Micro-Entrepreneurship: 800 "micro-bo control" weaving a restaurant to challenge traditional business

More than 800 people holding the goal of only eating pollution-free food, refusing to ditch oil, through the virtual World Assembly, on January 8, the dream into a real restaurant, and hope to become a chain restaurant soon ... This game from the virtual world to the real world of the great diversion, its initiator called Five scattered people!

Five scattered people who also? early "Tianya Forum" network Reds, well-known commentators, social issues thinkers. Because of this "our restaurant", he has a more important identity--the boss. Of course, this is not his intention and goal.

In his view, the "micro-entrepreneurship" of 800 netizens is not the "negligible" of its contribution, but a small but not-so-humble person in a band of assets, uniting through the Internet to initiate a reverse chorus of "asset-decision discourse" in traditional commerce.

800 "micro-bo control" weaving a restaurant

Because on weekdays delicious, taste food, five scattered people early years is the capital of the big "cargo". Some years ago the uproar of "genetically modified" really let five scattered people worry, so himself in the suburbs of a big shed, on the map of self-sufficiency. Friends also went to whip, he simply expand base scale, began to open a from the purchase to the production of Transparent restaurant.

Five scattered people at that time the idea is to grasp the food industry in the upstream production base of agricultural products, as well as with the formation of solid restaurant sales platform, "the former shop after the factory" can form a complete value chain. Just as five scattered people constantly plump their own restaurant, last September, 72 grassroots netizens founded the "many People's Café" (hereinafter referred to as "Café") opened, the information was five scattered people caught.

"Café" creativity stems from mosquito two girls (net name) January 6, 2011 in Douban a post: "We use 2000 yuan to open a café bar." "After the post, Douban friends to each of the shares 2000~20000 Yuan. Half a year later, a semi-underground room in the north of Beijing, the café was opened.

This micro-blog let five scattered people excited, he decided not only to open the restaurant's ingredients, production and sales links, even capital to open.

In the "Network Tatsu people" Five, "café" business is not only the result of highly decentralized investment, which is represented by micro-Bo WEB2.0 advocated two-way, dialogue and mutual trust between the perfect fit. A successful company, after the big will have to make up for the diversification of equity, rational dialogue and shareholders trust these lessons, and "café" in the beginning to do it. This model is the business ideal he wants to practice.

By the passion of the heart, he wrote a very irregular but very suitable for users to read the business plan:

Each person contributed 5000 yuan, less than 5 million yuan partial five to complement (in accordance with the provisions of the company law), the amount of capital contribution of the Company limited shall not be less than 5 million); the supply of food, including all accessories from the pollution-free farm, the shareholders can enjoy a meal of 85 percent discount;

After reading it, he quickly hung up on his blog and posted a link on his microblog. This moment is September 15, 2011 12:15 Noon.

The new business model and the social appeal of food health, in the 400,000 fans of the five scattered on the micro-blog to ignite the first torch, and then continue to relay, fermentation. In just 7 hours, more than 1000 people have expressed their desire to invest in the restaurant through letters to five according to the requirements of the proposal.

"Micro-entrepreneurship" to challenge traditional business

"Micro-blogging" is a profound civic education that allows users to feel "my concerns should be valued" and "I should give my opinion". In just two or three years, it has changed the Chinese media ecology profoundly, and it is changing China's social management ecology. But in the most traditional "private rights" area of business, does the same need for micro-blogging and equal communication?

What do consumers really care about? What is the raw material of this product? Will it bring me harm? Is there a windfall in pricing? And today's corporate microblogging is only in the "finished" this last link with consumers to carry out the so-called "communication", in fact, more corporate culture is another kind of propaganda luck.

And five scattered people's "our restaurant" is not the same, in addition to the recruitment of funds published in micro-blog, he put management decisions, financial situation, material sources, dishes set, pricing strategies all "bask" in micro-blog, for people to query, for people to comment. Whether it's a consumer's concern about the quality of the food or the concerns of its shareholders about its business, they can communicate through microblogs.

Virtual Credit Manifestation

From the issue of "Business Plan" to 1000 people issued a willingness to share shares, five scattered people used less than 7 hours, and raised to 5 million yuan, five the assistant only spent three days.

Five the success of the fundraising is attributed to the frequent public crisis of food safety in recent years. This has made a group of people concerned about social events, and their own health more concerned about the desire to own a restaurant. "Our restaurant" has thus become a topic of adhesion on Weibo. And the reason why the price is 5000 yuan, it is based on the consumer psychology of this crowd.

"Set too low, equity will be more dispersed, and more importantly, investors will be the restaurant's level of suspicion, that this is a game." Set too high, in case of total loss, the investor will still be distressed. 5000 dollars just stepped on this one. ”

As five scattered people said, whether it is to spend 5000 yuan to buy the "restaurant", or spend 2000 Yuan whip to "café", most people are holding "play" mentality. Let alone those who are not in Beijing in the shareholders, even locals will not be directed at the 85 percent discount, endure commuting and the Asian Games village region famous congestion Gesanchaiwu come here to spend--unless you live nearby. As for the return on investment, as stipulated in the Business plan, one person is limited to one share, and only half of the profit as a dividend (the other half remains for the development Fund), the rate of return is difficult compared to the bank's financial products.

But the same is "play", as the "restaurant" Teacher's "café" play is much harder. From the launch to the collection of 72 people's 410,000 yuan, the latter spent a full 9 months. In the reporter's query, five scattered people also have to admit, "elite" appeal in fund-raising played a key role.

In the interview, five to the reporter to chat to a funny thing. Shortly before September 15, he downloaded a microblog "app" that could calculate his microblog value by the number of fans and the number of replies. "Application" shows that his microblog is worth 4.25 million yuan.

"It's definitely a coincidence that this is a fun app to pass the time, and no one really believes that it's worth the price." But it has to be admitted that the gap between the Internet and reality has been filled. The virtual credit that gathers on the network can transition to the real life, this is the biggest change that WEB2.0 brings to us. ”

Democracy is a means, profit is the purpose

In the five's business plan there is also a "bossy" paragraph: (except the five---reporter Note) shareholders give up the restaurant and the company's management, voting and other rights.

Even more, five, who spoke to the business press, said that in the restaurant's "top design" other shareholders had only the right to advise, know and supervise, but could not exercise the veto and removal.

Why would the five insist on such "unreasonable" demands? "the Overlord clause, love does not come" I am afraid that can not explain all.

Reporters in the interview "Café" found the story: in the "Café" of the 72 shareholders, the major decision by the shareholder vote, the board of Directors is the role of supervisors and day-to-day affairs decision makers. A voice is always wandering in cafes: "Democracy, democracy, or democracy, which is the highest principle of our existence ..." but a year later, "café" for "Democratic dream" paid a heavy price. After too many people, contradictions are more irreconcilable. Contradictions constantly piling up, and then someone said ' I/I quit ', this time how to calculate? Invest 2000 to move 2000 dollars to go back? " Café "The first advocate mosquito two girls have complained to reporters.

"Café" democracy is really tricky. The week before, the business reporter asked one of its shareholders to share an interview with five, but the shareholder complained to reporters on the phone the day before: "I'm not there anymore. ”

"We are doing business, business needs to be profitable, one person, one vote of democratic decision-making will inevitably lead to a reduction in efficiency." Five to reporters, this is from more than 10 years of his social and ecological "fairness" and "efficiency" thinking.

In the conversation with the five, the business reporter was able to capture this view very strongly. Democracy is not only a way, but a democratic way to ensure the most efficient functioning of an organization should be the first choice. At the same time, democracy is not just a democratic decision, it also includes democratic participation and democratic supervision. "Our restaurant" to encourage shareholders to provide resources to participate in the organization, in fact, as of now, location is recommended by shareholders, eggs and meat supply base is the shareholder recommended, restaurant design and decoration is also recommended by shareholders ...

"The crisis of trust in society is not the ability of the common people not to believe in the business, but to consider him unfair. "In the question of" democratic supervision ", the five scattered people do a little unambiguous. "Our restaurant" from the preparation to the operation, the registered shareholder list, the financing situation, the work progress, as well as the future revenue situation will make an electronic document, the monthly email to each shareholder, and require them to be in the form of email or to challenge or confirm. Five is still in the design system, each shareholder in Beijing must go to the restaurant foreman one day each year, so that they feel the experience of what money must be spent and what must be done. "Democratic participation and democratic supervision can change the trust of shareholders, which is much easier to enforce than democratic decisions," he said. He stressed to the business press.

Will the experiment fail?

In the interview, five repeatedly stressed that today's "arbitrary" is only a temporary move to open up. He gave himself a position in "our restaurant": first, develop a set of operational mechanisms as complete as possible; second, find a good restaurant manager, then a decision mechanism;

The so-called "decision-making mechanism" of the five is actually the "democratic decision" discussed earlier. One day, half a month before the opening of our restaurant, he had an in-depth conversation with the main shareholder of the café, many of which he recognized. "We worked at the same goal at both ends, and I solved the problem of fundraising, but you designed the governance framework from the start." "This is his evaluation of the" café "after the exchange.

"Once our restaurant is on track for two or three months, I will quickly introduce democratic decision-making." "Five said to the business reporter," but certainly not everything is democratic decision-making. What kind of waiter, what food to buy, what dish to sell, what price to make, the things that should be decided by the market are also democratic decision-making, the restaurant can not sell a dish. ”

Five is not considered an elite, but he recognized the "elite-led + democratic decision-making" as "our Restaurant" the future framework. His ideal "elite" in other than his other shareholders, this person is not necessarily in the wisdom of the outstanding, nor the management of excellence, but must be in the shareholders of the comprehensive quality, fairness and decency, with dedication and credibility of the people. Of course, who the "elite" is, relies on shareholder democratic elections.

Finding this elite in more than 800 people is no easy job.

They come from the WEB2.0, enjoying two-way communication in this circle, but also accustomed to complaining and questioning, pursuing democratic freedom but unwilling to endure. But patience is the basic quality of democracy.

In the view of five, the French Revolution was a tragedy of grassroots democracy. In the wave-and-wave confrontation between the royal family and the nobles, the bourgeoisie, in the face of the limited compromises of the power class, learned patience and became vested interests. and grass-roots revolutionaries because will too firm, and was a batch of the guillotine, in their respective completion of the mission of a specific stage, was ruthlessly eliminated by history. And one months ago in Guangdong Wukan Village disputes, it is because the local government and the common people have learned to endure, and become China's social progress in the process of a worthy of deep exploration.

"Is it not a patience to do business?" It is hard to believe that a famous commentators who are known for their acrimony will make such a feeling when they are engaged in the sea, "will not endure to the royal family and the nobility, the medieval Venice city of those speculators will sprout capitalism?"

In the preparation of "our restaurant" in the three months, five has learned to endure the doubts of shareholders, patience "" "the staff of the unreliable, patience, endure to do a lot of permits when the complex, but he is the harvest of the restaurant opening. For the rest of the day, those holding the "play a" mentality of the shareholders for the restaurant can continue to play, in order to receive dividends at the end of the year, those expecting a return must learn to endure the arbitrariness of the five, endure the power of the hired hand, endure the picky of the diners, and endure the disagreement between the shareholders ... But for the common purpose, they must endure with five.

"Cash dividends are naturally our goal, but learn to endure and learn to be democratic, practise democracy, and enjoy democracy in patience, which is perhaps the most valuable dividend that our restaurant has left to our shareholders." ”

January 6, two days before "our restaurant" opened, five--the Internet reds and commentators who can use words to thorn his business experiments.