Seeking advice on operation planning of foreign trade companies

How did I grow a trading company?

Invited guest He Pengfei, known as Lao He, is 33 years old. I first worked in a foreign-owned factory, started my first business in 1999 and failed, and started my second business in 2000 but failed. Madam: Ali’s friends jokingly call her Ziyue, who is six years younger than Lao He. We met in 2000 when Lao He was frustrated. The two of them worked as white-collar workers in a Taiwan-owned factory. In mid-2001, the two resigned together to start a business. This was He Pengfei's third business venture. The company is: Dongguan Taining Electronics Co., Ltd. In the same year, Lao He and Ziyue held a simple wedding in Dongguan. What played a decisive role in your three entrepreneurial ventures? Please read what the moderator of Alibaba Business Strategy Forum said---

The moderator said: Hello everyone! The live broadcast will start soon.

The host said: I am the host Yang Lei. This live broadcast attempts to use a new method-joint interview.

The host said: We have invited Jieyu, the deputy moderator of Alibaba's "Online Business Story", and I to conduct a joint interview. The content of Jieyu's interview will be from 10:00 to 10:30. I will conduct the interview from 10:30-12:00. If you have any questions, you can ask them now, and I will provide them to the guests, who can answer them on the spot.

The host said: Guest introduction: FREEDARR (He Pengfei), the moderator of Alibaba Business Strategy Forum, known as Lao He, is 33 years old. I first worked in a foreign-owned factory, started my first business in 1999 and failed, and started my second business in 2000 but failed. Madam: Ali’s friends jokingly call her Ziyue, who is six years younger than Lao He. We met in 2000 when Lao He was frustrated. The two of them worked as white-collar workers in a Taiwan-owned factory. In mid-2001, the two resigned together to start a business. This was FREEDAR's third venture. The company's original name was: Dongguan Feida Electronics Co., Ltd. Therefore, when I later joined Alibaba, I used the pen name: FREEDARR. In the same year, Lao He and Ziyue held a simple wedding in Dongguan.

Jieyu said: Welcome Lao He to Jieyu’s interview column! The topic of my interview today is about the coordination of career and love.

He Pengfei said: Thank you sister Jieyu! Thank you also to my friends for their support and attention!

Jieyu said: I met Mr. He a year ago. At that time, I knew that Mr. He had a beautiful, gentle and virtuous wife, MM Ziyue. Later, I gradually got to know MM Ziyue and they were the same. You are a very good girl. On the road to starting a business, Lao He has experienced many setbacks, but he has become more courageous. Can Lao He talk about the origin of your love with Ziyue MM when you were frustrated?

He Pengfei said: Okay. After two entrepreneurial failures, I really wanted a place to rest. So, I came to a Taiwan-owned factory in Dongguan from a recruitment advertisement in the newspaper, and successfully I took over the production of the factory. Here, I met my Ziyue (jokingly called by netizens), and we got to know each other here.

He Pengfei said: Ziyue is a very individual person. Relatively speaking, I am much more gentle and gentle. So a colleague asked me: Lao He, if you really fall in love with her, can you stand her? My colleagues in the factory don’t believe that we are in love. Because we The contrast in personality is too big. She is the kind of woman with thorns, and she is covered with thorns;

Jieyu said: Do you think this contrast will be complementary to your later life together? ?

He Pengfei said: Contrast is not a problem. I remember one time, I played with her mobile phone and found the text on the screen of her mobile phone: True love is invincible. This shows that she understands my love. , and always remind myself to change for true love. In fact, when we were together, she has been really good, and her personality has changed a lot. So much so that I always thought: Our life is very indifferent, nothing. Romance or legend.

He Pengfei said: Her previous thorns may have been just out of a girl's protection for herself, but now she is gentle and is the real her! We have been together for such a long time and there has never been an intractable knot.

When we go outside, people will ask us if we are still in love. Perhaps, the feeling of being in love continues. After several years of marriage, we have repeatedly asked ourselves whether we are really married?

Jieyu Said: Many times, people will experience a challenge, that is, when two people get together, if they can't handle each other's feelings and tolerance, it is easy to feel bored. You have been married for five years, have you ever felt that you are in love with each other? We know each other too well and lose a sense of freshness; how do you maintain this feeling of love?

He Pengfei said: In fact, this feeling of being unmarried may be related to our simple wedding ceremony. Because I started a business, I was penniless. I went to the factory to find a job just to heal the trauma. So our I didn’t get married without the participation of both parents, and I didn’t go back to my hometown. I just invited some friends from Guangdong to a hotel for a meal. It wasn’t just her who asked me: Am I marrying you? I often feel the same way myself: I It seems that we are not married; so, until now, there is a feeling that we are still in love, and there is no sense of boredom.

Jieyu said: How long did it take for you to get married after you met? :)

He Pengfei said: When we got married, we only knew each other for ten months. We fell in love for a simple reason: I always felt that she was special, so I was always curious. But she was covered in thorns, so I often have disputes with her. Once these disputes arise, both parties will understand!

Jieyu said: Happy enemies!

He Pengfei said: Yes, people knew that we were quarreling, but they didn’t know that we were in love. When we stopped quarreling, we had decided to leave the factory and start my third business in my life. Then It was 2001. In September, we established our company: Feida Electronics Co., Ltd. Our previous boss was very kind to us and asked me to leave the factory first, and then let Ziyue help me when it was stable. And Ziyue No answer.

He Pengfei said: In this way, my third startup is different from the first two. I have an additional partner and comrade beside me. At the beginning of my startup, I made phone calls and traveled on business trips to deliver samples all day long. She I just stayed at home and watched the phone. In half a year, I got a dozen potential customers, but there were no orders. Because it was the end of the year, most customers don’t change suppliers. We spent the time together without any orders, but there were constant calls. Samples continued for half a year. During this period, we supported each other and got through it happily!

Jieyu said: In the days we spent together, was there anything that particularly touched each other?

He Pengfei said: In fact, we made each other a part of our lives intentionally or unintentionally. I remember one time she went to play in other girls’ dormitories, and I couldn’t find her after get off work. I looked for her and even stood in the factory floor and shouted her name. The other girls laughed at her, but I knew she was very happy that day.

There are many little things like this, and every time we can realize each other's sincerity, love does not need to be booming, it is composed of some small details,

Jieyu said: These five Have you ever had any disputes over the years, such as minor misunderstandings? :)

He Pengfei said: There was once, and it was a very serious quarrel. Later, when my friends knew the real reason for our quarrel, they all laughed. No, we are just kids who won’t grow up. It was one night, we were watching TV together, and she was used to sitting on my lap. But when we changed the channel, we grabbed the remote control. She couldn’t grab it, so she hurriedly twisted it with her hands. My legs. As a result, I couldn't bear the pain and stood up. Of course, she fell to the ground.

He Pengfei said: But she thought I threw her to the ground, so we had a quarrel. Later, she went to a friend Went home. When I told the reason, my friends couldn’t stop laughing. It must have been 2002, and we never had any quarrels since then;

He Pengfei said: Ordinary people, ordinary things. Ordinary That's how it is in ordinary people's homes. Whenever we have a dispute, we will think of: indifferent life, true love is invincible. Only when you know that the other person is your true love, there will be no disputes. I am a very good person who handles things rationally. Arbitrary people. A friend once advised me: You should respect women’s opinions. They are the most sensitive. Their opinions are often very reasonable. And after the failure experience of my first two entrepreneurial ventures, of course I am happy for someone to help me refer to it.

He Pengfei said: This is not tracheitis, but fairness and rationality. A family needs to have a unanimous voice. And this requires communication between both parties. And in many cases, Ziyue does That's right. I'm glad that I'm not the tyrant at home. We often communicate together and discuss issues intensely. Facts have proved that we are both people who can listen to each other's opinions.

Jieyu said : How do you view each other’s trust and tolerance?

He Pengfei said: I don’t know how my Ziyue trusted me so much. But I know that her trust is beyond doubt. She is much more tolerant than I thought. For example, In fact, before I met her, I had been in love with someone for several years but to no avail.

He Pengfei said: And we have been dating. I took Ziyue to visit her, and Ziyue was so generous and decent. Others had to accept it. So, after so many years, the person she once fell in love with has remained a friend of our family. However, when she saw our happy family, she could only lament her wrong choices. And I will never hide this from her. Yes, what can I say? In the face of my beloved wife, what little personal secrets do I have?

Jieyu said: The most important thing is to be honest with each other!

He Pengfei said: Perhaps this is due to a wife who knows how to be a woman. I think many families will have this situation, but not necessarily this result. Therefore, I want to say: For For a happy man, my wise Ziyue is everything to me.

Jieyu said: Although your love is ordinary, it is very real, full of wisdom and warmth! What do you want to say to all your friends who are in love, in love, married, and unmarried?

He Pengfei said: People who are in love all hope for a rumbling, earth-shattering. But that is untrue. Love is to live a good life. Cherish one day at a time. Cherish the person in front of you, cherish the person in front of you. Understand him and care for her. Love is dedication, a steady stream of dedication.

He Pengfei said: In fact, Ziyue and I do not work together. We are separated. She is in my Dongguan company, and I The company is in Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan. Due to the development of our business, we have expanded, and the two places are separated by a two-hour drive;

Jieyu said: How do you maintain the state of mind of your first love even though the two places are separated? ? Many families now have to make choices for career needs:)

He Pengfei said: Our most commonly used communication tools are Tradelink and mobile text messages. We will whisper on Tradelink. They also send text messages to each other to chat with each other. Sometimes the cost of text messages for both parties in a month is more than 100 yuan. I am surprised that there are so many.

He Pengfei said: In fact, if a person and

If you can't communicate with the person you love the most, how can you communicate with others? The two of us communicate a lot. Sometimes, even if it's nothing, even if it's just sending funny text messages, we can still be in trouble for a long time. This is how we live. , simple and unpretentious. No fancy, no surprises, harmonious and tolerant in ordinary life!

Jieyu said: You are a very happy couple! What would you like to say to your Ziyue? :)

He Pengfei said: Haha, thank you sister, no need to say any nice words! In addition to a thank you. She supports our family and our company. I can only say thank you for your hard work. !

Jieyu said: Thank you, Mr. He! Thank you for this sincere feeling that makes the winter sunshine so clear and transparent!

He Pengfei said: We once yearned for magnificence, we once pursued enthusiasm, we were arrogant, we once wanted everything to be perfect, but only after experiencing it did we discover: plainness is the key to success. It’s true. The simple people around you are the ones you love most in this life.

He Pengfei said: Love and marriage are just living life, which is different from the beautiful dreams of youth. When we hold the hand of our lover and go shopping every day, At that time, happiness was in the hands we were holding, when we hugged our lovers at home and watched TV, and happiness was in front of our TVs. Happiness was the detail of life,

He Pengfei said: It exists everywhere. A life with details is a happy one. That kind of temporary supplement because there is no usual accumulation, cramming in homework, is not happiness. We don’t need to compensate. We will do the details of daily life naturally and experience it sincerely, rather than deliberately!

Jieyu said: All things, including love, are actually connected. Attention, sincerity, and plainness are the greatest possessions and happiness! The story of Lao He and Miss Ziyue may have many similar happiness and joys in the world. When we choose to hold hands and stay together for a lifetime, please treat your wife or husband with your heart!

Jieyu said: There is a sentence in the biography of White Snake: It takes a hundred years to build a boat to cross, and a thousand years to build a pillow to sleep; how can we not cherish such past and present lives! May every online business friend have a happy family and long-lasting happiness. Remember to say to her or him again: Thank you! Thank you for holding hands along the way, and thank you for your expectations and trust in the future! There is a sentence in the Biography of the White Snake: It takes a hundred years to build a boat to cross the river, and a thousand years to build a bed to sleep on it; how can we not cherish such past and present lives! May every online business friend have a happy family and long-lasting happiness. Remember to say to her or him again: Thank you! Thank you for holding hands along the way, and thank you for your expectations and trust in the future!

The host said: Hello everyone, thank you Jieyu, her interview has ended. The following interview will be hosted by Alibaba Yang Lei. The host said: The following topic is how to grow a trading company. Please actively ask questions and communicate with the guests on the spot.

The host said: Hello everyone, today we have Mr. He Pengfei, the moderator of the Alibaba Business Strategy Forum. He will talk about his three entrepreneurial experiences and the success factors of entrepreneurship.

The host said: Our topic is about your entrepreneurship and how you grew a large trading company. Can you talk about your first entrepreneurial experience?

He Pengfei said: The first time I started my business was in 1999. The first time I was in the hardware industry, I opened a hardware factory. The first time I started the hardware industry was an order from a friend.

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He Pengfei said: The reason for the failure was that he did not have enough funds and did not know enough about his own strength, which caused difficulties in capital turnover after opening.

The host said: How did you come up with the idea of ??working in the hardware industry?

He Pengfei said: When I was working in the original factory, I was familiar with hardware mold making and processing.

The host said: Did you work in the hardware industry when you were working?

He Pengfei said: When I was working, I was responsible for hardware mold making and processing, and I was quite familiar with this aspect. My idea at that time was to do what I was most familiar with.

The host said: Let me ask you about the experience you accumulated while working?

He Pengfei said: Yes.

The host said: How long does this (accumulating funds and starting a business) take?

He Pengfei said: It took two or three years before he opened a hardware factory by himself.

The host said: What next?

He Pengfei said: Because the capital operation budget of the hardware factory was not very thoughtful and detailed, when it was actually operated, it was found that this business requires a lot of funds

He Pengfei said: So the turnover However, his factory failed for the first time.

The host said: How long did it take to start a business for the first time?

He Pengfei said: The first time was half a year ago. Half a year later, he encountered financial difficulties. Half a year later, he sold all his machinery and equipment.

The host said: Jin: Why did the first startup fail? Where did it fail?

He Pengfei said: The first failure in starting a business was the lack of funds, and the second was the lack of understanding of myself. I thought that I was the most familiar with hardware, but in fact my strength was actually Do not allow yourself to work in this industry.

He Pengfei said: What he is most familiar with may not necessarily be the most suitable for him, because making hardware requires strong financial backing.

The host said: You are generally very good. Although you have summarized two or three years of experience, it requires a lot of capital. Although you have accumulated contacts, you still do not know enough about this industry. The failure lies in Planning and analysis?

He Pengfei said: Yes.

The host said: Hailixin: From a production worker to a marketer, how do you transform from a worker to an entrepreneur?

He Pengfei said: When I was working, the factory assigned me to be responsible for a relatively wide range of duties, which was equivalent to the boss’s duties. Basically, I was responsible for it. I was in charge of purchasing materials and operating management. I am responsible for the development and design of engineering products. I had experience in this area before starting my first business, which improved some skills in the entire industry. When I opened my own factory, I actually knew a little bit about all aspects. Although I am not proficient in everything, I actually know a little about everything.

The host said: In fact, you were not an ordinary staff member or factory worker before you first started your business. In fact, you accumulated some experience as an assistant to the factory director?

He Pengfei said: Yes, I am responsible for all aspects of the factory's work

The host said: If a person does not work in your position, he will lack a lot of skills. ?

He Pengfei said: I think starting a business involves understanding one’s own business and understanding the product. This was the reason for my failure in starting a business for the first time. I have a general understanding. For example, I Opening a hardware factory, specifically how to operate this mold, this machine, this factory, is actually not what I am best at. What I do is about China's overall affairs, not the details.

He Pengfei said: When you actually start a business, you find that you thought you were an expert, but after opening this factory, you are actually an outsider. Everything you do depends on the engineering and technical personnel below

The host said: When you started your business, you may have relied more on the following engineering and technical personnel?

He Pengfei said: Yes, he is very dependent. His strength lies in comprehensive management, not specific skills.

The host said: Should you be familiar with specific skills to start a business?

He Pengfei said: That's not the case. When you are interested in this market, you have the funds and the opportunity to start a business. Only in this way will you be more likely to succeed. Of course, you also need funds, technology, and connections. , why I thought of starting a business at that time? When I was working in management, I had personal connections with the manufacturers and suppliers we cooperated with, and we got along very well. When I started my business, these people came to help me.

The host said: Did they all help you later?

He Pengfei said: There will be some, such as customer introductions and suggestions for me. They are of great help to me.

The host said: Just laugh it off. 8774: How much capital did Mr. He have when he started his business?

He Pengfei said: It’s the first capital to start a business, right?

The host said: Yes.

He Pengfei said: I only had a few tens of thousands of dollars when I started my first business.

The host said: In what year was that?

He Pengfei said: 1999.

The host said: That’s not bad for a hardware factory?

He Pengfei said: The problem we have is the operating capital, which is the flow of circulating funds. For example, if we open a factory, they require us to pay cash. In fact, the materials we order are stainless steel sheets and copper. For example, if a customer places an order of more than RMB 600,000 a month, then you have no way to purchase this material, so the financial strength is estimated to be far from enough.

The host said: In fact, when you started your business, you already had ordering customers. The key was that you failed in the operation of funds?

He Pengfei said: Yes, my estimate was wrong.

The host said: Didn’t you think of raising funds at that time?

He Pengfei said: At first, I thought that we could not get a loan in 1999, so I quickly returned to the bank to get a loan. It happened that the time when I started my business was when banks did not grant loans. No matter what you had, None of Guanxi was issuing loans, so the timing was wrong.

The host said: Mr. He, have you ever thought about how to save it?

He Pengfei said: I thought about it at the beginning. I felt that I might suffer greater losses if I continued. I gave myself two months and decided after two months whether to sell my company or continue to survive. , I will weigh it myself, when I invest all my funds or even my whole family, I will also encounter the problem of funds. This funds will eventually cause the factory to be unable to operate. If the overlord forcefully takes advantage of it, it will cause A bigger loss would never come back, and I was ready to give up after thinking about it for two months.

The host said: You still received the order.

He Pengfei said: Yes.

The host said: California Sunshine 2005: How did you get your first business there?

He Pengfei said: I opened a hardware factory through my friends and my existing connections. I didn’t open it blindly. When I didn’t open the factory, I was doing management. The boss promised to hand over their orders to me.

He Pengfei said: When I opened the factory, we already had customers who were willing to do it for us, so the factory was opened.

The host said: Or is it the accumulation of original connections in your factory?

He Pengfei said: Yes, so I have maintained good connections with suppliers and contacts in the past. I think this will be good for starting my own business.

The host said: I heard you say that it was your first time to open a factory. What was it like after the business failed?

He Pengfei said: After my first entrepreneurial failure, I went to a domestic factory to make stage lighting. As soon as I entered, I became the factory director.

The host said: How long have you been working there?

He Pengfei said: It didn’t take long, in fact, it was less than half a year, because after I arrived at the factory, I met friends from other places there, and a few of us immediately opened a factory together to start a second business. , that was in 2000.

The host said: Mr. He, after your first business failure, did you lose all your more than 200,000 yuan?

He Pengfei said: When I first started my business, I basically lost more than 200,000 yuan, and the equipment was sold at the price of scrap metal, because traders in the machine recycling industry were unwilling to sell you The machine was bought as new, so they tried their best to lower the price and bought it back at the scrap price.

The host said: In other words, you lost more than 200,000 yuan in half a year?

He Pengfei said: Yes.

The host said: Is that a lot of pressure?

He Pengfei said: Yes, when we started our business for the second time, we opened a stage lighting factory in partnership with three people from Guangxi and Jiangxi. We were making products, stage lighting products.

The host said: If you join this company, you still want to start your own business, don't you want to help him continue to do it?

He Pengfei said: After my first entrepreneurial failure, I worked in a lighting factory for the first time. I wanted to be a person who wanted to make a career in an industry I was familiar with, so I continued to work in a lighting factory. Further study.

The host said: You have not abandoned this industry, you are still accumulating. You have been accumulating for a period of time. Why do you think of starting a business for the second time?

He Pengfei said: I met a lot of friends when I was in that factory. My first lighting factory was all for export, but this time it was for domestic trade, so I met a lot of friends from the mainland. They promised to give me an order, so the opportunity came right away when I was working in this factory.

The host said: What new elements did you accumulate after the first experience? Because you felt that the financial operation was not good the first time, you opened the same business the second time. ?

He Pengfei said: What we made the second time was different from the first time. It was a finished product. We made as much as the customer ordered. We produced it according to the order, which put a lot less pressure on funds.

The host said: In other words, you will continue production after part of the customer's funds are in place?

He Pengfei said: Yes, and the material cost we need is far less than the first time to start a business.

The host said: Is your second business a factory or a trading company?

He Pengfei said: It is an assembly factory

The host said: How much money did you use?

He Pengfei said: In fact, we didn’t use much the second time. Each of the three of us invested 100,000 yuan. Then I actually used what was left over from the first start-up, which was the machine. A little money from the sale was put into it.

The host said: Are you investing again and making a finished product this time? . . . . . .