02
Jan
"The US version is easy"
Your factory told you "US version is easy." If you believed it, the same thing as in the
1 min read
Yury Galtykhin
31
Dec
This is what you want your supplier to have
This is what nobody tells you about selecting suppliers. Most 70-page audit reports mention it, but almost none treat it
1 min read
29
Dec
You just PAID for the molds. But do you OWN them?
Most founders use "OEM" as a synonym for "factory."
In China and SEA, that is how
2 min read
26
Dec
In Hong Kong, you need cash. Or this.
I once crossed into Hong Kong with exactly three things: my passport, my phone, and a single HKD 10 coin.
2 min read
22
Dec
Don't fly to Shenzhen (SZX)
The flight to Shenzhen is not the problem.
The problem is the choice most founders get:
* Pay a premium for
2 min read
19
Dec
Your factory is ghosting you? They are just napping
12 pm in China is not a time. It's an off switch.
If you have ever worked with
2 min read
17
Dec
In hardware, "undefined" means "expensive"
Your OEM sample might be a real production unit... or a bench Frankenstein.
Two reasons you ask an OEM supplier
1 min read
15
Dec
These are your SOPs. Can these workers read them?
Recently, I saw an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) where the device's enclosure was named "a dwelling."
1 min read
12
Dec
Why a Chinese boss won't walk you out
The boss of the factory met you at the airport. But after the meeting at his factory, he just vanished
2 min read
09
Dec
Do not overengineer
I have been working with different engineering teams for years, and the only thing that has been common to most
2 min read