Outsourcing 外包

Hints From Undercover Billionaire Glenn Stearns

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 05:09:43 -0700

Before starting up a new business, we need to make sure we can survive. Without thinking about where to get the next round of food and shelter, we can focus on what business we can build and how to build it.

A principle of sales is always to find out about the clients first. Otherwise, top sales could be struggled.

Before deciding which business we should dedicate into, understanding the market is essential. We have to know what the market needs and where the gap. It's even better if the industry has a good environment and supportive relationships among the suppliers - with the same goal of making the industry better- would like to share internal knowledge with new players. But at the same time, policy and certificates matter too, especially when (survival) time is limited.

To get the main idea, market research is needed for understanding the industry better. Some costs for professionals, including lawyer consultancy, are important too; especially if we don't know much about the business at the beginning, it helps us avoid too much investment before we find it doesn't work for us.

A team is also...Read More

What should a brand do before searching for a franchisee abroad?

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:13:27 -0700

Fortunately, a partner would like me to help their clients expand abroad.

Unfortunately, these clients mainly need franchisees.

To avoid further misunderstanding, I clarified that it's not my strength to provide franchisees abroad, but there's still some space where I can work, and we can discuss as needed.

It's easy to think that I want to expand my mature brand with some local franchisees abroad because the system has been verified domestically, with investment scope, operational support, training, etc. However, do we know whether it's actually ready for Europe? Here're some examples:

1. European Franchise Readiness Report + Action Plan

1) Is the brand positioning understandable to European consumers?

2) Is the product suitable for the target market?

3) What needs localization?

4) Does the pricing model work?

5) What is the expected payback period?

6) Which parts of the Chinese operating model...Read More

How We Select Our Clients

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 02:53:12 -0700

We love working with smart, well-educated people who have good taste. So we would initially select our clients before any of us spends more time or energy further.

We pay attention to where the market is changing and who is positioned to benefit.

We look at the wave and start from macro trends. Select the Theme before the Market.

We work like an investor; actually, VC and PE are our important target clients. We work together on what social changes create business opportunities.

We clarify investment thesis, just like what we posted here: we know where we're going and why we go there. At the same time, we also know how we're going to figure out the potential problems, with our practical theories and methodologies.

Why Europe?

Instead of saying we're the China-Europe bridge, it's better to define ourselves as the advisor who explores "How businesses that improve people's lifestyles can expand internationally".

As a Chinese person, I know too well how people work hard under so much pressure from childhood. Some excellent talent even told me that they don't know how to relax; they're too stretched and can't go back to nature. On the contrary, the European lifestyle is much more balanced with better life rhythms. That used to be the problem when Chinese companies expanded to European countries. They've got used to working hard without personal time, while European people treasure their personal time and spaces.

I personally prefer to live with adequate money while enjoying life itself. It's also the dream life that Chinese people want. They're just too nervous to give up what they have and will have in their mind. That's also something that I hope I can help them with. Because every culture has its advantages, I'm just a bridge between different business cultures.

Limited...Read More

Why We're Different?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 19:45:34 -0700

We're building a platform with all our knowledge. We may have products and services; we could have our community - that's another kind of consulting you may need.
We have:
Market Entry Framework,
Partner Evaluation Framework,
Decision Matrix,
Expansion Scorecard,
Founder Interview System,
AI Research SOP,
Risk Checklist,
Client Discovery Playbook.
Many consultants sell experience; we help you to build up your own systems. Huge difference.
To make it clearer, we are building Decision Systems. Consulting is simply the delivery method. We are building something reusable. That's also why we hope our clients could leave us with a series of solutions that they could run themselves instead of relying on us. That was also what I did when I provided therapies. Instead of pushing visitors to purchase a long-term package coming back repeatedly, I prefer to accompany them to grow strong enough to face the difficulties in their future lives without me. That could be the real change and growth we all pursue, though I got less money.
Now you see, we're not just another China-Europe consultant that could be easily replaced. The scarce resource isn't labor. It's judgment.
Thinking
↓
If you need 5,000 Chinese factories, you may need an excellent sourcing agent.
If you need a logistics solution inside out, you may need an excellent freight expert.
...
If you need to think deeply before spending €500,000 for all the above, you may need me and my twenty uncomfortable questions.
We provide different value for people who see it and need it.
It's similar to a feasibility study report for real estate developers before putting hundreds of thousands into a piece of land and further projects.
We enjoy and are good at understanding how people think before deciding what they should do.
To know us better, we can start with small tests like:
Evaluating expansion options.
Challenging an investment decision.
Assessing supplier risk.
Reviewing partnership opportunities.
...(As you wish)
Then you may find we don't just answer questions; we improve how you make decisions. That could be a sweet point for us to go further and deeper.
Who Are We?
We draw parallels between:
psychotherapy,
international trade,
real estate,
entrepreneurship,
branding,
personal dynamics.
growth,
pricing,
operations,
strategy,
transformation.
The industry changes. The thinking pattern doesn't.
Our mental model is Problem → Methodology → Industries
The decision quality is important for business founders, especially when they're overwhelmed. We can help you prioritize by making sense of the chaos.
We tailor a supplier evaluation framework for the SME.
My successful mentor told me that doing things can be easier, but figuring out how to do them is more difficult. That's exactly where our values exist.
Every successful consulting business has one economic engine.
McKinsey → CEO transformation.
Simon-Kucher → pricing.
IDEO → innovation.
Gartner → subscription research.
CB Insights → market intelligence.
PlanetEx → solution framework.
Yes, we love to innovate, and after a certain creation, a pattern that other freshers joining the solution group can follow makes the entity's operations easier.
Try to recall the most expensive business decision that you made in the last two years, and ask yourself:
Why was it difficult?
What information was missing?
What would have made the decision...Read More

Opportunity Navigation Sprint

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:38:15 -0700

When you have various opportunities, I may spend one week helping you answer:
Which one has the highest ROI?
Which should we kill immediately?
Which assumptions are false?
What experiment costs the least?
What's the opportunity cost?
We work as an opportunity architect.
According to ChatGPT, we're unusually good at reducing ambiguity, which is a cognitive skill. We help founders think better.
If you're overwhelmed by choices as
Startup accelerators
Family offices
Angel investors
Search funds
CEOs before acquisitions
Business owners before succession
Companies before international expansion
Companies after attending trade shows
Founders with too many opportunities and no prioritization
You may need a mind with clearer thinking.
McKinsey does it, but mostly for billion-dollar companies.
This is Lillian, who is in love with helping intelligent people make important decisions while living internationally.
Read More