Liu Qikai: Breaking into a new world of work online
Personal profile Liu Qikai, 23 years old, from Shanghai. In September 2001, he was admitted to Chongqing Institute of Technology and studied marketing in the School of Business Administration. When he was in college, he began to look for business opportunities online. After completing his first foreign trade business for Shanghai Pudong pipes in July 2003, by the end of 2005, he had sold a total of US$3 million in pipes online. Later, he established Wangna Technology Co., Ltd. and served as general manager, focusing on motorcycle foreign trade and website construction in Chongqing.
Personal Career Remarks There are no big things in the world. The so-called big things are composed of small things. As long as you do every small thing seriously, big things will be born.
The college entrance examination in 2001 enabled Liu Qikai to enter the marketing major of the Department of Business Administration of Chongqing Institute of Technology. In his own words, going to Chongqing to study at that time was quite tragic. His classmates all teased him, "Congratulations on being assigned to the Southwest."
Quick test: online business
After entering college, Liu Qikai gradually became obsessed with visiting libraries and Internet cafes after his enthusiasm for the new campus and new environment gradually faded away. "Books have their own golden rooms." Liu Qikai has always regarded extensive reading as an effective way to absorb rich knowledge. The library of Chongqing Institute of Technology has a collection of 1.55 million volumes of various materials, providing Liu Qikai with a broad world of reading. Whenever he had some free time, he would sneak into the library, occupy a good seat, and look around in darkness. It was common for him to forget to eat. He read economic books, and was particularly keen on e-commerce. He began to think while reading, planned countless business plans in his mind, and constantly demonstrated the feasibility and market prospects of the plans. He has a wide range of interests. In addition to economic books, he also embraces literature, history, art and other fields, which laid a solid theoretical foundation for him to shape his strong will and simple conduct in the future.
Besides studying and reading, Liu Qikai also likes to do one thing, and that is surfing the Internet. At the beginning, like his senior classmates, he preferred chatting on QQ, playing Legends, etc., but as time went by, he found it boring. In March 2002, Liu Qikai accidentally entered a foreign-language business website. With an English proficiency of over CET-6, he easily browsed the entire content of the website. While browsing some supply and demand information, he found that certain domestic products, with tariffs, etc., still have certain market prospects in foreign markets. For example, handicrafts such as embroidery and silk have a promising market in some developed countries in Europe and the United States, while industrial products such as paint and steel also have absolute price advantages in Southeast Asia.
An impulse to engage in online commerce quickly filled Liu Qikai’s restless heart. In April 2002, Liu Qikai simply bought an IBM laptop, installed broadband in his student dormitory, and started his simulated business. He stayed in front of the computer all day, sending some profound letters in English. The classmates in the dormitory all joked: "This guy must have picked up foreign girls on the Internet!"
I couldn't find the way at first. Liu Qikai frequently registered, posted information, and contacted merchants on some foreign shopping websites. Although he found nothing, he was still very interested. During this period, he made a small business. Although the profit was pitiful, he still joked humorously, "This is the first bucket of dollars in his life." It was an American movie fan who liked China's Gong Li very much. He posted information online and was willing to buy a signed photo of Gong Li for US$200. Liu Qikai saw this message and immediately posted a post on a domestic forum to collect photos of Gong Li. A movie fan in Guangzhou happened to have one. He contacted Liu Qikai and the two parties settled the deal for 500 yuan. In this way, Liu Qikai made his first foreign-related business effortlessly. After receiving his first income, he immediately invited his buddies from the same dormitory to have a crazy meal at the "Duck Intestine King" hotpot in Shapingba. He was extremely proud.
First entry into the business world: dismal ending
During the Spring Festival of 2003, Liu Qikai, who returned to Shanghai for the New Year, met Mr. Chen Mingjie, the agent of Guangdong Sipai Paint Co., Ltd. in Shanghai. Chen Mingjie has been in business for more than 20 years and has accumulated a lot of experience in market operations. Liu Qikai, who is extremely curious about knowledge, pesters him every day for advice on business war experience. Chen Mingjie was not stingy. He regarded himself as a teacher and gave Liu Qi a lot of advice. He also encouraged him to bring a batch of paint to Chongqing to earn the price difference.
Liu Qikai is a decisive person. He did what he said. He immediately found his good friend Zhang Jian and worked hard to win an investment of 50,000 yuan.
On February 11, 2003, Liu Qikai signed a contract to purchase 3 tons of paint with Speiqi. Just when everything was ready and all he needed was the east wind, the fledgling man did not wait for the east wind, but waited for SARS - because of the raging SARS epidemic, the railway was embargoed. The paint could not be shipped to Chongqing, so earning the price difference was a waste. Liu Qikai did not dare to go to Speiqi to pick up the goods, otherwise the losses would be even more severe, so he had to unilaterally breach the contract. In addition to the deposit paid, he also paid compensation to Speiqi according to the contract. After deducting various expenses, the money supported by Zhang Jian was reduced to less than 20,000 yuan.
This defeat was a heavy blow to Liu Qikai, but he did not recover from the fall. He carefully analyzed the reasons for his failure. Although it seemed that the failure was due to irresistible factors, a mature businessman would never make such a mistake. In the final analysis, it was Liu Qi's own fault. Because SARS had already had a great impact as early as the end of 2002, and the impact of epidemics, major accidents, etc. on the economy and stock market has also been common. As a college student majoring in marketing, Liu Qikai should be aware of the possible impact of SARS on the economy. There is an objective estimate of the impact of the epidemic, and a series of social changes caused by the epidemic should be expected.
This defeat also taught Liu Qi a vivid lesson. He realized that although product value is the dominant factor in determining market operations, factors such as policy intervention, market regulation, market environment, and force majeure cannot be ignored. A smart businessman should consider issues from an overall perspective and correctly handle various factors that can affect market fluctuations.
Sit back and control: Successful Marketing
After returning to school, Liu Qikai began to objectively analyze his personal situation. He has a high level of English, marketing theory knowledge, etc. This is his advantage. The disadvantage is that he does not have much capital for starting a business. He began to plan a path of agency marketing.
Mou Zhongzhong - Suddenly a person's name flashed into his mind. Leaving aside the shadow of Mou Zhongzhong being suspected of financing fraud, he is actually a business wizard. Liu Qi drove to the library and found a lot of information about Mou Zhongzhi, and he gradually got to know this person. Exchanging cans for airplanes sounds like a fantasy, but Mou Zhongzhong is like a magician who can do an unimaginable thing neatly and neatly. After picking up the essence and discarding the dross, Mou Zhongzhi's ideas settled in Liu Qikai's heart.
In the summer vacation of 2003, Liu Qikai returned to Shanghai in high spirits. After many inquiries, he learned that Pudong Pipe, a small privately owned steel pipe factory, had recently had difficulty with capital turnover and was struggling to operate. Liu Qikai approached Deng Shulin, the factory's deputy director in charge of marketing, and showed his talents in the field of marketing. With his sharp tongue, he persuaded him to allow him to sell products for the factory on behalf of the factory.
Back home, Liu Qi stayed in front of the computer, paying close attention to the steel pipe trading trends around the world. On July 16, Liu Qikai saw a purchase message, Singapore Domego Real Estate Development Company wanted to purchase 3 tons of steel pipes at a special price. Liu Qikai's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately typed out a letter on the keyboard, attached relevant information about Pudong pipes and scanned pictures of the actual product, and sent it. On July 18, Domego Company responded to the letter presenting the company’s relevant information and discussing transaction matters. Liu Qi rushed to the Pudong Steel Pipe Factory without stopping, found the director Deng Shulin, and prepared the relevant procedures for foreign trade... On August 5, the transaction amount for 3 tons of steel pipes was entered into the account of Pudong Steel Pipe. The profit margin of steel pipe foreign trade is 6% to 12%. Liu Qi made 600 US dollars from this business and truly made his first pot of gold in life. Factory Director Deng Shulin couldn't help but look at this childish college student with admiration.
After winning the first battle, Liu Qikai did not slack off at all. On the contrary, he became more diligent in looking for business opportunities online. Some companies in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam that were in short supply of steel pipes gradually got in touch with Liu Qikai. Liu Qikai sat at home and commanded remotely. In just one summer vacation, he easily completed a steel pipe transaction worth US$60,000.
On September 3, Liu Qikai, who was about to return to school, received a notice from the Pudong Steel Pipe Factory appointing him as the overseas general agent. He took office as the overseas general agent on a laptop computer. Liu Qikai, who is familiar with the steel pipe business, signed an order of more than 500,000 US dollars in 2003. In 2004, he further explored customer resources and signed an order worth more than 2 million US dollars in one fell swoop. Unknowingly, Liu Qikai became a veritable rich man.
Self-established: Create a new high
In February 2005, Liu Qi opened a transfer station in Yangjiaping, Chongqing, founded Chongqing Wangna Technology Company, and served as chairman and general manager. At this time, he was no longer limited to unilateral steel pipe foreign trade, and started his third business venture - shifting his focus from foreign trade industry to website construction. He established the "Comprehensive Portal Website for College Students www.colren.com", which mainly provides college students with employment information, dating, leisure and other services, and plans to build it into an online information home for modern college students. "This is a rising industry with a bright future." Liu Qikai is full of confidence.
He, together with his senior brothers Liu Kai, Hu Fan and some young undergraduate students majoring in computer science, formed this vibrant enterprise. Liu Qikai treats others with humility and integrates with employees, making the company highly cohesive and appealing.
Although he is already the boss of a real company, Liu Qikai has never been public about it on campus. Dressed casually and looking shy, Cat couldn't let anyone see that he was already a millionaire in the library. Going to the cafeteria to eat and lying on the lawn to think about things, Liu Qikai is essentially a step-by-step college student.
In July 2005, Liu Qikai successfully passed the thesis defense and completed his undergraduate studies at Chongqing Institute of Technology. While his high school classmates who made fun of him were busy looking for jobs, he was already sitting behind the executive desk strategizing. Because of that joke back then, he decided to stay in the southwest, take advantage of the great development of the west, break out into the world, and "get rich in the southwest."
Liu Qikai is very low-key about his wealth. He said that his biggest expense was buying a large house for his parents in Pudong District, Shanghai. Now that I have opened this company, I don’t have much money left. But he did not stop fighting. The wealth is inexhaustible, and everything comes from his own brain and hands.
Liu Qikai is also relatively low-key about his successful experience. He said that in fact, anyone can reach his level. Others who failed to succeed just lacked a way of thinking. The biggest feeling I have is that you should not be procrastinating in anything you do, but make decisive decisions and attack quickly; you should also face any setbacks rationally and rise quickly after summing up lessons. This is the wise move of a successful person.
Liu Qikai is determined to make a name for himself in online commerce. He is very optimistic about the prospects of online commerce: as long as he pursues it persistently, he will surely reach the pinnacle of glory.