Last week I was telling you about "Dancing in the Dark"... the incredible energy your average Chinese person has. No wonder they have so many gold medals.

It's been very busy in the UK, three containers as well as numinous smaller deliveries. The warehouse guys are getting a little stressed. But it's that time of year when all the stock rolls in ahead of the Christmas season. I was delighted to see the Mosaic items from Indonesia appear, they represent a huge amount of work, not just for me, but the small family business that has produced them. Our order gave them three months work. I like doing business with this type of small business, because I feel that we can make a difference. The world is changing, and some really good things are happening that is bringing rapid changes in standards of living to these type of people. Let me tell you a little story.

It was a hot sticky day in June when I set of with our man in Indonesia Ringo (yes that's his name), to accompany him on his errands. Today we were delivering barcode labels to our small but growing band of suppliers. On the back seat of his small 4x4 is a bulging bag, because Ringo has already been to the bank and drawn quite literally a heap of cash. We are making stage payments against orders to help fund production:10,000 rp notes are worth about 70p each, so you soon get a big pile. We get to the Mosaic producers little showroom on the mountain road, spectacular views of paddy fields with steaming jungle back drops. No-one home so Ringo gets on the phone.
More news next week.

QC system...

Turns out today is a local special ceremony day. There are lot of those, and the family are all on the farm, which is also a production area, can we go there? After half an hour of bouncing along rutted tracks and turning down ever tighter roads we finally find the farm yard. Actually part farm, part temple, part factory and today half party. There are incense offerings been made by an ancient teak skinned grandmother, who is topless, she doesn't mind me and grins a toothless smile, scrawny chickens run around my legs. The boss a young man is sat surrounded by his small team of workers, all stripped to the waist - as we arrive they are smoking and raising a toast pouring something home-made looking from a plastic bottle. They are so happy to see us, he leaps up and pours us both some of his home-brew and offers smokes (both of which I manage to decline), and rushes off to proudly show us samples from our order.

Today they are a very different couple to the ones we gave the order to. Then humble and attentive, now boisterous and excited. The boss guy knows just enough English to make a sale and negotiate a price, beyond that he was struggling but he knew the word "quality" and he was inordinately proud of his quality. From what I could gather his quality had got them a big French company order the year before. But being a bit drunk, he was emboldened, he picked up one of the mosaic turtles (coming soon) ripped off the brown paper packaging and rubbed it vigorously. See smooth and no paint coming off. He made me and then Ringo rub it. Then he turns, grins and flings it across the farm yard, it bounces of a moss covered wall, chickens squawking. "See.. no break!" everyone is smiling, even granny. I'm suitably impressed with his QC system and a just little relieved.

Today was a holiday day, a ceremonial day, but it didn't stop them enthusiastically applying the bar-code stickers we had brought to the finished product. We had an animated discussion about French stickers being better, and where they should be positioned on the products. As we left they were well into getting the final stage of the job finished.

These are real families, who's craft work you can sell. In this way you can close the circle of trade that makes a difference to these people. You the retail trader, are the driving force behind this virtuous trade force. Those mosaic bowls are beautiful, they are really not expensive, surprisingly good value especially when you consider the work involved. Your customers will love them.
But there is another piece to the jigsaw you should consider. These small businesses are nothing like lucrative enough for regular bankers to fund. We try to fund our suppliers generously with stage payments (hence Ringo's bulging bag), but in many cases it's the fantastic Micro Banks that are doing this job. We often find that equipment or raw material supplies have been funded by a Micro Bank. Where does this money come from.. well it can come from you.

Retailers like you.
Importers like us.
Micro Banks.

Check out this micro bank funding website.. Kiva - I understand that by clicking this link, an anonymous donor is giving you $25 to get you started in micro funding. I have seen in India and Indonesia how micro funding really gives people a chance. Now you can be a banker and really complete the circle. I have done a little funding myself, it's fun and interesting.

Those mosaic bowls just arrived, see below. They are beautiful everyone loves them, but one small problem. The bar-code labels are mixed up, we are having to check them all and change the labels. Mmm - I think I know why.

Take care and happy trading.
David
PS: If you have never ordered before...
Check out our First Order Bonus: £100 worth of stock (@RRP's)!