Introduction: The “Recession” We Keep Hearing About Over the past year or two, whether at social gatherings or industry conferences, conversations about the economy have been overwhelmingly pessimistic: “The economy is failing.” “Physical retail is dying—stores are closing everywhere.” “Manufacturing is brutal—price wars are crushing both owners and workers.” “Consumption is downgrading—luxury goods aren’t selling, […]

Introduction In international market development, the hardest thing to control is often not the product or the price—it’s time. Clients cancel meetings due to unexpected events. They repeatedly decline with “I’m too busy.” But when you’re facing a client with enormous potential, the reluctance to leave without meeting them face-to-face can drive you to make

I once worked with a client from India who ran a potato chips factory. His newly purchased VFFS (Vertical Form Fill Seal) machine kept having sealing problems, resulting in a high defect rate that frustrated his entire team. He sent me a photo: bags of chips with wrinkled seals that leaked air with the slightest