Trump, Trade and my P20 Lite HUAWEI

Quick update on this blog – here is an update from a trusted source: https://www.cnet.com/news/huawei-ban-full-timeline-on-how-and-why-its-phones-are-under-fire/

Its no news to anyone, that Donald Trump has the power to affect the entire world. Daily, even though based in South Africa, we see short video clips pointing more and more to his distinct ability to put the entire worlds back up, at a moments notice.

The latest in the world of Trump, has been a ban on Chinese Company, Huawei. A business started by a single man, but owned by all of its employees. Not to take any sympathetic side on the trade war in China vs the USA, I do find it irritating to wake up one morning, to find out a brand we have recently just gotten into, has become at risk.

If you havent watched Avengers: Endgame, then this reference will make no sense, but Trump has consistenly showed a protective stance of his own view. Collecting and keeping stones of trade and security. Time will tell what happens next to that view.

Zen-like Calm

The chinese response, or should I rather say the Huawei response, has been one of stoic temperance. In this instance, when every single major component manufacturer and even their key Software supply of Android, has been taken away, still they push on.

It looks like as mentioned by the CEO of Huawei, Trump could wake up one morning and decide that my American readers dont get their Avocado toast and coffee, so critical to the daily millenial balanced diet. He also decided that Youtube, Android and Whatsapp/Instagram are not shipped with any new phones going forward from Huawei.

Its been nearly 3 weeks since the anouncement at the time I write this, and still the Huawei company shows fortitude and commitment to their customers, that we rarely see in big corproates today. A new OS has been mentioned through various online outlets, as HongMeng OS and also trademark filed as Ark OS, where does this leave you and me?

I will here, personally admit to having already swopping out my Huawei phone, the day the anouncement was made. We use these tools to capture client events, communicate daily with suppliers, and have to have all the current apps mentioned above being banned on huawei devices.

Yes, the new operating system will be a welcomed relief, but after reading a note in Germany, about Nokia being used by a major software firm based their, (rhymes with PAP), we decided to move off Huawei and onto Nokia for now.

This phone has a good build, comes with Android and updated to 9 on the day we bought it. We will review in the coming day, on how it works. Nokia 5 is cheap, considering the Huawei we replaced. It works like a Hilux. Simple, well made, but not for the Queen.

Principles

The key two things for me that I have learnt as a small business and blogger

about this is as follows.

Always have a back up plan. If you see the calm and measured response from the CEO of Huawei, whose daughter was also arrested before the Ban in Canada, and held on charges from the USA, under house arrest. The response shows me that the Huawei team always had a back up plan. You should too. I always have a back up, after a burglary at our apartment in 2013, you have to make sure you have something you can use in the place of anything you rely on daily, as a a back up. So in this instance, a simple Nokia 5, to use while we wait on more news.
Do not let politicians get involved in things of business that are key to your business. There has been no joint statement thus far from Huawei and the Chinese government. The decision of President Trump, affects thousands of working people and families. The lost trade and exports of handset components, actually made in the USA, by American people, will only ripple to the worlds economy in the coming year. Still Business must be supported as much as possible by Government, but Private Business, must not be meddled with by any Government official.

Being based in South Africa, we have an entire litany of court cases involving politicians and private business that have mutually benefited from the rape of our economy and sacrifice of Public funds, to the benefit of private individuals.

Synchronised swimming at a Gupta Wedding, paid for by using State Funds, show just how cool, your tax money can actually look, when in the wrong hands. R 30 Million for this event, meant for funding a state run dairy project.

So our personal feelings on risk, constantly ensure we remind business to keep their distance. Jack Ma says, you “can work together, but dont fall in love with them”. Help where you can, but never benefit from that work in a way that kills your business through unethical trade.

Conclusion

Finally. For any person working in a business and running a company, keep this in mind. Huawei as a business, made everyone rich that supplied them. In some cases, that could be a risk as a major client, that fails, without that demand being filled in 2019, by any other group of corporate clients.

Make sure then, you too, like Mr Huawei, plan for the worst. If you lose your key client today, where will you make up the gap? Are you overly reliant on 1 client? If your main supplier failed tomorrow, what is your plan? Always, always have back up. And with that, I bid you a great 2019, as you chooose products and services, consider any risks around them you wouldnt normally look for.

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