Copywriting|Farah
Edit|Farah
He is the largest producer of straws in ChinaThe founder of the "Shuangtong" group is also known as the king of straws in China.
In the early days of the business, he was just a poor young man who couldn't even afford a decent set of furniture.
But he uses 00008 yuan in the straw, find the code to get rich,Growing a small workshop into the world's largest straw manufacturerAnd take the lead in the market.
In this process, he has also appeared on TV programs many times, and mainstream ** such as "News Network" and "Focus Interview" have also reported on himEven ** TV produced a feature film for him.
This person is Lou Zhongping,So what kind of legend is behind him?
In 1994, Lou Zhongping founded Shuangtong Group in YiwuThis group mainly produces straws, and the consumer groups in the straw industry are mainly small and medium-sized bars and chain restaurants.
These customers only need a small number of orders, and the demand for customization is also high, so large customers complain that there is no large-scale, high-tech professional straw manufacturer on the market.
Coincidentally, Lou Zhongping's twin children just meet the expectations of major customers. Since the establishment of Shuangtong, hotels and chain stores in coastal areas have found Lou Zhongping to cooperate.
Many of these large customers are still hesitant, and the number of single orders from national chain stores is very high, and Lou Zhongping is happy to accept it at firstLater, it was found that these large customers had too strong bargaining power to negotiate at all.
Just when Shuangtong was growing stronger, Lou Zhongping issued an incredible order, that is, the order quantity of each customer should not exceed 3% of the total production. For this reason, he prefers to give up some orders that are too large.
In fact, Lou Zhongping's decision is the key to Shuangtong's ability to dominate the industryOne large customer is equivalent to ten small customers.
Even if the profit margin of a single customer is small, the profit margin can be guaranteed by the large quantity. Facts have proved that Lou Zhongping's judgment was accurateLarge customers can be easily replaced by small ones, and vice versa is not possible.
In 2008, the international financial crisis broke out, and various peer companies in the market expanded too fastUnable to afford huge fixed expenses, almost all businesses went bankrupt.
But Shuangtong successfully escaped the economic storm by virtue of the domestic sales opportunity, and in 2010,Shuangtong straws occupy a quarter of the global market share and win the world's first crown. So how did he get there?
In 1965, Lou Zhongping was born in a poor rural family, because there were many people who ate and few people who did things, Lou Zhongping's deepest childhood memory was starvation.
Later, I heard the second brother say that being a merchant can fill his stomach, and Lou Zhongping was full of yearning. At the age of 14, Lou Zhongping dropped out of school to make a living and began to do the business of "chicken feathers for sugar" in Yiyang County.
Use rattles and merchants to sell along the street, exchange small commodities for chicken feathers and other waste products of the villagers, and then process and package them.
It was very hard work, sleeping in the open air, and my hands and faces were black. Passers-by often see them as inferior. But Lou Zhongping found outIt is precisely because the profit is too small that no one grabs this business, and they can form a market monopoly.
This made him understand a truth: small business that is despised by others is often the best thing to do, because no one will rob you.
With this concept, Lou Zhongping made a profit in the chicken feather business, and accumulated a sum of money to solve the problem of food and clothing.
In 1988, Lou Zhongping returned to his hometown of Yiwu and felt the rapid development of the city. He decided to adapt to the times, put down his burden as a merchant, and used his savings to start a small commodity wholesale in a street stall.
The main paper cups, disposable tableware and other daily necessities that were popular at that time, with low and large output, which is in line with Lou Zhongping's business proposition of small profits but quick turnover. Soon, his small business took the top spot in the market.
Lou Zhongping's acquaintance wanted to transfer a straw production line, and the opportunity was rare. He immediately invested all his savings of 50,000 yuan to buy it and start his own small workshopOnly two private houses were rented, with a few workers, and the equipment was single.
But Lou Zhongping carried forward the spirit of his youth and persevered. I didn't expect the end,This humble workshop became the world's largest producer of straws and is known as a legend in China's manufacturing industry.
In 1994, Lou Zhongping started his entrepreneurial journey. In the beginning, due to the fierce competition in the market, the profits in the straw industry were very lowYou only get 0. for each straw sold0008 yuan or so,It takes a long time to want the cost.
But Lou Zhongping firmly believes that as long as someone is willing to use it, there will be a market. To this end, he actively looked for sales channels to market his straws to beverage and food factories all over the countryBy providing high-quality products and services, it has won the trust and support of a large number of customers.
In addition to working hard to develop the market, Lou Zhongping also attaches great importance to the shaping of the brand image. He spent 2,000 yuan to register the trademark "Shuangtong" in the early days of the companyIt was one of the first local companies with its own brand at that time.
And his entrepreneurial path was not all smooth sailing. The Asian financial turmoil that occurred in 1997 made straw raw materials *** many competitors choose to reduce quality and quantity to reduce costs.
But Lou Zhongping adheres to the principle of quality and integrityIt has never reduced the quantity or quality of any kind of material, but has increased the control of qualityEventually, it gained a higher reputation and reputation in the market.
Later, he began to try to introduce new technologies and new ideas, improve the production process, and introduce new products that are more practical and beautiful.
For example,For children, we have launched cute ** shaped straws, as well as environmentally friendly degradable strawsIt solves the environmental pollution problem caused by traditional plastic straws.
In the context of globalization, Lou Zhongping did not ignore the overseas market, he knew that in order to truly achieve global operation, he knew that in order to truly achieve global operationYou have to get out of your comfort zoneTake on bigger challenges.
He had faced severe questioning from a Japanese customer who had found hair in an imported batch of straws, leading them to demand a full examination.
Although this made Lou Zhongping lose a lot of time,But instead of complaining or giving up, he learned from itThe company's quality management standards and process level have been further improved.
Nowadays,Shuangtong straws have achieved large-scale production and sales, with an annual output value of hundreds of millions of yuan.
It has become a well-known straw brand in China and even the world, and has won the trust and support of countless consumers.
When Lou Zhongping began to dominate the straw field, he also faced a growth ceiling, and the original growth rate and profit margin began to decline significantly.
Faced with such a situation, Lou Zhongping changed his normal state and no longer believed in the "craftsman spirit" of the pastInstead, we have the courage to break the boundaries of "extreme focus" and find new growth points.
Lou Zhongping began to change his management thinkingIntroduce the self-operated model of "amoeba".Divide the sales team into smaller business units and implement an incentive mechanism for excess dividends. This reform has achieved extraordinary results and greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of employees.
Since 2018, Lou Zhongping has begun to encourage the incubation of employees' "entrepreneurial bodies".Make use of Shuangtong's own resource advantages to provide entrepreneurial support for employees and promote employees to become real entrepreneurs.
By 2022, the profits and nearly half of the output value of Shuangtong 2 3 will come from these "entrepreneurial entities". Originally a double child with straws as his main business,Now it has been involved in many fields such as degradable shopping bags and cultural and creative products.
It is based on this concept that Lou Zhongping constantly encourages employees to start their own businesses and gives them full support and trust.
This management modelIt has also allowed Shuangtong Group to form a positive corporate culture, and employees and the company can achieve a win-win situation.
Lou Zhongping made a public promise in 2018 to bring out 50 entrepreneurs in his lifetime, and this goal has since been continuously improved.
He wants to cultivate 100 entrepreneurs to become the best champions in the industry." This is the new mission of Lou Zhongping's life, and it is also a new path to help common prosperity.
In addition, Lou Zhongping also attaches great importance to social responsibilityHe founded a charity that focused on supporting the education of children in poor areas.
The secret to success may not be that simple. Although "small and big" reminds us to start small, in this complex and changeable worldIt remains to be seen whether every small move can lead to great success.
We also need to look at the applicability of this principle in different contexts. In the end, what kind of "success" is what we really pursue?This is still an issue that is worth continuing with.