The history of civilization in China is interesting to read: "As with the Apollo Moon mission, the 6 voyages of Zheng He in 1405-1424 also showed a great deal of wealth and high technology." Sending a Chinese eunuch to the East African coast in 1416 was comparable to the 1969 move to send American astronauts to the moon. However, the heir to the emperor Yongle abruptly abolished the cause of ocean exploration, and the economic benefits of Zheng He's achievements were negligible. Niall, a British financial historian, wrote in the book "Civilization".
The internet has changed everything. An entrepreneur who came back from Silicon Valley moved investors: "The world's first VC is the Queen of Spain to invest in Columbus discovery of the new continent, every Columbus behind a Spanish queen, a nautical culture of the Orchid Pavilion set Shang do Columbus, you want to be my queen of Spain." "Five years later, June 6, 2013, China's largest foreign trade in the business of the market," the IPO of the new NYSE Pavilion, is the first in 2013 is also the only one to the United States listed a successful Chinese companies. August 8, the Orchid Pavilion set potential stock prices hit a new high, up to 19.30 U.S. dollars, the market value of nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars.
Orchid Pavilion Set potential chairman and CEO Guo went to the disease evaluation of Zheng He under the Western ocean: "China's land is very large, no one more acres of people care." "He's glued to the earth that's been leveled by the Internet. July 17, Guo went to the first Chinese media interview after the listing. He said: "Global electric business We are a more successful one, there are contingency and inevitability, inevitability is our innate DNA of globalization." ”
The internet is destroying the barriers to global trade. Suzhou Huqiu Camellia Village wedding industry accounted for 70% of the domestic market, mostly low and messy workshops, relying on electric fans to drive away the sultry humid climate. The wedding dress starts from here, the traditional route is "factory-exporter-importer-wholesaler-retailer-consumer". The emergence of foreign trade manufacturers, the path has been simplified as "Chinese factory-network retailer-overseas consumers." In the 200 million dollar annual sales of the Orchid pavilion, clothing accounted for 40%, the wedding is one of the core products.
LAN Pavilion Set the potential of the Shenzhen warehouse piled a variety of "Made in China", clothing, electronic products, toys, jewelry, home and sporting goods, such as the 14 categories, workers busy boxing, customs, and then through UPS, DHL and other international express, four or five days later to the global consumer hands. This is a vivid footnote to the "World is Flat". But in the world's huge retail arena, the Orchid Pavilion is not strong enough, competitors are too fierce. 2012 revenue of 61 billion U.S. dollars in the Amazon opened the global shop plan, the same year, nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars in Beijing East also launched an international strategy, the introduction of English version, for more than 35 countries and regions, there are more than 400,000 kinds of Chinese goods to buy.
Guo to disease ambition, hope Orchid Pavilion set potential to become a global C2B electric business. He made a metaphor, "we finally have to solve is to make the retail industry into a c2b, like the eagle to catch chickens, customers are eagles, we are hens, production enterprises are the chickens behind." Where the customer moves, the hen moves, and the chick moves along with the hen. "There will be a more accurate word than retail in the future to describe C2B's business form and help everyone find what they want in an era of overcapacity," he said.
This may be more difficult than Google redefining the search, and Apple redefining the phone, because it resists the distance and time between the physical world and the two invincible spells.
Orchid Pavilion Gathering potential meeting room name with the foreign taste, uses the San Francisco JIU Flower Street, the Aegean Sea and so on named. Only the meeting room of the week meeting was named after Guo, called "truth". "In addition to creating value for our customers and shareholders, the biggest personal value for me is to practice using math to manage business and find truth." The arrogance of Guo's disease is supported by facts and speaks with results.
Why did Guo go to Columbus, the internet age? This year's 38-Year-old Guo has a beautiful resume: China, Microsoft, Stanford MBA, Amazon, Google. 1984, 9-Year-old Guo to disease and mother from Chengdu, take the train along the Longhai line for the first time to Beijing. 1999, Guo went to the last train through the Longhai line, the scenery is still barren mountain and loess dug into caves. The Longhai line is a Chinese artery that runs through Eastern Europe and Asia, and Western farmers go to the east Coast factory to work--and later, overseas returnees, to find business opportunities in these factories.
He was hopeful that he would embark on the American continent, and from 1999 to 2005, he had witnessed many miracles in Silicon Valley and was deeply affected by the spirit of adventure. "I'm from Sichuan, and the valley has washed my blood," he said. "In the world's three Best companies: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, he learned the development of software, retail companies of the budget (Amazon with cheap paper to make business cards to impress him), using data to speak and innovative spirit."
Guo to ask Bill Gates, MSN and AOL can win? The latter replied: "Competitors cannot win altogether." This sentence he remembers all his life. He reported to Amazon founder Bezos, who told him: "You have to make eye contact with me." "Remember when," These people give you a high benchmark, why you did not encounter the ceiling of the realm, because you and the master dialogue. ”
The Orchid Pavilion is selling Chinese goods directly to overseas consumers through the Internet. Two years ago, Guo went to the disease and said: "I think, many domestic entrepreneurs, China's door is the ceiling of his imagination." ”
2003, Guo went to the Stanford MBA, his Study Group 6 people, a total of two listed companies: Trulia, Orchid Pavilion set potential. He loves Stanford, a mix of flashy, adventurous, low-key and unassuming qualities. From Seattle to Stanford, driving 800 miles alone for 14 hours, the next day opened his eyes, and Guo went on to feel: "My life has changed." He didn't miss a lecture from a master. Mr. Jobs's famous speech at Stanford's graduation ceremony in 2005, he was under the table. He did not miss a party, from the world's second generation of rich day study, enthusiastic entrepreneurship and public welfare, at night in a big house with a swimming pool, with every 15 minutes of the shuttle bus to transfer students.
Stanford: The chairman of Cisco's board went into the classroom wearing a vest like a school worker, and another unattractive lecturer, Intel and EA, was his investment case. Guo went on to find a strong sense of identity at Stanford, which was not available at China, the University of Illinois, and Microsoft. He is not an academic who focuses on research, nor is he a geek who loves programming. At Stanford, Guo, who is a flamboyant personality, is a duck to fish. He loves organizing activities, wide connections, received a classmate "you speak today very good" mail let him meet, "we are the same kind of people, no envy envy hate, mutual motivation." "Generally speaking, China is a repressed personality of the society, personalized publicity to pay the price as a prerequisite, at Stanford, you high jump on the table, everyone applaud for you." "In 2005, the founder of New Oriental, the founder of the Xiaoping to Stanford to find investment opportunities, he met a lot of people, but Guo to the disease invited him to participate in the party." He felt Guo was smart and friendly, hoping Guo would invest with him and talk about the project every day in a big house with a swimming pool. Xiaoping was the first angel investor in the Orchid Pavilion, which offered 100,000 dollars in start-up funds for the company at the end of 2006. Xu, a 6.8% stake in the Orchid Pavilion, is one of the most successful angel investment cases in China, with a share value of $40 million and 400 times times the value of the market at $600 million.
In 2009, Guo went on a 11.27 million-dollar B-round financing. He borrowed Xiaoping's big house to hold a party and invited many guests. Guo went to the rush to say: "China 5,000 years, not a global business brand, Orchid Pavilion set Shang do." "It shook Xiaoping.
2007 was born in the financial crisis period, the Orchid Pavilion gathering potential coincides with its time. The shrinking of overseas orders has led to a massive collapse of Chinese businesses specializing in foreign trade, and China has come to an end by pushing down labor costs in exchange for the market's OEM model. Industry needs transformation and upgrading.
Guo said: "China's domestic market is too big, so the global dynamics of Chinese companies are not strong, the vast majority of successful enterprises in China, is to use the specificity of the Chinese market, rapid replication of a global proven business model or product." And the United States, Europe, South Korea's enterprises, is to seize the ça market essence of the law in the global success. ”
Orchid Pavilion Set potential directly for overseas consumers to sell wedding dresses, expand the size of the Suzhou Huqiu Wedding Workshop, installation of fluorescent lamps and air-conditioning, rectification of the assembly line, improve quality inspection standards, to many varieties, small quantities, rapid sales of the way to transform the supply chain. Orchid Pavilion Set Potential inventory turnover of more than 20 times a year, traditional foreign trade enterprises only 3-5 times a year. Directly with overseas consumers docking pavilion set potential to the supplier higher profit margins, more timely settlement of funds-the average 30 days to do the settlement, far more than the traditional foreign trade companies 60 days to 180 days.
According to the wedding report, the average price of a wedding dress in the United States was 1166 dollars in 2011, while the average price for the Orchid Pavilion was just 209 dollars. With China's low-cost export-oriented manufacturing base, global payment and logistics solutions, and global network marketing capabilities, the users of the pavilion have grown from 30,000 in 2008 to 2.5 million in 2012, with revenues rising from 58.7 million U.S. dollars in 2010 to $200 million in 2012. It now sells in 22 languages, and Guo is ready to go on several languages. He is also considering setting up an overseas sourcing center, which may be the first to set up a point, because South Korea has many excellent designers in the apparel and accessories industry.
A global online retail market is spreading. According to market research company Euromonitor Statistics, 2012 global network retail sales revenue amounted to 521 billion U.S. dollars, and will increase by 17.7% annual compound growth rate, to 849 billion U.S. dollars by 2015. The total size of Chinese-made consumer goods in the global online retail market will increase from $1.7 billion trillion in 2012 to $9 billion in 2015 and a composite growth rate of 75.8% annually, according to the consultancy.
Orchid Pavilion is a small United Nations, the people of all colors gathered together. Its 2013 "Marco Polo Plan", from France, Italy, Spain directly recruit talent to China. The biggest challenge for Guo to go from Google to China was to become the manager of a diverse team of smart people, from a single smart person.
Xiaoping said Guo to disease is "cold wisdom and hot violence classic combination." Guo went to the cold calm, logical meticulous, and has eloquent eloquence of the speaker, in the momentum of overwhelming each other. Another angel investor, a former Google Chinese colleague, Zhou Zhe, said: "I know a lot of smart people, but there are not many smart people like him who can express themselves." ”
It is difficult to persuade Guo to go to the disease. Zhou Zhe said: "He has his own logic, unless you have data." He is not arguing with you, he thinks you are naïve. He later told Zhou Zhe, "tube people do not like the tube products, products have no feelings." "In the history of the Orchid Pavilion, there are 2000 employees (including workers) lost, of which" outstanding staff of less than 200 "(Guo to disease language). It is now 1200 people.
Guo went to the disease that he is now the challenge is that the original company of the people of Higher Self, now do the electric business, meet a lot of ordinary people, not everyone wants to become a great entrepreneur. He needs to pay more attention to these people's demands.
He learned from Kai-fu Lee and tolerance, but also learned in the humanized management and institutionalized management of the balance between the strict system, but also a human touch. Kai-Fu Lee evaluation Guo go to disease: "He is a high-handed genius, I prefer tolerance, support decentralization." Each has its own advantages. "He has been smooth sailing, lack of a little humility, but he has made progress, now this is almost, and then make progress to turn him into a sleek person, also meaningless." Lee said. Speaking of strong, Guo went to the disease retorted: "Do you think I more powerful than Liu, Zhou?" I think my strongest moment is when the point of view is the opposite of the truth and I'm going to pull it back. If a strong claim is to build authority, it is worthless. If it is to find the truth, strength is to sacrifice themselves, to fulfill the cause. ”
Guo is likely to become the next big shot, but foreign trade can not have a great impact at home. Ma Yun really has influence in the country, also do Taobao after. Internet watcher Bo said.
March 2013, Orchid Pavilion set potential deputy underwriters, Huaxing Capital President Baofan recommended Guo to go to the market at any price, at that time is the window period. Baofan said: "Alan (Guo's English name) strategic thinking strong, the general direction to see clearly, just met, his academic flavor is a little heavier, the foreign taste heavier, now more mature, the mentality is also much more peaceful." ”
The pavilion may be the fastest-priced company in history, with only 15 minutes to set a price of 9.5 dollars. Guo went to the disease and said: "You have to figure out who is pricing, do not judge the situation wrong." Only a handful of big funds have pricing power, and they are more willing to buy at 9.5 dollars. You always have to leave room to make your post potential better. Our focus is not on listing prices, but on building a long-term investor trust for the company. He likened the Orchid pavilion to Spider-Man. "There are two superheroes in American culture, a Superman born to be a superhero, and a Spider-Man who learns all kinds of technical evolution." Some companies are born to be evergreen, and some are from good to excellent. We are the latter. ”
Road Show, some investors asked, sell wedding dress to the United States, return goods how to solve? This is not a problem early on. Orchid Pavilion Set potential each return process revision, Guo go to the disease send a lot of mail questions, will be fine to "Shenzhen new warehouse temperature is how?" Is the worker comfortable? "To implement the mobile strategy, he told Orchid Pavilion Creative Marketing and PR director Linjia, want to learn iOS programming, the latter joke: you are going to let programmers have no food to eat?"
Using data to speak, this is Guo's experience in Google Learning. In the Orchid Pavilion, he implemented AB test, small-scale test successfully again large-scale implementation, quick decision, fast operation. "A small problem, the first time I saw not to say, three times four times to see before proposed, this is not I can not stand, but the mathematical induction, has a certain representativeness." He also used the term "rules of the game" and disliked "Chinese-style wisdom": "It's about how to deal with complex interpersonal relationships, and it's dark science." If the relationship is always the most robust, individual weakness, the community may not develop. ”
Within the bounds of the rules of the game, Guo to disease and has the cunning of Sichuan people. When the Chinese government asked Google China to apologize for something, Kai-Fu Lee and the United States headquarters to communicate, headquarters said can not apologize more impossible to admit the law. When Google China's chief strategy officer Guo to the disease suggested to write an e-mail, the wording of Chinese sounds is an apology, English sounds is not illegal. He and Kai-fu Lee in a word, a word to pick words: "We have a wrong understanding of your laws (miss Understanding), regrets." "Kai-Fu Lee said:" This can not be said to be a good translation, but can not be said to be deceptive, anyway, the Chinese government is more concerned about your apology. ”
He is bold and sometimes unexpected. In order to give Google China Shanghai branch of the lunch subsidy only 15 yuan interns to fight with the same treatment of the official staff-before repeatedly reflected in the past, Guo to provoke a dispute with the U.S. headquarters HR, secretly cc Google then CEO Schmidt. American HR wrote many strange reasons to evade, all fall into Schmidt's eyes. The matter was soon settled. Taoning, the chief operating officer of the company's China operations director and Innovation workshop, said: "Who wants to find a global CEO for an intern for a lunch subsidy?" He would dare to do such a thing. He follows the rules of the game and believes it is effective to take this approach to correcting the wrong behavior that does not conform to Google's culture in the company that pursues equality. ”
But the sale of "Made in China", orchid Pavilion is difficult to avoid the problem of Shanzhai. Guo went to disease said: "The process of industrialization, each country has a cottage stage." I don't think the cottage itself is evil or wrong, but you have to operate within the bounds of the rules of the game and grasp the distance between imitation and plagiarism. ”
Orchid Pavilion Set potential early hire the United States law firm, the current products sold in more than 200 countries, has not encountered intellectual property lawsuits.
The lobby of Fidelity Fund, the largest fund management company in the United States, is crowded and bustling like a train station. Road in the performance of Guo to disease originally thought Chinese enterprises to return to the United States listing, is glory hometown. In Fidelity, he realised that even companies with billions of dollars in Google's market capitalisation were only drop in the ocean of capital. "Everyone is very busy, do not have a lot of time to listen to your story, not much time to tolerate your integrity flaws." "He felt that the credibility of Chinese enterprises has caused far-reaching damage to Chinese brands, and some investors vowed never to buy the shares," the others from scratch, we start with negative numbers. ”
After the IPO back to Beijing celebration, Chengdu fellow, Sogou CEO Wang Xiaoquan asked Guo to disease: "Ring bell that moment, do you have ripples in mind?" Guo went to the disease to answer: No. Although that day is very special, but there is no mixed emotions, this is a happy party, tomorrow morning to do what to do. ”
But even in the rules of the game Guo to disease, also made mistakes in the procedure. In 2007, Guo Liu, vice president of senior operations, was beaming to tell Xiaoping that they had found a new partner and gave him a 20% stake. Xiaoping wrote that dilution of shares is a big event, shareholders have the right to go approval process. Guo go to the disease reply to admit mistakes. "Their motives were absolutely immaculate, but I came out of the new east and knew the importance of the procedure." Even if Liu is vice president of Amazon China, Guo is coming back from Stanford, and they still have room to study on many issues because the market economy is still in infancy in China. "Xiaoping said.
In 2009, Guo went to the disease's birthday party, came to Kai-Fu Lee, Xiaoping and Stanford alumni, such as fifty or sixty people. Guo went to the disease and said: "Did you find it?" Most of the present are returning home after 2005. 2005 is the symbol of China's return to high-end talent, Harvard, Stanford MBA a large number back. "Xiaoping into memories:" In red wine, vodka, champagne, I feel the history of the river splashed a spray of a moment, worth remembering. ”
Why not do it in the Chinese market? Guo said: "The Chinese market is very big, but the competition is fierce." The most important thing is to always meet the opportunity. It is part of the seafaring culture to go around difficulties. You have seen "the fantasy drift of the youth faction" to know that in the sea, the larger fleet is also drop. The mainland culture is a list of small mountains, with imperial feelings. "Can this modern Columbus lead the orchid pavilion around the Amazon?"