Startup Sketches
When July comes, everything became more dizzy and sleepy.
Though my eyes are nodding, I could not help but to focus on my writing topic. Before I put pen to paper, I am willing to illustrate the memories in Chinese, but I have made my pledges to deliberate practice my English in monthly posts.
So be it.
Time is a thief who could steal our most precious recollections from now and then.
Before it acts, it was a perfect time for me to mark our startup anniversary with some anecdotes that were fading away.
The whole story just demonstrates one thumb rule:
You do not need to prove yourself, when it comes, you just need to be yourself.
The yearning for freedom has always been her ambition. Wandering and roaming through the metropolis, she had endured both hardships and mishaps in times of career crises. Living in such a cramp box, she could hardly vanquish any depressing moment with her dream enlightening.
I believe anyone who had the chance to breathe in Shanghai could sense the looming anxiety and aspiring plans whenever you encounter the teeming streets or rush to crowded metro. Hard to admit the world seems stranger to us.
Could we have the magic to turn around? At the sight of the Oriental Pearls, our desire of a better future unconsciously grasped our mind.
After brief thought, she finally said no to regularities of work and life.
She decided to pick up her versatile skills in traditional instruments and be a self-employed training teacher. Guzheng and Guqin were her friends.
It was June 2015 when I became a full-time entrepreneur with my roommates while she rolled other training schemes in multiple institutions.
If you have stayed tuned with my posts, life could be totally different if we had compromised to move to Dongguan where her parents had been living for more than a decade.
The fateful battle between us triggered more quarrels and illusions, however, she was determined to regain the control of her life.
The wheels were turning.
After our peaceful resolution, we had been strenuously formulating our grandiose mission, ranging from the brand to the location, from schedules to communications.
Unfortunately, we constantly hit walls in almost the entire city with our underfunded model and aimless position.
Six weeks had eclipsed since our inception. From our perspective, position and location were everything. High-end condos, universal apartments, business buildings, streetshops were within our hunting zones. However, they were off the target and hard to take down.
One day, it dawned on us that we could long before circle all the institutions and their locations in online maps. Furthermore, there were a handful of similar business operations on Dianping where we could snatch and summarize the key elements.
To our excitement, the future seemed tangible again, and she embarked on the quest of locating the best place under our budget.
The choices were left to a few: popular areas, a few minutes’ walk from the metro and matching style with traditional instruments.
When we finally fetched the keys to our new studio on June 20th, it was such a relief. However, it was just the beginning of another Odyssey.
Photo: Front Yard
The first stumbling block was how to earn our first group of users.
Apart from the mainstream channel in Dianping, we had also built up the website, WeChat official accounts, Weibo and other platforms. Traffic was not so much expensive at that time, and our investment laid the foundation for promising clients.
At the same time, we had compared the pricing strategies of all institutions, and dared to disrupt the market with professional experience costless.
Our strategy was quite simple. Whenever we landed a new battlefield, what instantly came to my mind was how to best employ its rules. The original ratings were so significant that it created a closed loop for the newcomers.
Last but not the least, we had implemented other interesting designs as how to lighten up the atmosphere and to be a decentralized community.
It was like a newborn baby that we had and strived to raise her until grown.
Things went well in the following eight months.
When we had to move in March, it was opportune for us to ameliorate and concentrate.
The three-tiered detached house was the perfect avenue for learning traditional instruments. The balcony condescended the parking garage next to us.
After balancing the prospects and costs, she shivered to transfer the rents and promised to deliver her ambition.
However, she could not single-handedly tackle all the needs from students. Recruitment and management came to the fore. But she had not accustomed to the status quo at first even though she was a born leader to me.
When everything fell into place, the following months witnessed our evolution on business management and regular communication with students.
Inspired by Mr.Huang’s book, I had drafted the strategies and daily operations in bulletpoints, which then encouraged more visualizations. She was the mastermind.
Creating something new was always a hard road to hoe. Learning from the best practices and reflecting from the experience are critical in our lives.
There were times of despair when we had no clue where the future was.
There were times of hope when our students recognized our expertise and efforts.
There were times of conflicts when our execution diverged and collapsed.
Three days ago, I was sentimental to post in WeChat moments. What we have accomplished was the fruit of her relentless efforts and persistent practices.
I was and has always been fortunate to have her right behind me.
We were and have always been fortunate to have you that encourage and help us down the road.
Life is indeed a miracle. If not, why bother to care and live?
Hope you are all inspired.
