Volume 2: Storm Rising 2015 Chapter 381 Shared Bicycles
"There really are shared bikes. How much does a bike cost? Wouldn't it be better to just buy one?"
Even though it was the big boss Zhou Dongsheng who said it himself, the people under him couldn't help but raise their own questions.
After all, not everyone can afford a car, and even driving one requires a license. It is understandable to share resources under the concept of sharing economy, but a mere bicycle...
Zhou Dongsheng was not surprised at all by such doubts. In fact, he had similar doubts when he came into contact with shared bicycles in his previous life.
Especially when the shared bike industry first emerged, Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but sigh at the staggeringly high cost of manufacturing it: Is it so easy to defraud investors' money? Just by building a few bikes and putting up the concept of the shared economy, can you defraud people's money like this?
Isn't this the standard that I can do it too?
In fact, when shared bicycles were popular all over the country, there were many people who had this idea: just pick a color from the palette, put a name on the bicycle "X shared bicycle", and then ask investors for money.
With a large amount of capital blindly following, countless shared bicycles of all sizes emerged like mushrooms after a rain. The colorful bicycles once occupied the streets and alleys, thus ushering in chaos in the field of shared bicycles.
However, at this time, this thing is still considered a new trend. Although it is just a trick of putting old wine in a new bottle with the rise of mobile Internet, it still cannot change its huge potential to become popular all over the country and even famous overseas.
Although after the market returned to rationality, all the projects related to the sharing economy became a mess, but from a purely investment perspective, the "Shared Future" series of projects are indeed very suitable for short-term investment and profit-making.
From the perspective of stocks, the basic stock in Zhou Dongsheng's hands is like the national liquor, which becomes more fragrant with age. As long as you hold on to it, you will not lose money.
The series of projects of "Shared Future" are like monster stocks. They rise with the wind and soar to the sky. But if the wind stops... they will be shattered into pieces and become a mess.
Back to the point, facing the doubts of his subordinates, Zhou Dongsheng changed the subject, "In fact, it is not difficult to understand the concept of shared bicycles. In fact, this thing has a long history and is common in some specific places of use."
"For example, in scenic spots and at the beach, there are bicycles for rent and sale, and there are also options for two-person and three-person bicycles. There are also docked public bicycles like those commonly seen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. These can be considered early examples of shared bicycles."
"Whether it is a scenic spot or a beach, the mobility of tourists is huge. In such a usage scenario, rental and sale bicycles and public bicycles that can be picked up and used at any time naturally came into being and found their place."
"Obviously, we can't just buy a bicycle just for a trip to a scenic spot and throw it away after use, right? I can't do such a thing."
Zhou Dongsheng made a casual joke, which caused everyone in the room to laugh and made Lu Sifang think deeply. Following Zhou Dongsheng's thoughts, he seemed to gradually grasp the usage scenarios and intentions of the so-called shared bicycles.
Zhou Dongsheng then continued to talk and patiently instilled the concept of shared bicycles into everyone.
The reason why Zhou Dongsheng took all this trouble was that he naturally wanted to start Dongsheng Investment's "shared investment" path.
After all, in the future, investment projects linked to the sharing economy will not only include shared bicycles, but also a large number of options to choose from.
As for short-term investments and profit-generating projects, Zhou Dongsheng was not prepared to do all of them himself, which would be a lot of work. He planned to leave it to Lu Sifang to generate income.
You just need to control the general direction and be responsible for harvesting the vegetables!
So, we have to teach these people how to grow vegetables.
Zhou Dongsheng continued.
"With the development of the times, the process of urbanization has accelerated. As a large number of people have concentrated in cities, the demand for travel has naturally increased day by day. With the emergence of a large number of travel scenarios, it is obvious that subways and buses alone cannot meet the travel needs of everyone."
"Online ride-hailing services are obviously created to meet the travel needs of some people. They are available on demand and are convenient and fast. However, you get what you pay for. The price means that this mode of travel will not meet the daily travel needs of the general public."
"At this time, does a shared bicycle that can be picked up and used at any time have its place?"
Having said that, Zhou Dongsheng changed the subject and returned to the original question.
"Then why not just buy one? For city dwellers, it is natural to buy a vehicle to meet travel needs, because it is a rigid demand, whether it is a bicycle, electric car, or car ."
"However, for a large number of floating populations in cities, purchasing vehicles to meet travel needs is obviously not a rigid demand. They also need to bear additional maintenance costs and prevent property losses caused by theft."
"If I want to go home and develop someday, I'll need to make other arrangements..."
Zhou Dongsheng casually listed a few possibilities and directions, and a group of workers under him nodded in agreement, as if this was really the truth.
"So, at this time, a shared bicycle that can be used anytime and anywhere without any additional burden has a use case. You only need to pay a low price to get the temporary use rights of idle resources. This is the sharing economy!"
Lu Sifang followed what Zhou Dongsheng said and made a summary speech. After he finished speaking, Lu Sifang's eyes lit up, as if he had seen the infinite possibilities in this project.
"Moreover, if we continue to follow the concept of the sharing economy, it seems that it is not limited to idle resources like bicycles. It seems that there are more things that can be tried, such as... books?"
"It's just like when I was in school, the bookstore next door rented out novels. You can borrow and return them at any time, and you can exchange them for another one after finishing one. However, in order to ensure that the books are not damaged, a deposit is required as a guarantee..."
"Then boss, do we also need to collect a deposit for this shared bike?"
Otherwise, it can be said that Lu Sifang is quite capable. Not only did he summarize Zhou Dongsheng's speech according to his thinking, but he also drew inferences from his example very flexibly. Using the example of renting books in a bookstore, his summary of the sharing economy is very appropriate.
At the same time, the key point of deposit that Zhou Dongsheng did not mention was also pointed out.
Zhou Dongsheng couldn't help but patted Lu Sifang's shoulder with satisfaction, and said in a condescending manner: "Not bad, not bad, not only did you completely understand what I meant, but you also learned to draw inferences from one example. The explanation of renting books in this bookstore is more thorough than mine. It seems that you read a lot of novels when you were in school!"
Listening to Zhou Dongsheng's ridicule, Lu Sifang said with a serious face: "I dare not take credit for it. It is mainly the boss's credit. If it weren't for the boss's in-depth and thorough analysis of the sharing economy, I wouldn't be able to understand it so quickly..."
Zhou Dongsheng waved his hand. "That's because you have a good understanding. Now let's talk about shared bicycles. From what I understand, in Beijing, some entrepreneurs have tried to put them into use in universities, and they have received a good response..."
