Many young Chinese are interested in start-ups (创业公司). They hope to innovate and start their own businesses. They are obviously unafraid of failure. Driven by the Internet and rapid economic growth, a post-95 entrepreneur, Gou Yingda, has his own success story to tell.
Tall and slim, wearing sports shoes and a jeans jacket, Yingda runs in quick steps as he arrives for the interview. His energetic manner and his quick steps make him look very young. He smiles frequently and doesn’t show any sign of tiredness, though he only slept a few hours last night. Young as he looks, he is already an experienced entrepreneur, having spent many years in the field of Internet start-ups.
Upon his graduation from high school, he spent a whole summer at a coffee house, a well-known place for business starters in Beijing. There he immersed (沉浸) himself in the circle and eagerly exchanged views with other people. The passionate young man gradually had a clear picture of what he would do: He would build people’s trust in agricultural products and food safety through transparent operation of agricultural products.
He is now the CEO of an Internet company aiming to link farmers with urban consumers to guarantee green, organic produce (有机农产品). It’s not just an agricultural e-commerce website. Its goal is to use the Internet to transform China’s agriculture. The company acquires the right to use farmland and then hires farmers to grow crops on the land. In fall, when the crops are harvested, the company will deliver the produce directly from the field to the consumer.
To build up their consumers’ confidence in the produce, the company sets up cameras on the farmland and provides real-time updates via live streams (直播), so consumers can check on their plants with their mobile phones. This practice makes the production process transparent and effectively relieves people’s concerns about food safety. The young CEO believes that the key to the success of the company lies in consumers’ trust and that allowing them to watch the whole farming process can win their trust.
“We promise to provide organic food without any chemicals, and we aim at China’s top agricultural brand,” said Yingda. “Even if we fail, it is also a great attempt. So, I want to awaken the Chinese youth to pay attention to agriculture and rebuild their hometown.” He goes on business trips every two to three days: attending meetings, checking on farmland, and giving lectures. In his opinion, people choose his produce because he is persistent in what he’s doing, and they believe in his business model.