你好 - Nǐ hǎo ... Hello to China

4 min read

你好 - Nǐ hǎo ... Hello to China - mifold

 

Hello!! Can it already be July?  I have decided to come up for some air and fill you in on what has been happening in the mifold office.  To say it has been a whirlwind since I last wrote is an understatement – it has been manic!

First some numbers to give you an idea.  To date we have delivered over 20,000 mifold Grab-and-Go booster seats to the US and the response has been overwhelmingly positive – more of that later.  We have reached $2 million dollars in sales, sold 55,000 units in 132 countries to 25,000 customers (I feel like I have spoken to most of them!) Of the six exciting colours, Slate Grey has proven to be the most popular followed by trendy Denim Blue.  The mood is good – we are extremely proud of what we have achieved and thank you all so much for your support.

 

Six exciting mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat colours

 

The mifold team has grown again with the addition of Ken Ganor as VP of Business Development and Rachel Corney to Customer Services (boy do I need her!)  Ken has immediately proved his worth by sorting out our internet, phone system and water cooler contract and most importantly he has given us a map of the world to stick on the wall so that we can mark the territories as we conquer them.  It was a moment of great excitement when the sales phone hotline rang for the first time ever in the office – we had no idea it could actually ring! As for Rachel, how did we cope without you! 

 

 Ken's map ready for world dominatio

 

 Meet Rachel (second from the right) and Ken (on the left) at Ken's birthday party in the office

 

In mid May the mifold office was taken over by a Chinese film crew making a documentary on exciting, innovative startups.  The question that begs to be asked is how many Chinese people does it take to interview and film Jon at work?  The answer is….. 22!  Please don’t ask me their job functions.  If anyone has actually seen the size of our office, you will appreciate what a feat it was to fit everyone in here for 4 hours!  They were great fun and beyond ecstatic when Rachel and I said “hello” to them in Mandarin (你好 - pronounced Nǐ hǎo).  Did I tell you that both Rachel and I lived in Shanghai for several years.

 

 The team from CCTV (China Central Television) ... 22 people came to film the six of us!

 

Last week, Robert our CFO and COO, came to visit from Canada.  He certainly knows how to brighten up the office with his shy and retiring polite, manner (Not!).  It is going to be very quiet when he leaves.  He has been the one overseeing the logistics of delivering the first orders and his job is not one I envy! His arrival meant a team night out was called for and I think the photos speak for themselves (you can see Robert in the photos below, wearing the hat)

 

 

Mark, our CMO has been diligently focusing on closing retail contracts with some of the world’s biggest retailers and, together with Ken, distribution deals world wide. Davide our newly promoted brand manager has been working on point of purchase marketing material and the wonderful, full colour, glamorous packaging.

Tal our VP of Research and Development has spent the best part of this year in China at the factory overseeing the production line and ensuring that Jon’s dream becomes a reality – a real booster seat to be used by a real child.

Talking of Jon - well there’s not much for him to do now since we are all beavering away.  We are not sure exactly what he does all day but he assures us that it’s all important stuff.  Jokes aside, he has spent most of the last three months pushing the EU regulators for the final approval we were expecting in March.  It has been a painful, frustrating and bureaucratic process but we are absolutely delighted to report that his efforts have finally paid off and mifold now has EU approval! This means that we can now start to fulfil the outstanding orders which have been patiently and graciously awaited.  At least I know there is still work for me to do until my next blog!

 

Wonderful, full colour, glamorous packaging.

 

Before I sign off, I am delighted to let you know that mifold has received excellent media coverage in hundreds of magazines and newspapers including Forbes, Fortuneand Entrepreneur magazines.  Reviews as mentioned have been overwhelmingly positive – here is a taster:

“The mifold booster seats were the best purchase of our trip! The boys were able to put them in their carry on luggage and we were ready with their seats when we got the rental car. Evan (11 yrs) and Rylan (6 yrs) loved them. My daughter Charlotte (5 yrs but only 35 lbs) was very upset she did not have one. The Mifold boosters were also the perfect size because there were 8 of us in an 8 passenger SUV, so no room for a large car seat/booster seat. They were handy and things would not have worked out with another type of booster, it made traveling with children a much more enjoyable experience!
We also used them when Nana and Papa came to pick them up for the weekend. The grandparents appreciated the size and ease of use.
I have also used it to transport other kids in my vehicle. It is. It is very easy to adjust for each child.
So as a mom, I love the Mifold! Thank you!!! 

(Amy, Omaha Nevada.)

We love receiving these messages from you and seeing your photos and videos. Please keep them coming.

Thanks for reading!  See you in a couple of month’s time!