2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 398 Xiao Tan in Old Dong's Eyes
Foolish and rich? That's impossible.

But if I said I didn't have any special sources of information, and that I only knew the general direction of history because I was reborn, would you believe me?

You won't believe me, you might even think I'm playing a trick on you!

Therefore, Dong Jinggui's question was destined to remain unanswered. Tan Jincheng couldn't answer, and Dong Jinggui assumed that Tan Jincheng was unwilling to answer.

However, the two did agree to go to Luzhou together on the first Monday of April, which is the 2nd, to talk to Guoxuan and the Luzhou Municipal Government about the joint venture factory.

Compared to Ningwang, it's impossible for Flashchip to monopolize the lithium battery business; they simply don't have the capability. Ningwang only succeeded by bringing in a lot of capital.

Flash's current lithium battery strategy may seem chaotic, but it is actually traceable. It started with a collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Physics and established its own R&D team.

Tan Jincheng provided a very relaxed research environment for the R&D team. Except for the lithium batteries for two-wheeled electric vehicles that were urgently needed to support the Olympic promotion, they were given ample time for the research and development of other areas such as mobile phone lithium batteries and power batteries.

They provided ample funding, and if they didn't want to come to Ningbo, they were allowed to stay in the capital. They even provided a service team (Zhang Xuhui). It can be said that they did everything they could.

After ensuring its own technological research and development, it then established cooperative relationships with companies in the lithium battery production and related industrial chains through Hangxin New Energy, and used ByteDance's advertising platform to plan equity investment in the upstream and downstream industrial chains.

From R&D to upstream and downstream supply chain layout, and then to actual factory acquisitions, the layout in at least two-wheeled lithium batteries and mobile phone lithium batteries has been largely completed.

Once the production of mobile phone lithium batteries begins, Hangxin New Energy Company's business will achieve a qualitative leap.

BYD gradually made a living through its mobile phone battery business.

It must be said that building upon the work of predecessors is much faster and avoids many detours. It is also because our predecessors broke through external technological blockades that Hangxin New Energy has been able to develop so smoothly.

However, after the 2008 financial crisis, the world situation changed again, and at that time, Hangxin New Energy would have to rely on itself for mineral resources.

Currently, all industries in China are in a growth phase, with the market pie getting bigger and bigger. Competition exists, but it's not that fierce. As long as you don't always try to monopolize the market like internet companies, you can thrive, whether it's electric vehicles or batteries.

The competitive environment is relatively relaxed now, unlike in the 1980s and 90s. The level of civilization has also risen, making the entrepreneurial environment more relaxed. But competing with foreigners is a different story; it can be a matter of life and death for a company.

Look at Wahaha. The bait that Danone threw out has started to have a negative effect this year. While helping Wahaha defeat its competitors, Danone acquired most of the domestic beverage companies.

But this did not satisfy their greed; they also wanted to acquire Wahaha.

Tan Jincheng knew that this transnational business war had been going on for several years, involving dozens of lawsuits around the world, and was finally settled through mediation.

If Flashlink wants to establish a global presence in lithium mining resources, it must be prepared to always be vigilant when doing business with foreign companies.

Be prepared to go to court and fight at any time.

However, Tan Jincheng is not afraid. When it comes to shrewd maneuvers, he is second to none. In terms of vision, lithium batteries and electric vehicles are our strategies. There are countless people, both visible and invisible, who will lend a helping hand to Tan Jincheng.

Dong Jinggui wasn't in a hurry to go back. Since she had come all this way, she had to go and see the Flash factory.

What he really wanted to visit was Hangxin New Energy R&D Center, but the R&D center is located in Beijing, and it is not open to the public; the management is very strict.

Are you kidding me? This thing isn't something you can just show to anyone. That's how Sony's lithium battery patents were stolen by its competitors.

We may be familiar with each other and cooperate, but we still need to protect certain technical secrets.

Lunch was at Tan Jincheng's house, cooked by Zhang Suzhi. Although he wasn't from Yicheng, the dishes with their hometown flavors made him feel very warm and familiar.

The only awkward thing is his status. He and Zhang Suzhi are the same age, only a few years younger, but he is on friendly terms with her son, which makes Dong Jinggui, who is already a big boss, feel a little uncomfortable.

"It's alright, let's each keep to ourselves. We won't drink any Maotai or Wuliangye today, let's have some Gujing tea instead. But I can't keep you company for long, how about I have my driver come and keep you company?"

Tan Jincheng's poor alcohol tolerance is a well-known fact in the industry, and some people who want to get along with him are most afraid of having dinner with him.

This guy really does eat; he comes up with a bowl of rice to fill his stomach, but he can't drink more than a few glasses of wine. He's really suffering.

In a lower social standing, someone like Tan Jincheng would be the one to be fooled at the dinner table. But now, Tan Jincheng can refuse to drink a single drop if he wants, and no one would dare to fool him at the dinner table.

"Alright, then let's each do our own thing; but there's no need to call anyone to keep me company. This is a family dinner, so drink as much or as little as you like, and you don't need to come with me." Colleagues are competitors, but they can also become friends. At their level, being able to invite guests to their home is already considered an exceptional privilege, especially since it was Tan Jincheng's mother cooking herself.

They knew what to say in what situation. In the study, Dong Jinggui and Tan Jincheng talked about work, but at the dinner table, they reminisced about their hometown and chatted about everyday life.

After a few drinks, Dong Jinggui sighed, "I'm a bit older than you and have more experience, but it's really rare to see a young man like you."

"Is there anything different?" Zhang Suzhi asked with interest.

In TV dramas, it's often said that the person who knows you best is your enemy. While Shan Chi and Ya Di aren't exactly enemies, they're still competitors. She really wanted to hear what Dong Jinggui had to say about her son.

"Let's not talk about business. They've built Flash Motors into such a big company, selling cars better than established companies like ours. We have to admit that, even if we're not happy about it. Let's talk about their personalities and lifestyles."

"You can speak, right, Mr. Tan?" The family dinner was very relaxed, and Dong Jinggui looked at Tan Jincheng with a smile.

"Of course, I'd also like to hear what Mr. Dong thinks of me."

While feeding Jin Yue, Tan Jincheng responded that this was truly a family dinner. Gu Qingqing was busy at the company and hadn't come back today, and Dong Jinggui had also sent her assistant away, so there were only three adults and one child at home.

"You're not acting like a young person. Take the way you're taking care of your sister, for example. I feel like you're more professional than me."

In terms of business, there's nothing to be astounded. They surpassed their sales in just a few short years, demonstrating decisiveness in their entry, ingenuity in their strategy, and ruthlessness and decisiveness in their move to snatch Olympic sponsorships.

If a business is doing well, that's fine, but the internet is a completely new industry that is entirely unfamiliar to many business owners. Many of them have never even touched a computer, so they are actually resistant to it from the bottom of their hearts.

But he didn't. Not only did he take the initiative to get involved, but he did it very well. In less than a year, he increased the company's valuation to 7.6 million, and his net worth skyrocketed.

In 2007, for larger physical enterprises, the leaders born in the 60s were considered young, many even born in the 50s or 40s. Even in emerging industries like the internet, the majority were born in the 70s.

Tan Jincheng, born in the 80s, is able to thrive in both the internet industry, where the average age is more than 10 years older than him, and the physical industry, where the average age is more than 15 years older than him. He shows no signs of being a young person.

Besides the face.

Take himself as an example. He is 15 years older than Tan Jincheng. In the business world, this 15-year age gap is equivalent to two centuries. Only he knows how difficult it was to do business before the millennium.

Adding to his own experience, his family was poor, he joined the army at the age of 17, and spent 14 years in society before accumulating some initial capital to establish Ya Di. Only he knows what he went through during those 14 years.

Although Tan Jincheng's background wasn't particularly good, it was still far superior to his; they were on completely different levels.

The children of state-owned enterprise workers, at least for now, still face a huge gap with the children of farmers. If they study diligently, even if they don't succeed, their parents, no matter how low-level their jobs are, can still swallow their pride and find a decent job.

For people like him, even those born in the 80s, the only way out besides studying is to work.

Given Tan Jincheng's background and lack of social experience, it would be difficult for him to communicate with this group of people outside of business.

To put it simply, they lack empathy, but Tan Jincheng doesn't have this problem and can communicate with his group of people without any obstacles.

In addition, he is very kind and generous to his grassroots employees. While this may be partly due to the vanity of young people making money too quickly, it is actually more because he can empathize with them and understand their difficulties.

He lives a very clean and tidy life. He found a girlfriend early on, started a business with her, and has even met her parents. They're headed for marriage.

Tsk tsk, you know their company has a very beautiful spokesperson, and there have even been rumors about them. Doesn't he really have any feelings for her at all?

"Actually, when we're rich enough, we don't have many emotional needs anymore. Having a girlfriend we like and with whom we share common life goals is enough."

Tan Jincheng responded calmly.

This sounds a bit pretentious, but it's the truth. If Tan Jincheng has a need for women, he's not lacking at all. In fact, there are people who would take the initiative to arrange things for him, even celebrities.

With two pillar businesses—electric vehicles and clothing—he has ample cash flow, access to public opinion through internet social networking sites, and most importantly, he is young and handsome, making even A-list celebrities bow down to him.

But what woman can be more fun than a career?
(End of this chapter)