The Founder's Story
When I had a first science lesson, the teacher said the human body is 70% water, and water content is related to the body's metabolism. I found drinking water was the most important thing in a day life from that day. I started carrying a cup everyday wherever I went.
In China, any container like mugs, tumblers or water bottles, we just called them cups. As a girl, the love of beauty is inborn even on a cup.
The girl also like to make friends even with foreigners. So she chose the major in international trade when she was in College as the trading would help her meet variety of people in the world. After graduation, she went to Shenzhen City which is a famous special economic zone in coastal area from China, worked in a trading company whose owner was Russian.
She has been working for a foreign trade company for three years in 2012 in Shenzhen. But change came soon, her foreign boss decided to close the company and return to Russia. At the time, she had two choices: find another job or start a "passive business". Trusted by her former boss, she took on some of her old clients and set up her own company passively.
However, highly competitive environment in Shenzhen creates passion for entrepreneurs and sometimes makes her uneasy. As a small company, there are too many talents in Shenzhen and the flow of talents is too fast. It is common for employees to leave after a few months. She did not find a business partner to move forward with her.
After several choices, In 2014, she returned to Chengdu, her hometown. She married and returned to her family and put her career on hold.
But the invitations to work never stopped, and they rekindled her deep sense of enterprise. In 2016, her friend's foreign trade business encountered difficulties and asked for her help. She started her second business "passively" again.
The company was struggling on another cross-border platform. "When I first took over, I was under siege," she said. A basement , only 5 employees, hundreds of thousands of losses, can not afford to pay wages, this was all in front of her. In the face of hopeless employees' eyes, she made a bet with gritted teeth: "Give me three months, if I can't turn things around, I will quit with everyone else. If there is any profit, share all profits equally with everyone.
With an indomitable strength, She made great efforts in the selection of products. After realized the cups she hold in her hands all the time. She decided to do thermo cups. She took the first step in the difficult entrepreneurship. Seven days after the bet, the company got order for the first time in months. "The first order was only $52, but for me at that time, it was a real lifeline."
In this way, one order after another, with three months of time, she finally succeeded in turning losses into profits. In the Spring Festival of 2017, she gave her staff a holiday of more than half a month, invited everyone to have a hot pot, and shared the 22,000 profits she earned with everyone, fulfilling her original promise.
After that she created a factory, “as trading company is not a long time plan, we need to build our own cups.”
The years of dealing with foreigners also brought her many warm memories. "One of my clients in America was a barber shop owner, and it turned out that we were selling him beauty tools. Once familiar, I suggested: Why not try our special cups? Probably more than you'd make running a barber shop. He turned out to be our agent.
Originally this is just a small matter in business, but then a scene happened beyond her expectations. "Then I got a handmade letter from the US, and when I opened it, it was all in $1, $2 notes. 'This is a $100 profit from the sale of our product,' he wrote. 'This is a share made with me.' I was really touched at that moment."
She became good friends with him and even sent a video message to her daughter on her birthday.
She thinks business not only need trust but also appreciation. Customers may be your good friends. As a seller, listen and suggestions to help your customers, they will help you one day. So each thanksgiving day which is not a legal holiday in China, whole company will be free and watch a film in a cinema together.
