In 2007, Yang Shiming was going to sell his mobile phone from shenzhen huaqiang to his hometown of Dali, Yunnan, but his mobile phone shop floated all over the street. Wandering at the crossroads of starting a business or working, maybe a lot of preparation? Escape from the north, Guangzhou and Shenzhen? The biggest problem faced by young people, even more troublesome, is how to get started without venture capital. Yang Shiming accidentally came into contact with walnuts and sold them online from scratch. Now? Merlin, Walnut King? Being well-known on the Internet, with annual sales of more than 3.2 million, Yang Shiming's story may inspire young people who have many questions and are interested in starting a business.
After marriage, the expenses increased and the assistant general manager resigned.
In 200 1 year, after graduating from shandong institute of business and technology at the age of 24, Yang Shiming came to Shenzhen to find a job of management training for a well-known moon cake company because of the recommendation of a senior brother. Thanks to hard work, his ability has improved rapidly. Two years later, he jumped to a company that provided fast-moving consumer goods and became an assistant to the general manager, earning seven or eight thousand yuan a month. ? Because the general manager and other bosses never come to the company more than twice a year, my assistant is the general manager's job? . Yang Shiming said that at that time, he was mainly responsible for the supply of a brand of paper towels in Shenzhen supermarket.
? After getting married, I found that my expenses have increased, and my monthly salary is only enough to live on. After the baby was born, I didn't think it would work. ? Yang Shiming said that in the workplace, his salary in this position is not low, and there is no room for high. Boil frogs in warm water? The country will only make you content with the status quo and lose the motivation to struggle. In 2007, he resolutely resigned and began to plan to start his own business, but at this time he found that he had little savings and could only do something. Small business? .
At first, he wanted to open a convenience store and found that the profit was too thin. Later, he thought of opening a duck neck to join a chain store. He found the person in charge of the brand's joining in Shenzhen and learned that the joining fee is 24,000 yuan plus 5,000 yuan deposit. These expenses are affordable.
In order to find a store, Yang Shiming found Xinzhou from Jing Tian in Futian District, Xiasha from Shangsha, and Xicun, Cuizhu, Reservoir and so on in the east gate of Luohu District, but almost never found it. Near the end of February, 65438+, he found a suitable location in Meilin, with a transfer fee of 35,000 yuan and a monthly rent of 3 100. He calculated that the decoration cost should be around 20,000 yuan, and the equipment and miscellaneous expenses should be around 20,000 yuan. But after waiting for two weeks, the other party replied that there were too many people joining the Shenzhen market, and then it really dropped.
Second sister found a package of gifts? Walnut business opportunities
Seeing that the year is approaching, Yang Shiming has been tossing for a long time but still? Unemployed? . By chance, he heard that a friend of Nanjing had a part-time job selling walnuts in Shimen, Hebei, and he could easily earn several thousand yuan a month. So, Yang Shiming took a friend to Futian and Buji two agricultural wholesale markets, and found that a catty of walnuts was about 18 yuan, while Carrefour had a special price of 34.8 yuan. Thinking that walnuts are easy to keep and transport and fast-moving consumer goods, Yang Shiming thinks that selling walnuts? Is there a door? .
A closer look reveals that the walnuts sold in Shenzhen market are mostly Yunnan walnuts and Xinjiang walnuts. Walnuts in Xinjiang are not in the majority because of their long distance and high cost. The best-selling walnut is actually the' Yunnan Walnut' in my hometown, which is very popular because of its thin skin and good kernel. Yang Shiming said that he suddenly remembered that his second sister brought him a bag of walnuts when she came to Guangzhou for a meeting, so she bought some from the wholesale market for comparison. She even found a historical document about this walnut variety from the Internet. Tan Cui, an Anhui native in the Qing Dynasty, said in Zhi Heng in Yunnan. Walnut is topped by the overflow river, and its shell is thin and can be broken by pinching. ? And this Yangyang county is just west of his hometown Dali.
? At that time, I quickly called my second sister and asked her how much she bought locally. The answer is profitable. ? Yang Shiming said that with freight and loss, it should be cheaper to pull to Shenzhen than to supermarket.
Walnut is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, as well as a large number of vitamins and trace elements. It has always been very popular with consumers in the market, and its sales volume should be quite large. ? Walnut road? After choosing, what should I do next? Wholesale or retail? Deep processing or shopping mall? Rent a counter or pick a bag to sell?
Walnuts are sold in the streets and alleys of Shenzhen. Due to the uneven quality, vendors have basically tarnished the reputation of retail walnuts, and all they buy back are empty-shell iron walnuts that can't be broken. How can Yang Canshiming save the reputation of a commodity by himself?
The cost is less, blocking the online sales of traditional commercial routes has become the only choice.
If you want to run fast, of course, supermarkets are faster. If we rely on the ready-made credit platform, shopping malls and supermarkets will be better. But for many years, Yang Shiming's only job is to be a supplier of many supermarkets in Shenzhen, and he knows all about the ups and downs and the inside story.
? We sell fast-moving consumer goods that everyone eats, and they are also well-known brands, including entrance fees, bar code fees, store celebration sponsorship fees, company annual sponsorship fees, festival sponsorship fees, annual sponsorship fees, logistics storage fees, and even sales rebates, promotion fees (including poster fees, shelf fees, stacking fees) and other expenses will basically account for 65,438+of the sales amount. ? Yang Shiming said that these are still small things. What he fears most about this small business is to settle the payment after pressing. Many supermarkets press dealers to pay for 60 days, some even as long as 90 days. In the meantime, if there is a shortage of goods or less delivery, a fine will be paid.
Touching the shriveled pocket, Yang Shiming quickly gave up the idea of selling walnuts from his hometown to the supermarket. How about renting a store and opening a specialty store? Although the cost is relatively low, the sales channels are very limited and it is impossible to do it well. ? For today's young people, the traditional entrepreneurial route is basically not feasible because there is too little initial venture capital. So there's only one channel left? Network. ? Yang Shiming said that with the arrival of the first Spring Festival after his resignation and the arrival of the snack food season, the consumption power of citizens will rise rapidly, and he decided to try his luck online.
He asked his second sister to buy more than 400 kilograms and put it at home. After eight days' long journey, in mid-June, 2008, the walnut consigned by car finally arrived in Shenzhen from Yunnan. Yang Shiming immediately began to advertise in BBS and flea market of various portal websites in Shenzhen. ? I promise to buy 3 Jin for free. When I send walnuts, I also let the buyers taste them first. If they feel bad, they must leave at once. ? Yang Shiming said that due to the good timing and the fact that the first batch of walnuts only sold 18 yuan a catty to open the market, more than a dozen customers came in one day and sold an average of twenty or thirty kilograms. Yang Shiming chooses to take a bus to a district every day. He shuttles between various districts in Shenzhen every day. Gradually, his? Repeat customers? More.
Reserve+organize results? Merlin, Walnut King?
The advantage of selling in bits and pieces is that there is little capital, but the disadvantage is that the product quality is unstable. Moreover, it is difficult for this natural agricultural product to achieve industrial standardization like industrial products, and the price will fluctuate with the seasons. In 2008, Yang Shiming's father bought him a batch of specialty walnuts in his hometown. Grass stone? Because it looks like nutmeg, which is a common name? Amomum tsao? An edible spice with rectangular shape, thin shell, crisp meat and slightly sweet taste. Two walnuts put together in your hand can crush the skin, which is very popular with customers.
? At that time, I thought it necessary to solve the problem of quality and price fluctuation. The regional characteristics of agricultural products are very obvious. Just like Dahongpao, really good products are very limited. ? Yang Shiming said that at this time, he made a bold decision. Every September, when local walnuts are listed, he will hoard a lot. The climate in his hometown is dry and cool, and there is a large space for storing walnuts. For the first time, I was afraid. I bought 5 tons at a price of more than 40 thousand yuan a ton and sold out in February. This gave him great courage. Now he has invested at least 400,000 yuan, but he has ensured that walnut buyers can eat walnuts with stable quality and stable price.
In the Spring Festival of 2009, due to the increasing demand of customers, Yang Shiming opened a Taobao shop. He adopted two important business models and gradually began to sell walnuts to the whole country.
First, he rented Sungang warehouse as a walnut transit station, where he reached a storage agreement with a businessman who made drinks. The off-season of winter drinks is the peak season for walnut sales. The truck brought walnuts from Yang Shiming's hometown and put them here. Yang Shiming paid more rent. This complementary partner system greatly dilutes the cost, but ensures the delivery speed of the goods, and the buyer can receive the goods in time. Secondly, although Yang Shiming bought a car for delivery, he found that the cost was not low. With the gradual increase in sales, he finally has the capital to negotiate the price with the courier company. He started with the price of 3 kg 5 yuan Express, and the preferential price of more than 1 kg 1 yuan solved the problem of not letting customers wait. Now, although the monthly fee to the courier company is 1000 yuan, Yang Shiming sells more and more walnuts.
I worked in the field of consumer goods before resigning, and now I have brought experience to Yang Shiming. The customer's consumption experience is that one of the walnuts in a big bag is small, which will make him feel that the boss is suspected of cutting corners, not to mention empty shells or iron walnuts. ? Yang Shiming said that in the virtual sales network, only sincerity can open up sales, and the only way out is to standardize as much as possible. He employs four employees in Merlin's shop, two of whom are responsible for packaging and grading the warehouse. At present, his three varieties of walnuts are divided into seven or eight grades, not only by size, but also by taste.
? If you spend this price, you will have a pre-judgment of the goods, so the quality will not fluctuate too much, so more and more customers will buy them again. This also let me get rid of the low price temptation of general online stores. Now about 30 yuan a catty, her performance has been soaring for more than three years, and the reputation of Merlin Walnut King has gradually spread on the Internet. ? Yang Shiming said.
? Thin walnuts? Occupy the pregnant women market
Because walnuts are rich in special nutrients, many pregnant women will supplement nuts in large quantities. At that time, Yang Shiming didn't realize that pregnant women were a big market, but he found that there were many pregnant women who bought walnuts. Yang Shiming realized that the market potential of pregnant women is huge.
? Ordinary people are not as familiar with walnuts as I am, and the taste is very different. Old people, pregnant women and children all need different recommendations. ? Yang Shiming said that generally fat walnuts have high oil content and are popular with the elderly, while thin walnuts are refreshing and sweet and suitable for pregnant women. After studying this doorway, Yang Shiming consciously broke into the mother group, pregnant women forum and other places to advertise, and even contacted these group owners regularly to communicate, and the activities would also send some small gifts. Now, Yang Shiming also cooperates with a post-natal rehabilitation institution in Nanshan to promote his own walnuts. Everything comes to him who waits. Now, pregnant women account for more than one-third of Yang Shiming's walnut purchase group.
And then what? Office snacks? Was it created by Yang Shiming? Thousands of tablets? This brand is another important measure to win the female market.
? When I was selling walnuts, I found that many women in institutions and large enterprises often buy walnuts in large quantities in partnership. Besides taking it home, it is often eaten as a snack. ? Yang Shiming said that snack foods, including pistachios, almonds, dried plums and raisins, are all processed and fried, and taste better than walnuts, but they are not necessarily more in line with modern people's health concepts. So he made a small tasting bag with only three or four walnuts, stuffed it with small cards from his online shop and sent it to some office buildings where women were concentrated. Women who meet in the elevator will take the initiative to give them a taste, which has won a good reputation among white-collar women. Online praise made his shop quickly become the crown seller of Taobao, and also let him sell Yunnan walnuts to the Yangtze River Delta and even Beijing and Tianjin.
Selling moon cakes in the off-season fills the vacancy of walnuts.
Yang Shiming, who has sold 28 tons of walnuts this year, is still thinking. ? Every September, one month before the new walnuts come on the market, I basically sell almost all of them. In the off-season, I contacted the manufacturer of moon cakes and wanted to buy some moon cakes to fill the vacancy. Because selling walnuts has accumulated a good reputation, moon cakes are also better to sell. Last year, they sold more than 800,000 yuan. ? Yang Shiming said that this unexpected gain was also unexpected.
The reporter saw some dates, macadamia nuts and pecans in Yang Shiming's shop yesterday. He told reporters: because I have always promised 3 kg of postage, but in real life, some sellers often like to eat fresh food, but they want to pack it if they can't buy 3 kg. I think if there is something related to snack food, the buyer may accept it. ? In this way, he first introduced Xinjiang jujube and some nuts that citizens like to eat during the Spring Festival. As a result, they sold very well in the Spring Festival of 20 10, which became a very favorable supplement to the main business of walnuts.
When the reporter asked Yang Shiming what advice you have for friends who plan to start their own businesses, he said: Friends who want to start their own businesses, we can't expect long-term profiteering in the industry. When you hear that so-and-so has made a lot of money, it is impossible to have such a high profit most of the time when you follow. Pioneers can earn money in addition to vision, in fact, they bear huge risks and market development, such as high-tech industries; There are also long-term stable high profits, such as monopoly industries, which you and I can't do. Open channels online and work hard offline, so that business can continue. ?
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