On February 25, Zong Qinghou, the founder of Wahaha, died in the hospital at the age of 79. This 45-year-old entrepreneur, who has been in the industry for more than 30 years, and is still dealing with the company's affairs until the last moment, has set an example for those who come after him with his glorious life.
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In 1945, Zong Qinghou was born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu, when he was born, China was in the period of civil war, his father Zong Qi graduated from university, in Nanjing ** a post office errand, in that war-torn era, Zong Qinghou and his mother were displaced, until the founding of New China, there was nowhere to turn to the family fled to Hangzhou.
Zong Qinghou's grandparents were from Qiantang County, Hangzhou Prefecture, and the family who had nowhere to settle down finally chose to earn a living here. My father followed Uncle Jiu as a coolie, and my mother Wang Shuzhen heard that Hangzhou Normal School was recruiting normal students, working during the day and studying at night, and it only took two years to graduate and work, so she went to give it a try. Wang Shuzhen is a Manchu with a yellow flag, and his mother was a Gege of the Qing Dynasty, because she had read some books since she was a child, and she was successfully admitted.
Zong Qinghou's life was greatly influenced by his mother, as the eldest in the family, his mother hoped that he could be a role model for his four younger siblings. Zong Qinghou showed strong management skills at school and was the king of children. But in that era when there was not enough food and clothing, Zong Qinghou went to school while working to supplement the family.
He has sold sweet potatoes, sold popcorn, and even learned to repair cars, as long as he can make money, he is willing to do it. In 1963, after graduating from junior high school at the age of 18, he took the initiative to sign up to go to the countryside and participate in labor on Zhoushan Farm.
In 1978, Wang Shuzhen retired at the age of retirement, and Zong Qinghou returned to Hangzhou, but because of his low education, he could not teach, so he could only be assigned to work in the school's school-run factory.
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Even in an ordinary position, Zong Qinghou still showed great enthusiasm for his work. Zong Qinghou stayed in the school-run factory for eight years, produced electricity meters, and made fans. In 1987, after going through the struggles, Zong Qinghou took a loan of 140,000 yuan and contracted the distribution department of the school-run factory in Shangcheng District with two retired teachers, and started by selling sodas, popsicles and stationery.
He started his business in his forties, which is a phenomenon unique to the first generation of pioneers, and Ren Zhengfei, who was his contemporary, also started his business at the age of 43, the same year as Zong Qinghou.
At that time, the school-run enterprise could only earn two or three thousand yuan a year, and Zong Qinghou paid 100,000 yuan to the school in the first year of contracting. At that time, no one took the initiative to do business, and Zong Qinghou, who was not afraid of hardships and hard work, ran around for business and opened up sales for his products.
In 1988, Zong Qinghou launched a canning workshop to do OEM processing for others, and earned more than 1 million yuan a year. After Zong Qing, who earned the first pot of gold, he established Wahaha Nutrition Food Factory, and since then, the Wahaha brand has become the memory of a generation, and to this day, it is still the leader of China's food industry.
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The first product of Wahaha Food Factory is Wahaha nutrient solution, with only the remaining 100,000 yuan of funds, he found a TV station to advertise, so that his products are familiar, and the sales revenue has reached more than 400 million yuan in just 4 years, and the net profit is as high as more than 70 million. In 1992, Wahaha, a small factory with only more than 200 people, merged with Hangzhou Canned Food Factory, a state-owned enterprise with more than 2,000 people at that time, creating a myth at that time.
Zong Qinghou, who is subtle and introverted, can take the initiative to attack, and has the courage to seize the opportunity, has since begun his legend in the food industry.
By the end of 2002, Wahaha had established 30 production bases in 22 provinces and cities outside Zhejiang, becoming the leader of the food and beverage industry. In 2013, Wahaha set a revenue record of 78.3 billion yuan, and Zong Qinghou became the richest man on the "Forbes Chinese Mainland Rich List" for three times.
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Behind Wahaha's smooth sailing is Zong Qinghou's precise strategic vision and his dedication to his career. In 1996, Wahaha cooperated with Danone of France, which was also one of the factors for Wahaha's rapid development. By 2006, Danone, which saw Wahaha's huge value, wanted to use its position as a major shareholder to acquire Wahaha for 4 billion yuan.
Seeing the child he raised being taken away by others, Zong Qinghou was very decisive, either breaking up peacefully or resigning himself. After several years of negotiations and legal proceedings, the two sides finally reached an agreement, and Zong Qinghou took back his brand and let Wahaha take it into his own hands.
The brands that started a business with Wahaha back then, such as "Jianlibao", "Huiyuan", "Chundu", etc., although the brands are still there, they are all different from people, and it has long been difficult to regain the courage of the year. Only Wahaha is still insisting, which is worthy of everyone's admiration.
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Zong Qinghou has only one daughter, Zong Fuli, who, like the pioneers of the generation of entrepreneurs, devotes his life to his own career.
On December 12, 2023, Zong Qinghou attended the Wahaha Group's 2024 National Sales Work Conference, which was also his last appearance in public. After that, he had to be admitted to the hospital when he became unwell**, but even in the last moments of his life, he still worried about work in his hospital bed.
We are just trying to find a way out for ourselves in an era where we can't find a way out.
Zong Qinghou and his business rarely have negative news, about his status as the richest man, Zong Qinghou once said, "I am a rich man, but the money is social, how much can I spend?" I didn't wear any luxuries, I didn't participate in some of their stuff, and I still don't play golf."
He once traveled on a business trip in the second-class seat of the high-speed rail, always dressed plainly, without decent luxuries. In some ways, he, like Ren Zhengfei, looks at money very lightly, but is very persistent in his career.
Zong Qinghou passed away, and it can be concluded that he has the most scarce entrepreneurial spirit in our time. Perhaps it is precisely because of his ability to be honest and committed that his company has become a rare evergreen tree in the ever-changing market. Zong Qinghou died