This episode of The Negotiation is part 1 of our discussion with Louis Houdart, Founder of Creative Capital. He is also an entrepreneur, business and investment coach, board member, and advisor to many start-up companies. The Creative Capital China team has worked with European companies in China, as well as pushing little-known Chinese brands out into the Western markets. By establishing pre-eminent international brand awareness and strong brand relationships, Creative Capital is one of the only firms in China that focuses on widening awareness of Chinese companies beyond their home market.
We kick things off by asking Louis to share his story about how he founded Secret Garden, which leads to a broader conversation discussing what Chinese culture means to him. We then discuss how he was able to sell Secret Garden, which led to the opportunity to build a men’s fashion brand called 16N that was later invested by Sequoia Capital, all building the foundation for what is now Creative Capital. Along this conversational journey, we cover the importance of strong concepts, branding excellence within China, and just how important it is to always focus on a brand’s image. Enjoy!
Show Notes
The truth is there’s a lot more to China than just Alibaba. Getting your business in China can be a challenge. It is not like other countries where you can open up a shop around the corner, with time and patience. In order to enter the China market, you need to get your branding right. The Chinese market has been very competitive and difficult for giants like Apple, Google and Samsung to penetrate. Many brands are getting it wrong because their marketing strategies are not focused on the Chinese customer. Getting your branding right before entering a new market can make all the difference.
This episode of
The Negotiation is part 1 with Louis Houdart, Founder of CREATIVE CAPITAL, Entrepreneur, Business and Investment Coach, Board Member and Advisor to many start-up companies. The Creative Capital China team has worked with European companies in China and pushed little-known brands into Western markets. By establishing pre-eminent international brand awareness and strong brand relationships, Creative Capital is one of the only firms in China that focuses on widening awareness of Chinese companies beyond their home market.
In this thought-provoking and engaging episode, Louis Houdart shares his story about how he founded Creative Capital, what Chinese culture means to him, and how he got rid of "The Secret Garden." Also covered are the importance of strong concepts, branding in China, why Creative Capital is relevant and why we should care when it comes to brands being successful and much more!
Please enjoy!
Topics Discussed and Key Points:
- Secret Garden and how Louis got rid of it.
- How Creative Capital was founded and what they do.
- Why Louis found the wedding business to be both amazing and nightmarish.
- Why Creative Capital was relevant in China.
- The significance of a brand's concept strength.
- The meaning of creativity in China and Europe, as well as the nuances surrounding it.
- The lazy economy and what it entails.
- Glamping and the rise of Frisbee.
Notable Quotes
“So, we were in 2006 in Shanghai and China was changing both in terms of the way consumers were consuming and also in the way brands were developing in China and saw a market opportunity in the retail of flowers.”
“In terms of a top line, it was an interesting business. In terms of the operation, it was a total nightmare for me for many different reasons..”
“In France, it's very easy to get bank financing as a small entrepreneur in China, I mean, you are definitely on your own.”
“The steward of Creative Capital is very much of course linked to a history of secret Garden; I think it's also very much linked to the way China intrapreneurship has been developing. So being a very fluid thing, I had this beautiful little secret gallery business. It was very painful to operate but still an interesting small business.”
“China is not a place where you come with a small amount of money when you want to play on the Commerce part.”
“Most of the branding agencies in Europe in the US are not really there to create brands, they are there to fine-tune an existing concept, which often is fairly good.”
“If you try to be perfect, the market is already gone and your competitors have taken your spot. So, we were trying to be maybe not 100% Perfect, but being like 85% or 90% fair but in a very, very, very quick period of time. So, the concept would have taken two years in Europe, we are delivering them in four to five months.”
“In the past, I've seen so much creativity in China in solving problems, turning the wrong puzzles and resulting in solving them. I think there's definitely a lot of creativity, so much creativity in China going on.”