The commercialization of iron and blood: How vertical communities Transform electric Dealers

Absrtact: And those who like to talk about the internet company Mister Different, this year just 30 years old the Blood net CEO Len Lei has and the age is not consistent with the stable and confessed, so the blood net of enterprise temperament, also with its own character has a similar place. Even though the electric dealer of the net

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."