I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 345: 5000 million for 2000 billion, no matter how you calculate it, it's a win-win! 600 bicycles lost?
Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park was shrouded in twilight, with the autumn colors fading.

Mao Chaorong sat in the rest area of ​​the Orange Technology headquarters building, looking at Chen Yansen across from him, a hint of barely perceptible anxiety and frustration flashing in his eyes.

After returning to China, he used Tencent's summer entrepreneurship camp to build a relationship with Zhang Xiaolong, the father of WeChat, and through Zhang's connections, he successfully met Ma Wenteng, one of the three giants of BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent).

But Little Ma showed little interest in his Little Red Dress project.

What made him most desperate was that Chen Yansen, this business genius, shared the same attitude as Ma Wenteng.

She only wanted me to work for her and had no intention of investing in Little Red Dress whatsoever.

"Mr. Chen, please give me a chance. I promise to increase the valuation of Little Red Dress tenfold within three years."

Mao Chaorong pondered for more than ten seconds before speaking firmly and resolutely.

"What is your valuation expectation for Little Red Dress three years from now?" Chen Yansen shrugged and asked casually.

"One billion US dollars." Mao Chaorong gritted his teeth and boasted, forcing himself to speak.

"Are you familiar with WeChat version 4.0? Its photo-sharing function in Moments is exactly the same as Instagram's, and it's equipped with a more efficient and real-time interactive communication mode. How will Little Red Dress survive? Will Tencent let this software grow too big?"

Chen Yansen asked three questions in a row, each one a sharp dagger to Mao Chaorong's heart.

$10 billion?
Just talking nonsense!

It's worth noting that when Facebook acquired Instagram earlier this year, its asking price was only $10 billion, but he learned from the owner of Spotify that the actual transaction price was only $7.1 million.

Little Red Dress currently only has a business plan, talking the talk but not walking the walk, and yet it wants to become a unicorn company in three years?

What a dream!

Mao Chaorong probably said the same thing to Ma Wenteng, which explains why Ma rejected him; he probably thought Mao was too impetuous.

"Mr. Chen, the e-commerce industry in China is developing rapidly, with emerging brands springing up like mushrooms after rain. They need a platform for content seeding, and Little Red Dress's target audience will mainly be young women. I already have very mature ideas for its commercialization and monetization..."

Mao Chaorong was speechless when asked the question. After thinking for a moment, he reorganized his words and explained sincerely.

"So, you're going to give up your authority to command an aircraft carrier and go row your own little wooden boat?" Chen Yansen waved his hand, interrupting Mao Chaorong.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you think Zhang Xiaolong can make WeChat successful without joining Tencent? My valuation of Mimo is no lower than that of Orange Technology and Pinduoduo. Whether you want to be the head of a phoenix or the tail of a chicken is up to you."

After saying that, Chen Yansen slowly stood up and said his last words to Mao Chaorong: "When Ma Liyun invited Zhang Yong to join Ali, he only gave him thirty minutes to consider it."

There are talented people everywhere. Can someone who fails to realize their potential still be considered talented?

Smart people are often good at seizing opportunities!

If Mao Chaorong can't even figure this out, it means he's not suitable to be the head of Mimo's North American business.

Upon seeing this, Mao Chaorong panicked and quickly got up to chase after him, saying, "President Chen, I want to give it a try."

"If I can grow Mimo's user base to 1000 million, would you be willing to invest in Little Red Dress?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen stopped and looked Mao Chaorong up and down, not expecting that the other party would actually play a betting agreement with him.

But he knew in his heart that once Mimo's user base grew to tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, Mao Chaorong would no longer care about the little red dress.

Like Liao Wei, although his shareholding in Yunsu is not high, it is worth more than 2 billion yuan.

"I'll give you six months. If you perform to my satisfaction, I'll fully support you if you want to start your own business then," Chen Yansen said in a deep voice.

The implication is that Mao Chaorong is not irreplaceable; if his abilities are not up to par, he wouldn't even be able to hold onto his position as head of Mimo.

Mao Chaorong understood the subtext in Chen Yansen's words, chuckled dryly, and immediately nodded in agreement, "No problem."

Compared to Ma Wenteng, Chen Yansen at least offered hope.

"I have a business dinner tonight, come with me."

Chen Yansen said casually.

Mao Chaorong's mindset changed very quickly. After hesitating for only two or three seconds, he quickly followed, opened the back door of the car for Chen Yansen, and then sat in the passenger seat on his own initiative.

"Xiao Li, go to the Sky Garden."

Chen Yansen gave the order, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Although Mao Chaorong's resume and project experience are not a perfect match for the Mimo project leader, they are still the best of the best among the worst, so we'll use him for now.

We can always find another person!

A Rolls-Royce Ghost in a panda-themed color scheme drove out of the technology park and sped towards the city center.

After accepting Chen Yansen's invitation, Mao Chaorong instantly felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

Being chosen by Chen Yansen was tantamount to another form of 'successful entrepreneurship', and he figured it out in just a few minutes.

First, get on the good side of Senlian Capital. If you can satisfy Chen Yansen, it will be much easier to get funding in the future, whether it's getting a promotion and a raise or leaving to start your own business.

The larger the platform, the more resources and opportunities it offers!

On the way, Mao Chaorong hesitated for a long time, looking like he wanted to speak but didn't know how to start.

"Speak up if you have something to say, don't keep it to yourself."

Chen Yansen glanced at him and said softly.

"Mr. Chen, there's another partner in the Little Red Dress project. She's a friend of mine. She quit her job and came back to China with me for this business plan. Could you help introduce me to some heads of investment institutions?"

Mao Chaorong asked cautiously.

In reality, Qu Fang was the one in charge of Little Red Dress.

Although he and his partner had some disagreements over their relationship, he was still grateful for Qu Fang's support.

Six months later, Instagram clones may have already sprung up all over China. Rather than letting others benefit, it's better to give the opportunity to Qu Fang as a supplement.

"Sure," Chen Yansen readily agreed.

Does the little red dress have commercial value?

Of course there is!
After all, its prototype, Instagram, sold for $4000 million with only 7 million users.

In his view, given sufficient funding and traffic, Little Red Dress could easily join the ranks of billion-dollar internet companies three to five years ahead of schedule.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the Sky Garden.

Chen Yansen led Mao Chaorong by elevator to the top-floor private room.

The drinking party didn't end until 10:30 p.m. Mao Chaorong saw Chen Yansen into his car and then turned around and went back to the hotel.

Slightly tipsy, he lay on his side on the headboard and then took out his phone to call Qu Fang.

"Beep...beep...beep..."

Just when Mao Chaorong thought the other party wouldn't answer the phone, a 'drip' sound suddenly came from the receiver.

"What is it?" Qu Fang asked directly.

"I accepted the offer from Today Tech and I'm going to Los Angeles in three days," Mao Chaorong said.

"You're not starting your own business anymore?" Qu Fang asked in surprise.

"For nobody like us with no connections, raising funds is too difficult, so I gave up. By the way, I mentioned to Chen Yansen that they are willing to invest in Little Red Dress, so you can do it, as a way to fulfill our shared wish."

Mao Chaorong looked out at the dazzling neon lights, took a deep breath, and said with emotion.

Compared to ordinary people, he and Qu Fang are considered outstanding individuals. One is a top student from Beijing Foreign Studies University, and the other is a student from a small town who excels in exams at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Both have experience working in foreign companies and studying abroad.

But in the eyes of Chen Yansen and Ma Wenteng, it was still not worth mentioning.

"You're offering to work here in exchange for funding opportunities?"

After a moment of silence, Qu Fang couldn't help but press for an answer.

“Although Jinri Technology can’t compare to Orange Technology and Pinbei Mall, it’s backed by Senlian Capital, and the job titles and benefits are quite good.” Mao Chaorong didn’t give a direct answer. “Thank you.” Qu Fang hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Firstly, she poured a lot of effort into Little Red Dress's business plan;

Secondly, she urgently needs a job to support her daily living expenses.

"Okay, that's enough for now. Don't use 'banma ri de' to insult me ​​next time, it doesn't suit your personality."

Mao Chaorong joked with a smile.

Qu Fang smiled knowingly and hung up the phone.

The next morning, November 27th.

The Orange Pad 1 and MagicBook made their debut at the Orange Smart Living Store, adding a new offline sales channel and resulting in increased sales.

On the same day, Mao Chaorong visited Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park for the second time to sign an employment contract and stock option incentive agreement. His position was General Manager of Mimo North America Business Unit, reporting to Chen Yansen.

"Old Liang, let me introduce you. This is Mao Chaorong."

Chen Yansen called Liang Bo over and pointed at Mao Chaorong.

"Hello, Mr. Mao," Liang Bo greeted with a smile and a hand gesture.

He had actually had a premonition about Chen Yansen's decision.

"Mr. Liang, it's a pleasure to meet you. We'll need your support to expand into North America. Thank you," Mao Chaorong replied immediately.

"You two can talk slowly. In early December, I want to see Mimo on the real-time download charts of both iOS and Android app stores."

Chen Yansen interjected.

The short video industry in North America is currently in a blue ocean market. While Vine's six-second short video design saves users data and provides convenience for market expansion, six seconds is too short and greatly diminishes the user experience.

Mimo limits videos to 15 seconds and uses algorithm-based recommendations to provide users with personalized video content.

In terms of recommendation engine technology, Today Tech and ByteDance have accumulated a wealth of project experience and technical expertise through products such as Toutiao, Lingxi Browser, and Lingxi Search, making them no less capable than Amazon and Netflix, and perhaps even far superior.

Liang Bo pulled Mao Chaorong along, turned around and walked out, intending to visit the office area of ​​Today Technology.

Chen Yansen turned on his computer and launched his work email.

Liao Wei sent an email stating that in addition to SF Express, Guotong Express, Tiantian Express, and Best Express, some third-tier express companies such as Yafeng, Jiaji, Longbang, Rufengda, and Xingchen have also joined the Yunsu Express Alliance.

Today, Yunsu Express service stations are spread throughout the East China region, numbering as many as 1200. The remaining towns and villages are either too small in population or too sparsely populated, so Liao Wei has temporarily shelved them due to cost considerations.

After two months of trial and adjustment, Yunsu Express service stations have identified their business and profit directions.

Therefore, Liao Wei asked whether to accelerate the expansion and replicate the model in North China, Northeast China, South China, and Central China.

"We will proceed in stages, step by step, dividing the population, consumption potential, and coverage area of ​​townships into three tiers, starting with the first tier."

Chen Yansen replied in the email.

After defeating the three major express delivery companies (STO Express, YTO Express, ZTO Express, and Yunda Express), Yunsu has become the leading company in the private express delivery industry.

With a daily parcel volume of up to 12 million, handling 50-60% of the national business volume, coupled with electronic waybill technology and the deployment of Yunsu Express lockers, Yunsu has solidified its position as the industry leader.

Although SF Express is strong in the time-sensitive express delivery sector, its daily business volume is only 260 million parcels, and its market share is only one-fifth of Yunsu's.

The more members the Yunsu Express Alliance has, the more dependent these express delivery companies become on Yunsu service stations and Yunsu express lockers.

Chen Yansen knew perfectly well that the higher-ups would never allow Yunsu Express to form a monopoly, because this was a vital industry for people's livelihood.

This is also the main reason why Yunsu ceased its operations after acquiring the three major express delivery companies (STO Express, YTO Express, ZTO Express, and Yunda Express).

When eating a cake, just grab the biggest piece; trying to eat it all by yourself can easily lead to choking.

At 3 p.m., the front desk called.

“Bring her to my office,” Chen Yansen said.

Upon hearing the other person's name, he became even more certain that Mao Chaorong and Qu Fang were the founders of Xiaohongshu.

As for why it's now called Little Red Dress, it's actually quite easy to understand.

It's normal for a product name to change due to external factors such as its development stage, financing, and acquisitions.

For example, iQiyi was formerly known as "Qiyi", Baidu Music was formerly known as "Qianqian Jingting", Renren was formerly known as "Xiaonei", and Yaomao Mall was formerly known as "Taobao Mall". There are countless similar cases.

Three minutes later, there was a knocking sound at the door.

"Enter!"

Chen Yansen replied.

Guided by the receptionist, Qu Fang pushed open the door and walked in.

"Hello Mr. Chen, my name is Qu Fang. This is my resume and my business plan for Little Red Dress."

Qu Fang first introduced herself, then handed over a thick stack of documents.

"The name 'Little Red Dress' is not good. It sounds like it's primarily for female users, and 'Red Dress' gives the impression of a vertical shopping app. Let's change it to 'Little Red Book' or 'RedNote,' which is simple, easy to understand, and good for marketing."

Chen Yansen leaned back and waited for Qu Fang to sit down before speaking slowly.

“Little Red Book? It’s definitely more catchy than Little Red Dress. Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Chen,” Qu Fang said generously.

Chen Yansen's gaze swept over Qu Fang. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a calm demeanor and a shrewd look in her eyes.

Sitting upright with a straight back and hands naturally folded on the knees, his every move exudes the competence of a professional.

Qu Fang's first impression on him was even slightly better than Mao Chaorong's.

"I'll give you two options: 20% of the shares for 200 million, or 95% of the shares for 5000 million, with the remaining 5% distributed over three years," Chen Yansen said succinctly.

"I choose 5000 million." Qu Fang smiled confidently and chose the latter without hesitation.

The more money you take, the more traffic and resources you receive in return.

Moreover, rather than having one's equity diluted round after round, it's better to stick with the strongest backer.

“You are smarter and more decisive than Mao Chaorong.” Chen Yansen smiled slightly, revealing an admiring look in his eyes.

"Mr. Chen, you flatter me. I just want to become one of Senlian Capital's own people," Qu Fang nodded in response.

"Then welcome President Qu to Senlian Capital." Chen Yansen extended his right hand and said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen." Qu Fang immediately stood up, grasped Chen Yansen's hand, and responded respectfully.

Xiaohongshu holds multiple strategic values ​​for Senlian Capital. First, it can create a closed loop between content seeding and consumer conversion. Second, it can enhance the overall brand image of Orange Technology and help with brand upgrading. Third, it can provide precise traffic for the group's products.

Most importantly, Qu Fang's business plan for Xiaohongshu is still in its infancy, so entering the market now is practically free.

According to his understanding, Xiaohongshu's market value will eventually exceed 2000 billion yuan, even higher than Mihoyo's.

Exchanging 5000 million for 2000 billion is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it!

After chatting with Qu Fang for a few minutes, Chen Yansen picked up his phone and dialed Gao Weilin's number: "Old Gao, come over here."

"Okay, boss." Gao Weilin understood that the big boss had assigned him another task.

at the same time.

OFO has deployed its second batch of shared bikes in Hangzhou, bringing the total number to over 10,000, with daily revenue reaching 30,000 yuan.

Cheng Wei's expansion pace was also not slow. After adding smart locks to the second and first generation of Didi bikes, the number of bikes deployed was increased to 1.5.

In fact, a total of 1.56 vehicles were deployed in the two batches, of which more than 600 have gone missing.

(End of this chapter)