International Trade Resource Blog

Why Factories Are Leaving China

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:54:00 +0000

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_21/b4179011091633.htm

Why Factories Are Leaving China
A labor shortage is trimming margins for exporters, who are moving to Vietnam, India, and elsewhere

By Dexter Roberts

As costs climbed in Taiwan two decades ago, Ben Fan moved his lighting factory to take advantage of China's cheap labor. Now, with Chinese wages on the rise, he's moving again. "It's just like what happened in Taiwan," says Fan, chairman of Neo-Neon Holdings, which sells lamps and lighting fixtures to big retailers including Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT), and Wal-Mart (WMT). "Chinese don't want to work in factories anymore."

So Fan is expanding his factory in Vietnam, where wages are $100 a month, one-third what he pays in China. He plans to shift 85 percent of his production across the border, and by December he'll have 8,000 workers in Vietnam—up from 300 a year ago—and just 5,000 in China, down from 25,000 in 2008.

Over the past two years, millions of jobs have moved to China's interior or elsewhere in Asia as factory owners try to cut costs. In Guangdong, the mainland's top exporting province, wages have almost doubled in the past three years, and more than half the factories can't find enough workers. The number of migrants who traveled to coastal provinces for work fell by 9 percent last year, to 91 million. "This lack of labor will only get worse," says Willy Lin, chairman of the Textile Council of Hong Kong, a trade association.

Factory owners complain that the higher wages are devastating profits, especially as their customers continue to squeeze them for lower prices. "Wal-Mart won't raise what they pay us," says Poh-Heng Toh, general manager of teddy bear producer Lovely Creations. Another Wal-Mart supplier, jewelry maker Profit Grand, has cut its staff to 450 from 600 largely because it can't find workers at the rates it's willing to pay, says Chairman Hsu Chi Lin. Wages, Hsu says, have risen from 2 percent of total costs a decade ago to 12 percent today, while net margins have fallen from 15 percent to about 8 percent. Factory owners are also worried about a potential revaluation of China's currency. The yuan is up 21 percent vs. the dollar since 2005, and many economists expect it to rise an additional 5 percent this year.

While China's growth—11.9 percent in the first quarter—is a factor in the labor shortages, they likely won't disappear once the economy cools. The country's one-child policy means fewer people are joining the workforce. Tax breaks for farmers and subsidies for companies setting up in the interior have allowed more people to find work near home. And a growing service sector means greater opportunities lie beyond the factory gate. "The younger generation is trying to get work that is much easier—waiting tables in restaurants or working in supermarkets," says Charles Yang, general manager of Apache Footwear, which makes shoes for Adidas.

Many companies are finding ways to pare costs. Electronics giant Foxconn Technology, which makes the Apple (AAPL) iPhone and handsets for Motorola (MOT), has opened new plants in China's north and west, far from its home base near Hong Kong. Shoemaker Apache has moved simpler work, such as stitching the upper portions of sneakers, from Guangdong to lower-wage factories in the interior. Apache is also expanding a plant in Chennai, India, that will produce at least half its shoes within five years. The company's Chinese workforce will soon drop below 10,000, from 18,000 two years ago, general manager Yang says. "We've been squeezing like hell to get more out of the system," he says.

No one expects manufacturing to disappear from coastal China. The networks of suppliers for industries from textiles to electronics—makers of buttons, zippers, wires, connectors, and the like—can't be easily replicated elsewhere. Many companies plan to keep more sophisticated work in eastern China while moving basic tasks elsewhere. Neo-Neon, for instance, expects to boost production of LED lighting in China even as it expands in Vietnam. Chinese workers today "want easy jobs and higher pay," says Fan. "We can give them that if we make more expensive, higher-margin products."

The bottom line: Rising wages in coastal China are spurring manufacturers to open factories in cheaper places, though more advanced production may stay.

With Bob Chen

USC US-China Institute

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:47:00 +0000

I first read about this blog and publication a couple years ago. Periodically, they have email newsletters about different news items concern the US and its relation with China. I think its a great read, even though it is not all that frequent.

http://www.uschina.usc.edu

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:20:00 +0000

This part 3 of the last series of Trade Shows - Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up. I will discuss some tips I have found in Exhibiting at a Trade show. I have had experience exhibiting trade shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlantic City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Toronto, Orlando, Taipei, and Hong Kong. I have exhibited Educational Services, Pet Products, Computer Products, Housewares, Vision Care, and Kitchen & Bathroom Products.

At the end of a show, similar to the follow up process with Attending a show, everything centers around two things - setting up for next year's show and customer follow up.

A. End of Show Notes

Make sure you have notes about this year's show and venue. You'll want to see what marketing that you did and other did was successful and not-so-good. In addition, booth placement of your own. Perhaps re-negotiating with the trade show organizers in trying to get a better location. Track the trends with your market and industry - maybe the idea is not to do a trade show. Look at just getting a suite and set up meeting with clients and vendors there.

Your own booth might need some tweaking. You and your booth babes - might need to increase/decrease the personnel or change people in & out.

B. Next Show

For your next trade show, it might be a good idea to confirm all of your arrangements - hotel, booth, marketing, labor, etc. Look into setting up seminars, conferences, round-tables, and other complimentary events.

C. Customer Responses

Take poll with your customers about your booth, products, and services. In addition, this is a good time to put together case studies about your products in person - maybe with video about your products and services.

D. Customer Follow Up

Make sure you follow up with everyone that came by your booth within a week. At least thanking them or acknowledging them for coming by the booth, since you scanned them or got their business card. Within the same time period, you should have also confirmed all the new PO's with shipment lead times. Follow up is the most important facet of exhibiting at a trade show.

For more additional tips about Trade Shows check out this link
http://www.exhibitoronline.com/tips/index.asp

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Great Carry-On Sitting Bags for Travel

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:29:00 +0000

Here are two bags that are great for traveling. Zuca and Seatkase are two forward thinking product companies that sell innovative products for not just the regular pleasure traveler but also the business traveler.

You might not think of it. But sometimes when you are traveling in and out of airport, bus stations, hotels, etc. - you might want to find a place to sit. Often times, you may not want to sit on a dirty bench or filthy bus station chair. Or heck, you might not even find a seat in a crowded airport. Waiting in long lines can tire you, so these types of luggage might just be the best solution.

Check out these two cool travel bags.

http://www.seatkase.com

http://www.zuca.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHO5SWbHGtk&feature=player_embedded

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:16:00 +0000

I apologize for the long delay between posts. I have been busy with a few things. I need to put this blog on priority. I hope that I can keep this blog as a regular task for myself.

This part 2 of the last series of Trade Shows - Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event. I will discuss some tips I have found in Exhibiting at a Trade show. I have had experience exhibiting trade shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlantic City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Toronto, Orlando, Taipei, and Hong Kong. I have exhibited Educational Services, Pet Products, Computer Products, Housewares, Vision Care, and Kitchen & Bathroom Products.

At the Event
A. Manning the Booth
Make sure that you have enough people to properly man the booth. This means that you should have at least two people at all times for a 10x10 booth. Then for a larger booth, you might want to go up with the same ratio - 2:10, 4:20, etc. As a rule of thumb, it is always better to be better prepared than under-prepared. Obviously booth babes don't hurt to help either. If you are choosing to hiring booth babes on a temporary basis - which you can find almost anywhere, make sure you train them properly. Perhaps this can lead to a hire of a sale rep.

B. Offer Giveaways or contest
Another key task that I like when I have a booth is offering giveaways. If you can spend for few cents per item - such as a pen, small sticker, magnet, etc, this can help create the first step in interacting with potential clients. I like to be pro-active in going out to meet people. Sometimes you see booth with people waiting for people to come up to them. But if you are a new and up & coming company with a great product/service - this method can help greatly. By having a couple of people at the front of the booth just hand out these pens or magnets, you get people to say thank you and more often than not, they will ask more about you and your company. These are what you call hooks. And that's your opening! If you can purchase 10,000 logo'd pens, you can find this use to help in gaining the first step.

In addition, contests and drawings also help in building you list of potential customers as well. If you can collect business cards and can scan people in, you can see you list quickly grow. In this manner, you can have you people just talk to passerbys and offer them to enter in a free contest givaway/drawing.

C. Ready to do purchase orders
Offer trade show specials. Offer incentives if they place the order now or within 1 week of the trade show. Make sure when you are at the show that you are willing and able to take new orders. Even if you don't have credit checks in hand for new clients, at least they can fill out orders and fill out other necessary documents when they return home. Make sure you have plenty of your forms, catalogs, line sheets, credit application handy when you are at the trade show.

D. Joint Efforts and Marketing
Consider working with complimentary products and services in your industry. Look for exchange marketing. Perhaps you could put some of your brochures at their booth or during their seminar and vice versa. Maybe one of your staff could be at their events to talk about integrating their products and services together.

Long term deals could include packaging your products/services together. And at the end of the day, this type of agreement or joint effort is something larger than just putting brochures at another's booth.

E. Walk Throughs
You should, personally, walk through the entire trade show, at least once. You and your staff can get ideas about booth design, what to do next year, and how to improve your own message/marketing. In addition, you can also gauge your competition.

Attend seminars in your industry, competitors, and of potential clients/partners.

F. Next Year's Space
Arrangements for next year's trade show should be made at this years. Persuade them to get better booth locations by purchasing advertising and other marketing that they offer. Maybe getting a larger booth space will help in getting better positions on the trade show floor. Trade shows are all about location, location, and location. Secure spots strategically near high traffic areas.

G. Dismantle Arrangements
Often times at these large trade show venues you'll be forced to work with Unions in dismantling your trade show booths. Talk to them early to get them to dismantling your booth carefully. You might have sensitive material and or important images & marketing materials that need careful handling. Tip them in hopes that they will take special care.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Panjiva

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Similar to that of Alibaba, Panjiva is a aggregator of many companys' information. Specifically manufacturers in the textile industry. I first read about their company in Businessweek. I think Panjiva's a great resource for new and up and coming clothing designers.

Panjiva works textile manufacturers all over the world. They provide the added value service of internally rating the suppliers/manufacturers. Their official rating system allows themselves to be the recognized arbitrary 3rd party. Alibaba, like amazon and ebay, relies on users/customers to govern the vendors. I think Panjiva's involvement will keep users/customers coming back.

Panjiva - http://www.panjiva.com

Their site says thier company mission is . . .

Panjiva's mission is to make it easier for companies of all sizes to do business across borders. As a first step, we are helping companies identify which overseas suppliers they can trust. Our approach to this task is unique: we leverage a wide variety of quality data sources to identify, evaluate, and keep tabs on suppliers around the globe.

Founded in 2006, Panjiva is based in New York and Boston, with offices in Shanghai, and India. Panjiva is led by founders Josh Green and Jim Psota.

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:21:00 +0000

This is part 1 of the last series of Trade Shows - Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation. I will discuss some tips I have found in Exhibiting at a Trade show. I have had experience exhibiting trade shows in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlantic City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Toronto, Orlando, Taipei, and Hong Kong. I have exhibited Educational Services, Pet Products, Computer Products, Housewares, Vision Care, and Kitchen & Bathroom Products.

Prior to the show you might want to go through this short list to see if this show is right for you.
A. Evaluation of the Trade Show
Take a look at the trade show's website and figure out if this trade show is right for you. This large ticket expenditure may or may not be the right one for you. You might find that regional trade shows might not have the target audience that you are looking for. In addition, talk to some of your customers that attended the trade show prior, they might have good or bad things about the show. Perhaps there is a competing trade show that is better that everyone one goes to.

B. Reasons to Exhibit - Branding
If you find that you did not hit your sales goals last year from a particular trade show. You might be hesitate to invest your time and make that large purchase for that trade show booth. But at the end of the day, the trade show booth helps keep your company and your name in the industry place. Maintains your brand awareness for your potential clients, current customers, and even your competitors.

C. Maintain Relationships
Networking at these events helps you and your company stay abreast of trends, practices, and ideas. You'll get a chance to meet new people in the industry that might be able to help you in the future. You might be able to hire them, or seek them for ideas or a future opportunity.

D. Speaking Engagement Opportunity
If you get the chance to present or talk at a seminar, as an expert, you'll find people seeking you out. This will help you and your business grow. If the trade show organizers inquire about you speaking on a panel or if you can create a seminar related to the trade show - these are opportunities that you should strongly consider.

I've heard of people strictly doing seminars instead of having a booth. They've done more business and gotten more contact in this manner. I'll talk about this idea of becoming a speaker, later.

Once you made your evaluation on exhibiting at the trade show, here are some tips on preparing for the show.

A. Booth Selection
If you are new to the Trade show, you probably won't be able to get the best booth location. But if you plan for it a year in advance, you might be able to get a better selection. When selecting a booth location, look for high traffic areas, near the front entrance, near restrooms, near food courts, and near larger exhibitors. In addition, about a week or so before the trade show, contact the organizers, ask them if there is an exhibitor or two that has dropped out. Ask if there is better placement for your location.

In addition, if you are working with a partner, perhaps a distributor or a regional distributor - maybe you could share the booth with them. You could help alleviate some of the costs. You might be able get a better location with a longstanding distributor who has been there a long time.

Another idea for preparation, is to consider getting a nice Hotel Suite with or without your booth. The Hotel Suite will be location where you can comfortably showcase your products to big customers. This controlled environment allows you to provide VIP service.

B, Marketing Opportunities
Prior to the Trade show, the organizers will often provide opportunities to place ads. Ads will be at the trade show as signage, in the media materials - like trade show program, and mailers. All these opportunities should be considered, at the very least. I believe the mailers are probably the most important and least considered. If you can target attendees, with a mailer, it provides them something physical to hold, lots of media space, and contact information with a call to action, that they can hold on to, even after the trade show.

C. Traveling and Logistics

If you have a booth with lots or little amounts of set ups, you may have no choice but to use the staff and workers at the trade show. Often times, their union workers that give you no choice. But you can save money if you think about what you are setting up. You can find good deals on used trade show display pieces. All you have to do is purchase and produce the artwork on the used sized trade show display pieces.

And rather than traveling with your trade show display pieces, use your discount Fedex or UPS ground accounts. If you plan accordingly, you can save money on logistics. Having them fly with you can cost substantially more.

D. Meetings

Set meeting at the trade show to see current clients. Set meetings with potential clients. And if need be, set up happy hours or lunches with new clients that you met at the trade show. Let your potential clients know that you will be there with your staff showcasing your services and products.

E. Samples and Giveaways
Make sure you have samples of your product that you can give away. You can mark this expense up as marketing expense, rather than potential sales revenue. But, you may want to considering selling them toward the last day of the show, just so you have samples to show throughout the event. This way, you can get your clients to come back to your booth.

Often times, you need a hook to get new clients to talk to you at your booth. I used to giveaway free pens (with our logo and contact info) to everyone who walked by our booth. This way, it gave you an opportunity to interact with someone, rather than wait for someone to walk in your booth. All you need is a couple people and a few thousand pens. Offer a pen or a small inexpensive logo'd item to everyone - EVERYONE, and they will most like offer the opportunity to have eye contact. Once you establish this, you can start your 5 second pitch.

Another incentive to get people to your booth that you need to prepare for - is a giveaway contest. If you scan attendee's badges and/or get their business cards, you can indicate to them that there is a giveaway contest at the end of the trade show. This provides more opportunities for you to build your new contact list. The giveaway can be anything of value - it doesn't matter.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation

Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event

Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Modern Showers and Creative Shower Heads

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:18:00 +0000

I saw this post about unique designs. In any industry, you must keep on the look out for creative designs about products and services that you can somewhat mimic. Perhaps you take take inspiration from their creativity and incorporate in your own. You might be able to tweak the designs, and legally, call it your own.

Anyways. . .This post is pertinent to my industry of plumbing products and plumbing components' industry.

Here is the original post

Modern showers and creative shower head designs from all over the world.

Pocket Shower

This tiny gizmo unfolds to reveal a high performance waterproof reservoir that holds a mighty ten litres of water. The black fabric will (given a sunny day) warm the water up in no time. [link]Pocket Shower

Tosca Oasis Shower Panels

Modern European luxury shower panels from Tosca line by Visentin. [link]Tosca Oasis Shower Panels

Ishi Shower by Lockie von Moger
Besides looking good on the wall, Ishi shower features a slider that allows you to control the flow of water. Convenient pause button allows you to pause the flow mid-way so that you can lather-up the soap and then resume for the rinse. [link]

Click here to read more from the original post from Toxel.com

Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:16:00 +0000

This step of Attending a Trade Show might be the most important step of all. And it might take months before you see the benefits of attending a Trade show.

A. Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

Make sure you follow up with the contacts, sales people, and other new contacts you made at the show within 2 days. Even if it is just a simple email of saying hello, nice to have met you. And to also let them know that you will be following up with them in a few days after. This way, it keeps you fresh in their minds. If they are good, they will most likely follow up with you in the same period.

Months after the show, or heck even years after, you will find that you might pull out a business card and realize that you met them at that show. New business development might occur from that show. Positive P/L resulting from that particular vendor from that show will indicate the successfulness of that trade show.

B. Evaluation of the Trade Show

This report is for your colleagues as well as for yourself. Most likely you'll have to attend this show or a show similar to this in the future. You'll want to make notes about the show itself. Where was the best place to park, to eat, to have meetings with people. What to wear, what seminars to attend, what not to waste time on, etc.

C. Evaluation of the Exhibitors

In addition, you'll need to add to your Rolodex these new contacts and salespeople. You will note what was interesting, which companies had new and exciting things, etc. You'll make notes on what new and exciting companies were exhibiting, so that you can visit them in the future.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation

Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event

Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Why American Apparel has the best line sheets

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:58:00 +0000

I saw this link about line sheets and the importance of good line sheets. After going to Magic and Project the last few times, I realized that lines sheets are the threads that hold this industry together.

Here is the original link to this post.
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why_american_apparel_has_the_best_line_sheets/

Why American Apparel has the best line sheets

Posted by Miracle Wanzo on Jul 27, 2005

I’m sure many buyers have had their share of experiences trying to write an order with a line and they were constantly flipping back and forth from one page to the next trying to figure out what went with what and where it was and what the product code was. Even more frustrating is when the line sheet is so confusing that even the rep doesn’t understand it.

Considering all this, I am going to explain why American Apparel has one of the best line sheets ever. Catalog, line sheet, it doesn’t matter, because the basic outline is the same.

Now we all know they have pages and pages of pictures, but if we took what could be considered the “line sheets” (which are in the front of the catalog), it’s broken down into these basic categories:

Fabric
Color
Style (sketch, style name and number)
Product matrix

Fabric explains the basic fabrics they have. Color is a printed color swatch (and they include Pantone numbers). The style portion shows the line art sketch along with the product name and item number (for the record, style numbers that are pure numbers are easier to work with than letters, unless your letters are consistent and stand for something, more about that later). The best part is the product matrix. It’s this, well matrix, with tiny versions of the style sketches along with tiny color swatches. Why is it fantastic? Because at a glance, on one page, you can figure out which items come in which colors if you are trying to mix and match your merchandising.

I wish more line sheets were this easy to read.

If you have the type of product line that can be merchandise across the board, offering some type of “at a glance” view, like American Apparel’s product matrix, makes it easier to read.

In addition, you should set up a standard format to your line sheets so that the pages look consistent. For example, information should be on the same place on every page so that buyers know where to look for it. If your style numbers are below and left of the sketch, keep them there. If your delivery dates are in the top right hand corner, keep it there.

Another tip is don’t ever put anything in the top left hand corner right where someone will staple or paper clip pages together. I know sometimes your line sheets are bound and placed in sheet protectors and in binders for your sales reps, but there will be people who only have copies and they aren’t bound and they have to unstable them to read them.

Many people are consumed with making a line sheet that looks pretty. Pretty is not as important as functional and easy to navigate. And if you have a huge line, with lots of colors and styles, make sure to recap everything in a product matrix like form.

If you have a small line, considering making your own order form for every season that is grouped by delivery date and has all the styles filled in so the retailer only needs to fill in quantities. Do this if you can get everything to fit on one page, otherwise it becomes too much to have a retailer send in multiple pages when they are only ordering three items but you have split them across pages. I only know of one company that does this and it’s a lifesaver over having to write everything down (especially since most POs don’t have enough space to accommodate handwriting). When I go to market, I always write my own orders. Because reps are notorious for only writing product codes and color codes and I have to flip back and forth through the line sheet to associate codes with style descriptions.

I went to one market and the rep insisted on writing the order. Some stuff about the owner understanding her handwriting best. Well I don’t write like a pig (my only vice is not writing hard enough for the third carbon copy to be legible) but I can’t read her handwriting and I have no idea what she wrote. I mean, I have NO IDEA. And it got really bad once she started making mistakes, and crossing things out, and her writing became even more difficult to read. It was large and loopy and didn’t fit into the space. So when she asked for my shipping information, I just gave her a business card and asked her to staple it to the order form. That’s the last time I let a rep write an order. It would have been much less painful with a pre-filled order form.

Here is the original link to this post.
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/why_american_apparel_has_the_best_line_sheets/

10 Steps To The Perfect Portfolio Website

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 03:32:00 +0000

I saw this article from Digg.com linked form smashingmagazine.com. This is not only great for Porfolio Websites, but also good for company websites that features services, rather than products. Each of these Steps showcases you company and how you utilize the Internet to benefit your company, your services, and your clients.

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/26/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/

by Lee Munroe

You may have a personal portfolio website for a number of reasons. If you’re a freelancer, then you’d need one to showcase your work and allow people to contact you. If you’re a student (or unemployed), then you’d need one to show prospective employers how good you are and what you can do, so that they might hire you. If you’re part of a studio, then you might use one to blog about your design life, show people what you’re doing and build your online presence.

A personal portfolio website is all about promoting you. You are a brand, and your name is a brand name. No one is going to know about your brand unless you get it out there; and if you’re a Web designer, developer, writer, gamer or any other type of creative, then it’s essential that you have a good portfolio website.

You may want to take a look at the following related articles:

* Creating a successful online portfolio
* 50 beautiful and creative portfolio websites

What makes for a good personal portfolio website?

1. Logo

Your logo is usually the first thing a user sees. In the Western world, we read from left to right, top to bottom, so it makes sense to put your logo in the top left of your website so that users can immediately identify who owns the website.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be your name, but if you’re trying to promote yourself online, then it’s a good idea to go by your name. And always link your logo to your home page. It’s a common convention that users expect online.

Mohit goes by the alias of CSS Jockey.

Jason Reed uses a signature-style logo of his name.

2. Tagline

Once the user sees who owns the website, they’ll want to know what it is you do. This is where you explain what you do with a tagline. Your tagline should be short and snappy, summarizing what you do.

Things to ask yourself when writing your tagline:

* What are you? A designer? A writer? A developer?
* What do you do? Design websites? Develop games?
* Where are you from? Country? City?
* Are you a freelancer or do you work for a studio? Are you looking for work?

Sarah Longnecker makes it clear that she puts together videos and is good at it.

To read about the rest of the 10 Steps click here.

3. Portfolio
4. Services
5. About Me
6. Contact
7. Blog
8. Call to Action
9. use social networking websites
10. Language and Communication
other tips.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:28:00 +0000

Here is the long awaited Part 2 of the Trade Show series - Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event. Here are some tips on attending a trade show, no matter what kind of trade show. These ideas and tips work with all types of industries.

I have attending trade shows in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Toronto, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, and other places. I have attended several types of trade shows including Magic(Apparel), KBIS(Kitchen & Bathroom), Global Pet Expo, Housewares, HH Backers (Pets), COMDEX (Computers), and many others.

A. Arrival
When you arrive at the airport, not the trade show venue, I like to do a couple of things. First, I would like to get a bite to eat and slow things down just a bit. Often times, when you are at the hotel, there may not be enough time to eat. Often times the restaurants might be crowded or overpriced. In addition, the convention center food is even worse - even more crowded and overpriced, on top of not being good at all. At the airport you can sit down and gather your thoughts without hassling over the rush to get your baggage and wait in the taxi or rental car lines. In addition, I like to, also, open up my laptop or notebook and refresh your plans while you are there.

In addition, I also will get a couple bottles of water at the airport as well. I know food and drinks at the airport maybe a bit higher than regular prices, but the airport offers convenience. You may not find bottled water at the hotel or at the convention center either.

B. Walking around
At the trade show, I will walk around with my shoulder bag with a pen and small notebook in hand. My shoulder bag is more comfortable, with a shoulder pad, than the regular trade show bags. Trade show bags are not easy to carry, when you need to lug around samples and brochures. With my pen and small notebook, I am able to readily jot down info about the vendors and such. I often keep a mini stapler, in my bag, to readily attach business cards to pages in my notebook with notes.

The other items I keep in my shoulder bag include bottled water, an additional notebook, extra business cards, pens & pencils, and a mini stapler. I will also have my company's brochure, creditor's list, and additional company information.

Optional: I usually leave my laptop computer in the hotel. But I know some people might need their laptops at the show. I usually try to print things out that I need so that I don't have to bring the laptop. But if you need to access more information and also access corporate emails, then it is understandable.

C. Appointments
With current vendors and new vendors, you have your ready questions about current business. At the trade show, the opportunity is for the vendor to try to up-sell new lines, complimentary products, and even substitute lines of your current vendors. You can often tell the seriousness of their intentions by the investment of their trade show booth. Looking at the booth, you can tell if the key upper management personnel attended, the quality of trade show booth fixtures, and physicality of the personnel manning the booth. I know the lack of professionalism is accompanied with the "looks" of booth babes, but they certainly draws people to your people and your booth.

D. Samples
Make sure in your set of questions that you inquire about samples, price lists, catalogs, and line sheets. Look to try to get anything from the vendors and exhibitors.

The more you can do at the trade show, the more the trip will pay for itself. You are at the trade show because you are a decision maker. Ultimately, you should be able to write Purchase Orders at the trade shows. But if not, you should be able to get catalogs, line sheets, and samples.

If you are a small company, you might want to make sure you have prepared your Creditor's list and perhaps a company credit card for purchases. Most often, vendors and exhibitors will require you to purchase their samples on the last day, if available.

E. Brochures and other giveaways
Don't try to grab every single item that you see. You don't want to be bogged down with unwanted, useless, or non-pertinent reading material. You really don't need everything you see. I remember going to a car show when I was a kid and grabbing all the brochures and pamphlets - and realizing later, at home, that you probably won't read any of it. Use your body wisely in this case. Your shoulder and arms will thank you later.

F. Research
At trade shows, you often find your competitors in attendance or exhibiting. You can often find out about industry trends, competitors strategy at trade shows. Shows are a great opportunity also to find talent. You can find industry experts at these shows. Sales people. marketing, specialist, as well as upper management all attend these shows. Poaching and Networking can be done productively at the trade shows.

G. Conferences and Seminars
I know that some of these conferences or seminars might not be cheap to attend. They often charge to attend, since the trade shows have to pay the speakers to come. You might be able to save a little by just purchasing the materials that they sell, outside the seminar. Or you can download or purchase the recordings, soon after the trade show is over.

In addition, these are also great events to meet and network with people and industry experts.

H. Parties and Events
There are often parties held by the trade show or a larger company exhibitor at the trade show. These are great opportunities to network. It give people time to relax and unwind.

I. Managing your time
Keep an eye on the amount of time you have at the trade show with the number of booths you have appointments with and the total number of booths available. You want to make sure you hit your meetings but also, more importantly, see all the booths at the show. Time management helps here. You want to make sure you saw all the exhibitors. You might just find the new vendor/exhibitor that is featuring a product or service that is game-changing for you.

In order to cut some appointments short, you can tell the vendors/exhibitors that you are on a tight schedule with additional appointments.

J. Reporting
Make sure you do reports about the show on a daily basis. I like to do reports right before I sleep while it is still fresh in my mind. Gathering all the contacts, meeting appointments, and new business development on paper (or on your computer) helps keeps you organized.

K. The Next Show
Often times you can find out about other related shows as well as next year's show at the current show you are at. Here, you can register in person and take care all of the required details. Related shows or off-shoots of the current show might offer registration on-site.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Blogger and indie-music impresario Michael Pettis is becoming an influential voice on China's economy

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Pettis at his D-22 club: China "is undergoing its own version of the 1960s" Mark Leong/Redux

I read about him in Businessweek Feb. 19, 2009 issue. I thought it was an interesting article. Michale Pettis used to be a Wall Street Banker. Now he is a professor in Beijing, teaching finance. And at night, he owns an indie bar. He maintains a blog http://mpettis.com/ about China's economy and financial outlook. I hope you enjoy it.

Michael Pettis: Rocking Chinese Finance

Here is the Businessweek Article

By Dexter Roberts

Beijing - D-22 looks like a Chinese version of New York's seminal punk club of yore, CBGB. Young hipsters sporting Mohawks and ripped T-shirts chug Tsingtao beers and puff on Zhongnanhai cigarettes. Demerit, Carsick Cars, Snapline, and other Chinese bands flail at their guitars and drum kits on stage. Dancers pogo to the beat. So why is a 50-year-old former trader from Bear Stearns (JPM) standing behind the bar offering his opinions on exchange rates, the Smoot-Hawley tariffs, and Keynesian theory?

The bartender is Michael Pettis, a veteran New York banker who moved to China seven years ago to teach finance to graduate students. After 14 years of investment banking, the excitement of doing deals had faded, and a short visit to Beijing left him convinced that China was the place to be. "There was this sense of incredible change," Pettis says. "I could have come as a banker, but bankers work too hard."

It's not like Pettis is slacking off. The lanky indie-music fan spends most evenings at D-22, which he founded three years ago. During the day he teaches finance at Peking University (in English—his Chinese is sketchy), and in between he tends to a blog that has made him an increasingly influential voice on China both in the country and abroad.

A couple of times weekly, Pettis makes voluminous blog posts at mpettis.com, where he weighs in on China's trade relations, unemployment, fiscal stimulus, and a host of other economic topics. Scores of readers post lengthy responses to the blog, creating a lively forum for debates on China. "Anyone who cares about China is going to check in to see what Mike is thinking," says Hans Humes, president of New York hedge fund Greylock Capital Management, who worked with Pettis in the 1980s at Manufacturers Hanover Trust. "They would be crazy not to."

A recent theme has been what Pettis calls China's demand dilemma. As consumption plunges worldwide, Pettis warns, China won't be able to boost internal demand and might instead export its excess production, sparking protectionism abroad. On Feb. 17 and 18, Pettis brought those concerns to Washington, where he met with senators and Treasury Dept. officials and testified before a congressional commission examining China's role in the global downturn. "He brings a real on-the-ground sense of how people actually behave in Chinese institutions," says Daniel H. Rosen, a principal at the Rhodium Group, a New York-based consultancy, and a former Clinton White House adviser who oversaw negotiations on China's membership in the World Trade Organization.

Pettis learned to navigate developing economies early. He was born in Spain to a French mother and an American father working as a geologist and civil engineer. He spent his youth in Peru, Pakistan, Haiti, and Tunisia, and attended high school in Spain. Before 1975, when he entered Columbia University (where he eventually earned a master's of international affairs and an MBA), Pettis had spent a total of just two weeks in the U.S. "He's been operating in the global economy his whole life," says Eric R. Hermann, president of New York hedge fund FH International Asset Management, who knows Pettis from his days in New York.
CALLING CALAMITIES

That background piqued Pettis' interest in emerging markets, which he focused on when he joined Manny Hanny's sovereign debt team in 1987. Over the next decade-plus he jumped from firm to firm, doing work on Latin America, the Philippines, Macedonia, and Korea. At Bear Stearns, former colleagues say, he had a reputation for predicting calamities such as Argentina's meltdown, and he played a key role in developing peso-denominated bonds for Mexico after the 1994 financial crisis there. His insights were often shaped during long, wine- and whiskey-fueled dinners in New York that brought together academics, policy wonks, and his emerging-market banker pals.

Pettis says he's happy in his new role as finance professor and indie-rock impresario, though he's not exactly making a killing. He and two partners (including a former Goldman Sachs (GS) banker) put $200,000 into D-22, which continues to lose about $1,000 a week even as it regularly sells out its 250-person capacity. His talent management company and record label, Maybe Mars, which has signed a handful of local bands, have yet to see a profit either. "You don't leave Wall Street to get rich," Pettis says with a smile. "But China is undergoing its own version of the 1960s, and the music scene is exploding." How could someone passionate about both rock and finance go wrong in a country where the economy is at least as dynamic as the music scene? "I figured there's only one opportunity in life," Pettis says, "to get involved in something so historic."

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Trade Shows
You don't just go to trade shows as if you are going window shopping. Trade shows are great to meet people face-to-face. In preparing for a trade show, there are several things that you ought to do.

I've had experience in attending all types of trade shows. I recently went to the Los Angeles Go Green trade show - about "green" technologies. I am planning to go to the Magic trade show - fashion in Las Vegas. I have attending trade shows in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Toronto, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, and other places. I have attended several types of trade shows including Magic(Apparel), KBIS(Kitchen & Bathroom), Global Pet Expo, Housewares, HH Backers (Pets), COMDEX (Computers), and many others.

A. Establish Goals
Set goals for each show. Set a list of what products and services that you need to source. Make it a priority to have at least contacts for 3 to 4 different vendors for what you might need. Also make sure you see all of your current vendors and suppliers as well.

B. Research the conferences and seminars
These are great opportunities to learn, listen, and absorb information from industry experts in the field. Find out more about topics and develop some discussion topics that are pertinent in your specific field for a Q&A session.

C. Research exhibitors
All trade shows will have an online listings of all their exhibitors. You can find new exhibitors through the listings. You can often find substitute as well as complementary vendors and suppliers. If there are certain companies that you are looking for, you can research the industry through trade magazines. If you research company's websites, they often say "See You at [insert trade show]", then you can summarily find them at the show.

D. Make meeting arrangements
With your vendors & suppliers, you ought to be able to have meetings at the trade shows - if only coffee or happy hour drinks. But its a great time to show commitment to the field and to your vendors that you are there at the shows. But your vendors may see that you might be shopping around for alternative suppliers at the trade shows. After trade show hours are prime times for parties and meetings. Dinner or drink meetings are great times to get to know your vendors.

Side Note: Sometimes you won't find a specific vendor/supplier that you are looking for. But often times, they will attend - to see the competition and/or gauge the industry. Contact them anyways. . .and perhaps you can set up meetings with them anyways.

E. Sharing trade show floor
If you are going with co-workers, use the trade show map to divide. It's tough to do a whole show by yourself. You can cover more ground if you split up responsibilities.

F. Packing Preparations
Make sure you dress appropriately. Business casual is fine. A suit and tie may not necessarily be the best attire or needed. Most importantly, make sure you have comfortable shoes for walking and more walking. In addition, business cards are a must. If you have pamphlets of your business, those might be helpful in providing information to your potential vendors and partners. I also like to carry my own shoulder bag, rather than the standard trade show bags. The trade show bags aren't comfortable to carry when you have a lot of flyers, samples, pamphlets, and business cards. Make sure you also bring a good pen.

Side note: If you can bring a bicycle to a trade show - it helps with parking and getting around the traffic in and out of the area. Trade shows usually mean long lines at taxi stands, bus stops, and parking lots traffic jams.

G. Hotel and Travel Arrangements
You can often find deals on hotel and flight arrangements via the trade show websites. These lodging deals are often hotels that are closer to the convention centers. Unfortunately, most hotels don't include complimentary internet access. So, make sure you call the hotels to find out about the costs of internet access to include this expense in your budget.

Later I will post up the following.

Attending a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Attending a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Attending a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 1, Preparation
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 2, The Event
Exhibiting at a Trade Show - Part 3, Follow Up

Top 10 Steve Jobs Quotes

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I read this post about Steve Jobs. Most of my friend's know that I am a big Aple and Steve Job's fan. I respect and understand the methodology of this hallowed company. Now that Jobs is out of commission, hopefully not for very long, this post can help describe his unique madness. Enjoy the read.

This is reposted from Marketing Nirvana Blog, by Mario Sundar.

10. On Management
"My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better. My job is to pull things together from different parts of the company and clear the ways and get the resources for the key projects.

"And to take these great people we have and to push them and make them even better, coming up with more aggressive visions of how it could be."

#9. On Hiring
"Recruiting is hard. It’s just finding the needles in the haystack. You can’t know enough in a one-hour interview.

"So, in the end, it’s ultimately based on your gut. How do I feel about this person? What are they like when they’re challenged? I ask everybody that: ‘Why are you here?’ The answers themselves are not what you’re looking for. It’s the meta-data."

To Read more on the link below.
http://mariosundar.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/top-10-steve-jobs-quotes/

Book Review - The Art of Innovation

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:05:00 +0000

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm
by Tom Kelley

This is a great book about design in general and the process of product design development. All designers and artists should consider reading this book. It's a great book and easy book to read. Most books about business focus on the history and the people. This books focuses about a successful company's process and methodology. One of the products that IDEO developed successful was the Palm's handheld unit the Palm V.

The one thing that I will always remember is Innovate rather than Imitate. The one thing I learned in China is that it is always easier to copy than Innovate. While I was in China, I tried to instill the idea of Innovation. It is a tough road in trying to get people to think and do things differently. It's almost a cultural and generational process that needed to be adjusted, changed, and taught. I firmly believe that we must always strive to innovate our product lines, our work, and designs. If we don't have that motivation - we are looking at price conscious focus - which is a race to zero.

Tom Kelley is the General Manager of this great industrial design firm - IDEO. IDEO is the leading industrial design firm in Silicon Valley. They are winners of design awards every year. Some of their clients include Hewlett-Packard, Medtronic, Nike, and Samsung. IDEO is known to for their culture and their process of innovation.

http://theartofinnovation.com/default.htm

Review of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:21:00 +0000

2008 was not a very good for International Trading - Importing and Exporting between the US and Asia. There were a quite a bit of factors involved in this perfect storm.

Here is a list contributing to this crazy year.
A. Increased Fuel Prices
Increased fuel prices for inland transportation as well as ocean/air transportation increase overall cost. We saw the increase, from a consumer standpoint, at the gas stand as prices crept toward USD 4.00/gallon. This indirectly increase cost for everyone, worldwide.
http://denver.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/01/14/story1.html

B. China's Implementation of the New Labor Laws
These labor laws increased wages - across the board for all factory workers. In addition, it guaranteed workers jobs with salary based on length of employment. Many factories could not survive with these new added expenditures. Last year about 16,000 factories closed in the southern province of Guangdong.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123215043508192065.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

C. Rising costs of Copper and other raw materials
In the last few years, we have seen the demand for raw materials, such as copper/brass, steel, and iron, increase. Coupled with the increased fuels costs for transportation, these raw materials price changes has hurt the industry. Another reason why we are seeing this higher demand is from building and city developments in New Orleans - from Hurricane Katrina, Sichun Earthquake, and Southeast Asia typhoons.

Please note, toward the end of 2007, we have seen the price of these raw materials drop.
http://www.purchasing.com/article/CA6435449.html

D. The Exchange Rate
After the Chinese RMB was no longer pegged to the USD, we have seen the USD steadily devalue and the RMB rising. The Chinese RMB used to have an exchange rate that never changed since it was pegged to the USD. A year ago or so, it was decided that it would no longer be pegged. We have seen in the last 18 months a big change in the exchange. This has affected price points for raw materials and finished goods coming out from China. In addition, we have seen USD devalue all by itself with its economy on a downturn. In addition, this trade deficient that the US has with China doesn't help things either.
http://www.cctv.com/program/bizchina/20070309/101868.shtml

These are just 4 major factors that we have seen affect International Business. I'm sure that there are more factors.

Working on a New Product

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:26:00 +0000

Currently, I am working on bringing in a new Product from Asia. Currently the market penetration with this type of product is small. Most of the players are small and the acceptance by the public is not widespread. No, I won't tell you what the product is, but I will tell you what I have been going through. These are the 5 major issues that I address in developing this project.

A. Online Marketing Research Distribution
I first went online to find out about distribution of the product. I saw online retailers, manufacturers from Asia, and brand names marketed in the US. i did some preliminary price point comparisons. I looked for details about the product, which lead me to my Product Knowledge research.

B. Product Knowledge
Need to find out detailed strengths and weaknesses about the product. You already know why you like the product, now you need to find details on how to "sell" the product to others. What makes this product better than other alternatives. With regard to the product that I am working on, I knew that there was no widespread marketing campaigns in pushing brand to the front and center.

C. Certifications
In sourcing a new product that a factory or production facility has no prior experience in exporting to the US, a product's certifications of certain qualities should be examined and noted. I then went to the certification online sites to exact needed details. i will discuss these certifications with my partner. This process is a problematic with not only product certification but also factory certifications.

D. Contacting Suppliers
I looked through my old business cards to find old suppliers and contacts who might be able to help me work with a strong production facility. I also did background checks with the factories that were suggested.

E. Initial Contact
With these contacts, there are certain issues that you might find initally. The most important issue is the idea of existing shipments/sales to the market that you are in. This can be good or bad. Good, if they currently do not, indicates that this factory would be hungry to work with you to open up that particular market. But bad, that they might be too small and not able to handle the volume and quality required for your market. Other important questions include minimum order quantity, quotations, certifications available, etc.

Blog and Links

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:02:00 +0000

The blog infrastructure has been set up with the links to blogs, trade shows, focused K/B blogs, and Pet supply blogs. Here is the list of categories of the links and blogs.

Trade Publications
Online Publications
Price Index
Trade Shows
Blog Roll
K/B Blog List
Pet Products Blogs

Each of these blogs will be my primary resource for new posts. As an aggregator, new posts will be able to produce content pertinent to International Trade.

You may find some of these links useful. If you have links or sites that you might suggestion, please feel free to contact me, either via email or through the forums.

China's Instant Cities

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:44:00 +0000

This is an article from the National Geographic Magazine about China. It was first published in June of 2007. This is a great article about China booming economy along the eastern coastline. It talks about how China is changing and how cities are adapting to manufacturing toward the coasts.

Boomtowns

China is in the fast lane, ignoring every speed limit. Cities spread like a cartographic contagion.

By Peter Hessler

Photograph by Mark Leong

A 2:30 in the afternoon, the bosses began designing the factory. The three-story building they had rented was perfectly empty: white walls, bare floors, a front door without a lock. You could come or go; everything in the Lishui Economic Development Zone shared that openness. Neighboring buildings were also empty shells, and they flanked a dirt road that pointed toward an unfinished highway. Blank silver billboards reflected the sky, advertising nothing but late October sunlight.

click here to read the rest of the article
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/06/instant-cities/hessler-text

A little more about Cobalt Skys . . .

noreply@blogger.com (The Thirsty Pig) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:15:00 +0000

I'd would like to welcome you all to the International Trade Resource Blog. I know this name is quite long and boring. But, till I find a better name for this blog, it will stay and be produced by Cobalt Skys, Inc. This blog will be about my views about this area of business, with occasional news clipping of ideas that I deem important.

I would like to claim to be an expert in this field, but I am not. Though I have been involved with International Trading - Importing/Exporting for many years now, I am always and still learning. I will first apologize for my lack of quality writing, I know I am not strong writer. But I will do my best. If you feel that I am in error about a particular article or posting, please feel free to correct me. This blog will, as I hope, provide information and be a resource for like-minded people. In addition, I hope that this site helps to establish me, as someone who is a self-published, in this field and business.

Let me introduce myself. I, James Chang, am the President and CEO of Cobalt Skys, Inc. Cobalt Skys is an International Trade consultancy based in Southern California. Cobalt Skys provides service from product design to logistics coordination to warehousing. We specialize in Kitchen/Bathroom products & Plumbing components and Pet products and supplies. We coordinate efforts with factories in China and Taiwan. We work with clients and manufacturers in the US. In addition, we consult for companies in China and Taiwan in sourcing products and services from the US.

In addition, please visit my other blog - The Thirsty Pig