Name: Zhang Xiyan
Age: 23 years old
Position: Wuhan Office Manager of Beijing Junxing Yuanke Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Motto: Don't give up easily, otherwise you'll be sorry for yourself.
"He is my elementary school and junior high school classmate, he is my high school classmate, she is my schoolmate, and then she is my girlfriend's high school classmate, and a high school classmate of mine went to deliver goods... There are 5 of us in total , 3 boys and 2 girls. We are all from Wuhan, we have known each other since we were students, and now we are starting a business together."
A group of only children in Wuhan, with an average age of 22.5 years old. Four years ago, because one of the girls tried to invest 800 yuan to start an online store, their business was out of control. Now, through classmates recruiting classmates, they have gathered into a team. Starting from 800 yuan, they have accumulated capital of 500,000 yuan and earned tens of thousands of yuan a month. During last year's financial crisis, due to the "instant" depreciation of foreign exchange, their direct loss on a daily order was as high as 5,000.
As the smallest windsurfing "helmers" in the global financial tsunami, these "kid captains" were not arrogant and were not discouraged. They successfully withstood the sudden impact by adjusting their sales strategies in a timely manner. This year, when people of the same age are still struggling to find jobs or complaining to their parents, they have quit their jobs with stable incomes and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to starting their own online stores.
In the plan for the new year, the "Kid Captains" wrote: "Continue to expand the sailing areas. In addition to maintaining high growth in the Japanese, Korean and European markets, this year's focus is to accelerate the entry into the US market."
During an online shopping trip after the Spring Festival, the reporter met a Wuhan team online that specialized in selling cosmetics. In a two-bedroom apartment near Chongwen Book City, these big boys wearing sleeves, staring at the computer, and expressionlessly typing on the keyboard to "discuss business" said that selling cosmetics is actually a physical job. Because they are mainly engaged in cosmetics wholesale business, they are both online merchants and transporters. "Look at these boxes of goods. Can a girl move them?"
Liu Shun, a core member of the entrepreneurial team, told reporters that the online store was originally founded by his girlfriend Zhang Xiyan when she was in college, and the store was named "Xiyan's Cabin." Now, in order to devote himself to it, he has just resigned from his job in a certain court and is working full-time with Zhang Xiyan and his classmates to run an online store. "Don't think that boys selling cosmetics are unprofessional. We all start from 'transportation' and warehouse management, and are familiar with the types, brands and basic uses of cosmetics."
Starting from investing 800 yuan to open an online store selling Korean cosmetics, Liu also acted as a "porter" for Zhang Xiyan. As the business grew, he had to move more and more goods. Small profits but quick turnover online require physical strength. Liu Shun smiled and said that the warehouse is on the third floor, and an order is 30,000 yuan, 58 boxes, each box is 20 kilograms. "At that time, I was so tired from moving goods that I wanted to die, so I dragged my classmates to move together and start a business together."
What are the risks of doing business that can be done at home with just a click of the mouse and chatting? When talking about the risks within a 100-square-meter area, Zhang Xiyan and Liu Shun mentioned "foreign exchange depreciation" in unison. In order to always be on guard against this invisible killer, these "little bosses" have to keep a close eye on exchange rate fluctuations in various countries every day.
According to reports, during the Beijing Olympics last year alone, "Xiyan's Hut" purchased a batch of "thebodyshop" products from the UK and suffered a net loss of 5,000 yuan due to flight delays. At that time, our country issued an "embargo" on liquid items, and the goods purchased by "Xiyan's Cabin" had already set off. It could not be transported by air or sea, and the arrival date was more than a month late. In addition, due to the depreciation of the pound during this period, the price of the goods shrank by 5,000 yuan when it was received.
"There is nothing we can do when encountering such a situation. The Korean won, the euro, and the U.S. dollar all depreciated last year. They depreciated again and again, so we had to adjust accordingly." Liu Shun said that the store mainly sells Korean goods, and the Korean people who suffered the most losses last year were goods business.
There was a time when the Korean won depreciated violently (using RMB to buy goods priced before and after the Korean won depreciated was equivalent to a direct 40% discount). Liu Shun's purchase prices in the early days were the same as or higher than those of other online sellers in the later days. .
Others sell it for 25 yuan a bottle, but your purchase price has already reached 26 yuan. Facing the brutal market competition, "Xiyan's House" had no choice but to recruit some old customers accumulated in the early stage to help "ship the goods."
"Try not to lose money. Even if we sell at the purchase price, we do retail and wholesale in parallel." Liu Shun said that in order to speed up the turnover of funds and goods, even if "leveling out and leveling in" does not make money, we must speed up the turnover. Only in this way can they ensure minimal losses and smooth capital flow.
Of course, continued depreciation will lead to the risk of further depreciation in the goods purchased with the newly withdrawn funds. "Don't be afraid at this time, otherwise there will be no goods to be shipped, and the logistics chain is broken; or there is no money to come in, and the capital chain is broken. Once the funds are withdrawn, new orders will be placed quickly to purchase goods. Even if the Korean won depreciates when the goods are purchased, it will still have to be Then ship the goods." Like an experienced foreign trader, Liu Shun gushed that the financial crisis had made them better understand "the importance of capital turnover and logistics management."
This year, exchange rate fluctuations will still occur. However, "Xiyan's House", which has accumulated experience in resisting the financial crisis, plans to accelerate its entry into the US market. Considering that the exchange rates of various countries can rise and fall, it is best to "bloom everywhere" and the risks are more balanced. At the end of the interview, Zhang Xiyan held the hand of her boyfriend Liu Shun, who had devoted himself to accompany her to start her business, and said: "The coexistence of risks and benefits has become our magic weapon to navigate the world."