Source: E-commerce Headlines (ID: ecnews88), republished with permission.

He was born in a mountain area in Chongqing, spent 8 years in primary school, started 'making ducks' at 20, and never had luck on his side.

But just because of his stubbornness, he stuck with ducks for 23 years, transforming from a street hustler into the boss of a listed company.

He is the boss of Zhou Hei Ya, Zhou Fuyu!

01 Primary School for 8 Years, Farming, and Bricklaying Born in 1975 in Hechuan, Chongqing, Zhou Fuyu didn't bring joy to his family at birth; instead, he added another mouth to feed. To ensure he wouldn't suffer later, his parents not only named him 'Fuyu' (meaning wealth) but also sold everything to fund his education. However, he was mischievous and didn't study well, taking 8 years to finish primary school. By then, his family couldn't afford any more tuition, so he had to go home and help his parents farm.

Who doesn't have a wild youth? Who wants to spend their whole life in the fields? The answer is no. Finally, he decided to leave the mountains and make something of himself. When leaving his hometown, he changed his name from 'Fuyu' to 'Peng' (meaning roc, a mythical bird), saying that after all those years of being called 'Fuyu' without becoming wealthy, he might as well be called 'Peng' and soar high.

He first went to Guangzhou, but without a diploma or skills, he couldn't find a good job and had to work as a bricklayer. Soon, unable to bear the hardship, he went to Hubei to join his elder sister, who had a stall selling braised duck.

02 Copying a Hit Product, Getting Exposed, and Selling Out Getting up at 3 a.m. to braise ducks, leaving at 6 a.m. to set up the stall, and going to purchase supplies in the afternoon—that was Zhou Fuyu's daily routine at his sister's place. Though hard, it kept him fed.

At that time, a type of duck called 'Chan Wei Duck' (Tasty Duck) was very popular. Zhou Fuyu and his siblings (including his elder brother) figured out how to replicate it and created a new style of braised duck, naming it 'Guai Wei Duck' (Strange Taste Duck). It became an instant hit, earning them tens of thousands of yuan a year, and even splitting it three ways, each got a good sum.

But Zhou Fuyu wasn't satisfied. He set up his own stall next to his sister's, bought other people's braised ducks, copied them, and sold them at low prices to hotels. However, the hotels soon discovered this, ended the cooperation, and deducted his previous payment. To make matters worse, he was robbed, losing his business capital and pager. It was really bad luck, but he was not one to give up.

03 Focusing on Braised Duck, Price Wars, and SARS Learning from his mistakes, he stopped taking shortcuts. To make a unique braised duck, he visited various spice markets, tried every method, and even looked for recipes in ancient books. After repeated experiments, he finally created a new flavor.

In 1997, Zhou Fuyu opened a shop under the brand 'Zhou Ji Guai Wei Duck'. But sales were poor; at best, he sold 6 ducks a day. With cash flow issues, he had to return to street vending. Unexpectedly, a stall called 'Ru Yi Duck' appeared, selling at low prices, catching him off guard. At that time, Guai Wei Duck was 23 yuan each, while Ru Yi Duck was only 10 yuan. Upon investigation, Zhou Fuyu found that Ru Yi Duck used leftover ducks from the market, of poor quality. To beat 'Ru Yi Duck', he adjusted his price to 10 yuan as well. Soon, Ru Yi Duck couldn't continue, and Guai Wei Duck's business picked up. After a few years of struggle, Zhou Fuyu earned 300,000 yuan from Guai Wei Duck.

As 'Zhou Ji Guai Wei Duck' sold better, the small stall couldn't meet demand, so Zhou Fuyu set up a small workshop. In 2003, he planned to expand into Beijing. But then SARS hit. Poultry was considered a high-risk area for SARS transmission, and 'Zhou Ji Guai Wei Duck' was banned. Zhou Fuyu tried to sell secretly but was caught; equipment and ducks worth 500,000 yuan were confiscated, and his business license was suspended. Unable to continue in Beijing, he had to pack up and return to Hubei.

04 Zhou Hei Ya Officially Sets Sail, Obsessed with Quality In 2004, Zhou Fuyu opened a shop in Wuhan's Wuguang area and officially renamed 'Zhou Ji Guai Wei Duck' to 'Zhou Ji Hei Ya' (Zhou's Black Duck). He specially asked a friend to design a friendly, cute logo for it. This time, he knew that to truly do business, he must avoid greed, impatience, and eagerness for quick success, and instead work steadily.

By 2005, Zhou Hei Ya had opened 8 stores in prime locations in Wuhan. In 2006, Zhou Fuyu began franchising and opened 11 stores in Nanchang. However, rapid expansion didn't benefit Zhou Hei Ya; instead, quality and taste issues tarnished the brand. Zhou Fuyu had to spend 300,000 yuan to buy back those 11 franchise stores and decided that Zhou Hei Ya would only operate directly-owned stores.

05 Final Thoughts On November 11, 2016, Zhou Hei Ya was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and its market value is currently about 15 billion yuan. As of June this year, Zhou Hei Ya had opened 909 directly-owned stores, with first-half sales of 1.618 billion yuan and net profit of 401 million yuan.

Although Zhou Fuyu only has a primary school diploma, he achieved sales of 400 million yuan in half a year with his 'duck'. How? He simply said, "We must stick to the 'three hearts': the customers' hearts, the employees' hearts, and the government's heart."

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