Entries by Mike Bellamy

Consultants are a waste of time and money

Today my state and federal tax returns were due. I paid my (substantial and onerous) estimated taxes back on April 15th, but extensions were filed to finalize some deductions and so today was also tax day. Oh, the rhapsodic joy of having two tax days this year! Everyone should be so lucky. Despite being assured […]

October is Global Sources Trade Show Month!

With the China National Day holiday behind us, the trade show season starts and Mike Bellamy will be in Hong Kong hosting Global Sources’ China Sourcing Fair’s Buyer Education Conference as well as holding separate seminars on issues of Vendor Coordination and Intellectual Property Protection. You can find information on Mike’s seminars here and here. […]

Why I don’t brew beer (anymore)

20 years ago I wanted to be a brewmaster. The American microbrew movement was just taking off, and it was a good time to get in. I attended beer festivals, visited breweries, did research (in the days before the internet no less), etc. Ultimately I had two banker’s boxes full of information on techniques, equipment, […]

Our new partner in Brazil, Andrea Martins of OverChina

I am thrilled to announce that PassageMaker now has sales representation in Brazil. Ms. Andrea Martins, co-founder of OverChina, has joined the team, representing PM, China Quality Focus and SafePassage. Ms. Martins has more than 25 years experience living in China, and has an impressive academic and professional resume. Here she is discussing the 60th […]

There’s no General Tso’s Chicken in China

This is one of Mike Bellamy’s favorite sayings. And there really isn’t any General Tso’s Chicken in China. And conversely, KFC in the USA thankfully, wisely does NOT serve that weird breaded, fried ground shrimp burger thing with the chunks of pepper and kernels of corn with the sweet mayonnaise…ick. And this is an ick […]

How to make a BLT

Years ago I saw a cookbook in Taiwan, written in Chinese, that taught our intrepid Taiwanese housewives how to make such standard American fare as the BLT (that’s Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches for the non-Americans) and the PB&J (Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches). It had never occurred to me that anyone in Taiwan would […]

There’s a lotta stuff you can’t learn from a textbook, because no one ever wrote the textbook

When Mike Bellamy started PassageMaker, it was a typical trading company. Mike had a relationship with a particular set of factories, and sold their services to customers (like me) at a mark-up, taking ownership of the parts and assuming warranty risk. It worked well for a while, but soon enough, despite all our efforts, things […]

80% of success is just showing up

A famous quote from Woody Allen, and 100% true. When Mike Bellamy started PassageMaker, he was working out of his living room. He had no work force, no infrastructure, just his own willingness to work and work and work until the job was done. He showed up, plain and simple. PassageMaker made plenty of mistakes […]