With the development of media and social networks, the image of 'business leaders' has become increasingly clear. Compared to the earlier 'entrepreneur' image, business leaders are not only operators and managers but also creators and sharers of ideas, even conveying a lifestyle and life philosophy.

At the same time, they also represent a company's 'appearance' and 'temperament.' People are keen to discuss the words and deeds of business leaders, such as Jack Ma, Liu Qiangdong, Dong Mingzhu, and Lei Jun, admiring their charisma or wisdom, which often translates into enormous brand power and consumer influence.

Unfortunately, the alcohol industry has yet to produce a 'business leader.'

Not long ago, Moutai released its 2015 annual report and 2016 first-quarter report. Last year, it achieved revenue of 32.66 billion yuan, with net profit attributable to listed shareholders of 15.5 billion yuan, and a gross margin as high as 92.23%. In the first quarter of this year, Moutai achieved revenue of 9.989 billion yuan and net profit of 4.889 billion yuan. Such 'astonishing' performance has led many investors to remark: Moutai is simply the most 'money-making' company in China.

To some extent, Moutai is a microcosm of the alcohol industry. In 2015, enterprises above designated size in the brewing industry completed cumulative product sales revenue of 922.917 billion yuan, with total profits of 101.807 billion yuan. These figures only cover the production sector; if the vast number of alcohol distributors were included, the numbers would be even larger.

It is such a 'money-making' and powerful 'gold brick' industry, yet few 'business leaders' have emerged from it. In fact, because alcohol is closely linked to daily life and alcohol culture has a huge social influence, the industry has formed core enterprises and well-known brands. Moreover, over the years, there has been no shortage of outstanding talents and leading figures in production, marketing, and corporate management. From all perspectives, the conditions for the alcohol industry to produce 'business leaders' are fully met.

But unfortunately, the influence of so-called 'alcohol giants' is often limited to within the industry. Among the broader population, their visibility is still quite limited. In other words, there is still a considerable gap between 'alcohol giants' and 'business leaders.'

What exactly has caused this deficiency and contrast? 'Alcohol giants' have the hardware foundation of performance and experience, and they also have the software accumulation of ideas and philosophies. Why is it so difficult for them to become 'business leaders'?

Looking back at recent years, what attracts the public's attention most and helps build a business leader image is face-to-face exchanges and clashes. Jack Ma and Wang Jianlin once had a billion-yuan bet, and at last year's company annual meeting, the two engaged in a war of words. As for Dong Mingzhu and Lei Jun, they are practically 'archrivals.' It is through these spark-filled clashes that the public gets to know their personalities and thoughts, forming the unique charm of business leaders.

In contrast, in the alcohol industry, although there are exchanges among executives, these exchanges first lack a fixed platform, making it difficult for the information exchanged to reach the public, and the social influence generated is extremely limited, insufficient to support the business leader image of alcohol entrepreneurs. Second, there is a lack of space: the scope of high-level exchanges in the alcohol industry is relatively limited, with few crossing over to engage in intellectual clashes with business leaders and giants from other industries, making it difficult for alcohol giants to take that step toward becoming business leaders. Third, there is a lack of a 'battlefield': the so-called 'clashes' within the alcohol industry are mostly mild and stop at a gentle touch. The demands and thoughts of the mainstream industrial forces and mainstream commercial forces have rarely had direct confrontations—without a few spark-filled 'hard hits,' how can the dominance and authority of business leaders be established?

Give the alcohol industry a platform, a space, and a 'battlefield,' and once the external conditions are resolved, there is a high probability that the industry will produce business leader-level figures.

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