Lining: I Am An Entrepreneur, Not A Star!

Once bought "made in China" in the US, it can still buy "China" in the US now.

"Lining" is no longer a simple name, it is becoming the "sign" of global expansion of Chinese sports brand.

Lining, who can integrate "name" and "card", is not afraid of his boss.

I am an entrepreneur.

"I am an entrepreneur with 14 years of business history. Please don't look at me as another.

Born in 1963, Lining, a teacher's family in Liuzhou, Guangxi, began to practice gymnastics since she was 7 years old. When he was 17 years old, he entered the national gymnastics team. Since 1981, Lining, 18 years old, has won the title in the three competitions of men's floor exercise, pommel horse and rings in the World University Games. The gymnastic circles have entered the "Lining era". He has been praised as "the prince of gymnastics".

From 1970, gymnastics began to retire in 1988. Lining's 18 year sports career won 106 gold medals in major gymnastic competitions at home and abroad. In 1999, he was selected as "the best athlete in twentieth Century" with boxing champion Ali, Bailey and flying Jordan. His name has become a gold lettered sign with double value.

After leaving the arena, Lining, who was as confused as other athletes, had thought of running a sports school. But his coach Li Jingwei warned him that he must have the backing of the economy. This is a stable and long-term development idea and he must rely on the economy to develop sports.

Thus, under the guidance of coach Li Jingwei, Lining began to enter the business world.

In May 1989, Lining first joined the Jianlibao company, mainly in charge of public relations publicity, market planning, and organizing sports clothing factories.

In the meantime, he succeeded in planning the sale of Jianlibao, which has increased 30 million yuan a year, which was considered an astronomical figure at that time, and his business ability began to attract people's attention and affirmation.

Li Jingwei once had such an evaluation of Lining: Lining is an athlete, he does not know the economy.

To Jianli Bao, I threw him in the swimming pool and let him learn it himself.

Lining is young, intelligent and good personality. He can learn to swim.

I'm just looking at the shore and being a lifeguard. When I can't do it, I'll stretch out my hand again.

Then I let go and look again.

Several times down, Lining would swim better than me, more than me.

Soon after, Lining, a self established businessman, went through a series of business experience, and gradually developed his company from a family oriented company to a more reasonable and scientific mass company.

In June 28, 2004, Lining shares were officially listed on the main board of Hongkong.

As the first domestic sporting goods brand listed in Hongkong, the opening price increased by 8% on the opening day. The number of public offering in Hongkong was 132.2 times the total number of tentatively issued shares, and the international placement also had an over subscription of about 11 times. Lining shares were sought after by the capital market.

It is estimated that its value has exceeded 1 billion 600 million.

"Everything is possible" can be said to be the most famous brand slogan of Lining brand.

From the earliest "China's new generation of hope" to "leaving the wonderful to myself" to "I exist in sports", "the beauty of sports" is shared by the world, "excellent and original", to the present, "everything is possible". Lining brand is constantly digging the unique connotation of its brand, and constantly realizing all kinds of "possibilities".

In 1995, Li Ning Co became the leader of China's sporting goods industry. In 2005, Li Ning Co continued to maintain its leading position in the industry and its sales reached a new high. In December 30, 2008, the "2008 world brand value lab annual award" was selected in the world's authoritative brand value research Institute, the world brand value laboratory. "Lining" has won the "China's most competitive brand list" by virtue of good brand impression and brand vitality, and has won general praise from consumers.

In recent years, Lining, whose business is thriving, has not only focused on the US market, but also focused on the increasingly prosperous online shopping market.

It is reported that in early March of this year, Li Ning Co's brand new "red double happiness" brand and "lucky road" brand official flagship store were launched on Taobao mall.

This also marks a further escalation of cooperation between Lining and Taobao, which is described as "deep binding".

In this regard, Li Ning Co's former director of e-commerce department, Lin Li once said, "the comprehensive operation of the company's brand official online shopping channels is an effective support for the company's overall operation system. The cooperation with Taobao can best reflect the company's overall attitude towards consumers and market oriented, and will further consolidate the diversified brand service consumer's operation mode."

Zhang Yong, head of Taobao CFO and Taobao mall, also said: "Li Ning Co is the first key partner of Taobao mall. It can be said that the two sides are working hand in hand to develop together.

Based on the valuable experience gained by Li Ning Co in the field of electronic commerce and the good cooperation between Taobao and the mall, I am confident that the brand of the new red double happiness brand and the official flagship store of the "Lotto" brand will be developed.

In the global market business, it is reported that in January 5th this year, Lining, the first store in the United States, started a low-key operation in Portland. The store mainly sells several kinds of products, such as basketball, badminton and Chinese Kung Fu series developed by Li Ning Co. Chinese Kung Fu series products are not sold in China, all of them are shipped from the domestic manufacture to the United States, and the employees of the stores are recruited locally.

Many industry sources said that this is Lining after the Chinese market sales exceeded Nike, began to extend the battlefield to Nike's "stronghold" American market.

The pace of Lining's internationalization is not limited to the United States. In 2009, when Lining spent 165 million yuan to buy the badminton brand Kaisheng, he began to enter the Southeast Asian market. At present, he has established dozens of stores, not only selling badminton clothes, shoes and accessories, but also selling badminton equipment.

Lining's ultimate goal is to make global brands, Li Ning Co chief executive Zhang Zhiyong said.

Nike has always been the object of competition between China and the world's shoemaking enterprises. Its founder and CEO Phil knight has proudly said: "the only way to defeat Nike is to imitate us in a comprehensive and accurate way, and then find different points to break down."

Is it possible? Anything is possible.

After successful imitation of Nike, Lining managed to find a breakthrough.

It has been said that Lining looked at the brand and marketing of Nike Institute in the early days, but it was beyond Nike because of localization and excellent creative planning.

In 1990, Lining founded his own company in Sanshui, Guangdong.

Although it is "follow the example", but at the beginning of its creation, Lining's strategy was different from other domestic sports brands. He paid great attention to brand marketing, and clearly positioned himself as a brand management company, and spent all his energy on brand management.

As a top athlete in the world, Lining's brand has been closely linked with Chinese gymnastics and Chinese sports from the very beginning, and he has made full use of his reputation.

The company has just started working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee, and has spared no efforts to sponsor various events and gradually set up a brand image on the athletic field.

The imitation of brand marketing is not sustainable, such as the marketing way of "celebrity endorsement" and the capital mode of "light asset operation" itself can easily be duplicated.

If we want to have long-term development power and advantage, we should not neglect the ability to plan creativity.

Some analysts pointed out that although the famous brand such as Nike or Adidas has better external resources than Lining, such as having the best sports resources in the world and the resources of marketing advertising companies, the planning creativity ability of Li Ning Co is not to be underestimated. Lining himself also stresses this ability very much.

It is one of the success to win the hearts of the people.