Zong Qinghou, the founder of Wahaha, died of illness at the age of 79, and a generation of legends came to an end. From the initial starting point to the end of his life, his own sentence is the most appropriate: "I founded a Wahaha in this life." There will be a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people, and then there will be a thousand Wahaha in the eyes of a thousand people. But for me, there is only one Wahaha, it is my whole life, all my dreams, all the meanings, values, labels and symbols, it is the proof that I have existed in this world. ”
No business or treachery may not be very practical here for this big man, starting with talent, loyalty to character may be more suitable for him.
Youth go to the countryside
After graduating from junior high school, he dropped out of school due to his poor family, and in order to reduce the burden on his family, he started a small business. A few years later, in the tide of going to the mountains and going to the countryside, he worked on farms, planted tea in tea farms, cut rice, burned kilns, and dug salt to engage in various manual labor. Stayed in the countryside for 15 years.
Middle-aged entrepreneurship
Unlike the current can't lose at the starting line, Zong Qinghou belongs to the "late bloomer". After returning to the city, he took over his mother's school-run factory class and became a salesman in a school-run factory. At the age of 42, he started his own business, with a borrowed tens of thousands of yuan, and founded the school-run enterprise distribution department in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou. A few years later, Zong Qinghou established Wahaha Group, and under the spring breeze of reform, Wahaha merged the old state-owned factory Hangzhou Canned Food Factory in the way of "small fish eat big fish", laying the foundation for Wahaha's development. AD calcium milk, nutrition express, Wahaha purified water and other products came into being. Do not advocate 996 for employees, do not fire employees over 35 years old, Zong Qinghou once said that the boss is to make money for himself, you work hard for yourself, employees have families and lives.
Becoming the richest man in old age
Zong Qinghou spent more than 30 years to turn the distribution department of three people into a large group with nearly 30,000 employees and an annual revenue of more than 50 billion yuan. He became the richest man in China for three years, whether he was the richest man or not, he still maintained hard work and simplicity, wearing cloth shoes, buying clothes for dozens of yuan, and sitting in a second-class seat. In an interview with readers, he said that his annual living expenses do not exceed 50,000 yuan. Zong Qinghou is a very unique entrepreneur in China, he does not take out loans, does not go public, does not set up vice presidents, and does not do real estate.
Zong Qinghou once wrote that he was an ordinary person, a mortal who rose from the bottom. Fortunately, born in a big time; More fortunately, I got an opportunity to create a company and get the value realized and recognized.
Be loyal to character
From the distribution department of three people to a private giant, Wahaha created by Zong Qinghou is half of the history of the development of the domestic private economy. Zong Qinghou's death has made many entrepreneurs mourn, Lei Jun called Zong Lao "a generation of legends"; Zhou Hongyi called him "the uncle next door"; Alibaba founder Ma Yun sent a message to save the couplet: "It's not too late to fight forty years in life, the spirit of a pioneer; Entrepreneurship is difficult to seek innovation all night, and the true character of entrepreneurs. The dealers who have been with Wahaha for many years also mourned him in various ways.
In the eyes of consumers, Wahaha is a symbol of the times that cannot be forgotten. The entrance of Wahaha's headquarters building in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province is full of flowers, AD calcium milk and nutrition express sent by citizens to mourn this old friend who grew up with him.
It ends with a passage from him: "My life is not extraordinary, but I have done a career, changed the fate of some people, and provided some positive energy for this era, this society and this country." Many people have been inspired by me to be a force for a new world. ”