Back to the prime of life

Chapter 193 Startup
"Mr. Lu, you've finally arrived. The 7th floor is bustling with activity, but the 8th floor is rather deserted. If I had known it would be like this, I would have preferred to go to America with Chi Yongsheng back then."

On the eighth floor of the Innovation Building, Zhou Shuang spoke with a hint of resentment.

Lu Changge sat opposite her, knowing in his heart that the woman was joking. After all, Chi Yongsheng was already making a name for himself in the United States, which at least proved the possibility in business practice.

"Apple's entry into the Chinese market was indeed somewhat delayed. What about other mobile phone manufacturers?"

Zhou Shuang reclined in her chair. "Samsung and Motorola are moving faster, having already announced plans to release Android phones this year. Some domestic manufacturers are also eager to try. But after careful observation, we've found that the good smartphones from various brands are too expensive, and the cheaper ones... well, they're not that much cheaper. How can they possibly achieve widespread adoption?"

The penetration rate of smartphones will directly affect the expansion of Pulsego's user base; after all, without hardware, software is just air.

"...The cost of living in the US is higher than in China. Everyone there can afford a phone that costs several hundred dollars, but that doesn't mean it will work here. Have you considered that?"

It sounds like Zhou Shuang is also getting anxious because of the slow progress.

Lu Changge understood that this was unavoidable, because people nowadays would not have imagined that Xiaomi, which would suddenly appear in March of next year, would drive the price of so-called smartphones down to 1999.

Such affordable prices are actually a necessary condition for the rapid rise of the mobile internet.

In fact, he could have contacted Xiaomi, which was still in the planning stages, beforehand and put Pulsego's products directly as pre-installed software on Xiaomi phones.

The thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, after all, there was still a year to go.

As for the present situation...

The company has obtained grey market iPhones and Android phones through special channels. Both versions of Plush Hat have been developed, including the PC version. Currently, all internal employees are testing, finding fault, and making improvements.

But this kind of thing has an initial enthusiasm period. It's not like dating. Who wants to spend all day chatting aimlessly on their phone with their colleagues?

However, Lu Changge's requirement remained the same: to continue optimizing and iterating.

Under such circumstances, it's understandable that Zhou Shuang felt some resentment and anxiety.

"The smartphone industry is definitely a trend, there's no doubt about that. You just need to be patient, things will definitely be different in a year. Besides, aren't there new phones being released this year? As soon as they launch in mainland China, we'll launch our product the very next day. To be that efficient, there's always some preparation work to be done. There's also good news: I met with a few investors in Beijing this time, and some of them are still interested in our project. Of course, I'm not here today to say these seemingly empty words to comfort you; I actually have something to do."

Zhou Shuang sat up straight immediately. "What is it?"

"Here's the thing, Luman has the most ambitious marketing plan to date. We got the funding at the end of last year, and after a few months of planning, things are basically settled. And I want to launch three campaigns at once, two of which are with you."

"I like hearing that, otherwise I'd be bored to death sitting here every day. Tell me quickly, which two?"

"First, it's best to time it around the time Pulse Hat is released in China. Second, we need to market our achievements in the US, combined with the advertising done by Lu Mang... The final result will greatly increase my personal brand awareness, and naturally, the two companies associated with me won't become unknown either. Shen Mo said that Chatter's cold start in the US is better than expected. This time, we're going to turn that cold start into a hot start!"
The second point is crucial: while it's marketing, it can't be exaggerated. Otherwise, if I'm portrayed as a superhuman figure, it will ultimately negatively impact the company's development. So, just focus on actual achievements.

Zhou Shuang was initially excited, but then became worried. "But you also said that there's a giant in the instant messaging software industry. Won't our high profile attract attention too early? Or should we sneak in first?"

This is a matter of choice.

"We can't avoid it. Let's not treat others like fools. It's not a secret project. As long as we announce it to the public, people will pay attention."

In fact, Lu Changge knew that next year, that giant would face the most serious brand crisis in its history. That battle caused it to offend both its competitors and users almost simultaneously. But it would be difficult to seize that time and temporarily release a product to replace it, since many netizens were unaware of Pulse, and even the most powerful promotion needed a transition period.

We are now in the 2G to 3G era, unlike later when there were thousands of self-media outlets, and any big scandal could be known throughout China with just one short video.

Therefore, Lu Changge believed in entering the market in 09, then conducting some publicity and building a reputation. In short, even if unexpected wealth falls from the sky, you need to have the ability to handle it.

"Okay, since you've made up your mind, let's do it!"

Lu Changge nodded, feeling slightly excited. All the previous projects combined were actually not as good as Pulseego. This was the one with the biggest impact, so excitement was inevitable.

"Ask Shen Mo when he expects the user base to reach one million. That would be a milestone, and it would make a great slogan."

"We've looked into this internally, and it's estimated to take another two months."

That would be May.

"Almost, we can wait." The promotional activities on Lu Mang's side are also in preparation. Shooting an advertisement doesn't actually take long, but the main thing is that it involves a real financial cooperation, and various contracts need to be negotiated and signed.

……

……

At the end of March, one thing was settled.

It refers to the merger of Hailan Bay into Wang Hongcheng's company.

His company has also changed its name this time. After all, it is going to be more sophisticated in the future, so it has been renamed "Starry Sky Real Estate". The main investor is himself, and Lu Changge is the third largest individual shareholder, holding 12% of the shares and joining the board of directors.

The second largest shareholder was a business partner he brought in, surnamed Lin, who was also quite powerful.

After Xingkong Real Estate was established, in addition to acquiring Hailan Bay, it also plans to acquire the plot of land near Dangshanhu Metro Station that it had previously been eyeing.

Wang Hongcheng believed that Lu Changge had government connections, so he trusted him without hesitation. To reinforce this idea and make it easier for him to acquire land in the future, Lu Changge even asked him to complete the matter before June.

The official planning approval for Jiangzhou Rail Transit Line 2 was granted at the end of May 2009, at which time the station locations were determined.

However, the government's land auctions also depend on the timing. In order to complete the process before June, they had to rush to hold the April auction. This is why Wang Hongcheng was in such a hurry to complete all the procedures before the end of March.

April 6th was a specially chosen auspicious day.

On this day, Lu Changge was invited to attend the official renaming and listing ceremony of Xingkong Real Estate. At the ceremony, Wang Hongcheng announced that Xingkong Commercial Plaza had completed the leasing of all its shops, and that the Cuijingyuan project had entered the warm-up stage of the pre-sale period.

In addition, the new shareholder, Mr. Lin, brought him a series of things, including funds.

Mr. Wang is now in high spirits.

For Lu Changge, these occasions were just formalities; he could just smile and go along with it. The only thing that interested him was running into an acquaintance.

Feng Sixing.

He probably would never have remembered this name if he hadn't met her in person, since they didn't really have any connection; he had only heard Xu Qiuxue mention it a few times.

That's right, she's the girl Lu Changge met at the campus coffee shop when he went to Jinling University.

She belongs to Xu Qiuxue's senior.

When Lu Changge met her at the scene, she had already changed out of her student uniform and into a full-on OL (office lady) business suit, with her hair down, looking every bit the professional woman.

"How did you get here?" he asked in surprise.

Feng Sixing said, "I'm quite surprised. How did you become a shareholder of this company?"

Lu Changge said, "This matter is a bit complicated. Anyway, it's all about luck."

"Luck? You're incredibly lucky." Feng Sixing's words were meaningful. She thought to herself that she was two years older than him, yet now she was his boss and he was her employee. "I'm here as a contractor. I've been working in design since graduation, and I'm still struggling."

Lu Changge was initially puzzled. Xingkong Real Estate had just been established, so where did the design institute come from? But then he realized that this was a preliminary scouting trip, an attempt to become a part of the company.

"Are you free later?" Feng Sixing asked.

The question was clearly aimed at soliciting business, but since they had met, Lu Changge didn't intend to refuse. He would have to see how it went; if they set aside personal relationships and only talked about business, it might be a good fit.

Furthermore, Feng Sixing also seemed a little embarrassed, probably because he was trying to curry favor with an acquaintance.

“Yes, since you’ve come all the way to Jiangzhou, I have to make time even if I’m busy. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Feng Sixing breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Lu Changge didn't act like a boss.

(End of this chapter)