Iron Net: How to transform the electric quotient in vertical community

Intermediary transaction SEO diagnosis Taobao guest Cloud host technology Hall

Article | Sun Hongsu

And those who like to talk about the internet company Mister Different, this year just 30-year-old Blood NET CEO Len Lei has and age is not consistent with the stable and confessed, so the blood net of the enterprise temperament, but also with its own character has a similar place. Although the network's electric business has become a model for vertical community transformation, it seems that Len Lei is still a slow company and needs to build a sustainable business model.

The commercial blood of the blood

Iron net entrepreneurial story and those personal webmaster entrepreneurship is almost no different, perhaps the only difference is the founder of the legendary growth trajectory. Born in 1984, Len Lei was only 16 years old when he founded the Iron net, a few months ago this Sichuan people to Tsinghua University with the first prize of the National Physics Olympic competition. After the commercial operation of iron and blood, this already shuo Shuoboliandu read Len Lei chose to drop out.

From 2000 to 2007, it was the second climax of the internet community, and a number of vertical communities were among the most prominent in this wave of people, and a great deal of users were acquired in a short time. With a large number of users, the network began to seek commercialization, in 2004 set up a blood technology company.

At the beginning, Len Lei did not know how to turn interest into interest, but also did not think the future of the net will start to do electricity business. At that time he was just a simple military fan, so he founded a military forum, then he relied on his own interests to maintain the site: "The beginning of the company to focus on the community, the external business model is not too concerned about." By the time the community grew larger and underfunded to maintain the development of the site, the iron and blood were considered commercially. ”

At the time, iron and blood had begun paying for their authors, and the cost of broadband and servers was rising, compared with a single profit model, almost as much as other vertical community sites.

At that time, the domestic community-type web site mainly profitable way for advertising, membership fees, virtual products, such as the beginning of the net did not go out of this range: "But the advertising business is not particularly stable, every day will worry about the next month's advertising can sell out." "2007, Len Lei hope to find another way to profit, and advertising to become the two legs of income:" Other sites will become the carrier of advertising to operate and cash out, but they are ' help ' the site, its industry is ready-made, as long as the information services to do a good job. " But the military field of the site is ' help ', is to enrich the spiritual needs of people, and the daily clothing is not directly related to food, no such industry to give us to do under the support of the line, so there is no way like other portals to do advertising carrier. ”

Opportunities brought by M65

Finally Len Lei selected the electric quotient, will gaze at the military industry. However, unlike other electric business sectors, military products are not supported by offline resources. At that time, almost all the cities have military stores, but the main content is around the PLA Labor insurance products or some of the store to open their own shops. Len Lei laughs that the collectors are small audiences, and they are even willing to pay a high price for an old army suit filled with bullet holes.

Offline resource scarcity let Len Lei began to wonder whether through proxy foreign military to make some money. He spent a day to more than 20 foreign military brand manufacturers write e-mail: Hello, we are China's largest military web site, there are many users, hope to be able to agent your products, sales in mainland China ... Most of the letters have been ignored. Occasionally, someone replied that there are already agents in China, who can be contacted, or directly refused: their goods are sold only to Americans.

A few days later, when received the U.S. Alpha Military brand reply said willing to cooperate, Len Lei quite unexpectedly. He brushed his credit card and paid more than 10,000 dollars to buy 17 pieces of M65 field windbreaker. M65 is the standard equipment for the United States garrison, M65 is an identity for those who are obsessed with military affairs. M65 received unexpected applause, which made Len Lei feel that the electric dealer may become the stage goal of the net.

At the end of 2007, the character of the Blood King was formally established. According to the third party authoritative statistics organization data shows, the blood net user averages to the age 18-34 years old male mainly, the profession mainly is the specialized technology, the enterprise management, the civil servant, the serviceman and so on. This user group like through the Professional Technical forum to buy products, the purchase of military and foreign brands, the domestic market is difficult to channel sales. This just gives the blood net an opportunity, through proxy foreign brands, iron and blood through the user to share and buy the channel. Most of June's brand is exclusive agent, the iron and blood of these popular fans are familiar but not convenient to buy the brand introduced to China.

Rely on these most primitive accumulation of precision user groups, the blood network than other electrical operators to moisten a lot.

From the community to the manufacturing

But Len Lei is not satisfied with the status quo, because the foreign brands ' response speed and the understanding of Chinese users ' needs is not very full and rapid, relying on foreign brands can not fully meet the needs of Chinese consumers. 2011 Len Lei decided to start to do the Chinese own tactical equipment brand, launched the Dragon Tooth Tactical Equipment: "At first we want to do a multi-brand retail channels such a model, but then take into account the needs of domestic users and experience feeling, it made this independent brand." ”

As an internet company to launch a clothing brand is not easy, from the introduction of Dragon tooth tactics to this brand is recognized by the public, Len Lei paid a lot of painstaking efforts: "We are not familiar with the traditional manufacturing, production, quality control, raw materials are unfamiliar, we are laymen, but our positioning is very high, So we find the most senior industry to help us cross this threshold. "Len Lei has targeted the selection of a number of industries to do the best factory, and those who give the top brands to do foundry factory cooperation, so that the dragon teeth have the best quality assurance." Longya is also acquiring some original design team, to explore the design of the studio and small brands, give them a large platform to show their design concept, improve the original characteristics of dragon teeth.

Someone is always asking, what is the Dragon tooth tactical equipment? In Len Lei's view, Dragon teeth defined in the outdoor and leisure across the border, there are casual clothing appearance, but also to achieve the function of outdoor clothing: "Everyday can wear, but at the same time can give you moisture, perspiration, waterproof, fast wait experience." "Len Lei also don't think tactical equipment is in the corner of the outdoor industry:" The crowd of Chinese military fans is very large, dragon teeth as long as the focus on the field of military fans can be. "In his view, good service to the military has a sense of recognition, can be recognized military representatives of the high quality of this concept, are the potential consumers of dragon teeth."

The future of "slow" Blood and Blood

When it came to electricity, some people thought it was a fast-burning money, fast circle money industry, but Len Lei that blood is still a slow company, this slow has its necessity: "Blood and blood is in our ability to control the pace inside to develop, is because the foreign brand is slower, we only create dragon teeth to meet domestic users." And we are very high quality requirements, do not want to do mediocre products, in material, craft fine, these need to slow down to do a lot of work online. ”

In the eyes of Len Lei, the most influential is the Web site and community, the electricity business is only in the service of users at the same time to bring revenue to the enterprise, to ensure the operation of the website.

Military elements are always a constant feature of iron and blood. Now around the military theme and the Army fan group, Blood and blood every week will also organize the design of some pragmatic and characteristic of the offline activities, such as live firing, fishing, riding, wild hunting, and so on, now do a better shooting activities, not limited to the shooting experience, but also to teach participants gun demolition, ordnance knowledge. Len Lei wants to give military enthusiasts an unprecedented experience through these offline specific activities.

Perhaps it is the iron and blood is a slow company, has been "commercialized" the blood, still retain the dream of the pursuit and the ideal of persistence. Not only "concerned about food and vegetables", but also the pursuit of "facing the sea, with spring flowers." 2013, iron and blood set up a veteran public welfare fund, the beginning of the donation of 500,000 yuan, to mobilize volunteers around the country to visit, to help those who made a contribution to the National war veterans, pay attention to their later life, warm their spiritual world. Len Lei's idea is simple: "We feel that doing these things brings us more of a sense of fulfillment than a pursuit of matter." ”

Many media say the net is a model of vertical community transformation, but the blood is still looking for its own next opportunity. For the future of Blood, Len Lei's idea is clear: "The future of blood and blood to establish a sustainable business model, the full play in the military enthusiasts of influence, to achieve better guidance." ”

Young Entrepreneurial Team

According to Len Lei, although the establishment of the network is very long, but the entrepreneurial team is still relatively young, the oldest is only 78 or 79 of strangers. In this team, Len Lei is more likely to play the role of the seeker.

2001, the 16-year-old Len Lei into Tsinghua Garden, released a "virtual Military" Web page (later renamed as the Military Network of Blood), and his students on the same floor of the law school Ouyang joined the site. Then there was a lot of expansion of the network, similar to some professional vertical social networking sites, where the vast majority of members of the entrepreneurial team were military enthusiasts, giving them a unique cohesion.

In view of the current particularly popular student entrepreneurship phenomenon, from the beginning of the first production site Len Lei has a unique view: "Students entrepreneurial team must be aware that in the team must have an absolute leader, in the beginning to plan a reasonable organizational structure, which is more important than products and other content." ”

Journalist Notes

Iron Net is located in Zhongguancun, the top floor of an office building, and the general Internet companies are the biggest difference is in the elevator between the export is the iron and blood network of the company's electrical goods brand of the physical store, a dazzling range of goods among the most famous M65 windbreaker. The other departments around the elevator ring.

Len Lei not see the media in the pursuit of the Halo, 16-Year-old walked Tsinghua, the country's largest military community founder of these identities he does not seem to care. When you speak fast, you also occasionally take some stuttering.

Relatively speaking, Len Lei is willing to talk about the lack of blood, in his view, the net is still a slow company, still in many stages in the groping stage.

Original title: Venture 17| Net: How to transform the vertical community to the electrical business