Gao Dekang has worked hard for thirty years to interpret the myth of Bosideng
Starting from eight sewing machines, after 30 years of hard work, Gao Dekang turned Bosideng into a world-wide brand, which has inspired the Chinese nation. From being the first to successfully enter the Swiss market with a national clothing brand, to becoming one of the 16 Chinese famous brand companies that "enter into world famous brands and have international competitiveness", Bosideng has embarked on a unique path of national brand growth.
At present, Bosideng’s annual sales reach 6.5 billion yuan, and its brand value reaches 10.2 billion yuan. The former "small workshop" has entered the "Top 500" in China, and has firmly occupied the "number one spot" in China's down industry with the number one sales performance for 11 consecutive years. It is known as the "Bosideng" myth!
What is the secret of Bosideng’s success? What experience can we learn from in “30 years to build a world brand”? How long will it take to achieve the goal of becoming a bigger and stronger national enterprise?
Let’s get closer to Gao Dekang and enter Bosideng.
October 10, 2006, Shenyang, China. Gao Dekang, President of Bosideng Co., Ltd., stepped onto the podium to receive the "2006 China's Top Ten World Influential Brands" medal. Under the spotlight, Gao Dekang was full of energy and ambition.
This award ceremony is one of the activities of the 14th World Productivity Conference, hosted by the World Productivity Science Alliance and hosted by the China Productivity Society. As the only company in my country's textile industry to be on the list, Bosideng has won this honor together with famous companies such as Shanghai Baosteel Group, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and International Airlines.
30 years ago, Bosideng was just a "small workshop" with 8 sewing machines. From the beginning of "processing with supplied materials" for others, to "OEM" garment making, and finally having its own brand, Bosideng has embarked on a unique path of national brand innovation. According to a survey by an authoritative organization, Bosideng's brand value reaches 10.2 billion yuan, making it the most valuable brand in China's apparel industry.
“Brand is the core competitiveness of an enterprise. Through the shaping, cultivation, improvement and innovation of the brand, we can build the competitive advantage of the enterprise and achieve the take-off of the enterprise.” Recently, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Harbin, Bosideng Gao Dekang, president of the Co., Ltd., told the author this.
According to the latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics, Bosideng Co., Ltd. ranks 379th among China’s top 500 companies. Its sales volume has maintained a leading position in the industry for 11 consecutive years. In 2005, its annual sales The amount reached 6.5 billion yuan.
The story of a bicycle and 8 sewing machines - starting a business begins with the most arduous training
Going back 30 years, a man from the Second Brigade of Shanjing Village, Baimao Commune, Changshu County, Jiangsu Province A young man, unwilling to endure poverty and backwardness, led 11 farmers to set up a sewing machine group and started an arduous entrepreneurial journey with only 8 sewing machines.
Bosideng’s glorious journey began here, and that young man was Gao Dekang. At that time, he was passionate about literature and art. Although he could not formally learn music scores, he only had to listen to ordinary songs two or three times. You can play it.
Some people said that he was smart, but later more people felt that he had a persistent and unyielding belief in him. At that time, this workshop-style sewing group had neither its own products nor its own brand. It could only do some "processing with supplied materials" work for others, and its furthest customer was a small business in Shanghai.
Shanghai is 200 kilometers away from Changshu. Every day before dawn, Gao Dekang would ride on his "28" bicycle and hit the road. At that time, there was no cement road from Changshu to Shanghai, only gravel roads with bumps. Even so, Gao Dekang still "ran" to Shanghai at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour. After getting the fabric, he returned to the village at the same speed that night. The round trip took more than ten hours. When you are thirsty, you drink cold water; when you are hungry, you eat dry food. When you get home, your feet are often swollen, your legs are sore, and you are so tired that you feel like you are falling apart. If it is windy or rainy, the road will be even more muddy and difficult to navigate. But no matter how tired he is or how many difficulties he encounters on the road, Gao Dekang will rush back to the village that day regardless of rain or shine, because he knows that the 11 brothers in the village are still "waiting for rice to be cooked."
The next day, Gao Dekang rode his bicycle to send the finished product to Shanghai, and then picked up the fabric. This was repeated day after day. Only Gao Dekang himself knew the hard work involved. He was only in his twenties at the time, but he looked like an old man, with messy hair and vicissitudes of life.
"More than 20 years ago, I was even older than I am now." Gao Dekang said humorously. His long-term "cycling" career has exercised his leg muscles, and even now, he still maintains the ability to walk quickly. Ordinary young people cannot keep up with this habit.
However, the difficult entrepreneurial experience left Gao Dekang with the most precious wealth in his life. Gao Dekang said: "This experience made me superhuman. Endurance and the spirit of refusing to bend in the face of difficulties. Later, the company went through several storms in the development stage, and I survived them all, relying on this spirit of hard work. ”
Therefore, he warned today’s young people: Although history is different and everyone’s path to success cannot be copied, if you want to achieve a career, you must have a hard-working spirit and perseverance. Perseverance is an essential quality for every young entrepreneur to succeed. Today, the bicycle Gao Dekang once rode and the sewing machine he used are still intact in the historical showroom of Bosideng Company. A group of young people who start a business in Bosideng will personally experience the story of "a bicycle and 8 sewing machines" and work hard to start a business.
Six motorcycles were "scrapped" in 4 years. "Make a wedding dress for others" but found huge business opportunities
In 1983, the fifth year of Gao Dekang's business, Gao Dekang's means of transportation had already changed from shotgun to cannon: bicycles became motorcycles.
Although transportation has become "advanced", Gao Dekang's hard-working spirit has not changed. He switched to a motorcycle not to be less tired and enjoy leisure. On the contrary, he is busier than before by riding a bicycle every day. Now, after switching to a motorcycle, he has to travel between Shanghai and Changshu twice a day. In the next four years, Gao Dekang actually "scrapped" 6 motorcycles.
For motorcycles, it seems to be just a change in transportation, but in fact it reflects the huge changes that have taken place in the "small workshops" at this time. The "red hat" of the "small workshops" has also become a collective enterprise. It is no longer limited to "processing with supplied materials" and has shifted to "OEM" manufacturing.
What is dramatic is that Gao Dekang was the first "OEM" manufacturer to produce my country's first garment. A down jacket from the Shanghai Feida Factory. Now, the Shanghai Feida Factory has been fully acquired by Bosideng, and the factory’s “Shuangyu” brand, my country’s earliest down jacket brand, has been acquired by Bosideng.
It should be said that Gao Dekang is a "restless" businessman. When he was doing "OEM" for Shanghai Feida Factory, he keenly discovered the huge business opportunities in the down industry. However, in the 1980s, society was in a state of decline. Leather jackets are popular, but down jackets have only been around for 10 years, but they are not favored by the market and consumers because of their mediocre style, rough fabrics, and monotonous colors. In particular, the down processing procedures are complicated, and many companies are unwilling to do this business.
However, Gao Dekang had a special liking for down jackets at that time. He believed that China was still a country that was getting rich, and people needed more of this kind of high-quality and low-priced products, although this product was seasonal. It is strong, but the demand is extremely high. With a little improvement, it can explode with strong vitality in the short term and create unlimited development space. From this, Gao Dekang came up with a dream: to let all Chinese people wear lightweight, warm and comfortable clothing. The right outfit!
“Opportunities in the mall are fleeting and if you don’t seize them, they will slip away. "Many years later, Gao Dekang was still full of passion when recalling his impulse at that time, "I fell in love with down jackets like a man possessed. My intuition told me that this will be a career I will pursue throughout my life. 1 A scholar specializing in enterprise research I discovered a phenomenon that some successful entrepreneurs got their "first pot of gold" by choosing projects that others didn't want to do or didn't dare to do. As a result, only they did it and succeeded.
Gao Dekang is just such a person. What he often says to the young people in the company is: as far as the dream is, as big as the stage. At that time, Gao Dekang was "OEM" processing clothing while concentrating on studying the future trend of the down jacket market. By the late 1980s, Gao Dekang had mastered a complete set of mature technologies from production, processing to making down jackets, and he decided to march towards his dream!
For Gao Dekang, 1992 was the most important turning point in his entrepreneurial history. In this year, Gao Dekang finally refused to "make a wedding dress for others" and registered the "Bosideng" trademark, taking the first step in building a branded down jacket.
Two years later, Bosideng down jackets were officially launched for sale, and Gao Dekang finally created his own brand to compete in the market.
At this time, Gao Dekang was as excited as a man who had just become a father. From the beginning of "processing with supplied materials" to "OEM manufacturing", and finally creating an independent brand, it is easier said than done! It took a full 18 years!
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