A Tesla Model 3 car needs at least 265,700 yuan, while a case of 5L*6 Nongfu Spring bottled water only needs 58 yuan. The price difference between the company's products is more than 4500 times, while the wealth difference between the founders is only 2.32 times.
Faced with such a gap, how did Zhong Shanshan squeeze into the rich list with a bottle of water and become the richest man in Asia?
A bricklayer who dropped out of fifth grade.
I also have big dreams in my heart.
Zhong Shanshan was born in Hangzhou, 1954. In the fifth grade of primary school, the family suddenly changed, and Zhong Shanshan was forced to drop out of school and start making a living by himself. He used to be a mason and a carpenter.
At a young age, he is not content with this. 1977 resumed the college entrance examination. Zhong Shanshan took the exam twice in a row, but in the end he missed by 20 points. Both college entrance examinations ended in failure. At the suggestion of his parents, Zhong Shanshan entered the TV University and was admitted to Zhejiang Daily.
"Abandoning the Literature and Going to the Sea", Hainan Gold Rush
Create a healthy hall turtle pill and get the first bucket of gold.
1988, Hainan Special Economic Zone was established. With the vigorous coverage of the gold rush in Hainan by Economic Daily, Zhong Shanshan finally resigned from Zhejiang Daily and abandoned literature to go to Hainan.
At the beginning of his business, Zhong Shanshan planted mushrooms and raised prawns, but they all ended in failure and he was in debt. Zhong Shanshan felt depressed and depressed, but his depressed life didn't crush him.
Three years later, Zhong Shanshan became the general agent of Wahaha in Guangxi and Hainan, and accumulated operating funds.
1993, Zhong Shanshan established the health care company "Health Care Hall" and launched the product "tortoise and turtle health care pill", claiming that "this pill takes natural tortoise and turtle as raw material, and the whole turtle is turned into micro powder through processing technology".
Taking health care as a gimmick and natural raw materials as quality assurance, "tortoise and turtle health pills" were snapped up on the first day. In just one year, "tortoise and turtle health pills" were sold from Hainan to the whole country, and Zhong Shanshan earned the first bucket of gold in his life, up to100000.
The health care industry is lost.
Switch to drinking water
With the increasing saturation of the health care products market, it is constantly found that brands are using hormones that are not conducive to children, and a large number of health care products companies have fallen. How long can turtle health pills take? Therefore, Zhong Shanshan began to consider changing the market.
From 65438 to 0996, Zhong Shanshan founded the predecessor of Nongfu Spring-Zhejiang Qiandao Lake Health Center Drinking Water Co., Ltd., and the development of Nongfu Spring can be described as "triumphant progress".
First, it sponsored the 1998 World Cup to increase the exposure, and at the same time, it played a famous advertising slogan: "Nongfu Spring, a little sweet".
Then in 2000, Zhong Shanshan planned a massive "water war", claiming that drinking pure water for a long time was harmful to human health, and introduced natural water, singling out pure water enterprises all over the country, which led to the joint condemnation of pure water enterprises.
In the face of peer crusade, Zhong Shanshan paid no attention. While struggling with fellow merchants, he threw out the slogan "We don't produce water, we are just porters of nature".
This commercial war in Zhong Shanshan without smoke was a great success. By 200 1, only five years later, Zhong Shanshan has achieved the first market share of Nongfu Spring natural water in China.
Reputation is damaged, catch up.
Become a porter who is "the best at having children"
"20 13 is fatal to Nongfu Spring, and it has not recovered yet."
20 13 What happened?
20 13 Nongfu Spring was caught in the "Standard Gate Incident". Jinghua Times reported a series of problems about drinking water safety in Nongfu Spring on the 28th. The water in Nongfu Spring has been hyped as inferior to tap water, and many citizens' concerns about drinking water have damaged the reputation of Nongfu Spring.
This fierce battle made Zhong Shanshan feel the pain of "walking on one leg". As a result, more than ten products such as "Farmer's Orchard", "Mom's Beef", "Shout" and "Happy Growth" came out one after another. Therefore, it was also rated as "the boss who can give birth to children among entrepreneurs in China".
Insight into the market
Health is one of the trump cards of the richest man.
Whether it is Nongfu Spring or Turtle Health Pill, health is always the pursuit of Zhong Shanshan.
During the water war of 200 1, Zhong Shanshan purchased 95% shares of Wan Tai Bio through Health Care Hall, and Wan Tai Bio became a subsidiary of Health Care Hall.
With the development of HPV vaccine, varicella vaccine and rotavirus vaccine, Wan Tai Bio entered the vaccine market in 2020, and gained 26 daily limit boards in succession, becoming the most beautiful child in A-shares, with the current market value exceeding 70 billion yuan.
In this big country with a population of1400 million, health is an eternal theme. Healthy eating and drinking.
Zhong Shanshan is good at understanding users' needs in different periods, and is better at labeling products appropriately. When entrepreneurs can find an outlet for users' health anxiety, so that users can eat and drink healthier and have a sense of identity, the balance of wealth will naturally tilt.