Starting From The Outdoor Products Industry

Plain appearance and more plain language.

When answering questions from reporters about "what motive force to start a business in the sea", it was said that it was mainly the pressure of life.

"I graduated from college in 1992 to a design institute under the Ministry of railways, when the monthly salary was 113 yuan, but a person's living expenses would be 150 yuan."

Simple people often choose to do simple things.

In view of the current trend of entrepreneurship is often high-tech new industries, Sheng Qiang believes that in fact, traditional industries can also start businesses.

He founded "Pathfinder" in 1999. He has been doing this since childhood.

Frankly speaking, starting a business in order to earn money.

Sheng Faqiang, born in 1969 in Dunhuang, Gansu, did not differ much from the trajectory of many farm children before he was 25 years old.

When studying at school, she studied hard. In 1988, she was admitted to Zhongnan Polytechnic University. After graduating from university in 1992, she was "honestly" assigned to the first survey and Design Institute of the Ministry of railways, and worked as an outdoor surveyor.

But from the later experience, Sheng is not a person who is content with the status quo.

He told reporters that at that time wages 113 yuan a month, living expenses are not enough.

Having a "restless" heart, he chose to "go to sea" in second years and came to Beihai, Guangxi.

First, he worked as a salesman in a small printing factory and started his own business: he started a small printing company.

To earn money is the dream of many people, but not everyone can make dreams come true.

Sheng Faqiang said frankly that his pioneering work is "starting from the most familiar".

He began to work in a printing factory. He found that the number of Founder typesetting systems in Peking University was very large, but the effect of many printing documents and typesetting was not satisfactory. From this point of view, he sprouted the idea of founding his own printing company.

"This is the first barrel of gold I get."

He said.

Of course, for the undergraduate surveying and mapping professional Sheng Faqiang, the most familiar field work is to understand tents and geological bags.

At the end of 1994, Sheng Fa Qiang saw a new product - folding leisure tent in the "national patent new product exposition".

During his high-school outing, Sheng Faqiang tried to set up his own tent, but the sheets changed.

In 1995, Sheng registered Beihai Tian Hui Travel Products Co., Ltd. engaged in tent design and production.

Four years later, he moved the company to Beijing and registered a new brand, Pathfinder.

Ten years later, "Pathfinder" became the first brand of outdoor products in China.

Create "dumbbell shaped light company"

"Pathfinder" has become the first brand of outdoor products in China, but it has many stories.

{page_break}

In 1995, a vigorous investment of about 100000 yuan was made, and 1000 tents, named "Tian le" brand, were produced. But later, tents were not sold.

"When it's good, it can sell several times a day, and more often it is" burn cake. "

In the comfort of the new gastronomy restaurant, the experience of this stall is still remembered.

Sun Taoran, chairman of La Carla, likened the image of entrepreneurship to "doing business".

To do is to make good products; to buy, there are buyers, that is, products have needs; selling is how to sell products.

The experience of tents cannot be sold at the beginning of entrepreneurship is of great importance to the later business model of the Pathfinder.

Sheng Faqiang said that the development strategy of "dumbbell shaped light company" that had been followed by the Pathfinder ensured the rapid development of the company.

The business mode of dumbbell light company, that is, production outsourcing, focuses on two aspects, namely, product design, R & D and sales channel construction.

Sheng Faqiang, who has a simple nature, spends money in product research and development.

Its predecessor, "Tian le" tents, was spent 5000 yuan to buy patents, and later the company developed, and began its own R & D road.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010, the R & D funds of the company were 6 million 340 thousand yuan, 8 million 920 thousand yuan and 14 million 480 thousand yuan respectively, accounting for 3% of the total revenue.

There is another thing to spend money on.

I plan not to change my life.

Since the start of the gem, executives of listed companies have reduced their cash holdings, and the Pathfinder has not been "spared".

In January 28, 2011, Zhou Min, deputy managing director of administration and human resources, submitted his resignation.

Zhou Min had sold all his shares.

In this regard, Sheng Fa Qiang appears to be very generous and has repeatedly expressed "full understanding".

However, he must stick to it.

At a small party in February 21st, Sun Taoran's experience in serial entrepreneurship talked about everyone here.

When the reporter asked if Sheng had two plans to start his own business, he said "no thought".

He said the outdoor industry had a big cake and he had to go along with the Pathfinder.

According to the commitments made at the time of listing, Sheng Fa Qiang and his wife Wang Jing held 123 million 340 thousand shares of the company, and will be lifted in October this year.

According to the current stock price of 19 yuan, the market value exceeds 2 billion 300 million yuan.

This is a lot of money for poor people.

Sheng said that the listing of the company did not make any difference to him. He was optimistic about the outdoor industry and planned to never change his life.

From his favorite Land Rover's car, this statement is not empty.

In Sheng's view, a feast has just begun.

According to the survey report of the outdoor products branch of China Textile Business Association (COCA), the total retail sales of outdoor products in China in 2010 amounted to 7 billion 130 million yuan, with a total shipment of 3 billion 210 million yuan.

Since 2000, the average annual growth rate of retail sales is 47.33%, the average annual growth rate of shipments is 43.29%, and the development of the industry continues to grow at a high speed.

As the first brand in the domestic market, Pathfinder will undoubtedly face the impact of foreign brands.

Sheng also admitted that the main competitors of the company, such as Columbia, Lo J Faith (TheNorthFace) and OZARK (Ozark), are closer to the "Pathfinder" brand in terms of product line, market share and so on.

From the global market perspective, Columbia's annual revenue is $one billion, and its Pathfinder is less than 1/10.

The "rush to eat" of foreign brands is Sheng Faqiang's "annoyance" that he has to face in his happiness.