Ryan Rouse

MALK Organics

President

Self Employed

Growth Advisor

HighKey 

Chief Executive Officer (acquired)

Board Member

Chief Marketing & Ecommerce Officer

Tasseo Consumer Ecosystem

Operating Partner

Serenity Kids

Head of Growth

Factor_

Co-Founder (Acquired by Hello Fresh)

Chief Marketing Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Merrill Lynch

Vice President of Sales

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

We've normalized something insane.

Two people typing at each other for 35 minutes.

Typing gives us time to be clever. To craft the perfect comeback. To sound right while being wrong.

Talking forces us to be human.

No edit button. No screenshots for later. No audience watching you perform.

Just two people working it out in real time.

The friction you feel before picking up the phone and calling?

That's your ego protecting itself.

It knows the keyboard is safer.

But relationships aren't built in safety.

They're built in the messy, unedited moments when you actually hear someone's voice.

Next time you're about to send that long message?

Pick up the phone instead.

You'll be shocked how fast "enemies" become teammates when you remove the screen between you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Never Been on a Forbes List | President at MALK Organics | Daddy at Rouse House | Previously: Co-Founder & CMO at Factor_, CEO at Highkey

No alternative text description for this image

The startup world worships charisma.

Big personalities. Bold promises. Slick pitches.

But I've watched too many charismatic founders flame out.

And too many quiet operators build empires.

Here's what I learned:

Charisma opens doors. Character keeps them open.

Charisma raises the round. Character delivers the returns.

The market rewards charisma in the short term. But it pays character in the long run.

Use your charisma to sell the vision.
Use your character to build the business.

I'm curious: Think about the best leader you've ever worked with.

Were they the most charismatic person in the room, or did they have something deeper that made you follow them?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The more polished your corporate language, the less your employees believe a word you say.

Early in my startup career, I'd craft these perfect all-hands emails. 

"We're excited to announce strategic realignment initiatives that will optimize our organizational effectiveness."

Translation: We're laying people off.

My team saw right through it.

And it created distrust and disengagement.

So I changed my approach.

Instead of "pursuing growth opportunities," I started saying "we're trying something new and honestly, we're not sure if it'll work."

Instead of "navigating headwinds," I said "this quarter sucked and here's why."

It was uncomfortable at first.

But the team started asking real questions instead of nodding politely.

And they started to trust me more when things got hard because they knew I wouldn't sugarcoat it.

I remember the first time I told my team "I don't have a good answer for that yet" in a meeting. 

Someone was brave enough to say "thank you for not making something up."

People don't want perfect messaging from their leaders.

They want honest communication about what's really happening and how it affects them.

Even if you don't know. 

Your team can handle the truth. 

What they can't handle is being treated like they're too naive to see through corporate BS. 

Every euphemism you use is a withdrawal from the trust bank.

And that account doesn't have overdraft protection.

There's no finish line where suddenly you feel like you made it.

No magic number that makes the doubt disappear.

No age where you finally stop comparing yourself to the 28-year-old who just raised $50M.

We're all out here pretending we're on schedule while secretly terrified we're falling behind.

The woman who sold at 32 thinks he peaked too early.

The guy grinding at 50 thinks she started too late.

The kid raising millions thinks he's a fraud.

None of us know what we're doing.

We're just making different mistakes at different speeds.

Your career isn't late.

It's not early either.

It's just yours.

And the only way to lose is to stop showing up because you think you missed some imaginary deadline.

Keep building.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Every morning at 5:30 AM, my alarm goes off.

And I have a choice.

Hit snooze and skip my workout, or get up and move.

That's the first battle of the day.

Success isn't some climactic moment where everything falls into place.

It's winning thousands of these small fights. Day after day.

The decision to kill a product you spent 18 months developing because it clearly doesn't work. 

The discipline to skip the third glass of wine at dinner so you can think more clearly in tomorrow's meeting.

The courage to fire someone who's good but not great.

There is no one final battle.

No last job.

No riding off into the sunset.

These micro battles never stop.

And the moment you accept that?

The pressure to "arrive" disappears.

You stop waiting for some future version of success.

You start finding it in the discipline of showing up when it's hard.

In choosing the right move over the easy one.

In winning today's battles so you're ready for tomorrow's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

What if choosing not to be offended was the most powerful decision you could make today?

Most leaders don't realize they're handing control of their day to people who don't matter.

I've spent 15+ years in executive roles. Built teams. Navigated acquisitions. Raised 3 kids.

Many years ago, someone's criticism would completely derail me.

I'd stew on it for hours.  

But that person? Living their life. Completely unbothered.

The only person suffering was me.

It made me recognize that offense is a choice.

Not a reflex. A choice.

Now when someone tries to push my buttons, I pause and choose whether or not to engage. And how to engage if I choose to. 

I'm protecting what matters: me.

Your reaction gives other people control over your day.

Your non-reaction or calm reaction gives you back your power.

So here's my question:

Who are you letting live in your head that doesn't deserve to be there?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Being late to every meeting isn't a personality quirk. 

It's a character flaw. 

And it's costing you more than you think. 

It's like your friend who couldn't handle their alcohol and had to be baby sat every night. At first everyone's like "Oh, that's just Jeff/Julie."'

But you know what happened over time? Less and less people hung out with Jeff and Julie. 

Same goes here. 

Every time you're late to a meeting, you're showing showing people you can't be trusted with the small things.

Trust with the small things leads to trust with the big ones.

The opportunities that require trust:
- Leading a team
- Managing a budget
- Representing the company
- Taking on a big project

None of those happen if people don't trust you with the basics.

And being on time is the most basic thing there is.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The higher you climb, the lonelier it gets.

I learned this from 25 years of chasing the top.

It's odd though. The higher you get, the less people you can talk to about it. 

Can't vent to your team about the pressure.

Can't ask your boss the "dumb" questions ('cause you don't have one).

And you definitely can't admit when you're figuring it out as you go.

So I started writing.

Not corporate memos. Not LinkedIn humble brags.

Real talk about what it's actually like to lead.

The messy product launches.

The budget fights that keep you up at night.

The people decisions that haunt you.

The wins that nobody sees coming.

Look, I know how this sounds.

Another exec with a newsletter.

But if you're tired of feeling like you're the only one struggling with this stuff, I write about it every week in my newsletter.

No BS. Just truth.

Link in the comments if you're interested.

I've watched good companies crumble from the inside out.

Not because of market conditions or bad products.

Because they let weak leadership linger.

Your team sees it before you do.

And every day you wait, they lose a little more belief.

Not just in that one leader.

In you. In the vision. In whether any of it matters.

The damage compounds faster than you think.

And by the time it's obvious to you, half your best people are already mentally checked out.

So when you know someone isn't cutting it, act.

Yes, transitions are messy.

Yes, there will be short-term pain.

But nothing restores faith in a team faster than watching leadership actually lead.

I've never been the smartest person in the room.

But I have been the most dangerous.

Not because I know more.

Because I know less.

My first few months at MALK, I was like a broken record.

"What's the reason for that?"
"Who decided this?"
"What happens if we skip it?"

I've done the same thing at business I get involved with. 

Turns out, most companies run on autopilot.

Someone built a process years ago because they needed something fast.
It stuck.

Not because it was good.

Because it was there.

Your processes aren't best practices.

They're fossils.

Fresh eyes see the waste you've gone blind to.
Here's what works:

Hire people with fresh eyes. 

Give them permission to be annoying.

Let them question everything.

Document every "why?"

Most answers will be "I don't know" or "that's just how it's done."

That's your gold mine.

Each "I don't know" is money left on the table.

Each "that's how we've always done it" is a process begging to be killed.

What process exists at your company only because "that's how it's always been done"?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The cost of handing out fancy titles too soon is real. 

Early on at Factor_, we couldn't afford top talent.

So we did what a lot of founders do.

We gave people VP and Director titles to make up for the salary gap.

Seemed smart at the time.

They got the prestige. We saved cash.

But a title doesn't teach someone how to do the job.

It doesn't give them the reps. The pattern recognition. The instincts that come from years on the job.

And when you realize someone isn't ready for the role they're in, you've got a real problem.

Because now you can't just adjust their responsibilities.

You have to demote them or move them out.

Which is brutal for everyone involved.

The title that was supposed to solve a problem becomes the problem.

Looking back now, I wish I'd been straight with people about where they actually were.

Not where I needed them to be.

Give them a role they can handle today. 

Let them earn the next one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Everyone's building a personal brand. But personal credibility should be the goal. 

I see it every day.

People obsessing over their LinkedIn banner design while their actual work speaks nothing.

Crafting the perfect thought leader bio while delivering mediocre results.

Posting motivational quotes they don't live by.

Here's what they don't get:

Personal brand is what you tell people you are.
Personal credibility is what you prove you are.

One is manufactured. The other is earned.

You can buy a personal brand. Hire a ghostwriter. Use AI to pump out content. Get those vanity metrics up.

But credibility?

That comes from one place: Doing.

Delivering on promises when nobody's watching.
Admitting when you're wrong instead of doubling down.
Sharing real failures, not just humble brags disguised as lessons.

The most credible people I know barely think about their "brand."

They're too busy actually building things. Solving problems. Creating value.

Their reputation spreads through whisper networks, not viral posts.

Want to stand out in 2025?

Stop polishing your image.
Start delivering results.

Because at the end of the day, your personal brand is just marketing.

Your personal credibility is your actual product.

And people can smell the difference from a mile away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Being a 6/10 across many functions will serve you more than being a 10/10 in one.

But you typically have to get to a 9/10 in one area to earn the opportunity to oversee the others. 

The hard part for most people is being comfortable going from a 9/10 in something down to a 6/10 in order to create time to go from a 2/10 to a 6/10 in the others.

They can’t let go of being best in class at the one thing. 

Which limits their ability to to lead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

Congrats to all who made the Forbes list. 

I did not. Therefore, my headline remains in tact.

You survived the launch. You got early traction.

So why does year three feel harder than year one?

Because in year one, you'd work 24/7 and love it.

The adrenaline was real. Every win felt like validation.

You didn't need sleep. You didn't need breaks.

You had rocket fuel in your veins.

But years 2-5...

The adrenaline runs out.

And when it does, the grinding reality sets in.

34.4% of founders experience burnout.

Not in year one when you're supposed to be struggling.

In years 2-5, when you're supposed to have it figured out.

Year one, you're running on pure excitement and fear.

That combination keeps you moving even when you're exhausted.

But years 2-5? That's when the wheels come off.

The excitement fades. The fear becomes background noise.

What's left is just the grind.

No finish line in sight.

Revenue looks healthy. Team is growing.

But you're running on empty.

And you don't realize it's happening.

You think you're just tired. You think it's a rough month.

You tell yourself you'll take a break soon.

But soon never comes.

Because now you've got:

• A team depending on you
• Investors expecting growth
• Customers needing support
• A reputation to protect

You can't just stop anymore.

The thing about founder burnout is it doesn't announce itself.

It shows up in small ways first.

You start dreading Monday mornings.

Emails sit unread for days.

Decision-making gets harder.

Your patience with your team gets thinner.

Then one day you wake up and realize: You don't remember the last time you felt excited about this.

The data backs this up.

Founders in their middle years report higher rates of anxiety and depression than in year one.

Not because things are going worse.

Because things are going exactly as expected.

And that's somehow harder to handle than the chaos.

If you're in those middle years right now, here's what I'd tell you:

The 24/7 hustle isn't sustainable.

It never was.

Year one, you could get away with it because the adrenaline covered the cost.

But you can't run a marathon on sprint energy.

And building a lasting company is a marathon.

Take the break. Build the boundaries. Protect your mental health.

Not because it's nice to have.

Because your business won't survive if you don't.

I spend my days analyzing consumer behavior, market trends, etc.

But my wife always points out something I completely missed.

Last month, we were arguing about why the kids kept leaving their water bottles everywhere.

I said it was a discipline problem.

She said it was a design problem.

The bottles were too heavy when full. Too awkward to carry. The lids leaked in their backpacks.

So they just... stopped using them.

I had been so focused on the behavior, I missed the product failure.

We do this in our industry. 

Blame "disloyal" customers instead of asking if our packaging is annoying to open or if our product fits in their pantry.

My wife doesn't work in CPG.

She doesn't know (or care) what a P&L is.

But she sees a ton of things I don't.

The tiny annoyances. The small frustrations. The gap between what we promise and what actually works in real life.

Here’s hoping you all have a "Lindsay" involved in the product development process.

I used to think talking about anything besides work was a waste of time.

As a founder, my life was the business.

Every minute counted.

So when team members wanted to chat about their weekend, their kids, their hobbies?

I'd nod politely and steer us back to the agenda.

I thought I was being efficient.

I was actually building walls.

Because my team had lives outside work.

Just because I had no other interests didn't mean they didn't.

The shift happened when I started asking questions. Actually listening to the answers.

Turns out, people open up when you take genuine interest in them.

The trust runs deeper. The feedback gets more honest. The work gets better.
And they stop leaving.

Relationships aren't built in conference rooms.

They're built in the margins.

The random detours in meetings that are completely off topic.

The walk to the parking lot.

The random Slack message about their kid's soccer game.

That's where teams become more than just people who work together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

You can't be great at everything.

And that's actually the point.

The bell curve is undefeated. Small percentage who are elite. Small percentage who are terrible. Large percentage in the middle.

It applies to everything - career, relationships, fitness, hobbies.

Where it gets interesting is when you stack bell curves on top of one another.

Elite in one area almost always means average or terrible in others.

The math doesn't lie.

Which means you have to pick.

Which areas of life you want to be on the upper end of the curve?

And how far down that curve do you want to go?

All those choices have trade offs. 

Personally, I want to be in the 90th percentile in family, career, and health. 

That's above average, but not elite. 

Being in the 90th percentile in all of them means I can't be in the 98th percentile in any. 

It also means I can't even be in the 60th percentile in other things that aren't on my list. 

Some people choose differently. They go all-in on one thing. Become truly elite.

They accept being below average everywhere else.

Neither approach is wrong.

What's wrong is pretending you can be elite at everything.

The trade-off is real whether you acknowledge it or not.

So pick your bell curves.

And stop lying to yourself about the ones you didn't pick.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you liked this post, you'll love my emails. No BS musings from 12+ years in the trenches building brands.

Sign up free here:

https://ryanrouse.me/

The DTC era taught founders a dangerous lesson.

You could skip the hard work of understanding your category.

Build a brand, tell a story, sell direct.

No need to obsess over shelf placement, competitive sets, or how retailers think about your space.

But shoppers still compare you to everything else in the category.

They always have.

Whether your product sits next to competitors on a shelf or shows up alone on your website doesn't matter.

A lot of digitally native brands tried to move into retail and got crushed. 

Because they never did the foundational work.

They didn't know their category cold.

Didn't understand how it's priced, how it's merchandised, how it's managed, how decisions get made.

That knowledge used to be non-negotiable.

Before DTC, founders had no choice but to become category experts first.

It was the only path to market.

Now it's optional.

And that optionality is killing brands.

You can't win in CPG without being obsessed with your category.

Not just your product.

The entire space you're competing in.

That's table stakes.

EC I ESD STUDIO GLOBAL

CO-FOUNDER & VICE PRESIDENT

BRIDGE2BUSINESS

Struggling with sourcing complexity in China and Asia? 

With 22 years of boots-on-the-ground experience across China and Asia, we connect you to the best suppliers, manage quality, and optimize your supply chain for success with our value added services.

Let’s explore collaboration opportunities together! 🙋🏻‍♂️🙏🥂

WeChat / WhatsApp: +86 13818297998

FOUNDER & CEO

Market Union Co., Ltd.

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Winholt Equipment Group

As a leading American 🇺🇸 manufacturer/importer with a global supply chain to a wide variety of industries — and for good reason, we've been designing and manufacturing top-tier equipment solutions for dish, prep, cooking, storage and transport-producing equipment in stainless steel, aluminum, and steel, all readily available or easily modified to your specifications. 

I was responsible for sales and marketing among all international supermarkets & chain stores both in China 🇨🇳 and USA 🇺🇸, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Ross, etc., with all kinds of OEM/ODM products. 

It was a very impressive and great experience in my career.

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER

Tears of Time

TEARS OF TIME IS AN 🇵🇱 AMBER BRAND FROM POLAND. IT STARTS THE BUSINESS IN CHINA SINCE 2011. I HAVE BEEN DOING THE WHOLE MARKETING JOB FOR TEARS OF TIME BY ASSISTING MANAGING DIRECTOR FROM SINCO POLAND...

MARKETING DIRECTOR

SINCO IMPORT SP. Z O.O.

As a team leader of Shanghai Rep. Office of SINCO from POLAND 🇵🇱 , I have been managing and coordinating the whole sales and purchasing term to work in Import & Export business between China and European Retail Chains (mainly with Poland, like BIEDRONKA, ROSSMANN, PEPCO, etc). The widely exported products include: Toys, Kitchenware, Home Deco, Home Textile and 
Knitting garments, Plastic and Paper Products, Gardening, Outdoor products, Working Safety products and Hardware, etc. The imported products: Amber jewelry.

IMP. & EXP. MANAGER

SHANGHAI LUXMAN DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD.

I was doing export business in Home furniture & Fashion garments, acting as a sales supervisor.

EXPORT SUPERVISOR

SHANGHAI 3L MEDICAL PRODUCTS CO., LTD.

I was doing export business in Medical products: 3ply disposable face masks, medical/surgical face masks, non-woven surgical gowns, etc. We were exporting worldwide markets especially to South American countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, etc.

EXPORT SALES

Managing Director @ MU Group | MBA, China Supply Chain Management, committed to exporting Consumer Goods mainly to Retailers in the EU 🇪🇺, USA 🇺🇸, and Mexico 🇲🇽, etc...

With 20+ years of international trade experience, I specialize in helping companies scale their product offerings, optimize sourcing strategies, and accelerate revenue through China’s vast manufacturing landscape. 

From Europe 🇪🇺 to the U.S. 🇺🇸, and to LATAM (Brazil 🇧🇷, Mexico 🇲🇽, Peru 🇵🇪…), I’ve worked alongside distributors, retailers, and brand owners to turn supply chain complexity into competitive advantage by delivering the right products, at the right cost, with speed and reliability.

What You Can Expect

👉 20+ years of hands-on sourcing success in Chinese supply chain

👉 On-the-ground teams in Shanghai & Shantou (Chenghai) for daily supplier oversight

👉 Fluent cross-cultural communication and negotiation on your behalf

👉 Seamless handling of compliance, shipping, and global fulfillment

Based in ShangHai & ShanTou, I lead two results-driven sourcing teams focused on 5 major high-growth categories:

1️⃣ Toys & Games
2️⃣ Home & Garden
3️⃣ Sports & Outdoor
4️⃣ Pet Products
5️⃣ Luggage & Bags

We act as an extension of your team by providing supplier access, quality assurance, and category insights that fuel business expansion. 

Whether you're entering new markets, launching private label lines, or streamlining procurement, we help you move faster and smarter.

Armed with an MBA from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, I lead with both market intelligence and cultural fluency—because great sourcing isn’t just about price; it’s about building partnerships that last.

If you’re serious about scaling your product business with the right sourcing strategy, let’s talk. 🙋🏻‍♂️🙏🥂

Davy Shi, 💡🌎 ✅

If I had to choose one skill I want in every employee…

It wouldn’t be sales. 💼

It wouldn’t be communication. 💬

In fact…

It wouldn’t even be anything related to technology. 💻❌

It’s something much simpler.

And much harder to teach.

Creativity. 🎨✨

The older I get, the more I realize this…

Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage. 🏆

Because creativity is what helps someone see what others overlook. 👀💡

It’s the courage to challenge the “way we’ve always done it.” 🔧🤔

The instinct to turn a dead end… 

Into a different direction. 🔄🚀

It’s generally not your highest performer who saves you.

It’s your most creative thinker. 🧠⚡

I’ve seen it in my own teams for 20+ years. 🌍👥

One person can turn a rejected shipment into a customer win… 📦➡🎉

Because they reframed the situation.

Another can take a stalled negotiation and find the one angle nobody saw. 🤝🔍

That’s creativity. 🌟

Creativity is what unlocks growth when tools fail. 🛠⬇

When systems lag. ⏳

When technology can’t give you the answer. 🤷‍♂💻

And here’s the secret…

Creative employees don’t just solve problems.

They solve problems you never knew you had. 🧩✨

That’s priceless. ❤💎

Video Credit: TikTok
Content Copyright: Davy Shi

#Creativity #Courage #Careers #Innovation #Sales #SoftSkills #Leadership

Davy Shi 💡🚀🌎 

Cofounder | CEO | MBA, China Supply Chain Management, dedicated to delivering consumer goods globally, with a strong focus on overseas markets including EU 🇪🇺, USA 🇺🇸, and LATAM.

When something feels wrong… do you stop? 🤔 

Or do you keep driving and tell yourself, “Someone else will handle it”?

Be honest.

We’ve all been there. 😔
(Don’t feel bad about it!)

You’re walking down the street…
You see a stranger struggling. 🤲
You hear a comment that crosses a line. ⚠️💬
You notice a decision at work that doesn’t sit right. 🏢🤨

And in that moment…

You have a choice.

Say something…

Or stay silent. 🤐

Most people keep moving. 🚶‍♀️➡️

Not because they don’t care…But because it’s easier.

But leadership often happens in the moments no one sees.

The moments when your values whisper louder than your comfort. 🌱

I learned this years ago in the office..

I saw two colleagues in my team misunderstanding each other, which caused rising frustration and tension.

Everyone noticed. 😬

But no one wanted to step in.

I hesitated too.

Then I stopped my work, and pulled them aside.

Opened a conversation neither of them wanted… but both of them needed.

It wasn’t comfortable.

But it changed everything.

Because silence would have cost more. 🤝💬

Sometimes the cost of speaking up is short-term discomfort.

But the cost of staying quiet?

Long-term regret and broken trust. 😞💔

A culture where issues grow in the dark. 🌑

Because leadership isn’t measured when things are smooth…

It’s measured in the small, inconvenient moments when doing the right thing slows you down.

So the real question is simple:

💭 When something feels wrong are you the one who speaks up… 
Or the one who drives by? 🙋‍♂️ 🙏 👇 

Video Credit: TikTok
Content Copyright: Davy Shi

#Leadership #Courage #WorkplaceCulture #EmotionalIntelligence #LeadByExample #PsychologicalSafety #IntegrityAtWork #Humanlity #Accountability

❤ What do toys and pets have in common?

They both make us feel something. 🐾

Joy. Comfort. Connection.

When you really think about it… toys and pets aren’t so different.

A child reaches for a toy for the same reason a dog wags its tail — to play, to connect, to feel alive. 🎾🧸

Play isn’t just entertainment.
It’s emotion in motion. 💡

And that’s where the worlds of toys and pets overlap.

Both tap into something deeply human — the need to nurture, to laugh, to care. ❤

Some of the smartest brands are already bridging these two worlds.

Toy designers are now creating sensory, durable, emotionally engaging products for pets.

Different audience, same heart. 💭

Because when a toy makes a child smile…

Or a pet feel safe and excited…
It creates something powerful: trust. 🤝

And trust is the foundation of loyalty.

As companies explore this crossover, they’re uncovering a truth that goes far beyond product lines:

People don’t just buy things…
They buy feelings. 🌍

Great products do more than function — They connect hearts, not just hands. ❤

And in business, that’s where the real magic happens. ✨

Video Credit: TikTok
Content Copyright: Davy Shi

#Toys #Pets #ProductDesign #ConsumerTrends #BrandLoyalty #Innovation #CustomerExperience

The Origin of BRIDGE2BUSINESS 🌉✨

Every bridge starts with one block.

Mine began in 2011, when I saw a gap:

🌍 Global buyers wanted trusted partners in China
🇨🇳 Chinese manufacturers needed clearer communication, reliability & cultural understanding

So I built a bridge — BRIDGE2BUSINESS — to make global sourcing simpler, more transparent, and more human, as my first entrepreneur journey.

Why the Name Matters 🤝

A bridge connects people who wouldn’t meet otherwise.

That’s what we do:

✔️ Build relationships
✔️ Create clarity
✔️ Align expectations
✔️ Support long-term success

From Europe ➡️ USA ➡️ Latin America, our philosophy stayed the same:

Understand first. Act second.

BRIDGE2BUSINESS vs. EC I ESD STUDIO GLOBAL ⚙️🌐

People often ask about the difference.

The simplest way to explain it:

BRIDGE2BUSINESS is the voice — connection, insight, partnership.

EC I ESD STUDIO GLOBAL is the engine — execution, systems, and end-to-end supply chain solutions (My second entrepreneur journey in 2025).

Together, they form one mission with two strengths.

What We Mainly Do Today 🧩

Across Asia, we support global partners in:

🧸 Toys
🐾 Pet Products
🏡 Home & Garden
🏀 Sports & Outdoor gear
🧳 Luggage & Travel goods

Our advantage?

💡 Long-term supplier relationships
💡 Deep market understanding
💡 Strong QC discipline
💡 Fast, transparent communication

Quality doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built through structure and trust.

Expanding the Bridge 🚀🌏

Global trade keeps changing. So do we.

We’re committed to building a smarter, more transparent, and more sustainable bridge between Asia and the world — one partnership at a time.

#Bridge2Business #GlobalBusiness #SupplyChain #Communication #Transparency #InternationalTrade #Sourcing #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Partnerships #QualityManagement

View newsletter: Bridging for a Better Future

Every bridge starts with a single block. For me, that first block began in 2011, when I decided to become an entrepreneur for the very first time. At 

Open article: From One Block to a Global Bridge: The Origin of Bridge2Business by Davy Shi 💡🚀🌎 • 5 min read

From One Block to a Global Bridge: The Origin of Bridge2Business

Here’s why January starts yesterday (December 1st). 

Most people think the new year begins on January 1st.

But that’s not true at all.

The new year begins in the final stretch…

…long before the fireworks. 🎆

I learned this early in my career.

Back when I believed January was a clean slate — a fresh start.

But year after year, I watched the same pattern repeat.

The companies that struggled in Q1 weren’t unlucky.

They were unprepared. 😬

And the ones that dominated January?

They didn’t get lucky either.

They simply started earlier. 🚀

Because Q4 is where momentum is built…Or lost. ⚖️

What I’ve learned walking these factory floors is simple:

👉 If you haven’t locked in your suppliers by now, January will be reactive.

👉 If you haven’t reviewed quality systems, January will be firefighting. 🔥

👉 If you haven’t aligned expectations, January will be full of surprises.

And surprises are expensive. 💸

That’s why we need to treat Q4 differently.

We slow down to check the details. 🔍

We speed up where it matters. ⚡

We gather our teams, ask the hard questions, and face the numbers we’d rather avoid.

And when we do so…

We close the year with honesty instead of hope. 📊

This is the season that tells you the truth — about your customers, your systems, and your leadership. 💼

January doesn’t magically reset anything.

It only reveals the work you did… or didn’t do… right now.

Are you preparing for 2026… or waiting for it? 🤔💡💬

#Reflection #Preparation #Leadership #Business #Entrepreneurship

🔁 The most successful companies or businessmen have one quiet superpower…. 

It’s called closed-loop thinking. 

And it changes everything. 💡

Early in my career, I thought improvement came from big ideas… big plans… big moments.

But over time, I learned a simpler path to success. 

You see… great companies aren’t smarter.

They’re just better at learning. 📚🧠

Over and over again. 🔁✨

Closed-loop thinking is how they do it.

Customer feedback doesn’t get buried…

It goes straight into product development. 🛠️💬

Every comment, complaint, or compliment becomes a compass.

It keeps innovation honest. 🧭🎯

Marketing campaigns don’t just “end”…

They return as data.

So the next launch isn’t just new — it’s wiser. 📊🚀🤝🧠

And operations?

This is where closed-loop thinking shines the brightest.

Every metric feeds the next improvement.

Every inefficiency points the way.

Because what gets measured gets better — always. ⚙️📈

I’ve seen companies with incredible talent fail because they ran on open loops — decisions made, then forgotten.

And I’ve seen companies with modest resources win…

Simply because they refused to let anything go to waste.💪🌱

Closed loops transform businesses the same way they transform people:

Through the courage to look back before moving forward. 🔁🌟

💡 Open loops waste potential; closed loops build momentum.

So ask yourself…

How can you incorporate closed-loop thinking?

#ClosedLoop #Leadership #Sales #SoftSkills #Responsibility #Careers #PersonalDevelopment

Who thought anyone could beat Meta at their own game? 🤨

Honestly… almost no one.

But TikTok did. ⚡

In a marketplace dominated by giants — Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp — TikTok wasn’t supposed to stand a chance. 🏛️

A new platform?

Impossible!

Or so we thought. 😅

But TikTok didn’t win by competing.

It won by changing the game. 🎮🔥

Back in 2017, it looked simple: 15-second videos… dancing, lip-syncing, jokes, randomness. 🎵💃

But underneath that simplicity was something Meta never truly mastered:

the algorithm. 🧠✨

It didn’t matter if you had zero followers.

If your video was good — TikTok showed it to the world. 🌍📲

Creativity became the currency. 🎨💡

For the first time, anyone could go viral.

Anyone could build a platform.
Anyone could be seen. 🌟🚀

And for Gen Z — a generation craving authenticity over polish — it was the perfect match. ❤️🔥

By 2019, TikTok downloads had already surpassed Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. 📈📱

By early 2020, nearly 37% of U.S. users were teens. 👦👧

But here’s what matters even more…

The app grew up. 🎂⬆️

TikTok isn’t a youth trend anymore.

It’s a mainstream ecosystem. 🌐🏆

So why did TikTok succeed where so many others failed?

Because they understood something fundamental:

People don’t want perfect…

They want real. 🤳💭

TikTok didn’t beat Meta by being bigger.

It beat Meta by being different. 🧩✨

And in a world where everyone is trying to copy everyone else…

Different is exactly what wins. 🥇🚀

💭 So here’s the question every leader and brand should be asking:

Are we trying to dominate the old game…

Or are we brave enough to create a new one? 🔥💬👇

Image Desc.: TikTok Headquarters in Shanghai, 1.5km away from our office. 

#Creativity #SocialMedia #TikTok #Authenticity #Uniqueness #Difference #Entrepreneurship

What’s the difference between earning something and being given it?

Everything! ⚖️

Because: 

“No pain, no gain!”

“There is no such thing as a free lunch! “ 🚫🆓🍕🌮🍜

When you earn it, you carry it differently… 🎒

You understand the effort. 💪

You remember the failures. ❌

You value the process. 🛤️

When it’s given to you, it’s easy to take it for granted. 🙄

To assume it’ll always be there.🕰️

To treat the reward as the goal, instead of the growth it took to get there. 🌱🏆

And that brings me to this…

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are we teaching our kids?

Are we giving them everything they want, thinking it’s love? ❤️

Or are we giving them the chance to build resilience, effort, and pride? 🧱

Because when you hand someone a trophy, you may give them a moment of joy. 🏆😊

But when they earn it, you give them something far deeper…

🔥 Confidence.
🧭 Character.
🚀 And the ability to go out and earn the next one.

This might be an unpopular piece of parenting advice these days…

But it builds more resilient humans. 💥

Let’s raise builders, not borrowers. 🏗️

Let’s raise earners, not inheritors. 💼

That’s how we change a generation. 🌍👣

Video Credit: Jack Ma
Content Copyright: Davy Shi

#Difference #Uniqueness #Value #Business #WhatInspiresMe #Resilience #Entrepreneurship

🚗 Emergencies don’t create bad drivers — they reveal them.

One thing driving has taught me is this:

Our ability to forecast and stay calm can save our lives. ⚠️

Last weekend, I was almost involved in a serious car accident while driving with three friends to a party in another city (please watch the video 📽️ to the end). 

Fortunately, we were all safe and sound in the end, thankfully! I have encountered similar incidents several times in my nearly 20 years of driving, and thankfully, I have always escaped unscathed. 💝📿🙏 

Most accidents don’t happen because of bad luck…

They happen because someone reacted late and wrongly — or reacted emotionally.

And the truth is, many of us carry dangerous habits without realizing it:

 • Tailgating because we’re in a rush
 • Checking our phones “just for a second”
 • Speeding to make up lost time 
 • Occuping the fast lane by slow-moving
 • Cutting lanes without awareness
 • Driving tired, distracted, or irritated
 ...

When an emergency hits — a sudden stop, a child crossing, a car drifting — your emotions will decide the outcome before your skills do.

Calm sees what panic misses.

Forecasting avoids what reaction cannot fix.

Whether on the road or in life, the principle is the same:

Slow down, stay aware, and don’t let emotion drive the wheel.

Remember: Arriving safe is always more important than arriving fast. 🚦🙏🙋‍♂️ 

Video Desc.: On the highway...
Content Copyright: Davy Shi

#Leadership #BusinessMindset #DecisionMaking #RiskManagement #EmotionalIntelligence #SafetyCulture #MentalHealth #SelfAwareness #EmotionalStability #OperationalExcellence

🇫🇷🇨🇳 What happens when two world leaders sit across from each other…

Knowing they don’t see eye to eye? 👀

That’s what I thought about when I read that President Macron traveled to Beijing…

And told President Xi that France and China must overcome their “differences” to move forward. 🌍🤝

In business, it’s the same.

Some of my strongest partnerships were born not from agreement…

But from disagreement handled with respect. 💬❤️

Here’s what I tell my team:

You don’t need to think the same. 🧠

You just need to move in the same direction. ➡️

And sometimes, moving forward starts with a simple admission:

“We see the world differently… but we still choose to work together.” 🌉✨

The world could use more of that. 🌎

💭 My takeaway?

Real leadership isn’t avoiding DIFFERENCES.

It’s navigating them with Respect, Patience, Clarity, and Courage. 🧭💡

Because whether you’re running a country…

Or managing a supply chain…

Or building a global team…

The future belongs to those who can stay at the table. ☕🤝

Oh…

And President Macron and President Xi made some significant progress, including business cooperation in many sectors, as well a call for peace in Ukraine. 🕊️🇺🇦

When politicians can work together, we can follow their lead and make meaningful progress as well. 🌟

#France #Europe #China #Leadership #Differences #Partnerships #Respect #Patience #Clarity #Courage

P.S: We are hiring...📢 
有兴趣加入我们共创一番事业的朋友请私信联络我。📧💬🤝 
WhatsApp / Wechat: +86 13818297998

📢 Exciting Career Opportunities in China! 
Join Our Global Team 🌍

We are expanding our presence and looking for talented, 
multilingual professionals to join our dynamic teams 
in Shanghai and Shantou, China!

If you have a passion for international trade and relevant category experience, we want to hear from you.

Current Openings:

📍 Shanghai Office (Focus: Home & Garden, DIY)
📍 Shantou Office (Focus: Toys)

What We Are Looking For:

Language Proficiency: 
Excellent English skills are required. 
Proficiency in other languages like Spanish or Portuguese is a significant advantage!

Category Expertise: 
Proven experience working within the Home & Garden, DIY, or Toys categories.

This is a fantastic chance to grow your career and work in a cross-cultural environment.

Ready to take the next step? 
Please comment below or send a direct message to learn more about the roles and how to apply!

#Recruitment #Hiring #JobsInChina #Shanghai #Shantou #HomeAndGarden #DIY #Toys #Multilingual #Careers

taplio

The Battle

Ryan Rouse

Davy Shi, 💡🌎 ✅

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreRyan Rouse's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDavy Shi, 💡🌎 ✅'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Ryan Rouse

Davy Shi, 💡🌎 ✅

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ryan Rouse's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDavy Shi, 💡🌎 ✅'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRyan Rouse's LinkedIn Performance