"Made in the USA"

How can you support local manufacturing and still utilize the savings of sourcing overseas?

We all feel different emotions when we see a "made in USA" sticker or tag on a product that you are purchasing. Being the son of hard working American factory worker, I understand how important the jobs are to these men and women.
Many companies that we discuss the benefits of sourcing overseas, always are hesitant to take away jobs from fellow Americans. There are ways to utilize American made products and integrate products into your program from overseas as well. One key opportunity that we mention is that the product can be put into a package that is made in Asia and can save them up to 30%. So you can still proudly say that the product is made in the USA, and still save with the packaging from another country.

We would love to hear some of your ideas and success stories on your process of combining importing and domestic manufacturing. 

Entrepreneurial Spirit at Work

Living in the USA, we often want to think sometimes that we rule the market on being an entrepreneur. After my recent trip to Asia, I was reminded that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well all over the world.

• Is being a successful entrepreneur creating your company and then selling it for millions or billions to Yahoo or Amazon?
• Is being a successful entrepreneur having your company going public?
• Is it having a full board of directors?
• Is it having a 45-page business plan that outlines your next five, ten and twenty years of the company’s future?

Or can a successful entrepreneur be making enough money to live well, have a good customer base, provide for your kids, keep a decent house and enjoy your life/business?

As my wife and business partner were walking the markets in Asia, I always enjoyed the small shops selling anything from fresh fish, corn, shish kabobs and coconut drinks. They had a full business plan in place: marketing, knowing their target market, advertising, negotiating for top margins and customer service.

Here are some of the highlights of their “small business”
1. They had their usual location every night.
2. Had just a one to four person staff with one leading the team.
3. They offered either a verbal or written menu.
4. They had an advertiser out trying to get people to come to their food establishment.
5. They had their pricing in place, with a little room for negotiation.
6. They had their tables set up and brought the product to you.
7. Reaffirmed the sale and followed up after we were done.

This is a great lesson for business owners who are looking for sourcing or importing. It’s a normal reaction to reach out for the largest companies to find a product or service overseas. The only glitch is that the largest companies also come with the largest payroll, property tax, overhead expense and large rolls of red tape to break through.

Contact us to learn ways to get around the largest and get to the best. http://www.bigfootimports.com

China bust? No Way

Well if there were any of you that were thinking that China is on a downward spiral; think again. The following article can be found in the New York Times.

China Becomes World’s No. 1 Exporter, Passing Germany

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Germany as the world’s top exporter after China’s December exports jumped 17.7 percent for their first increase in 14 months, data showed Sunday. Exports for the last month of 2009 were $130.7 billion, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

That raised total 2009 exports to $1.2 trillion, ahead of the 816 billion euros ($1.17 trillion) for Germany forecast by its foreign trade organization, BGA.

China’s new status is largely symbolic, but it reflects the ability of its resilient, low-cost manufacturers to keep selling abroad despite a slump in global consumer demand as a result of the financial crisis. December’s rebound was an “important turning point” for exporters, a customs agency economist, Huang Guohua, said on the government television network CCTV.

“We can say that China’s export enterprises have completely emerged from their all-time low in exports.”

Stronger foreign sales of Chinese goods could help to drive the country’s recovery after demand plunged in 2008, forcing thousands of factories to close and throwing millions of laborers out of work. Helped by a 4 trillion renminbi ($586 billion) stimulus package, China’s economic expansion accelerated to 8.9 percent for the third quarter of 2009.

The government says full-year growth should be 8.3 percent.

Economists and Germany’s national chamber of commerce said earlier that the country was likely to lose its longtime crown as top exporter. China is best known as a supplier of shoes, toys, furniture and other low-tech goods, while Germany exports machinery and other higher-value products.

China surpassed the United States as the biggest auto market in 2009 and is on track to replace Japan as the world’s second-largest economy soon.

China passed Germany as the third-largest economy in 2007.

Even though China overtook Germany as top exporter, the customs agency said total 2009 Chinese trade fell 13.9 percent from 2008.

China is going to be largest economic force in the future and I believe that the best option for American business' is to embrace this fact and utilize what the Chinese can do to help us all make more profit and reinvest it into American innovation that will allow us to be a powerhouse in all new areas in the future.