If I could go back to July 2012, I would do it all over. But I didn't already have the experience that tells me... it's coming.

It was a cool and sunny summer in Michigan. The dining room table held a stack of paper and plans next to my laptop. I succeeded to register ROCC, LLC (a partnership held Limited Liability Company) in the state of Washington. The reason for this was two-fold. First, my family called WA home, had drivers licenses there, voted and annually filed taxes there. Second, we had some "guanxi" relationships there (as the Chinese would say). A couple good recommendations for a CPA Firm and an attorney who we might trust were just what we needed to start with a bit more confidence.

A short list of essential items to check off included:
1. Raise a first round of capital ($70,000 USD) by sharing the vision with and recruiting additional shareholding partners.
2. Register an American Limited Liability Corporation.
3. Find a secondhand shop roaster (5-15kg batch size) to purchase and ship to China.
4. Figure out how to ship a giant roaster to China without getting stuck in customs with a giant import duty.

It only took ROCC a couple weeks before it received its own Chinese name transliteration. At first I wasn't happy. I wanted to choose a Chinese name with more meaning. However, Chinese friends naturally came up with their own version, calling us: "luo ke" which phonetically sounds like you've stretched the word "ro...ck" to make 2 syllables: "law...kuh". No need to fight something that was working, so we took our new localized Chinese name and owned it.

How do you chose a great name for your business? Depending on the business resources you read, you will likely encounter an infinite number of the following sample responses.
- Make it memorable
- It should be easy to spell
- Give it a visual element
- Ensure it has a positive connotation
- Let it include information about your business
- A good name should be fairly short
- Research who, if anyone, else is using the name or words
- Consider (if you live outside of the US, Canada or English) filing for Trademark rights.
- Finally, go with your gut - don't let others choose your name for you.

However, the whole business plan was nearly scrapped just before Louis called me. The presentation was on Saturday and by the following Monday I was on a plane with my family back to the USA for a summer holiday. Meanwhile Paul had decided, "if money doesn't come in by the end of June, I need to tell Adam I'm out." Well, needless to say, ROCC Coffee was launched as a tribute to the Higher Power at work in our summer 2012.

As Paul (who stayed in China for the summer) was getting ready to send me his message, "I'm out!", he received my email stating effectively, "Louis is in!". Paul made an abrupt 180 degree turn.

China redefines the game Caveat Emptor - Renter Beware!
Pro-tip if you plan to lease in a shopping complex you may be able to get 6-12-18 months rent free (because the place won't have electricity or customers for 5-11-17 months... which means you won't have any income!)
The day after our Grand Opening party, we "sange pengyou" 3 Amigos didn't have a clue about any of these shenanigans. Except perhaps we did encounter and successfully dodge a 100,000 yuan ($15,000 USD) transfer fee! A feat marvelously executed by Louis!