Coffee Chat · 下午茶
Coffee Chat
Small-table coffee chats in Saigon, Shenzhen, Singapore — Shopify operators, agencies, DTC founders. Real talk on CRO, cross-border, brand.
Updated:
Saigon
Home base. Roughly monthly when I'm in town. Coffee shops in District 1 or Thảo Điền — small, quiet enough to hear each other.
Shenzhen 深圳
2–3 times a year, between partner trips. Mostly cross-border sellers, supply-chain operators, app makers.
Singapore
2–3 times a year, around investor and ecosystem visits. Founders, agencies, regional Shopify Plus operators.
The afternoon I borrowed this format
Earlier this year I was in Shanghai on a partner trip. A friend dragged me to a small Saturday-afternoon coffee gathering in Suhe Bay (苏河湾) — fifteen people, one host, a U-shaped table, minimal slides. Each person introduced themselves in two sentences. The host opened one question. Three hours later I walked out with more practical insight than a week of reading LinkedIn would have given me.
Nobody was performing. Nobody was selling. Everyone had something to share because everyone was actually doing the work. The most useful comments came from the quietest people in the room.
I am bringing this format back to Saigon and keeping it running across Shenzhen and Singapore when I travel — every two to three weeks, weekends, fifteen to twenty people, you pay for your own coffee. That’s it.
The format
- No speakers, no slides, no selling.
- Each person introduces themselves briefly: what you’re working on, what you’re curious about.
- Host opens one or two topics — the room takes it from there.
- If you don’t know much, just come and listen. If you know something, share it.
- Everyone pays for their own coffee. That’s the whole business model.
Think of it as a small café afternoon, talking shop, opening up perspectives, meeting people who actually do interesting things.
What we usually talk about
The room sets the agenda, but these come up almost every time:
- Cross-border commerce — selling into US/EU from VN/CN, sourcing, logistics, payment rails.
- Landing pages and CRO — what’s actually moving the conversion needle in 2026.
- Paid acquisition — Meta, TikTok, Google. What’s working, what’s burning cash.
- Content and advertorials — the format that’s quietly doing 3x of landing pages.
- Brand building — the long game, especially for DTC consumables.
- Product and supply — sourcing, R&D, working with factories, white-label vs own-label.
Who tends to come
- Shopify operators of any stage — first store or eighth.
- DTC founders building brand-led businesses.
- Agency owners and freelancers running campaigns for brands.
- App and tooling builders in the Shopify ecosystem.
- Anyone serious about ecommerce — newcomers welcome, just bring questions.
How to join
The room is capped at 15–20 people per session, first-come basis through a small WhatsApp group I run.
If you want in:
Chat on WhatsAppSend me a short note — what you’re working on, which city you’re in, and you’re in.
I’ll add you to the relevant city group and ping when the next afternoon is set. No application form, no screening. Just show up, introduce yourself, contribute when you’ve got something, listen when you don’t.
See you over coffee.
How it actually looks
No stage, no microphones. A round table, fifteen people who actually do the work, three hours of honest questions. The afternoon I went in Shanghai ended with more usable insight than a week of LinkedIn reading.
