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

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

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

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

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 h

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 of

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 o

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 i

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 medi

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

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-

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 Evo

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?

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 busin

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 s

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 tra

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

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

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

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