Game "nouveau riche" Chovanri: from only 7 dollars to the day of millions

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As an open platform for Tencent's 7th game, is also the first strategic social game, "Houle three" once occupied half of the Tencent platform, the monthly income reached tens of millions of yuan.

Article | Lingwenting Photography | Wong rehabilitated

If you make a list of the few successful people on the Chinese Internet platform, the first should be the Houle game. To speak more directly, is "Houle Three Kingdoms". As an open platform for Tencent's 7th game, is also the first strategic social game, "Houle three" once occupied half of the Tencent platform, the monthly income reached tens of millions of yuan. To know, the so-called Internet open platform, Tencent alone, more than half market share belongs to penguins. The rapid success of the Three Kingdoms is almost equal to the Houle of the farming and fisheries practitioners.

At the beginning of last year, the "Houle Three Kingdoms" featured a slight social and partial net-game design idea that made the person's eyes bright. This is the closest to the traditional heavy players of a social game, natural for the open platform. For a time, almost everyone is talking about "Houle", but do not know where to come from a person who made such a lucrative game. So far, "Houle three" has created hundreds of millions of yuan income. In the 2011 Apple Store rewind China sales list, "Houle" iphone edition ranked the best-selling game of the year first.

Chovanri really came out of it. Before he started the Houle game, he was not an Internet insider, a gamer, a product, or a technical background. In the outside world, the founder of the Houle game is almost a mystery. A few insiders knew he had a nickname called "Chowa," but didn't know what it looked like. For his Chen, people can only from the early game of the Gold Digger, and other people looking for clues.

This is an entrepreneur who is always in the "Flip wall" state. 2001 University graduation, Chovanri into the Chinese Academy of Sciences System, the first 3 years with others part-time business. 2008, Joe and his partner Huang Jian about million dollars, assembled a gang of little brother two times. Overheard Americans playing social games, thinking that the game was lucrative, he crashed into a completely unfamiliar industry. The first game "Houle Hotel" in Renren small, followed by the "Houle Three Kingdoms" a gun became popular. But in the production of "Houle three", Joe Wanli actually do not play the entry-level happy farm.

Nouveau riche, a lot of people commented on him. Joe Wanli noncommittal. "But you know, I've been up for 8 years." I succeeded in resisting the war. Today I look at any entrepreneur, the suffering they have experienced, I have experienced. "Chovanri to the" entrepreneurial State ". This is the first time he officially told the media about his own business and struggle, he put the "My Struggle" of Joe Wanli condensed into 4 words: cock silk reverse attack.

Big break

The first game "Houle Hotel" is Chovanri organized a number of Chinese Academy of Sciences graduate students to do, the response is good. It and the "farm" series, "Happy Aquarium" is almost Renren's most popular social games, the best time each month has hundreds of thousands of yuan.

The first taste of Joe Wanli soon to the "Houle hotel" to the millions of yuan contract price to a leading company in the industry, he intends to use the money to create a more successful game. 2010 a year, Joe Wanli and his wife, with twenty or thirty people, nest in Beijing Sigma apartment in a three, buried in the development of new games.

"As a layman to do Internet products, you must understand what people think, is how to think." Just be sure to know what your selling point is. Before there is a war theme of social games, plus friends to play this friend, this is not normal, also not in line with human nature. So I judged that the game must not be. "Chovanri said.

The research and development process of "Houle Three Kingdoms" is full of repetition and pain. Joe denied himself again and again. On the line, because of a technical problem, the entire team to endure four or five consecutive overnight. ' It was really hard that time, ' said Joe.

At the beginning of 2011, the strategic Game "Houle Three Kingdoms", which was based on the historical stories of the Three Kingdoms, was launched. The game takes into account the social factors, can arouse the interest of ordinary players, but also with the online game Welt, attracted a part of the traditional heavy players. In Tencent Friend Net, day active user is 400,000; April into the Q-zone, one months the user will be crazy, daily active volume jumped to 4 million, the highest peak when this number reached 10 million.

That means the Houle are starting to make a lot of money.

Chovanri thought it was crazy. "I go to the data every minute, and the data is refreshed every minute." The money went in a rushing way. One day, Joe found that the day has 4 million yuan, he began to sleep at night, every day in the community spend three or four hours non-stop walk back and forth. Later, he heard that Chen in the "legend" when the money can not sleep, a man ran to the park, on the bench inside a night.

"Houle" The most fire time, every day at least million dollars. Chovanri said to his wife: "My wife, my promise to you finally cashed." "But the sudden surge in wealth brought him a climax." "This is not today 100,000, tomorrow 200,000, the last cumulative then to 1 million, 2 million, but a bit will give you 1 million." "Just a few days ago, Chovanri learned a psychological knowledge: If 5 million is a large number, you suddenly get 5 million and a momentary loss of 5 million of the psychological trauma is the same."

In the face of this "comedy Trauma", Chovanri the most, "this is not true." Overnight, he became the legendary nouveau riche. But at the thought that it was the result of the 8-year war, I felt I deserved it. "I've been through so many years that I might be one step behind, and I'll be a long way off." In doing this business or even financing process, we have many times really is only one step will be the overall loss. We've faced too many such things. ”

I invest in myself

Houle game is not the first time for Chovanri to start a business.

After graduating from university in 2001, he stood on the floor of a research institute in CAS. On the first day there, he was very frustrated. The old scientist's life now will be his lifetime, and that life is not what he wants. In the 3rd year, Chovanri the whole savings out of a part-time venture. "I have to start a business early, otherwise, at 30 years old, there may be a lot of things I can't afford to lose." According to the present, I am making an investment, only then I cast myself. ”

The first company that Joe Wanli set up is the agent sales human resources software. He thinks it's a way to make money without cost, just by telemarketing. But they do not understand finance, go outside to pick up thousands of bus tickets, 1.1 Point paste up, think can take to reconcile. Qiao Wanli ego ridicule: "Can say, set up is a leather company".

A year down, do not earn back compensation. He reflects that reselling software does not have any core competencies and that he has to find a way to build a company's core competencies. Just as the best student of mechanical design in college was planning to resign from Acer, Joe persuaded him: "Come to Beijing and do what you are best at." ”

Chovanri The idea of a research institute and a college. Because the team has been in the University of Robotics accumulation, he found the National Robotics Laboratory, the possibility of undertaking a number of national research projects. Finally, he found the idea too naïve for the system to work.

After hitting the wall, they decided to develop robot toys. Chovanri found his buddy is a technical genius, more than 20 consecutive demo, are made with the help of smart mechanical design such as machine snakes, dinosaurs such toys. Another university classmate Guo is in charge of electronic technology in the form of part-time work under the persuasion of Joe Wanli. In this way, the team formed. Three people agreed, Chovanri is responsible for solving the financial problems and outreach issues, the other two people to deal with the technology and day-to-day operations. Company name "If state", in Huilongguan rented a house, office and residential.

Flash years passed, if the state has not produced any income, Chovanri urgent. For so many years, he has been spending a little money on the state. He had a wife, did not buy a house, and had 2 younger siblings waiting for them to subsidize their lives or go to college; at the most difficult time, the family had only 7 dollars left.

"Entrepreneurship for so many years, a few times have been forced to corner." Even when I was a Houle boss, I cried when I was doing it, you know? Just a thought, it's too damn easy. Venture to the present, I have never had a holiday. "In the corporate boardroom of Houle games, Chovanri said to the" entrepreneurial state. " The nearly 6000-square-metre office space is a new Houle game this year, located on the 4 floor of the National Convention Center near the bird's Nest, open and comfortable. Take the downstairs subway line Line 8, all the way to the north, a few stations can reach the state of the Huilongguan office.

Chovanri realized that if the state is the most lack of sales, to sell things to make money. In the Spring Festival of 2006, he wrote an e-mail to several toy companies in Hong Kong and abroad through a website called ZoomInfo. In the mail, he claims to be the technical force of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is doing various robot experiment products. Waking up early the next morning, he accidentally found several unread emails. Nasdaq listed companies Jakks Pacific, Hasbro and other world-renowned toy companies have shown good, willing to fly to China to discuss cooperation.

Chovanri brought his potential customers to the Huilongguan house. "Anyway, many companies in the United States are in the garage to start a business, I do not feel much shame." "To his surprise, someone really pulled out 30,000 dollars as a deposit of intent. But because the toys developed at that time from the so-called products still have a distance, if the state did not get orders. They barely lived on a 30,000-dollar deposit.

At that time, venture capital was no stranger to Chovanri and other entrepreneurs. Long-term use of pay-back if the situation is not return to the dilemma, let Joe had to accept the idea of VCs. He through the relationship to find an angel investors, with a small amount of equity financing two times a total of 250,000 yuan, if the state at the capital level of the value began to highlight. Later, a well-known domestic venture investment company to the state of capital injection millions of yuan.

But three of people disagree on the path and strategy of the company's development. Finally, the students responsible for mechanical design stripped off part of the business to go out and take the project route. Chovanri and another classmate Guo retained the state of the shares, the company also moved to Suzhou. After the founder of Houle game, Chovanri quit the position of the Chairman, only in which the role of small shareholders, this is something.

Solve the problem of money, Chovanri from the original more than 20 demo to pick out an "electronic mosaic dinosaur", ready for mass production sales. He judged that the product would be in hot pursuit of the market. Although all the streets are splicing toys, but the stitching up can also move toys, the market has not yet. The only thing that's jammed is that one of the processes doesn't work as well. According to the Division of Labor, Guo ran to Guangdong manufacturers there trial and stare production, a few late at night he could not help to call Chovanri said "I can not go on, I do not come out of this product."

After thinking about it, Joe Wanli thought there was no perfect product in the world. He told Guo: "As long as you feel the same time, first go out to sell it." "They went to a lot of exhibitions, they got a small amount of orders, and then got the national, German and American Education Toys Gold Award." Finally, if the state began to make money.

Chovanri Spit, then he thought, if again venture will not touch the hardware business again. "Because it's too hard. You have to worry about the production chain and worry about cash flow. We do is foreign trade business, there are 3 months of the return period. Someone has placed 4 million yuan order, I will smash 4 million yuan in. If the order is canceled, or if the freighter is knocked over by a big wave at sea, it will all be finished.

For a while, as the chairman of the state, Joe Wanli lived in a Twin Cities. If Suzhou if the state needs him to come forward, he will generally ask the Chinese Academy of Sciences for a day off, after work to change a suit, go straight to the airport, take the latest flight at about 1 o'clock in the morning to arrive in Shanghai, 6 o'clock in the morning again by train, to Suzhou is just 8 o ' clock work time. Deal with things finished, the same day he followed the same way back to Beijing, the third day in the morning to work in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Sometimes he commutes to Suzhou once a week, or even two times.

So far, the Suzhou state electronic mosaic dinosaur single Taiwan sales volume has exceeded 300,000, this year's sales are expected to approximate 30 million yuan. Chovanri said: "Adhere to the end, will eventually be able to rise." ”

I'm going to be a billionaire.

When graduating from college, Chovanri strongly hinted: "I must be a very successful person in the future." I just don't know where the road is. ”

He has a strong desire for success. He does not look like the so-called returnees, nor is it a famous elite out of a strong sense of the people. He is very practical, very eager to succeed, and very serious study. "A student at the Yajie Chamber of Commerce met Chovanri said.

Chovanri's strong desire to seek success in the first contact with Yes, Director general of the Qing branch, has been clearly felt. At that time, the Houle game in the West Mary apartment rented a three, inside stuffed with people. Yes and Chovanri hiding in the side of the balcony chatting, his feeling is: "Chovanri take your money, will be very desperately to do things." "Yes analysis, on the one hand, Chovanri to their own strong driving force, on the other hand, since the venture has not been recognized for a long time, it is also a stimulus to him.

Chovanri often talks with close friends and partners, "I will be a billionaire in the future." He longed for success so much that his friends could hardly understand it, or that it was a myth, or that such a person was far away from himself and could not appear beside him. He needs to find a way to prove himself to greater success.

Chovanri in the Chinese Academy of Sciences for almost 10 years, even then began to do Houle game, he still belongs to part-time business, and not completely out of the system. This state lasted for 2010 years. Long-term use of at, Qiao Wanli's explanation is: "At that time my biggest idea is to be the science and technology deputy mayor, this dream has not shattered; On the other hand, although from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to get less money, but there is a stage, if the state is really relying on my salary support, so cannot easily lose this job ”

In fact, in the face of entrepreneurship and the system, which is more close to the ideal, Chovanri has been wandering until the Houle game success. Many years later, he drank with Guo to talk about the inner course of the time, and Joe admits that he did swing.

Chovanri is a 1980 stranger, 1997 from the hometown of Jiangsu Lianyungang North Harbin University. He and the founder of the Sing Century alumni, are enrolled in engineering, but Jobbidago two session. Joe is very happy to talk about his experience in college, especially in the school of Mechanical and electrical college students work experience: "It gave me a rural children a lot of self-confidence, even can be said to be a kind of conceit, the impact on me is particularly big." I firmly believe that I can do anything in the future. ”

Joe was elected as Deputy secretary of the Youth League of Mechanical and Electrical College through the open channel of the school polling campaign. Because with a "deputy" word, he was once very depressed, want to become president of the student Union. After balancing the actual power behind the two posts, he resigned himself to the position. "We were directing people to the defense system at that time, and maybe we were more politically concerned about it," he said. ”

In fact, Joe himself is very enthusiastic about student work. He founded the literature Club, launched the Business Plan contest, the spare time to the school newspaper, and once studied the phenomenon of business students.

Big Four o'clock, Chovanri as the school student Work-Study Center in charge, the main responsibility is to the poor hair aid, is called the School Gang Master, "Chowa Lord" is so come, and used to date. The title is now posted on the office door of Houle's game. Houle is responsible for human resources performance work Chunhua, is Joe Wanli classmate. At that time he was in the student center as Joe's deputy, responsible for the student center bookkeeping, financial and money distribution.

In order to give his students a perfect career, before graduation, Joe and the University of the two partners to organize a group of Chinese college students on the frontier line. CCTV five sets of "Good Morning China" column and Heilongjiang TV "News Night" column with 10 days, about 15 people around the country participated in the event. Joe got the sponsorship of Ozark and Tex's top outdoor brands.

"The university has given me many opportunities, I once thought that the university student work basically is my life the culmination." Later, through the Houle game suddenly made money, I have several times this feeling. "In Chovanri's words, the university gave him a blind self-confidence and boundless scenery, supporting his nearly 8 years of entrepreneurial career."

In the eyes of classmates, Chovanri is lonely in college. "You can imagine the scene, he has a poor academic performance, often hung branch." Not because he is incapable, but because he does not put his mind to study. This led to the impression that he was a bit of a drone. Guo said. Chovanri himself on this also not taboo: The University specialized course is very poor, the class 70 people, mechanical design class only He was caught to make-up exam. So the teacher always asks, "Does the person with the worst grades still have a bite to eat now?"

Sometimes, Joe is still typing in front of the computer in the middle of the night because he prepares for his next day's manuscript or plan. Next to a classmate with a sarcastic tone said: "Joe is always preparing for tomorrow's speech ah?" Joe is sometimes teased for the name of Joe and Joe's secretary. This is not understood, so that he has a sense of loneliness.

But his feeling is always full of self-confidence, the gas field is full. He told reporters, "the more poor the more the gas field." Not until a conversation did Guo realize that what they saw was not quite true: "When some sponsorship is needed, he often takes a deep breath before knocking on the door of the other's boss before he can muster the courage to run in." After graduation to talk about some things I just feel, in fact, he should be very inferior to the university, so that he wrapped up, do not want to let others see his inner world. ”

But as a few close friends with Chovanri, Guo has a natural trust in him: "His heart is very good." ”

Chovanri's yearning for great success made him shrug off his business behavior during school. He has the right to give who in the school where to sell some small commodities and so on, many people did make a lot of money, but he "think those things are small, so did not do." ”

Almost 10 years later, the "Houle three" single game to create income is already over billion. In a sense, Chovanri did become a billionaire.

Confidence and sense of crisis

If the university student work to Chovanri brings the illusory success, the Houle game lets him quickly turn it into the present. "Houle Hotel" at the beginning of a monthly income of only a hundred thousand of Yuan, to "Houle three" peak when at least millions. "Suddenly a lot of money is also a kind of pressure, I really sleep all night, I think this is too unreal." Sometimes I give myself a little sense of crisis. ”

In the heyday of "Houle", Joe Wanli sometimes stayed in the office and stayed up late. He called to tell investors that he couldn't sleep at night. The directors often advised him: "Miles, you have to relax yourself." You can't expect each game to reach the height of "Houle", so you really can't sleep. ”

After a round of financing, Chovanri soon produced the idea of melting B round. At that time, the company very money, dozens of of people's size, monthly income in tens. One investor said: "Equal to one months at home lying there is tens other money to your account." We had discussions on the need for a B-round and how much money to melt, but he insisted on making more money and expanding the team to try more. Of course, we also support him. "Sequoia Capital, the U.S. venture capital company Greylock, and Bertelsmann jointly invested in the B-round." Until today, the tens of millions of of dollars of money has been lying on the account, never moved.

"He must get the money of a scale VC like Sequoia, he thinks it is a kind of affirmation to him personally." In addition, he is from the bitter days boil over, "Houle three" research and development to the end, the company has no money, patchwork take out 1 million yuan to make products. People who have had this kind of experience, crisis consciousness, insecurity will be stronger. Said the investor.

Houle Game President Huang Jian quipped: "There is money in the account, thousands of nights can sleep one hours early." ”

Compared with the financial crisis, Chovanri to products and specific issues to be more confident. Someone asked him, "Why do you do so many businesses?" he said: "I have not done anything yellow, and even split up can be very good." I can do anything to succeed, today I do not play games, tomorrow to start another thing, will certainly be successful. ”

Suzhou VC Someone later asked Joe Miles a question: "How much do you contribute to this company (Suzhou)?" At that time, Joe also owned 30% of the company's shares. He replied: "From a VC point of view, I did not contribute so much." But it's my value to choose one of the 20 demos and stick to it. ”

"He is a more powerful person, everything is self-centered." As his partner, he sometimes got crushed. If he thinks he is right, he will not take care of everyone's emotions. Guo said. For example, if you argue about one thing, Joe Miles will feel like he should make some concessions. But when he wakes up the next day and returns to the question, he insists on himself. "The only way he could make a concession would be his wife, but on principle, I think it would be a problem." ”

But when Joe Wanli trusts a person, he will show great contrast and trust each other completely. "Houle" before the line, Houle game financing is not smooth, he talked to many investors, but the other side to be unable to judge the cultural and creative products when the point of origin, did not invest in him. Later, Joe Wanli and they said: "If you believe a person, you must believe in the end." ”

But Joe Miles began to rethink the way he dealt with business disputes: "I learned a lot from my current partner, Huang Jian, which I had previously lacked." I used to think that we could just split up. If with my current mentality to deal with the previous things, I will do very soft, must be flexible, not as before, feel that there is my place on the cattle, without my place you can do nothing. ”

The most critical issue facing Houle this year is transformation. Chovanri has already experienced the rapid change in the market direction, he personally fencing the "Houle boss" would like to continue the "Houle Three Kingdoms" myth, but the market has no such product survival space.

One day, Chovanri suddenly broke into Huang Jian's office and said, "I want to keep two of them, and all the others are off." Huang Jian first took a surprise, then slowly raised his head and stared at Joe: "Are you crazy?"

At this time Houle has expanded to four hundred or five hundred people, the talent is focused on the development of social games, transition difficulties. At that time, the Houle game account has a large amount of cash, you can spend money to take some shortcuts. But Chovanri insists on doing a page tour from scratch.

Recently, Houle game research and development of a ARPG page tour almost already can announce Houle from social game to page tour security turn around, the current game monthly income has been tens of millions of dollars. "In the Web game industry, the monthly income of tens of millions of yuan products, a year also 10 Lai." I believe that our web game will go to tens of millions of levels, of course, there will be a second, the third section. "Chovanri said. He believed Chi said: "You have the ability to earn millions of, you have a few billion ability, but perhaps your luck did not come." ”

Now, for Chovanri, how much money is not difficult to make, the mouth of the "man is the hardest" listing problem is his next stop. "Now can not say Houle game will certainly succeed, but with my personality will certainly do it to the end." One remaining hope is to be able to bring the company to market. Besides, nothing else matters to me. ”

Chovanri Experience Introduction:

1980 Joe Wanli from Jiangsu North Lianyungang Rural area.

1997 into the engineering, the College of the Deputy Secretary of the Communist Youth League is his "official" during the school, as a student work-study center Director, people send nickname gang "Joe Master."

2001, Joe embraced the system, entered a research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

2003 started a part-time business, start-up capital is the past full wages, production and sales of mechanical toys. A few years down, the income is zero.

2006 If the state introduced Angel investment, and a round. After the electronic mosaic dinosaur This product, finally turned a profit.

Joe started his two-time business in 2008, playing social games as a layman. The first "Houle Hotel" in Renren network platform good reputation.

2010 Wandering 10, Joe left the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The 2011 "Houle three" to the first strategic social games in the attitude of the Tencent platform, the peak of the active volume of 10 million, the current income accumulated more than hundreds of millions of yuan.