Profile: General Manager of Henan Shihao Youxian Food Co., Ltd., Yi Shuguang Brands Operated: Own brand "Shihao Youxian" Business Philosophy: Resolutely operate own brand, not as an agent; strict team management; user-centric marketing

01 From FMCG to Frozen Food, Expanding the East China Market Yi Shuguang started his career in 2000 in the FMCG industry, working in sales at a instant noodle factory in Hebei. Four years of FMCG sales systematically honed his initial sales acumen and abilities. At that time, the FMCG sales system was well-established and diverse, far surpassing the frozen food industry, and these experiences greatly benefited Yi Shuguang's subsequent sales career.

In 2004, Yi Shuguang left Hebei and joined Henan Yunhe Food Co., Ltd. ("Yunhe"), officially entering the frozen food industry as the East China regional sales supervisor. Recalling the initial market development, he said: "It was quite challenging. Back then, there weren't as many supermarkets as now; outlets were few, and supermarket sizes were small. It was the early stage of the frozen food industry. Although competition wasn't as fierce as today, given the market size at that time, it still required a lot of effort. Supermarket entry fees were high, and the expenses manufacturers reimbursed distributors were higher than their purchase costs."

With competitive products and hard marketing work, Yunhe carved out a place in East China—annual sales in East China jumped from 3 million yuan in 2004 to over 20 million yuan in 2008, a remarkable achievement.

Having experienced five industries—FMCG, beer, roasted seeds, building materials, and frozen food—Yi Shuguang has a deep horizontal understanding of the frozen food industry. He believes that as people's consumption levels rise and cold-chain logistics become more widespread, the frozen food industry will continue to grow. People can now eat foods year-round that were once seasonal, and frozen storage and transport preserve nutrients to the greatest extent.

02 Strict Team Management, Winning Against the Odds In 2008, after leaving Yunhe, Yi Shuguang returned to his old employer's instant noodle factory in Hebei as sales director, then dabbled in building materials and roasted seeds. In 2013, by chance, he joined Henan Huidayuan Food Co., Ltd. ("Huidayuan"), reuniting with the frozen food industry after a five-year hiatus.

"Comparing so many food industries, the frozen food industry is definitely a sunrise industry," Yi Shuguang said of his return. "Instant noodles are on the decline; the beer industry has basically consolidated, leaving only a few giants, leaving less space for small and medium enterprises."

In Yi Shuguang's view, as the frozen food industry develops with more refined segments and more product extensions, this represents development potential and trends. Following industry growth, many companies have also grown, offering unlimited opportunities.

After joining Huidayuan, he first spent three months preparing a distributor recruitment meeting, which coincided with the worst of the avian flu outbreak, but the meeting proved highly effective, collecting over 5 million yuan in payments. This series of actions not only boosted Huidayuan's annual sales from over 4 million to over 10 million yuan but also successfully established the Huidayuan brand, winning a battle against the odds.

Recalling the details, Yi Shuguang said that Huidayuan previously had too few SKUs and packaging that wasn't upscale. To address this, he first extended the product line, upgraded existing packaging, and then introduced promotions. "The original marketing strategy just gave customers a bottom price with no policies. After I arrived, I constantly changed promotional policies to keep customers feeling fresh."

"At that time, Huidayuan's sales team also had major issues; follow-up and maintenance were insufficient. They only went out to visit customers two or three months a year, with only seven or eight days of business travel per month. To address this, I expanded the sales team and standardized management practices. Now, salespeople spend 20 days a month visiting customers, with remarkable results," Yi Shuguang said.

Appropriate high-pressure policies help teams move forward quickly. Yi Shuguang keeps a tight rein on his team; salespeople must make a phone call in the morning and another before leaving work. With proper supervision, efficiency improves.

Under Yi Shuguang's management, Huidayuan's slogan also changed from the original "Benefit the People, Reach the World" to the current "Carefully Selected, Quality Fresh." "The old slogan was a bit empty and didn't leave a concrete impression on consumers," Yi Shuguang said, emphasizing that work must be done from the user's perspective.

03 Building an Own Brand, Annual Sales Exceeding 10 Million After more than a decade of working across various industries, Yi Shuguang felt the time was ripe to start his own business and operate his own brand. So in 2014, he founded Henan Shihao Youxian Food Co., Ltd. ("Shihao Youxian"), embarking on his entrepreneurial journey.

Among many products, Yi Shuguang chose to start with prepared foods like grilled sausages and bone-and-meat skewers. Although the grilled sausage market is highly competitive, he believes this product has a strong foundation and high demand in Henan, making it a good choice.

Furthermore, at the start of his venture, Yi Shuguang did not choose to act as an agent for a brand like typical distributors, but instead registered his own trademark "Shihao Youxian" and negotiated with several processing plants to produce under his label. "Since I'm doing it myself, I hope to build a long-lasting business, so I don't operate other brands; I do it myself."

However, in the early days, with a small customer base and the need for large order quantities for OEM production, he faced distribution challenges, but Yi Shuguang was undeterred: "I'm aiming to have my own brand and factory. Although being an agent has less pressure, the future development platform would also be smaller." He said sometimes people need to put pressure on themselves to reap the most fruitful rewards.

How does a new brand break into an established market? Yi Shuguang said that in the early stage, he was willing to forgo profits to capture market share. In terms of packaging, Shihao Youxian is relatively upscale in the industry, not inferior to major brands; in terms of quality, Shihao Youxian produces high-end products: "We strictly control moisture content and marinade to highlight the meat's texture and taste"; in terms of pricing, Shihao Youxian is controlled, positioned in the mid-range.

With packaging, quality, and pricing working together, Shihao Youxian's product advantages are clear. Despite being a new brand, customer acquisition was rapid, and the retention rate was high; the vast majority of customers maintained ongoing cooperation, with no cases of losing customers after development.

Moreover, Yi Shuguang provides excellent service, calling customers before, during, and after shipment to track delivery. As a result, inventory turnover is fast, sales and profits increase, customer experience improves, and word-of-mouth effects lead to referrals for upstream supply sources, achieving a state where both buying and selling are comfortable.

In less than a year, customer development showed significant results. Currently, Shihao Youxian's monthly sales exceed 1 million yuan, and annual sales in 2016 surpassed 10 million yuan.

Beyond frozen prepared foods, Yi Shuguang added related products like thousand-layer tofu and zongzi. Currently, Yi Shuguang has cooperated with nearly ten processing plants for years, holding initiative in quality, appearance, and R&D that other distributors lack, and the Shihao Youxian brand is rapidly spreading in the industry. "We are striving toward having our own factory and believe we will eventually build one," Yi Shuguang said.

Source: Frozen Food (ID: ldzk001) -END-