2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 484 They not only want me, but they also want my money!

Whether in public or private, our Boss Tan has never said anything so arrogant; he is humble beyond his years.

Perhaps it was the influence of alcohol that made Boss Tan act so arrogantly tonight.

Sun Tongyu was both amused and exasperated. Everyone said this guy couldn't hold his liquor, and it was true; he had drunk the least tonight, but his face was the reddest.

Is he talking nonsense right now?

However, what he said wasn't without merit. In terms of company size and sales, the entire Flash Group couldn't compare to Ali, but in terms of social status, capital background, and actual supply chain system, Flash had nothing to fear from Ali.

However, the real core issue is that FlashLink and Ali are not in the same industry at all. E-commerce is Ali's core business, but it is not a core business in FlashLink. Basically, Orange Technology is not a core subsidiary.

Since non-core businesses don't necessarily pose a significant risk of retaliation from CEO Ma, what does it mean if one joins a company in a non-core business?

"Chengpin Hui is positioned as a discount store for branded clothing, and it will remain so in the future, so it does not directly compete with Ali. As for what you said about Ma retaliating, that is certain, but if he is a mature businessman, his retaliation will only be from a normal business perspective."

"Orange Products' goal is to survive, to survive in a niche market of e-commerce, to ensure our own survival before seeking future development. The model I talked to you about last time is not yet mature."

Sun Tongyu nodded unconsciously. The Orange Products Club project wasn't particularly challenging for him. What he valued most was the concept of the future online shopping project that he had discussed with Tan Jincheng. That was what he thought of the online shopping market.

That is, the initial impression of Pinduoduo. Tan Jincheng used this project to fish for interest, and Sun Tongyu was quite interested. This is the reason why he kept talking to Tan Jincheng.

“Joining Orange is not a challenge for Mr. Sun, but I think it is a completely new challenge for him in terms of career planning.”

Under the influence of alcohol, and due to his own personality, Tan Jincheng didn't bother with any pretense with Sun Tongyu and went straight to the point.

"Appreciate further details."

"Orange Technology is not a very important part of my overall business system. Mr. Sun should be able to see that my focus is on intelligent manufacturing."

"car?"

No matter how much Tan Jincheng denies it, everyone can see that Flashcar is making various preparations for manufacturing cars, including the recent research visit by Huang Ming to Changfeng Group, which has fueled speculation in this regard.

"Yes, cars. This is the ideal in Flash and my own heart. To be honest, Orange Technology was just looking to make some money in the Internet industry, so at the beginning we chose low-cost social games."

After tidying up the restaurant and kitchen, Gu Qingqing came to the living room and sat down next to Tan Jincheng. Hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh: "President Tan, you don't have to be so blunt. The word 'making money' seems a bit vulgar."

Sun Tongyu couldn't help but smile. It was his first time meeting Tan Jincheng. Perhaps it was the relaxed atmosphere at home, or perhaps the short video they had shared earlier had broken the illusion.

This young entrepreneur, who has been mythologized by the outside world and is considered one of the leading figures of the post-80s generation, doesn't seem to have any particularly special first impressions. However, there is one thing that many entrepreneurs cannot match: sincerity.

If you don't like Mr. Ma, just say so without even giving a reason. You also openly say you want to build cars, and even your purpose for entering the internet industry is so direct. It's just like what he said in a face-to-face interview: in the early stages of starting a business, you only think about making money.

"Is the intention to make some money to subsidize Flashway, enrich its cash flow, and prepare for car manufacturing?" Sun Tongyu had allowed Orange Technology to be part of Flashway Group for a period of time, but it was later separated due to financing issues.

"That's true. But since it's already taken off and gained some recognition in the industry, and even secured funding, it's unlikely that they would give up on this business. That's how the Orange Products Club project came about."

Tan Jincheng's initial idea for Orange Technology was to integrate some mini-games from his past life, make a fortune from them, sell the company, and use the proceeds to invest in car manufacturing.

But later they found that this approach was too slow. The real money-making era for games was the mobile internet era with mobile games. In the PC era, online games were the ones that made big money, and Tan Jincheng didn't want to invest in that because the risk was too great.

Since making money from users is too slow, we should make money in the capital market. This led to the concept of Orange Products Club. These days, e-commerce is still the hottest sector on the internet, and it is also the sector most favored by capital.

Compared to copying small games to grow a company to a certain scale, it's actually easier to hype up concepts and work with investment institutions to raise money in the secondary market.

"The Orange Products Club project has proven to be feasible after these few days of trial operation. Its market share is certainly not as high as that of Taobao and JD.com, which cover all categories, but at least our survival problem has been solved. So, our future goal is definitely not just to make money."

Sun Tongyu nodded in agreement. No matter how much Jack Ma boasted in front of the media, in the early days of Alibaba's startup, it was actually a group of about a dozen people who claimed to have ideals but were dissatisfied with the status quo, all working towards the same goal. And that goal, of course, was to make money. No matter how much a company later boasts about its culture, its initial goal was definitely to make money; making money is the core culture of a company.

Mr. Tan's idea is not wrong.

“For a company to grow, it definitely needs professional talent. First of all, I’m not in that field, and secondly, my work focus isn’t on the internet,” Tan Jincheng said sincerely.

"As for my wife, she still has her studies to attend to, and her abilities in the e-commerce field are incomparable to Mr. Sun's. Therefore, we sincerely invite Mr. Sun to join Orange Products Club."

Gu Qingqing chimed in, "Yes, in the future, Orange Products can be fully handed over to President Sun. In addition to operating this project well, there is also the ideal online shopping website that you and President Tan mentioned. If I have any new plans in the future, the entire Orange Technology can also be handed over to President Sun for management."

"This is our company, or it can be your company, Mr. Sun. With the help of Orange Technology's small platform, you can gradually develop and grow it, and achieve a triumphant return."

The couple worked together, and Gu Qingqing also learned to make empty promises. Although Sun Tongyu knew it was just a promise, he had to admit that the phrase "the king's return" was very appealing to him.

No matter how others evaluate him, it doesn't change the fact that he was actually kicked out by Ahri. The more successful Ahri was in the second half of the year, the more frustrated he felt.

He could have enjoyed this kind of prestige before; the CEO of Orange Products Club needed to make an appointment to meet him. But now he had to sneak into a residential building late at night to meet him.

Sun Tongyu was well aware that the importance of a platform to an employee was definitely greater than the importance of an employee to a platform.

But he built the Taobao platform bit by bit. This year, Taobao's total sales will exceed 400 billion yuan, achieving a record that large multinational retailers take more than 10 years to reach. You say he is just an ordinary employee?

Sun Tongyu remained silent, but Tan Jincheng didn't care about that: "Let me put it this way, Mr. Sun, at Orange Products Club or Orange Technology, neither of us is professional and we don't have a particular desire for control. I'm going to be a car manufacturing tycoon in the future."

As for my Qingqing, she's more likely to focus on family or become a behind-the-scenes investor. So, Orange Technology can truly be your company; you can do whatever you want with it. If you want to use Orange Technology as a platform to take down Mr. Ma, that's not impossible either, as long as you have the capability.

“We’re not just making empty promises; we’re genuinely sincere. If all goes well, Orange Technology should be going through its Series C funding round soon. We can discuss with our investors and give you that opportunity.”

Tan Jincheng also saw Sun Tongyu's shares in Ali, holding 2% of the shares. Based on the current market value, this guy's net worth is over 10 billion yuan. This is real wealth that can be cashed out at any time, which is much more substantial than Tan Jincheng's wealth, which is all invested in factories.

In some ways, Sun Tongyu is much richer than Tan Jincheng.

"Good heavens, you want not only me, but also my money," Sun Tongyu chuckled.

However, it must be said that Tan Jincheng's proposal is really tempting. As long as the two existing investment institutions are secured for Orange Technology's Series C financing, Sun Tongyu can become a major shareholder of Orange Technology in his personal capacity.

In terms of process, it is much simpler than introducing new investment institutions. It only requires transferring a portion of the shares held by Tan Jincheng or Gu Qingqing to him.

The prerequisite is to secure the support of two investment institutions and persuade them to accept the plan.

However, this is not difficult. First, Sun Tongyu invested in Orange Technology based on the valuation after normal growth. Second, recruiting the CEO of Taobao is a heavy blow to Lao Ma.

If you want to ask Xiao Ma if he's happy, just open the Paipai.com backend and show him the dismal data; he'll be happier than anyone else.

Tencent and Alibaba don't actually have much overlap in their specific businesses. When comparing BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), B is like a lonely soul, doing its own thing, but AT (Alibaba and Tencent) are always compared.

Perhaps this is just an innate clash of personalities, as if it were destined.

"So, aren't you worried that Mr. Ma will retaliate against me? How about we fight back together?"

Yes, I want more than just you; I want your money too!

"Let me think about it and I'll give you an answer next month."

"Of course, I hope to see Mr. Sun in Beicang after the New Year. I'll get you a villa then, the one I'm currently living in. Let me tell you, that place is not easy to buy."

(End of this chapter)