Partners

[911Rob]

Hey Shaun,
Thanks for the additional info; some great stuff there! The Russian website looks like a very high end retail place?

I'm glad the no-partner concept worked out for you, but I wouldn't shy away from the right partner either. Good story from LeeH, and I definately have similar experiences.

I'd suspect that a business like this you'd have to be careful with over stocking inventories that don't move? I certainly wish you all the Success in '08 that you're hoping for!

Sapporo Guy makes some great comments; worth looking into more. I'd be interested to learn more about the book publishing requirements of Asian educational needs. SG mentions the books that don't work, but what type of books are in demand. EFL/ESL? what's that?

Cheers!

[Sapporo Guy]

Hiya!

It's not really a requirement but more of content. No nothing very cultural but rather the language level.

For example, even the book "The Berenstain Bears in the Dark" is barely readable by 6th graders in Japan. That is assuming they have had already over 2 years of English tutoring outside of school. Any child that relies only on regular schooling will finally be able to read that book by the end of 7th grade.

Many companies like Cambridge and Oxford have imported books like the "Let's Go" series. Great texts but they just don't match what the market needs. The publishers just pass them off as "that's all we carry".

But back to the story books. Like the above example about Dr. Suess. The kids just can't manage them on a level that is comprehensible. By the time they can understand them the story lines are just to childish.

This is the part that I was referring to.

I've been searching 14 years now

EFL - English as a Foreign Language
ESL - English as a Second language
California has many ESL classes in schools to help immigrants blend in with the rest of the students.

I've been in Japan for over 15 years now and run my own company which teaches kids outside of school, hires out teachers to kindergartens, high schools, and other businesses to provide inhouse learning, and have even provided translators for the US Navy Shore Patrol.

I'm no where near the top of field though ...

As for the business end, I've paid my dues to get into the business sector which is like breaking into a members only club. I'm from the states and didn't have the natural school ties that you would get if you went to an Ivy League school or such. Japan is really an Ol' Boyz club and they let you know it loud and clear, which is one reason why Mitsukoshi is key to breaking into the Japanese market.

I can test pilot books and fashion since I'm contact with mothers almost daily and it would be no big thing to ask them their opinions. Which is an art itself because they tend not to say what they really think and you need to interpret comments to get good feed back.

Knowing the rules is only a fraction of the game in this country. You gotta understand them to make it work.

ughhh, now I'm sounding like a teacher ... sorry if I sound like I'm teaching a class

lolo, maybe I'm over compensating since I can't give anything back to the 911 forums ... well, not yet anyway

[911Rob]

Hey Sapporo,
Thats awesome, thanks! I totally understand now and greatly appreciate the lesson.
Something to think about to say the least.
Good night,

[Sapporo Guy]

No problem

Just let me know if I can be of more help with either ideas or even hands on piloting products.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by 911Rob

Hey Shaun,
Thanks for the additional info; some great stuff there! The Russian website looks like a very high end retail place?

I'm glad the no-partner concept worked out for you, but I wouldn't shy away from the right partner either. Good story from LeeH, and I definately have similar experiences.

I'd suspect that a business like this you'd have to be careful with over stocking inventories that don't move? I certainly wish you all the Success in '08 that you're hoping for!

Sapporo Guy makes some great comments; worth looking into more. I'd be interested to learn more about the book publishing requirements of Asian educational needs. SG mentions the books that don't work, but what type of books are in demand. EFL/ESL? what's that?

Cheers!

hey Rob, yes, that store in Russia is nicer than anything in the U.S. We were in Nieman's for a week but the casual boy's buyer's budget was pulled and given to tween girls. That would have been something. In fact, the leather motorcycle jacket was made specifically to get into Nieman's and Saks. it's tough to get into the big stores, mostly because they like trusted brands they can depend on to produce and ship.

Overstocking is important variable, but after doing some investigation, I've found that not only do the big brands develop specifically for the discount stores like Marshall's, they overproduce their standard lines as well. this gives them a lower unit cost, higher profits, ability to react to a surge with inventory and they know they can still make a small profit on the goods selling to a discounter.

I'm doing the same thing for Spring 08...doubled our order size. Our West Coast showroom is still selling, we'll be able to fulfill reorders and come May-June I can dump all excess inventory to a local chain in NY, Century 21 at 10% over cost. But this is where cash flow has to be carefully managed!

Thank you for the well-wishes!

I'm excited about the books myself, and going international would be quite interesting. What I like about the books is that they will even out cash flow and get us into the gift markets (big!) as well as B&N, etc. Since the books and clothing will work together (share artwork), the vision is a rounder with t-shirts in boxes (size specific) that allow you to plug a book into the box. Packaging development should be fun. We're specifically developing the characters around toy/brand development, so I believe there's a lot of growth in this part of the business.

I may be able to post some mocks in a few weeks.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Sapporo Guy

Hiya!

It's not really a requirement but more of content. No nothing very cultural but rather the language level.

For example, even the book "The Berenstain Bears in the Dark" is barely readable by 6th graders in Japan. That is assuming they have had already over 2 years of English tutoring outside of school. Any child that relies only on regular schooling will finally be able to read that book by the end of 7th grade.

Many companies like Cambridge and Oxford have imported books like the "Let's Go" series. Great texts but they just don't match what the market needs. The publishers just pass them off as "that's all we carry".

But back to the story books. Like the above example about Dr. Suess. The kids just can't manage them on a level that is comprehensible. By the time they can understand them the story lines are just to childish.

This is the part that I was referring to.

I've been searching 14 years now

EFL - English as a Foreign Language
ESL - English as a Second language
California has many ESL classes in schools to help immigrants blend in with the rest of the students.

I've been in Japan for over 15 years now and run my own company which teaches kids outside of school, hires out teachers to kindergartens, high schools, and other businesses to provide inhouse learning, and have even provided translators for the US Navy Shore Patrol.

I'm no where near the top of field though ...

As for the business end, I've paid my dues to get into the business sector which is like breaking into a members only club. I'm from the states and didn't have the natural school ties that you would get if you went to an Ivy League school or such. Japan is really an Ol' Boyz club and they let you know it loud and clear, which is one reason why Mitsukoshi is key to breaking into the Japanese market.

I can test pilot books and fashion since I'm contact with mothers almost daily and it would be no big thing to ask them their opinions. Which is an art itself because they tend not to say what they really think and you need to interpret comments to get good feed back.

Knowing the rules is only a fraction of the game in this country. You gotta understand them to make it work.

ughhh, now I'm sounding like a teacher ... sorry if I sound like I'm teaching a class

lolo, maybe I'm over compensating since I can't give anything back to the 911 forums ... well, not yet anyway

Good stuff Carsten! when I've got a book mocked up, I'll send it along and we can discuss reworking for the Japanese market.

Appreciate your input!

Shaun

[Jeff Alton]

Shaun is one of those guys who deserves to retire rich for all the effort he puts into things.....

So I say, why share it, go without a partner!

Cheers

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Jeff Alton

Shaun is one of those guys who deserves to retire rich for all the effort he puts into things.....

So I say, why share it, go without a partner!

Cheers

your post to God's server Jeff!