His online store has become one of the most popular cosmetics stores in Chongqing on Taobao, and he has also registered a physical company.
On the 6th, Huang Rui (left) and his clerk took a group photo in the store. Photo by reporter Hu Jie
Entrepreneurship story
"If I were given a chance to do it over again, I would still choose to start my own business." From June 2006 to now, in just two or three years, Huang Rui has grown from an inexperienced graduate student to a A small boss who registered a company. Recalling his entrepreneurial experience in the past few years, Huang Rui was filled with emotion.
Became a civil servant but resigned to study at graduate school
Huang Rui originally had a career that was enviable to most people. In July 2002, after Huang Rui graduated from Industrial and Business University, he entered the Organization Department of Kaixian County and became a civil servant. He also met his girlfriend Lu Jing, who was also a civil servant, and the two agreed to study in college together. At the end of 2004, Huang Rui and his girlfriend Lu Jing took the postgraduate examination that year, and both were admitted to the major unified graduate school.
However, the unit cannot provide paid postgraduate studies. After discussion, Huang Rui and Lu Jing decided to resign together, paid their tuition with tens of thousands of yuan saved from work, and started a part-time life of work-study.
Huang Rui recalled that by working as a tutor for middle school students and doing odd jobs outside, plus the school's monthly living allowance of 200 yuan per person, the two of them earned an average monthly income of about 1,500 yuan, and their lives were still tight. So Huang Rui has been looking for opportunities to make money.
Less than half a year of experience and no money
"I was still too impulsive at the time and lacked practical experience in business operations." Huang Rui first started his own business when he was a second-year graduate student. After learning that the cosmetics business was more profitable, he found a popular cosmetics brand at the time as an agent for sales. In June 2006, Huang Rui reached out to his family for the first time and borrowed 30,000 yuan from his father. He rented a small storefront of a few square meters in the Jincheng Shopping Mall in Shapingba Sanxia Plaza and started a cosmetics retail business.
Unexpectedly, due to his low reputation and being completely unfamiliar with the cosmetics industry, the brand he ran was completely unsaleable in shopping malls, and he lost more than 1,000 yuan in the first month. In the next two months, Huang Rui was busy doing publicity, recommending products to customers, and learning about cosmetics. Although he got rid of losses, he could still only make "little money."
After half a year, there was basically no profit. At the end of that year, Huang Rui and Lu Jing discussed and decided to close the business.
Process accumulated goods online and discover business opportunities
But what should I do if I keep a batch of cosmetics with a limited shelf life in my hands? Huang Rui plans to open an online store to handle the inventory. In December 2006, he registered an online store called Guoguo Beauty Shop on Taobao. Surprisingly, because the prices of the goods were cheaper than those in ordinary online stores, Huang Rui's backlog of goods was suddenly sold out and he made a small profit. Huang Rui sensed huge business opportunities. So Huang Rui spent nearly 10,000 yuan from selling inventory to buy more than 40 kinds of cosmetics, selling them online at nearly zero profit prices to build popularity. In less than two months, the credibility of Huang Rui's online store on Taobao has soared, and there are more and more repeat customers. Starting from the third month, Guoguo Beauty Shop has made a small profit.
After two years, I actually made 500,000 yuan.
Get a double harvest in love and career
Huang Rui was not content with the status quo. He put a second-hand container in the small single room he rented and started operating a physical store online. Lu Jing was responsible for daily affairs. This makes Chongqing buyers on Taobao very happy, and more and more customers come to visit. In January 2008, Huang Rui rented a one-bedroom, one-living office building in Shapingba Times Star as a store and hired two salespeople. In May of the same year, Huang Rui registered his own company and had his own trademark.
In March this year, Huang Rui opened a branch in Jiangbei Maoye Office Building. Their online store has become one of the most popular cosmetics stores in Chongqing on Taobao. Huang Rui told reporters that he is also preparing to develop a chain franchise business model. And he and Lu Jing's seven-year long love journey will also reap its rewards. Next year, they will hold hands and enter the marriage hall.