13
Feb
The risk you cannot see on a Gantt chart
Your factory does not pause for Lunar New Year and resume where it left off. A meaningful share of the
2 min read
Suppliers
04
Feb
Two meetings a day
The founder who lost their best supplier pricing did everything right on the factory floor. Then they rushed through lunch.
2 min read
03
Feb
You paid for it. They sold it again.
That compliance package you funded? Your factory is now bundling the same approvals with units they ship to future customers.
2 min read
29
Jan
Loyalty is not a sourcing strategy
The supplier who saved your product launch three years ago might sink your next one. Loyalty feels good. Ignoring the
2 min read
05
Jan
You think you are qualifying a supplier. In reality, the supplier qualifies you.
Your title is costing you money in China. Quietly. Every week.
Here is the truth: factories do not sell to
3 min read
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
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
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