Your China Dream Interview Series: Recent Episodes
Fionn Wright
Want to know how to leverage China’s growth for your personal success?
What if you could learn from entrepreneurs and influencers who have already proven themselves in the China market?
Would you be interested?
Join us to watch them share their stories, challenges, successes and advice to help you enter the China market, find your niche, build your brand, scale your business, make an impact and create a life you love.
For the Season 1 finale we have Shaun Rein, Founder of the China Market Research Group and author of three bestselling books on China: The End of Cheap China, The End of Copycat China and The War of China's Wallet.
While many think of him as a market analyst or business intelligence expert, he makes it clear he is an entrepreneur at heart, with his Market Research company being just one in a long line of projects and investments.
His strong opinions are both controversial and yet he's been proven right time and again. While he's interviewed by all the big News channels - BBC, CNN and Bloomberg to name a few, now we have his personal story and lessons from making more money as a university student than a CEO, to completely failing his first startup in China and to what industries he's bullish on in China right now.
Nitin is the Founder of Green Initiatives, awarded most Innovative NonProft in Shanghai, and has organized over 350 sustainability events attended by over 25,000 people.
Vulnerably telling us his personal mistakes, Nitin shares some valuable lessons he has learned along the way: "Budget 3 to 6 months of your life for just learning Chinese, that would be the number one thing to do. 6 months, 5 days a week, do it and you will appreciate it for the rest of your life."
It's inspiring to hear how he's managed to maintain his principled values and make such a meaningful impact despite living in a concrete jungle and prejudice he has experience as an Indian in China.
Mauricio a.k.a. Momo is the founder of Style Fitness. Having been awarded Best Personal Trainer in Shanghai he's built a brand for himself that nobody in the fitness industry can ignore.
From humble beginnings, Momo has clambered his way up in the Chinese business world. He's disciplined to the core, and works like a beast, seeing setbacks as "just another ladder to be climbed."
He's created a niche of Stylish Fitness that resonates strongly with his Chinese clients, and has managed to do what most Personal Trainers only dream of, with multiple gyms around Shanghai, and it feels like this is just the beginning of an empire about be born.
In this episode I talk to Lukas Hlavac, Co-founder of 3 Chinese companies - Whoolala, Lily Madona and Unreal Holiday.
He has a wide range of experience and expertise and takes a humbling realistic approach to business in China. Lukas and his wife have built an impressive following with their travel blogging, tapping into the booming Chinese tourist industry.
He's one of the few that has managed to raise 1 million dollars from Chinese and foreign investors and is on a quest to prove that foreigners can succeed in China.
Kaili is a well-known author and blogger, and is of the new generation of entrepreneurs who has a business that runs exclusively on WeChat, focusing on products and online courses to help women find happiness and achieve their dreams.
Her TED talk 'A Love Story in 30 Days' was selected as the best TED speech in China in 2015.
While Kaili is not a foreigner, she did study abroad and has fascinating story having created such an innovative and meaningful project after a close call with death.
Jan a.k.a #YourChinaGuy ran the world's largest startup community, which he managed to grow 500% in less than 2 years.
His energy and positivity light up the room, and he carries this aura with him wherever he goes that makes it feel like anything is possible when you are talking to him.
He's one of the best connected people in the Startup community in China and it feels like he is just getting started. He's always open to sharing his knowledge and experience, and having come in contact with so many start-ups in China, he's been what works, or doesn't.
Daniela Bessia is known by millions in China as a TV Superstar, Award Winning Singer and Actress.
I first met Daniela as a co-star on Chinese TV and was blown away by her ability to sing in Chinese. She has performed on China's Got Talen and countless TV shows, and is named a Top 10 expat influencer in Shanghai, making her one of the most recognizable foreign faces on Chinese TV.
In this interview we meed the down-to-earth girl from Buenos Aires who has a real talent for charming those she meets. I've never met anyone so comfortable in front of a camera, and she speaks straight from the heart about making it in China.
Greg is the CEO and founder of Dyad.com and an UltraMarathon Runner. He has helped students earn over $27 million in scholarships. Greg is a man on a mission, making a serious impact in expanding education access on a global scale, and just ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents to help students overcome financial barriers to college.
He has a few key memorable phrases like "Best Team Wins" and "Luck Surface Area" that he uses to get everyone aligned on his team from all over the globe, and he's been able to build a fascinating company culture with a very precise operating language to lead his widely multicultural team.
His passion and perseverance are legendary, and I always get pumped up when I hear him speak.
Ashley is a bestselling author, founder of a digital marketing agency and a training company, vlogger, podcaster and keynote speaker.
She's spent her career decoding the Chinese Market and her insights are invaluable: "You have to have a lot of respect for Chinese consumers, they are not just buying what you are pushing, they are teaching you how to serve them better, and for that you need to innovate and adapt. That is what a lot of Chinese companies are doing so beautifully, and that's what we need to learn in the West as well."
Her energy is contagious, and she shares powerful yet simple advice on how to make it in the Chinese Market.
Elijah has created a fascinating career combination as the co-founder of Melilimfu, widely known as one of the Top Beauty Influencer Brands in China and ranking #1 on Weibo in 2018, as well as the CMO of PARKLU, which is 'the' influencer marketing platform in China.
I dig into Elijah's story of how he was able to get to where he is today, and was inspired by his talent for leveraging those around him to get the best out of them by truly believing in them.
Elijah is one of those rare people whose genuine kindness shines through, liberally helping others without expectation of anything in return. His advice and encouragement has been instrumental in growing my own brand on multiple platforms.