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What products are not economical to import from China?
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2 points
by amohajerani
1497 days ago
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I am brainstorming on ideas for starting a business, where I'd build and sell in the US.
It'd be easier if I don't have to compete with Chinese goods. What product categories are not economical to import from China, either because of their size, shelf life, custom-built requirements, etc.? My background is in hardware, manufacturing, and electromechanical devices. |
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You're starting on the wrong end. Don't brainstorm products.
I have been around entrepreneurs for 20 years, including more than 10 years of advising them, and this is never how successful businesses start. It is how a lot of failed businesses start, though.
You should start with a single question: what do I have an unusual (or unfair) advantage doing?
This could include:
- knowing a lot of potential customers (for a B2B business)
- having skills that you could charge your company $0/hr for (like digital marketing or software development)
- lots of your own capital
- deep understanding of an underserved target market, ideally from being in that market yourself
If you don't have one (or ideally more) of these things, don't start a business. It's not a good idea for most people anyway.
Once you can identify who you can sell to more easily than most people, then you can decide what to sell them. And you still might not find anything.
"Things that don't compete with China" is a small and unbelievably capital-intensive space, and it's exclusive to things like military and trade secrets. You can't just jump into one of these.