Episode Transcript
Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 0:16
Once upon a time, there were 10s of 1000s of makers struggling every day they built for hours and hours but didn't ship and did not earn enough income one day, the no code wealth podcast came to help them find a way because of this, makers became founders and live the lives they deserve. Because of that, founders live lives of abundance, freedom, and creativity. That's what I'm really all about. Hello, my name is Aziz and from being a poor boy born to a single mother in North Africa, with no opportunities just sheer hard work, to failing multiple startups, yet learning a whole lot to barely escaping alive the war in Ukraine, even living as an illegal immigrant. I've lost everything twice. And now I'm rebuilding my life one more time. 1%. Today, sharing the wisdom of luminaries have interviewed on this podcast from Google executives, Goldman Sachs, the Financial Times, Forbes, Technology Council, World Economic Forum, Harvard University, and even a priest from the Vatican church. Everyone is welcome, here. So let's begin. My guest today is Brian Francisco. From co founding, from CO founding and launching the IRA wireless brand, two guiding niche Kickstarter brands such as rock block and formaggio. In the product development and strategic business development planning process. Brian is a brand production and affiliate strategist with a distinctive familiarity with the Asian North and South American markets. Through the use of his multilingual capacity in Mandarin, English and Spanish. Brian helped 700 Plus brands develop a cookie cutter manufacturing, and sourcing process to scale up using Kickstarter and Indiegogo manufacturing partner has been fortunate to collaborate with countless talented individuals in business development, design, engineering, branding, storytelling and manufacturing. And through them Bryant learn to analyze challenges and problematic processes and work together to discuss and implement effective and measurable solutions. In that journey. He had to negotiate with 1000s of factories to source or create components in China and South East Asia. Brian, how are you today?
Bryant Francisco 3:00
Well, thank you for your lavish, long introduction there.
Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 3:03
Well, I love it, you have worked hard to earn it. So better celebrated and to ask you, on a very basic level, what do you do? What is the opportunity that allows what you do to be possible? And can you explain it in simple terms for anybody who is not yet familiar with the whole process that you go through?
Bryant Francisco 3:26
Of course, absolutely. So I think it's best to start at the beginning. 1987 That's when I was born. And where am i right now? I'm not gonna start and that's not so far back. But at least 1015 years ago, I met the CEO. This time, it wasn't more fun wasn't created, but his name is Joshua Fairburn, so I ran into him randomly in Serbia. So I studied finance and marketing. I'm originally from New York City. I was born in New York and raised in New York for the most part. During my uni years I study, study abroad in London and then London eventually ended up going to Eastern Europe because of friends that I've met and ended up in Serbia super random. slurring the language learning the culture was traveling through most of x, Slavic countries, just lobbying country like Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, so on. And I will this time I happen to be in Novi Sad. I was going to be soft from Belgrade, in Serbia, and I happened to run into in the same bus of Sasha, the only three foreigners. And it was this other person that was all the way in the back, and then Josh was actually in the bus. Josh was heading to Hungary. So we were we were just asking each other the driver that didn't speak much English and was like, Hey, are you going to same direction and I told him I'm going to nobody saw he's like, I'm going to Hungary. And we were like, is you sure the same bus In the driver's like, we're going to be going to both to both places. This is how I drive it's okay stop asking questions is like, just sit down and go. We were kind of like, like last for we're no one else in the bus. And we're just it seems like we we didn't know we were going the right direction. But we started talking, we hit it off. Josh at this point was at in China. And I finished traveling Europe for the past one two years while I was studying abroad. And we got at this point, a lot of says this project that I'm very interested in was called headcase. And it was a really cool project connected to like three or four major nonprofit, each color representing a different nonprofit. So the yellow one helped give polio vaccinations to people in need of South Africa, the black one helped a human trafficking victim white one, the white one to help provide clean water to, to those of needed within two South America and Africa. And it was a really cool project connect to their headphones. He launched the first week with Indiegogo, which is one of their big crowdfunding platforms. And within the first week, he received 40, grand and support. At this point, I decided to, to help to jump with a project. He was like, come to China, and I was alright fine. Sure. I decided to go come back to us pack my stuff from Serbia. And then I ended up moving to China, in Guangzhou at this point, and China was completely different from where are you from between central South North America and Europe. And the project was doing well until we went to get the prototype and it wasn't at all what we wanted. So we put the project on pause and Josas decided to create a team of people that kind of guided company guided new foreign companies in the product development process from beginning to end, you know, he wanted people not to go to the same headaches he went through. So just study Mandarin intensely for two, three years in Montreal. He's originally from Canada. And he learns to speak in white speaking right Chinese perfectly. It was even though today is a Chinese phenomena, my Chinese over the past eight, nine years gotten really pretty, pretty, pretty good, but still not as close as it is. And it's funny because he has a very heavy Chinese Cantonese accent, you don't want him speak. So it's just funny when we ordering food, or we're at the office and the delivery guy comes in. And he sees laid just isn't this isn't either too far. And he's like, whose food it is. And he'll come in and he was like, Where's my food I ordered like, I was like, what I was just, I was just speaking to you because he was like this albino looking six foot got Canadian guy, super tall guy. And he has a very thick Chinese accent. So to China, it's just one of those funny things when you when you act so actual delivery guy comes in, they see the person was like, that's how I thought it was. But so yeah, we are we be working, we were working on the project and put it on pause, decided to put together a team. This is the inception of Morpho. Within the first year, he grew the company to 100 clients. Now we are the company has over 910 years old, we help hundreds of different black brands from all over the place. The majority come from Kickstarter and Indiegogo platforms for the fact that we are recommended, and they're in their platform as a manufacturing partner. The reason for this is that during the early stages that Kickstarter and Indiegogo, you know, 19 years ago, when they were launching projects, anybody could get on the platforms, and was what was the big problem was that a lot of people were launching a projects, and there were no way they kind of deliver, they were just like, hey, this is a picture of this machine that's gonna make you breeze through under, you know, briefing the water and gonna make you fly and people's like, yeah, take my money, and then No, they wouldn't deliver the project. So there was we're getting a bad reputation. And that's where it caught on. I Joshin reached out to this company. He's like, Hey, I've been working on some engineers, and I can help you cut, scale up the production of successful platforms, you know, deliver prototypes. So this is where the partnership came about. And you know, we started getting a lot of different projects coming from quick crowdfunding platforms, Indiegogo, Kickstarter, and so on. And that's kind of how we began hire our process.
Our process is basically started three phases. The first phase is like this onboarding phase. So we create a team of people that guides them from A to Z. So we all we have three different types of clienteles. One is client that comes to us just an idea, just a concept. And we'd have to take this concept and finalize them to the different design files that they have made different CAD files, all the ones are the clients that come with the design files in a prototype. And the third one is like they have everything but they want to stretch their supply chain to China. So you spend the first five, six years just visit I mean 1000s of different factories and suppliers all over China in and Southeast Asia. And we have a vetting system that we have a legal team that can figure out. So basically, we have a checklist before we work with them, we want to make sure they have the ability to provide any certifications, the engineers are up to date with the latest trends, they are able to provide proper working conditions for the employees, right, there's no child labor, there's no six year old kids from my own factory, these are actual trained professionals that have their work with different brands, right. And I do this as well, believe it or not, this was the most challenging part of the process. Yes, because in order to make this relationship, you have to really understand the Chinese culture, meaning that we have to something's called one sheet one sheet like this, this relationship and building in China is very, this is like the number one thing before anything else in whether it comes to business or families orientation, this is relationship is very important in China and saving face. So this means that we have to meet the different. So the head of the supply chain, the different factory owners, we have to sit down with them with dinner, they have to kind of practice and all just little amenities where we you know, take him out, take him out to drink and make sure little things it's like, well, you need to sit to the right of them. Make sure you pour you know, if you're pouring wine you sit you use serving as a sign of respect to the left to the right, serving your boss, when you choose the cup, you're, you know your chairs, under the cob, basically, you never go higher. So little melodies that that help you create this relationship, because what happens is that at any point, if you don't, if you don't have a strong relationship, then your projects are not going to get done as efficient for the they're not going to get prioritized. They're not going to be as as transparent. They're not created as long lasting relationships. So there was a lot of dinners, a lot of dinners in different factories, right, I have done two factories and tech and textile and plastic wood. I've slept in factories, sometimes we have productions that we have to, you know, we have a mass production order that needs to get done before a certain day gets shipped up. And we need to do quality control testing. So we actually were checking we have a quality control team, but we actually were there as well, making sure all the all the different models are being done correctly. So take a step back. How did we do the process? First question. So we do everything in three phases. The first phase is the onboarding. So team with people that consistent have a quality control team, Director of Operations and account manager, I see your photos, Canadian descent has 30 plus years of logistics and manufacturing experience. Our CEO comes from a manufacturing family she is Chinese a saint. And we have a director of operations that creates this quality control standard document. So this document basically entails every single inch of what is the project, what is different components. So so we use a component control method is very similar how Foxconn and Apple operates, we take any project, we separate it into different components. This way, this creates a higher rate of IP protection and in quality control, because you're having one component done or one specific suppliers has been certified, has an MBA and is working on just one component. Once they finish this, we put it together with all the components and we put it together in somebody's house, that's the silver washed by the team that we give to the client. So that would be the first phase and we're in this first phase we provide basically the entire brand foundation. This is we're setting up the different supply chains or different pricings all the different certifications, everything we need to move to Development Development, that's where we make the actual prototype. Now, depending on what is the material if you have a couple of different components, or what are the different molds process, or we need injection molding, whatever it is, we iterated during this process and we finalize the prototype, we send it to the client if they're satisfied we moved over to Matt pre pilot mass production. Basically pre polymesh production is like before we make a couple 100 We make a small batch to make sure everything's coming up perfectly and then after this we move towards a packaging and then logistics and then we ship it anywhere that you know anywhere in the world that hasn't bad doesn't have any sanction the United Nations right like we can ship it to unfortunately like North Korea or or Somalia or you know, probably a little I think Russia is a little difficult these days right? But for the most part we we create the entire process in entire brain industry faces a lot of a share some of our case studies, a lot of our projects have been have gotten to do partnership with four I'm with Disney and been in Shark Tank, and had been, you know, we have hundreds of brands at this point from everywhere from tech to watches to text to textile, wouldn't cut whatever it is kind of a little bit all over the place now. So that's almost a long winded answer. That's kind of how we do the process. That's how I have in this past nine years, I have picked up my you know, my Mandarin and you know, binaire been close with, like you said an introduction. I've been blessed to work with the top engineers and designers when it comes to when it comes to the whole product development process. We have a team, I one of our I'm really passionate for music, and in any kind of sustainable products or any kind of project that is working on using biodegradable materials on your project is related to sound and music. I, I spent a lot of time with this, as far as doing research on how in getting feedback from different engineers and designers in different factories over there like this is a different ways it can be made in the different approaches that can be made. So yeah, experience, knowledge does come from experience and just being there and just, you know, scrolling back and forth. And obviously there's got to be hiccups along the way. And I think we what we excel at the best is communication, what we've done is that we create a timeline, because most crowdfunding platforms have a timeline, you gotta deliver a project. So what we do is that we give you a timeline for the first phase, the second phase interphase. And when this timeline, we always give tiny little room for hiccups, right? There are going to be hiccups along the way, making a product is not a perfect operation. But what we do is by giving this little room for hiccups, we get find any issues before it happens and solve them and you know, reiterate the answers to the client together as we move forward. So that's a long winded but yeah, that's how we have the process.
Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 17:04
Thank you. That's really interesting. And it's very comprehensive. And I want to ask some questions that could be interesting to people improving even in the Western world, their business deals. So did or how did that relationship building and saving and saving face with your Chinese partners make you a better relationship builder, with people in South America, North America, Europe, etc? How did that influence your thinking? And did you find those lessons useful? And applicable?
Bryant Francisco 17:43
I think every lesson even prior to this job, kind of add to who you are today, you know, a lot. I think a lot of my relationship buildings and an event leading in the conference is coming from my background. You know, I have I've done a lot of events. Since I was in university, I was you know, the co founder of this financial chapter in my university in New York. And I was always doing corporate events. And you know, what do you call those boot camps event resume building events, which led to me doing different professional events and kind of networking events all over New York going Joe to do Hong Kong, Cambodia, Mumbai, and Santiago Dominican Republic. And I saw that's my background, and I had, I taught for a while and I was in public speaking. So I think having leading different events, different events through my through my car, my public speaking mentality allows me to approach any relationship like how I speak Chinese is it's not the common very, very kind of standard Chinese right? How to explain this. So I think you could go to school what most people do, like when they learning Chinese, and they learn the proper Chinese like, you know, if you say like the proper Chinese has a very hard tone, which is from the north from Beijing, like people from the north. And I say Where are you going? They'll say nutrient, our North Star. And that's like the harder and this is how they teach you in school. But the south and south of China, Guangzhou has Cantonese for the most part, but also it's more relaxed and is instead of saying you trainer, they said Nietzsche gnarly, there's already like this is this more informal way of communicating and my background combined with this community that I was surrounded by and go and Joe allowed me to kind of speak Chinese as a more friendly way. Like when I speak to like when I'm speaking to different factory bosses or I'm in a factory or I'm having dinner with them. I'll speak to them I'll speak to them like I'll sound more as let's say as their neighbor and someone kind of like a long lost friend instead of more professional which I tend this tends to kind of ease up ease up though the relationships and negotiations when you approach it you know you kind of break bread like both most of that relationship you're building the first first level is just you know be asking and breaking bread but also kind of getting to know that person also getting a person to like you creating this this humorous relationship you know, making jokes about it day to day things, right? I like the Chinese I have picked up with some of my friends and that I've met for in one Jo young friends, and then I have some slang into it. So when somebody does something cool. For example, if you know we're having dinner, somebody out, we'll finish the glass. Oh, they'll say Leo Leo Leo is 666-610-9666 for Is It means really impressive. Very cool. And Chinese and Mandarin, right? So this is like a like a slang thing that locals know. But you wouldn't learn this in school. Right? You know, that's, that's a cool tip anywhere anytime you're with any Chinese friends, so they do something, you go like Lulu Lulu, they go like, Oh my God, how do you know that and they get very, they get very abused. And so cool. And little things like this to help you build a relationship into more genuine relationships. So relationship building is not just like negotiating get into like them, get them, get them to like you but it's more about make them feel that you know their culture, which is something something difficult, you really got to get immersed in the culture and any culture you live in any country at this point. I lived in London and Anglin and lived in Central America, I lived in New York City, different parts of Asia and you have to really get you have to really really go the extra mile to get to understand the culture not just learn the history, but also go to go to the you know like the alleys when you go to a new car when you go to new country people is go to the most famous restaurants but the best friends are the best restaurants are usually in the back alley. You know, that looks a little a little shady, you kind of your question whether you're likely they're going to take your life if you're going down this alley, but this is this is where the relationship Abell This is where you learn the actual culture. This is where people are themselves. So definitely having the time not just you know, visiting different factories, but also traveling all over China learning the difference between different Chinese cultures. They have over 5055 or 56 different minorities. And they all have different different patterns and different way of communicating and different foods, right? It's a massive 1.4 to 1.6 billion people. So once you kind of speak to them, understanding them, and that definitely gives you an advantage. Like if I'm speaking to someone from Sichuan is different than I speak with somebody from Guangdong, a different speaker, somebody from Beijing or from Fujian, right? So China is more similar to the spicy capital of China they have, well relax, have a relaxed language and the more laid back, you know, instead of saying like, okay, you know, the sender, Mandarin is how they will hahaha, which is good, good, good, okay. They'll say yada, yada, yada, even like the way they say it is more relaxed. So if you're speaking with a supplier, or you're meeting them in their territory, and they are from Sichuan, and this is something you kind of have to know. So it become, it becomes a task but also it becomes a fun task. You don't understand the difference and you know, the different foods they like the different patterns. So it didn't take a long time from a half Chinese friends that taught me like the rice sundae like the taking chopsticks and a bowl of white rice. And different cities around China means completely different things. One time for the style. If you put it in me, it's disrespectful. It's a sign of like, you don't respect them, but for all this is like it's a stand against. Against the facility, which it comes. It comes from, like when the Japanese were invading China. And they were forcing them to eat their rice and then some Chinese people started putting their chopsticks saying, I don't want to eat your rice because my rice is better. My country is better. You know, it's a form of defiance. Right? So it's in some places in China. That's disrespectful in other places, putting a bowl of rice. A quarter is completely The opposite. So yeah, it's very, it's very interesting, complicated and long, but for sure is a very fun experience to understand the different parts of the country. And this goes with any country. I think most people think like every country, you get kind of generalized, like Americans need New Yorkers, an American from New York or from California or from Texas or from North Carolina or from Chicago are completely different, right? Yes, we have the language we have the same you know, more or less politics but you have different practices we have different foods do you have different views? So you know, when you speak into someone from from California's how you approach business with them, it's very different. I you speaking somebody from New York? So relationship building is the first step is learning where they come from learning, what what are the pros and cons? What are the ticked what, what ticks them off? And what is the thing that is going to make them happier to kind of prolong the relationship? And understanding what's the best way to approach it. Now? Yeah, it's a challenging process. But I think it just comes from experience and it just comes from you know, you failing you, you meeting different people, and you're just listening, right? When I meet someone new from a different country, I'm just like, Alright, tell me, tell me everything or you're at this point, you know, I travel in the past 15 years, I not to brag, but I've been to 4050 countries at some point, I kind of started with content, but I started learning the different ways that different cultures are different, just the different practices that makes them unique, right? Everybody wants to understand like this is what makes me unique, and this is how I want it to be understand and it's it's not an easy job for sure is a difficult task, but it's so worthwhile. It's so rewarding at the end when you're just having when you have this genuine conversation with somebody just because we you got to know their culture. You took the extra mile like before we started this conversation. You know, you told me you're Tunisia I'm like, Oh my God, no fabric I have a lot of friends are jittery. Moroccans and Tunisian discern and understand that the food is completely different from the from the rest of Africa, they have the culture that I will say is a little similar to Latin they they have this like Arabic, French. Yeah, there's a slight due for language, I must speak Arabic, French, Italian, and English. And they have this combined culture that is right under Europe and on top of Africa, that makes them unique in this sort of way. So definitely learning there. Learning what makes a coach a unique as a pro and the process.
Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 27:47
Thank you, Brian, this is really, really cool. And you have a lot of knowledge to share. So for someone who wants to get in touch with you, or with the team that you're working with, what are the best links and I will make sure to write some of them in the Podcast, episode description.
Bryant Francisco 28:08
I think the best way LinkedIn is become a good tool, I'll give you my email id and I'd be more than happy to you know, respond to anyone by email will be the faster contact but I use now at this point, I'm using WhatsApp for central central South American Europe, then I use WeChat for China. Now I'm using signal for other parts that I have Viber. So all these messages like everyone tends to be more comfortable with a certain app. And that's how I you know, certain clients prefer to work or certain app. So I have all these apps. The point of the conversation is like I opened on my phone I have Okay, Skype, Viber sector WeChat even Korean app, so email or LinkedIn will be the best way to contact and since
Abdulaziz M Alhamdan 28:54
Thank you, I'll make sure to write the link then, which is actually how we communicated the LinkedIn link in the description. And before we finish, of course, thank you, Brian, I learned so much from you. You're like the expert on cultural diversity and cultural uniqueness and how to adapt to different cultures, which is something that as the world becomes more connected and open becomes much more necessary. And thank you again.
Bryant Francisco 29:22
My pleasure. Thank you for having me.
