Volume 3: Taking Roots 2016 Chapter 614 Finding a big backer for you
A routine meeting was being held at the Mobike Technology branch in Shanghai. Hu Weiwei sat at the top and listened to the reports from his subordinates.
"Mr. Hu, we have successfully put more than 10,000 bicycles on the market in Shanghai. Currently, the demand is still far from enough to meet the supply in the urban area. Basically, nearly 70% of the bicycles can be fully loaded and run for more than 12 hours around the clock..."
“Although the cumulative number of users on our platform has successfully exceeded one million, it is worth mentioning that the number of user deposits on the platform is basically maintained at around 100,000, and the ratio is barely maintained above 10:1…”
Hu Weiwei pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that we haven't done a good enough job in building user trust. If we can increase the ratio to 2:1, the cash flow in our hands will be a great weapon for us..."
Although the deposits from 100,000 people have brought the deposit on the company's books to nearly 30 million, such a large cash flow is already a considerable amount of money for most companies.
This amount of funding is enough for Mobike to achieve self-sufficient operations in the short term. At least there will be no problem for it to take root in Shanghai.
But as the saying goes, the bigger your heart is, the bigger your stage is. For Hu Weiwei, a project like shared bicycles obviously cannot be limited to one city.
Even the Oriental Pearl of Shanghai is not enough to satisfy Hu Weiwei's appetite. The nature of shared bicycles means that this project can only survive if it keeps running, grows in size, and stays at the forefront of the industry.
If the coverage is not wide enough, what is the essential difference between it and the original city docked bicycles?
Mobike obviously does not want to be a public facility confined to a corner, but to become a public transportation tool that can be spread all over the country like buses and subways...
Listening to Hu Weiwei's high-sounding speech, the subordinates below smiled awkwardly, "It always takes a long time to build user trust. It is thanks to the top internet celebrity effect brought by [Papi Jiang] that we have made a good start..."
"If we follow this line of thought, perhaps we can continue this mode of cooperation and find more people to endorse our products. This will naturally greatly increase user trust..."
Listening to your words is better than reading them. Such a simple and crude truth is just like nonsense. Everyone here understands this truth, but who can play the role of credit endorsement?
Zhou Dongsheng is obviously one of them. The positive image of a self-made man that he has established on the Internet is enough to have a certain persuasiveness to users.
However, in terms of credit endorsement, the role Zhou Dongsheng can play is not much different from that of Papi Jiang, that is, he has been famous for too short a time and his user base is slightly weak.
He is only a little famous on the Internet. If we really talk about his popular base, he is far behind ordinary stars.
The truth is that no matter how financially powerful a private bank is, or how much old-brand capital backing it up, it can never be compared with the Big Four banks.
"Perhaps we can consider inviting a veteran celebrity to endorse our product?" One of the subordinates made a conventional suggestion.
Hu Weiwei shook her head. "We are still in the initial stage of entrepreneurship. Every penny should be spent on the right things to achieve the greatest effect. Our top priority is to continue to develop the next generation of Mobike and further reduce costs..."
"Don't think that we are on the right track just because the deposit is such a large sum of money on the company's books. After all, this is not our money and we cannot embezzle it without authorization. Once a run occurs where users withdraw cash on a large scale but have no money available, the credit we have worked so hard to build up will completely collapse..."
"Once credit collapses, it will completely cease to exist and there will never be a chance to rebuild it!" Hu Weiwei said very seriously.
Obviously, this red line involving life and death should be emphasized repeatedly in the early stages of entrepreneurship, and this concept should be continuously deepened within the company to play a role in preparing for a rainy day.
From this point of view, Hu Weiwei is obviously a qualified entrepreneur. No wonder Mobike was able to retain its final dignity after the trend faded, instead of becoming the naked swimmer in the public eye.
"Pa~Pa~" A burst of crisp applause suddenly rang out. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhou Dongsheng standing upright at the door of the conference room. Beside him was a female assistant with extraordinary temperament and a slightly restrained receptionist.
“Well said, it is commendable that Mr. Hu has this awareness. After all, not everyone can maintain such a rational attitude in the face of the joy of success…” Zhou Dongsheng expressed his heartfelt appreciation in words.
Although even a pig can take off as long as it stands at the forefront of the industry, the ultimate determinant of the success or failure of an entrepreneurial project still lies in the leader.
Especially when the industry trend fades and it’s time to fight fiercely, that’s when competitors show their true colors.
To put it simply, everyone can play in a favorable situation, but an unfavorable situation is the watershed that best reflects the difference in level.
"What brings such a distinguished guest as Mr. Zhou here? Today's meeting will end here. Mr. Zhou, let's move to the office to chat..." Hu Weiwei casually said a few words to her subordinates, then smiled and greeted Zhou Dongsheng warmly.
Even though there is a dozen years age difference between the two, Hu Weiwei did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. After all, the capital market does not look at age, but at capital.
"Oh, that's not necessary, Mr. Hu. I just listened to the topic of your meeting at the door for a while. It just so happens that the good news I brought can solve this problem!"
Zhou Dongsheng said confidently that as the saying goes, it is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. He did not expect that he arrived at the right time.
"Oh? Mr. Zhou, please speak!" Hu Weiwei's face lit up and she looked at Zhou Dongsheng expectantly. Other people in the meeting room also followed his reputation and pricked up their ears to listen attentively.
"Mr. Ding from the pig factory is very interested in our project. I came here this time to bring Mr. Hu with me to Hangzhou to visit Mr. Ding in person..."
"If everything goes well, having the pig factory as a credit endorsement should be enough to solve the urgent problem, right? Although it is a little worse than Alibaba and Tengda..."
Zhou Dongsheng said calmly, however, these two carriages will sooner or later compete on the shared bicycle track.
The pig factory, which originally had nothing to do with the shared bicycle industry, has accidentally entered the field under my subtle influence, and may even be able to influence the industry structure a little bit...
A subtle desire for control arose spontaneously, and Zhou Dongsheng felt an indescribable pleasure in his heart.
Faced with Zhou Dongsheng's Versailles words, both Hu Weiwei and his subordinates in the office were stunned.
As the undisputed top boss in the Internet field, how come Zhuchang seems so "insignificant" in Zhou Dongsheng's mouth?
Even those employees in the office who met investor Zhou Dongsheng for the first time couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for this young man.
As for Hu Weiwei, she once again felt Zhou Dongsheng's unfathomable connections and strength.
"Mr. Zhou, you must be joking. I am already very grateful to have caught the eye of the pig farm. I have to thank Mr. Zhou again. If it weren't for Mr. Zhou, the pig farm would probably not have noticed us..."
"Mr. Zhou is no less than a reborn parent to us at Mobike Technology!" Hu Weiwei brought out all her emotions as a journalist, which overwhelmed Zhou Dongsheng, who kept waving his hands.
“Not really, not really. As an investor, Mr. Hu and I definitely have the same original intention. We both want to make Mobike Technology bigger and stronger, so Mr. Hu, there is no need to say more. As long as you can always uphold this precious original intention and carry on this business, it will be the greatest reward for me…”
Zhou Dongsheng used the method of deception skillfully, and his words became more and more smooth in this situation, making Hu Weiwei feel that she was not dealing with a young man in his early twenties.
He is more like a successful veteran like Li Bin. From this point of view, Zhou Dongsheng is also one of the few people who are "gifted" in business talent.
After all, if we round it off, it means that Zhou Dongsheng avoided taking a detour for twenty years.
"Since I have to visit Mr. Ding in person, I have to prepare some gifts..." Hu Weiwei immediately became serious. When dealing with a big shot, etiquette cannot be lost.
Zhou Dongsheng scratched his head. He seemed to have never thought about giving gifts. However, compared with these etiquette things, the gifts Zhou Dongsheng gave were all real gifts of gold and silver.
So it wasn't considered rude, and being rude was the privilege of young people. Thinking of this, Zhou Dongsheng suddenly felt no psychological burden.
"Okay, Mr. Hu, please get ready. If we go there directly, we can still make it in time for dinner. Maybe you will have the chance to taste the pork raised by Mr. Ding..." Zhou Dongsheng teased in a teasing tone.
Hu Weiwei couldn't help but show joy on her face. Being able to eat the pork raised by Ding Sanshi was an extremely scarce social currency, both in the Internet field and the capital field.
After all, before it was officially launched on the market, apart from a small amount supplied in the canteen of the pig factory, there were almost no supplies on the market. The only ones available were the famous Wuzhen dinner and Ding Sanshi's banquet.
Just like the ancient Manchu-Han Banquet, as a nation that has engraved “food is the first necessity of the people” in its bones, many delicacies from ancient times to the present have gained a legendary color because they are linked to status.
There are innumerable delicacies such as Zongzi and Feizishao, so much so that any delicacy that does not piggyback on the name of a celebrity would feel embarrassed to make a name for itself in the food industry.
Therefore, universal names such as Qianlong's Trip to the South of the Yangtze River came into being... We have to say that we are serious about food!
Ahem, back to the topic. After bringing Hu Weiwei with them, the group headed straight for Hangzhou. The journey took less than two hours, so it was just a matter of stepping on the accelerator.
Under Zhou Dongsheng's familiar leadership, the group soon arrived at a villa area that looked like the gardens of Suzhou and Hangzhou. Ding Sanshi had naturally been waiting at home for a long time.
"I have brought the person to you, Brother Ding. The rest is up to you." Zhou Dongsheng lay there in a very bachelor manner, sipping Ding Sanshi's expensive tea and watching the show leisurely.
Ding Sanshi laughed in silence, but he was not annoyed. Instead, he politely asked Hu Weiwei to sit down and chatted with her in a casual manner.
Hu Weiwei saw the whole scene and had a deeper understanding of the relationship between Zhou Dongsheng and Ding Sanshi. No wonder he was able to attend the dinner in Wuzhen... He was indeed very close to Mr. Ding.
Hu Weiwei could only envy him. She didn't dare to be unruly in front of a big shot like Ding Sanshi, so she sat upright and answered Ding Sanshi's questions.
Ding Sanshi is well-known for his good popularity among the bigwigs in the circle. His affinity is indeed not to be underestimated. After a conversation, Hu Weiwei's tense nerves relaxed, and the atmosphere at the table became much more harmonious.
Before they could talk about the real stuff, Ding Sanshi glanced at the time and immediately smiled, "It's time for dinner. I've prepared some home-cooked food. Let's eat and talk..."
"The meal is finally served. I've been waiting impatiently. Didn't I come all the way here just for this bite of food?" Zhou Dongsheng stood up, stretched, and said eagerly .
"I think the pork I raise hasn't even been put on the market yet. I'm afraid it's not enough for you to eat!" Ding Sanshi scolded with a smile.
As they chatted and laughed, everyone took their seats. Ding Sanshi took out a bottle of Maotai and called Hu Weiwei, saying, "Boss Hu, have a drink? You really can't drink with Dongsheng, a young man who doesn't understand humor..."
"No problem. I'll drink with Mr. Hu!" Hu Weiwei agreed generously. As a career woman in her thirties, she can drink quite well.
After all, Hu Weiwei was able to set up a salon in the capital to accumulate his own network. Naturally, he was good at socializing and was good at making friends, but he couldn't do it without a good drinking capacity.
After three rounds of drinks and a full meal, it was natural for them to talk about this matter. Ding Sanshi's face turned red and he spoke more directly.
"I originally learned about this project out of recognition of Dongsheng's vision. After all, this guy does have some talent in this area. After today's conversation with President Hu, I have realized the potential of this project..."
"I got the B round of financing!" Ding Sanshi said proudly.
Hu Weiwei stood up without saying a word, picked up a full glass of white wine, and said, "Thank you, President Ding. I'll drink this glass first as a token of my respect!" After saying that, she raised her head, as generous as a heroine.
"Let's thank Dongsheng." Ding Sanshi said meaningfully, and then took a sip.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for this cup!" Hu Weiwei immediately poured another glass and drank it without saying a word, without any hesitation.
"Well, no matter how delicious the wine is, you can't drink it like this. You can't just drink without eating. There's a lot of time left, and there will be plenty of opportunities to drink..." Zhou Dongsheng smiled and tried to smooth things over.
But I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, what have I done to deserve such appreciation from the boss? I originally wanted to return the favor, but I didn't expect that this favor would be like a snowball, rolling bigger and bigger.
Zhou Dongsheng might as well lie down. What is there to pay back? It will be hard to say who owes whom in the future!
