I started my journey in North America when I was fifteen years old, first in Northern Ontario then in California. It was an eye opening but challenging period of my life. Not only did I have to learn the language but more importantly I had to learn and be part of a totally new culture.
Students conversing
I watched a lot of sports events and programs on TV at the beginning because they were fun to watch and they were easier to understand since there weren’t as many difficult sentences to listen to compared to the NEWS or drama. I would watch major sports; Hockey, Football, Basketball, and Baseball. By watching these games It allowed me to be a part of the conversation during lunchtime and between classes. Slowly I started to watch NEWS programs, documentaries, and sitcoms.
Hockey clip
Why NEWS and documentaries? I like watching them because I enjoy history and world events, I have felt this way ever since I lived in Hong Kong. The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live were some of my favorite shows, partly because they were funny but also because all my friends were watching and it allowed me to relate to them. Besides watching lots of TV programs I also joined the student council, cross country team, and helped out the school basketball and baseball teams as team manager.
During the final year of my high school career I started reading Fortune Magazines and learned about companies that appeared on the Fortune 500 list. I thought they were interesting and saw that they were also influenced by the dotcom boom during that era. I have been a Wall Street Journal subscriber since my freshman year in college all the way up to today, that is about 25 years now. During my college years I also subscribed to businessweek magazines and watched a lot of CNBC and Bloomberg financial news. I frequently read companies' annual reports and IPO filings as I have a habit of analyzing them ever since my early college years as I really enjoy the statistics and content within them.
Exploring the internet and learning vital industry information
So, spending 10 years in North America has definitely shaped me into a person that understands business as well as Western cultures.
Because I had studied and read a lot about retailers, especially fashion brands, I had some understanding and knowledge about how the industry works and what branding and marketing was, as I had a degree in Accounting with a minor in Marketing. When I first joined CKG at the end of 2005, one of our clients came for a visit and asked us if we had any heavily washed garments or washed wool, I said do you mean the ones like Abercrombie and Fitch? Her reply was “exactly!” which solidified my want to be a part of and flourish in this industry even more.
My older brother, who is also in CKG, spent close to 20 years in the US so he could very well understand brand concerns and communicate seamlessly with our clients. This is a major strength of CKG, the people to people interaction and understanding. This is something that AI can’t automate or replace.
The team at CKG
I am also an avid industry commentator that is featured on many local and Western retail and fashion focus media! Some of our clients really enjoy conversations with me on various topics within the industry such as innovations, textile recycling, ecommerce or just sports in general.
So when you work with CKG not only are you working with industry experts with 50 years of experience and knowhow, but also people with passion in the industry and our services can really help you grow and scale. We simply make sourcing and garment manufacturing in China easy!