Linking It Together with Leon Xie

Leon Xie, an immigrant from China, is an international businessman who specializes in the manufacturing, wholesale, and retail of eyeglass frames, prescription eyeglasses, and general eyewear. Located on the edge of Rockville Pike, Xie attracts customers from the busy streets but also faces stiff competition from retail chains like Pearle Vision, America's Best, Hour Eyes, and Lenscrafters. However, what sets Xie and his business apart from the competition is his international connections in China. In order to maintain low costs while providing high quality products, Xie established his own factories in China, which allow him to quickly produce quality goods while being able to control every aspect of production.

However, with his manufacturing plants primarily overseas, Xie confesses that he does experience trouble and frustration keeping his US inventory stocked and customers happy. Due to the twelve hour time difference, Xie is forced to work long and unusual hours in order to communicate with his manufacturers. As a result, Xie is also forced to travel a few times a year to visit his factories and ensure that standards are met. When he returns, he must again consult his customers to determine what products they want, what products he should produce in the future, and what products he should ship immediately to include in his inventory. Xie cited multiple times when a customer contacted him to order a specific model of eyeglasses, only to discover that he did not possess the model in his inventory, thus delaying or possibly ending the sale.

Xie also caters to international customers, which means shipping orders internationally can be somewhat of a hassle. While most shipping carriers do ship internationally, Xie recounts multiple times in which thousands of dollars of merchandise just disappeared. On the other hand, customers would frequently grow impatient and call and complain about the shipping times, which resulted in time and resources lost for Xie to run his business.

Some of Xie’s communication problems have been alleviated through internet connection and his online store, but he still faces communication problems with both sides. Recently, he comments that his Ebay account was suspended by Ebay administrators. He was given no reason why and lost revenue for many months as he tried to investigate the cause of his suspension and whether or not he could be reinstated. Ebay finally allowed him to operate his online store again, after realizing that his business was based in the United States when they thought it was based in China. While most cases of inefficient communication are minor conflicts that are frustrating, this case caused Xie to lose thousands of dollars in sales.

Another aspect of international business is the language barrier. Although Xie is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese, most of his employees are not. Thus, Xie cannot always delegate the task of communicating with his Chinese factories and expect the results to be the same as if he accomplished the task.

Overall, Xie offered an interesting and unique view of the problems and hassles faced by an international businessman. Throughout the interview, it was obvious that Xie was composed and confident through his many years in the business world. I was very pleased to have this opportunity to gain a glimpse into the world of international business.