users might have? 40:47 From Design to Product – how long does it take Omate to build a new smartwatch? 42:39 No SIM card Required, Hopefully - upcoming products from Omate 46:51 Replacing The Service Enabler – Can the virtual SIM card become a reality? 48:52 Debating Price Policy – why a monthly subscription would not be the best way to go. 49:56 Omate’s business model should the virtual SIM become a reality. 51:32 Raising Money From 500 Startups – was there a need to do that? 53:48 From B2C to B2B – how Omate decided to sell to other businesses. 56:36 A Lesson in Marketing – The B2C2B model and why releasing limited edition products is a valuable marketing strategy 58:40 Outro Learn more about Omate: https://www.omate.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6... Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! if you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

In this China business podcast we learn about Daphne Tuiijn's entrepreneurial story starting WebshopinChina.com - a full-service China e-commerce agency with offices in Shanghai and Amsterdam; Chaoly -- a cloud-based data platform, based on the latest technologies that integrate your data together with big data sources from major Chinese platforms. Daphne Tuijn discusses her first experience in the Chinese market; how to open cross-border shops and operate them, switching from a service filed to software and more. Skip to the highlights: 1:38 Where is the company now 4:00 Daphne Tuijn’s first experience in the Chinese market 6:56 How does Daphne Tuijn manage the business 10:12 What Daphne Tuijn has to do to open cross-border shops and operate them 12:07 What’s the cost platforms ask for and how does company charge 1221 14:13 What about the logistics 18:14 How do Chinese people react to international sales 27:03 Is chatbox has a bright future in China 29:39 What kind of growth-hacking techniques has Daphne Tuijn found in China 33:31 What is Chaoly and what can we get from it 36:31 Is it difficult service company to software company 39:11 how did Daphne Tuijn develop software while she doesn't have the background 43:20 What can the company provide with the platform 47:00 Which book inspires Daphne Tuijn the most in her entrepreneur journey? 48:42 What does Daphne Tuijn read/listen to stay updated about China? 49:34 What book about China does Daphne Tuijn recommend others to read? 50:06What productivity tool does Daphne Tuijn like the most in China? 59:00 An idea Daphne Tuijn would like to work on if she has extra time 52:16 The most surprising experience of Daphne Tuijn in China 53:04 What has Daphne Tuijn done in the past when few people know about her 54:12 The most interesting thing for Daphne Tuijn in China 54:57 An unexpected business success Daphne Tuijn recently witnessed in China 56:08 An unexpected business failure Daphne Tuijn recently witnessed in China Learn more about Chaoly: http://www.chaoly.com Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! if you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Milad Nouri, Co-founder and CEO of YOOSourcing. In this China business podcast, we learn about his company, a collaborative and decentralised solution for global sourcing. It combines the power of trusted social networks with audited and verified transactional data to bring a comprehensive global sourcing solution in the palm of your hands. Milad discusses the business model of YOOSourcing, how they get suppliers, how blockchain is used on YOOSourcing and more. 1:13 The size of the business 2:04 The business model of YOOSourcing 4:50 How did YOOSourcing get their suppliers 9:55 How does YOOSourcing make money 10:33 What features do YOOSourcing provide 12:14 How does blockchain being used on YOOSourcing 21:09 Does Milad feel that there is an issue of trusting of Alibaba? 26:50 How much does YOOSourcing charge for the premium version? 29:46 Which section of YOOSourcing focuses at the beginning? 31:15 Is YOOSourcing charging suppliers for more service? 33:40 What makes Hangzhou attractive to Milad? 36:10 Did Milad benefit from the ecosystem in Hangzhou? 39:56 Which book inspires Milad the most as an entrepreneur? 40:03 What does Milad read/listen to stay updated about China? 41:11 What book about China does Milad recommend others to read? 42:10 What productivity tool does Milad like the best in China? 42:50 An idea Milad would like to work on if he has extra time 43:15 The most surprising experience of Milad in China 44:10 An unexpected business success Milad witnessed in China 45:12 An unexpected business failure Milad witnessed in China Learn more about YOOSourcing https://www.yoosourcing.com Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! if you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms.

Matthieu David interviews Nicolai Peitersen, Co-founder and Chairman of Wikifactory. In this China business podcast, we learn about his company, a collaborative social platform where creative individuals use digital tools such 3D printers and CNC machines to design and fabricate products themselves and then share them online through the platform to reach out to individuals doing the same thing. Nicolai discusses how his company is making an impact on the production industry by making digital fabrication more prominent and exploring the possibilities and benefits of using it to localize production. 01:38 - Introduction to Wikifactory, its mission and vision 08:55 - How will Wikifactory as a platform, disrupt/alter the production industry? 16:08 - Wikifactory’s business model 18:50 - A collaborative product development social platform for companies and open-source communities 23:59 - What is Fab Lab? 25:39 - Insights on Digital Fabrication 30:30 - How traffic is drawn into the Wikifactory platform? 35:32 - What brought Nicolai Peitersen to Chengdu, China? 36:25 - What is good to do in China and what isn’t? 42:41 - What is a CNC machine and how does it compare to 3D printing? 43:54 - Wikifactory and capitalism, product ownership rights and sharing projects online 51:58 - Ethics, value creation, social issues and Wikifactory’s impact on China 56:54 - Nicolai talks about the social credit system and its link into his work Connect with Nicolai Peitersen Linkedin Twitter Email: nicolai@wikifactory.com Links https://wikifactory.com/ Listen & Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/china-paradigms/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y6ixpQB1WIs6GMdUeoq4g Website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Thanks for listening! if you like what you hear, do us a favor and write a review on iTunes. What is China Paradigms Podcast? China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms. Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools. More about Daxue Consulting: https://daxueconsulting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daxueconsulting/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daxue-consulting/?viewAsMember=true Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaxueConsulting

Greig Charlton, CEO at 247tickets, speaks with Matthieu David about the event ticket selling business in China. He talks about the business model of 247tickets how does 247tickets uses AI on WeChat. In this China business podcast, we also learn how he organizes his team, creates the community and more. Highlights of this episode: 1:28 The size of the company 3:50 What’s the business model of 247tickets 7:48 How does Greig organize his team 11:40 Defining the product 17:51 Where is 247tickets sitting? Ticket company or community builder? 19:19 Does Greig under threat of doing so many things beyond only ticket business 27:27 How does 247tickets create its community 34:07 How does 247tickets use AI bot on WeChat platform 38:34 How does AI robot of 247tickets work on WeChat platform 42:02 How does Greig see the change that his users change from foreigners from Chinese 45:55 How and when does Greig raise money Official website: 247tickets.com ====================================================== China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools. More about Daxue Consulting: https://daxueconsulting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daxueconsulting/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daxue-consulting/?viewAsMember=true Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaxueConsulting

Thomas Knoop, the GM & Co-Founder of Livecom China, speaks with Matthieu David about the leading CustServ AI solution that supports Wechat, Weibo, Insta in China. In this China business podcast, we talk about the business model of Livecom and the story behind it. Knoop also mentions his unique view of AI and more. Highlights of this episode: 00:36 General introduction of Livecom 6:09 How does the company price 9:25 The story of Livecom 14:30 The holistic view of touchpoint of Weibo 23:25 Where does Thomas develop Livecom and his develop team 24:30 How important is Chinese business to Thomas 26:37 How does Thomas deal with developing a China-centric platform with a foreign development team 30:20 How does Thomas manage across country customers 32:27 What does Livecom do for “饿了吗” 34:08 Why does “饿了吗” choose Livecom and the story behind 45:00 What does Thomas think of AI 56:32 What books inspire Thomas the most on his entrepreneur journey 57:05 What does Thomas read to stay up-to-dated about China 57:44 What books on China would Thomas recommend if any 58:28 What productivity tools does Thomas like to use 59:41 What would be another business Thomas would like to manage if he has extra time 1:00:42 An unexpected success and failure Thomas has witnessed in China official website: https://www.livecom.cn ====================================================== China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools. More about Daxue Consulting: https://daxueconsulting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daxueconsulting/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daxue-consulting/?viewAsMember=true Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaxueConsulting

Mike Hofmann, Managing Director at Melchers (Beijing) Ltd., speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about supporting the exportation and operations of companies in China. Highlights of this episode include: 1:02 About Melchers 3:48 Net sales 5:27 Melchers’ case studies that are most illustrative of China 8:09 Competing with other companies 10:06 Elements and circumstances to why companies would use Melchers’ services 12:41 Navigating risks 14:26 Costs of service and business model 16:15 Introducing a premium brand in China 20:31 Training and time investment for selling a luxury product 22:37 Organization and company set up 25:50 Locations 30:35 Standard way of working with malls 31:56 Most successful format for market entry 34:17 Cost of companies having their own shop in premium locations by space 35:09 Budget allocations to opening the first shop 37:40 Managing online presence of luxury brands 40:40 Working with a TP (T-Mall partner) 43:45 Concerns about the TP 44:50 Books that inspired Mike’s China journey 46:05 Staying up to date with China 46:55 Something Mike would do in China if he had extra time 48:34 One unexpected success in China 50:28 One unexpected failure in China More about Melchers (Beijing) Ltd.: https://melchers-china.com/ ====================================================== China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools. More about Daxue Consulting: https://daxueconsulting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daxueconsulting/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daxue-consulting/?viewAsMember=true Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaxueConsultingv

Kimberly Ashton, Co-Founder at Yin Lifestyle & Sprout Lifestyle, speaks with Matthieu David-Experton about the healthy lifestyle business in China. We learn about Yin Lifestyle’s products, service, and its typical clients. She also mentions the certifications, technology in the nutrition industry and more. Highlights of this China business podcast: 2:19 The story of founding the Yin Lifestyle 5:20 What is Yin Lifestyle’s products and service 8:55 What are Yin Lifestyle’s typical clients 11:56 The different classes of Yin Lifestyle 13:33 What are the elements that Yin Lifestyle needs to correct customers’ diet 18:50 The certification and government regulations in the nutrition industry 23:50 The levels of certification for nutritionist 25:40 What technology is in the market to help people to get healthier 31:47 Is nutrition coaching industry organized well in China? 34:55 What does Kimberly think of special cooking space in the mall 40:00 Chef kitchens and sharing kitchen economy in China 43:53 What is the difference between Yin Lifestyle and Spout Lifestyle companies 49:11 What books inspire Kimberly the most on her entrepreneur and lifestyle journey 51:00 How to deal with contradicting ideas when reading different books 52:35 What does Kimberly read to stay up-to-date 54:56 What would be the third company Kimberly would like to manage if she has extra time ====================================================== China Paradigms is the China Business Podcast for entrepreneurs and China watchers. Learn from business professionals in China on our China Paradigms website: http://chinaparadigm.com/ Daxue Consulting is a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market. We are leveraging a multiple-methodology approach in order to support clients’ needs, auctioning traditional methodologies as well as technology-driven tools. More about Daxue Consulting: https://daxueconsulting.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daxueconsulting/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daxue-consulting/?viewAsMember=true Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaxueConsulting