I build manufacturing businesses in China for the retail industry. I’ve started them, scaled them, and spent a long time making them work across borders.
Retail first
My career started on the retail side, in merchandising at Circuit City. That’s where I learned what a display actually has to do on a store floor, and how quickly a good idea falls apart when it can’t be built at the right cost or delivered on time.
From there I moved to the supplier side with Lynx Innovation, a New Zealand retail display company, and spent time in Minneapolis supporting Best Buy.
Starting in China
In 2010 I moved to China to open a wholly-owned factory, and I’ve been based here ever since (October 10, 2010, an easy anniversary to remember). Building a factory from nothing teaches you everything at once: entity setup, hiring, suppliers, quality, and the long list of things nobody warns you about.
Scaling
Since then my work has been about growth. As global COO of Outform I led operations across regions through a period of significant growth. At LG&P I expanded China manufacturing, and as VP of APAC Operations at Modernspace I led operations across Asia Pacific.
Today
I’m back at Outform leading development, taking retail programs from first concept through engineering, sourcing, and handoff to manufacturing, with teams in China and the US. I split my time between Shanghai and the San Francisco Bay Area.
I write here about starting and scaling manufacturing businesses in Asia, and I take on a limited amount of advisory work and speaking.
The best way to reach me is mike@mikediliberto.com.
The opinions on this site are my own, and don’t reflect those of my employer, clients, or vendors.
