Recently, after the reform and opening up, China's first batch of self-made private entrepreneurs, the founder of Wahaha, and the "richest man in cloth shoes" have caused a huge sensation in China.
Zong Qinghou is also known as the father of Wahaha, and the Wahaha brand he created is also the memory of a generation later. After Zong Qinghou's death, the local people and netizens across the country also expressed deep condolences for his passing, and flowers were also placed in front of the Wahaha headquarters building.
The reason why Zong Qinghou's death has attracted attention from all walks of life is mainly from his past experience
Zong Qinghou was born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1945, and after graduating from junior high school at the age of 17, he participated in the mountains and countryside at Zhoushan Mamu Farm and Shaoxing Tea Farm. In 1978, my mother retired early, so she returned to Hangzhou and joined the Hangzhou Shangcheng District Post and Circuit School-run Workers' and Peasants' Carton Factory as a worker.
In 1987, Zong Qinghou borrowed 140,000 yuan and two retired teachers to establish a school-run enterprise distribution department, and began to sell soda, popsicles, stationery and paper, and started the road of entrepreneurship. At that time, it was like a pipe dream for the self-made three people to repay the loan of 140,000 yuan with a dime and a cent of profits from the consignment sales of soda, not to mention that the school-run enterprise when they took over at that time had been in a state of loss. In the following years, Zong Qinghou relied on his enthusiasm, starting from pedaling a tricycle to deliver stationery and selling popsicles, and gradually turned the school-run distribution department into a profit, and the number of employees was also growing.
In 1988, when the market for various oral liquids was hot, Zong Qinghou realized the opportunities through his keen business sense, so he spent a lot of money to develop his first product - Wahaha Children's Nutrition Solution, which was also the birth of the Wahaha brand.
Different from the listing method of most traditional products, Zong Qinghou boldly decided to advertise on Hangzhou TV, and the 210,000 advertising fees paid were almost all of Wahaha's funds at that time, and this amazing move also made Wahaha an instant hit.
In 1991, 46-year-old Zong Qinghou officially established Wahaha Food Group and began to build his Wahaha business empire. In the following decades, with Zong Qinghou's strong execution and courage, Wahaha once became a hot-selling product in the market. In 2010, 2012 and 2013, Zong Qinghou also surpassed Ma Yun and Ma Huateng three times in the real economy to become the richest man in Chinese mainland.
In 2006, Danone, a well-known multinational food and beverage company, forcibly acquired Wahaha for 4 billion yuan, but was rejected by Zong Qinghou. Subsequently, Danone confronted Wahaha in Sweden, the United States, China and other places, accusing Wahaha of breach of contract and fraud. After two years and 29 lawsuits, the "Dawa Dispute" ended with a complete victory for Wahaha, and Zong Qinghou successfully retained Wahaha's brand.
An important reason why Zong Qinghou can be loved by everyone is that he is approachable. Zong Qinghou, who became the richest man, was still willing to offset the choice of second-class seats when taking the high-speed rail, and did not wear a famous brand. In order to increase the income of the bottom of the society, Wahaha has insisted on using carton packaging for many years, which can not only ensure food safety, but also increase the income of the bottom of the society.
In an interview with CCTV's "Meet the Big Coffee", Zong Qinghou also put forward his own views on "996", thinking that the boss should be "996", because career should be his fun. But you can't force employees to "996", because employees have their own lives and fun, and bosses can't tie employees to their chariots.
Today, a generation of Zhejiang businessmen legend Zong Qinghou has passed away, but the childhood memory of several generations - Wahaha is also facing great challenges, I hope that Wahaha can be a classic under the guidance of Zong Qinghou's spirit The reason why it is a classic is the glory of innovation