There are serious direct to factory portals to Chinese factories on the web like  www.alibaba.com andwww.made-in-china.com. So why would a resourceful, entrepreneurial CEO want to use a sourcing service like Avela Corporation when they can make the direct contacts themselves?

The same reason you hire a consultant when you are not operating within your core competency. We have feet on the ground in China and that is important. But here three things for you to consider before making direct contact with factories.

• 1. The language barrier is HUGE. Do not underestimate this.
• 2. The business culture is very different. Just because you have a map does not mean you do not need a guide.
• 3. You don’t know what you don’t know. I think that speaks for itself. Or another way to put it is “the devil is in the details”.

A mentor of mine, Bill Peery of the Sovereign Institute (http://sovereigninstitute.com/), once told me something I will never forget. “Figure out what you do best, do those things, and get other people to do the other things.” In other words, stay focused and delegate.

If you want to learn more about the “other things” that we do at Avela Corporation, please feel free to visit our website at www.avela.com.

Gary Young, CEO, Avela Corporation

LinkedIn:   http://www.linkedin.com/in/garyyoungchinaguy
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