Yesterday, Wahaha released an obituary, Zong Qinghou, founder and chairman of Wahaha Group, died at 10:30 on February 25, 2024, at the age of 79.
Then, in my group, in my circle of friends, and on Weibo. There are more and more reviews and collations of Zong Qinghou's past life.
Many people refer to him as "the founder of Wahaha", "the boss of cloth shoes", and "the former richest man in China", and look back on him with the creation of Wahaha, the merger of Hangzhou cannery, and the victory of the Danone lawsuit.
Founder, richest man, CEO.
Created Wahaha, merged Hangzhou cannery, and won the Danone lawsuit.
These are all things that Zong Qinghou has done.
Although I have heard many of them before, I still admire them when I look at them. However, after looking at it for a while, I suddenly wanted to ask a question:
What should be used to define a person?
My feeling is that to define a person, we should not only look at what he does, but also what he does not do.
What was done", there is a man's ability. In "don't do anything", there is a person's values.
Therefore, after buying a plate of AD calcium milk yesterday to commemorate, I took some time to understand and sort out Zong QinghouI didn't do it, and it was something I chose not to do.
Today, I've singled out the three "don'ts" that impressed me the most. Allow me to share it with you.
Not listed
The first thing that Zong Qinghou "didn't do" was not to go public.
As a well-known company, with a revenue of more than 10 billion, and the boss has also become the richest man in China three times, Wahaha, is not a listed company.
A person who has been the richest man in China, a person who can make the most money, doesn't he understand the benefits of going public? Why not go public?
Zong Qinghou's answer was:Square peg.
"Listing is to be responsible for shareholders, if the final ** falls, so that the people lose a lot of money, I don't think it's appropriate."A more straightforward answer than that, there are:Don't circle money.
"Why should I go public if I don't lack money? I think that now listed companies are just making money, not giving shareholders returns. ”It's too ruthless. Is listing really equal to money? Of course not. In fact, Zong Qinghou also added:
"The main reason for not going public is because we have been doing better recently, and we have no debts and no loans, but the listing will definitely speed up the development. ”Listing was originally a financing tool. It is the starting point of a new round of struggle. However, there are many people who regard listing as the end point, and listing has become the end point of the last round of struggle to cash out.
What was originally a resource integration cooperation of "you have the ability to make money, I have the principal to make money" has become a means of wealth transfer of "you promised me profits, but swept away my principal".
Over time, there will naturally be more doubts about the fact that listing is "circle money".
Originally, whether to be listed or not is only an objective choice, and it has nothing to do with good or bad.
However, in today's era of "no circle, no circle", "no white and no cut" are commonWhen you see a person who has a choice, but still chooses to take a difficult path, people will always want to take one more look.
Employees over the age of 45 will not be dismissed
The second thing that Zong Qinghou "didn't do" was not to fire old employees over 45 years old.
In March 1996, when cooperating with Danone, Zong Qinghou had a "four-chapter agreement" with Danone. There is a "chapter" in it, which later became an unwritten rule of Wahaha:
Employees over the age of 45 are prohibited from being dismissed.
Really? When Yang Lan interviewed Zong Qinghou, he had confirmed this article specifically. Zong Qinghou's answer was:
"He's doing a good job here, why are you firing him? Even if there is a difference in ability, will the poor never find a job? ”Later, when the time came to yesterday, this sentence was hung on the hot search again.
Why? Zong Qinghou has said so much, why is this sentence on the hot search so many years ago?
I guess you already have the answer. Then I'll tell you about mine.
In March last year, we published an article that was also very popular. In just 1 hour, the reading volume broke through 10w+. The title of the article is "After 35: Don't be afraid, just do it."
In the comment area, the messages with the highest likes are all cheering for themselves.
After the age of 35. Don't be afraid. Just do it.
Over 45 years old. No dismissal. Just be willing to do it.
Two sentences, two worlds.
Perhaps, behind the popularity of these two sentences, are people from the era of "cheering yourself up at the age of 35", and when they saw this sentence, their dilated pupils, paused fingers, and sudden silence.
Is it okay to be 45 years old? Is it okay to have poor ability?
Isn't efficiency paramount in the business world? A person who has built a 50 billion business empire like Wahaha doesn't understand this truth?
It turns out that really, is it possible not to be afraid?
At this point, I went to look at it again. The index of this hot search has risen to 2993393. A lot of people are watching, a lot of people are searching.
When a "commercial" person chooses to do something "not commercial", he must have made another choice.
After choosing, efficiency will not necessarily be biased in his favor, but the hearts of the people will.
Not in first class
The third thing that Zong Qinghou "didn't do" was not to take first class.
Zong Qinghou, who is it?
A man with a 50 billion business empire. A man who has been the richest man in China three times. A person who is estimated to have assets of more than 100 billion yuan on the rich list.
What about a second look?
A person who flies without first class. A person who sits in a motor train and only sits in second class. One even thought when he became the richest man in 2010, "I feel that I can save some advertising money in the future." ”
How can it be? Wrong, right? Then open the interviews and reports about him and take a look at more:
I wear 195 yuan of clothes, 12 yuan of cigarettes, and no more than 50,000 yuan a year after quitting smoking.
Rich. Thrifty.
Why, for a man so rich, spends so little? Is it self-made and thrifty? Is it because you can be high-profile at any time, but choose to be low-key?
It's all possible, but it doesn't matter. The important thing is, how can a person who can make the most money in all of China not spend money?
How to say? Look at today's hot search.
In 2020, Wahaha invested 94.2 billion yuan to build houses for employees in Hangzhou. It is expected to build 1,364 suites.
In 2022, Wahaha will spend 600 million yuan to give employees year-end bonuses. As soon as the news came out, it was also on the hot search for a time.
Wahaha's official website even shows that as of today, Wahaha, which was founded by Zong Qinghou, has paid 74.2 billion yuan in taxes.
19.$5. $12. 50,000 yuan.
9.4.2 billion yuan. 600 million yuan. 74.2 billion yuan.
It's hard to see what a person really values, by looking at what he says.
However, by watching him spend his money on **, it can.
Not listedEmployees over the age of 45 will not be dismissedNot in first class
Take the harder path. Do inefficient things. Spend other people's money.
There are always people who say that whoever gets rich, who is famous, and who is in the position is lucky. caught up with that era of rapid growth and ate the dividends that fed to the mouth.
Is it wrong? Not necessarily. The times can indeed bring different dividends and achieve different people again and again.
However, the times are like a "lighter".
When he starts making a new wave of choices with Tinder, he will lie on the ground, choose 20 random out of 100 lives, and light them.
If you are not selected, you can sigh that you are unlucky.
But the one that was chosen, after it was lit, was either a dud, a fairy stick, a string of firecrackers, and some were fireworks in the sky.
In every era, there are people who can be ignited by that era and then illuminate that era.
Today, one of them is gone.
His success cannot be replicated. But the choices he had made were able to stay.
For those who are making choices today and are also being chosen by the times, it provides a reference and suggests a possibility.
Thank them for being here.
Mr. Zong, go all the way.
Personal opinion, for reference only.