Liu Xiaohu Tile Supermarket is the enterprise with the largest store, the most complete warehouse, and the highest annual sales in the ceramic tile market in Taiyuan City. The total operating area of the existing factory store and warehouse is nearly 20,000 square meters. ; Its operator, Liu Xiaohu, is a typical Lu businessman who is righteous, low-key and pragmatic. A few days ago, a reporter from China Ceramics Network had the honor to interview Mr. Liu Xiaohu. Below, I will share with you the inspiring story of this outstanding dealer in the ceramic tile industry.
In 1998, after graduating from high school as a sports student, Liu Xiaohu came to Taiyuan, Shanxi Province with fellow Shandong fellows. He was only 19 years old at the time, penniless but full of ambition. Liu Xiaohu seems destined to deal with ceramic tiles in his life. After arriving in Taiyuan, he worked as a warehouse manager in an office set up by his fellow villagers to eliminate overhead tiles. His daily job was to transport and load and unload tiles, and his annual salary was only about 10,000 yuan. He described to reporters: "The conditions were very difficult at the time. I tried for more than a year, sleeping not on a bed but on the tiles of the warehouse."
In 2000, the original office was cancelled, and the six fellow villagers who worked together planned to pack up and return to Shandong, but the determined and brave Liu Xiaohu chose to stay in Taiyuan. In this place where he had no friends, he decided to start a business based on the knowledge and connections he had accumulated in the ceramic tile industry over the past few years, as well as his hard-working character and extraordinary courage. Subsequently, the first Liu Xiaohu ceramic tile supermarket appeared in Taiyuan.
From starting a small business from scratch to Liu Xiaohu Tile Supermarket becoming the leading enterprise in Shanxi ceramic tile industry, under the leadership of Liu Xiaohu, the company has made new leaps and bounds and reached new heights every year. Over the years since he started his business, Liu Xiaohu has never been afraid of difficulties, refused to admit defeat, remained down-to-earth, insisted on quality and innovation, and interpreted Shandong's entrepreneurial spirit with practical actions. He said: "When people are in the most difficult times, they usually want to give up; when you persevere, when you look back on that time, you will only feel relieved and proud."
"After working for several years, my salary is only more than 30,000 yuan. Because I often socialize with people I have business contacts with, I spent 70,000 to 80,000 yuan." Liu Xiaohu Tell reporters these two shocking figures in a calm tone.
Liu Xiaohu has the heroic spirit of Shandong people and likes to make friends. Even if he is the youngest one at the dinner table, he will take the initiative to pay for the food. When talking about this matter, he jokingly described it as a "fair-weather friend". It was precisely because of this kind of righteous character that he made many "real or fake" friends, which laid the foundation for his future entrepreneurship. A big foreshadowing.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Back to what I said before, Liu Xiaohu’s boss changed careers in the third year after he came to Taiyuan, and the Taiyuan office was also cancelled. Employees who faced unemployment could only Find your own place. At that time, everyone around him planned to return to his hometown. Liu Xiaohu, a young and energetic man, felt that he could not go back in despair because he would not be able to go back in despair. In addition, he had accumulated a certain amount of network resources over the years, so it was not a bad idea to go it alone.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
However, Liu Xiaohu’s ambition to start a business had just sprouted, and he encountered a lot of “cold water” and “bumps”. The original boss did not approve of Liu Xiaohu's idea of starting a business. He felt that he would only waste money and was not suitable for business. He even described him as "having a house but not paying for the land". His former "fair-weather friends" also stayed away from Liu Xiaohu, for fear of borrowing money from them. In this way, Liu Xiaohu, who had nothing, still did not waver in his determination to start his own business.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
In August 2000, Liu Xiaohu found a ceramic tile dealer who was willing to supply him with goods. He sold the goods first and then settled the payment. From there, he began to sell ceramic tiles box by box. Bring it back and sell it. Liu Xiaohu was very moved when he recalled the difficult days at that time. He told reporters: "My wife was 6 months pregnant at the time, and she was loading and unloading those ceramic tiles with me. I carried the goods and she arranged the goods. We could load 30-40 tons of goods a day." In addition, the quality of the bricks at that time was not that good. Well, many of the products sold are first-class or qualified products. Sometimes we encounter some customers who have quality problems and demand returns or damage to the warehouse. Liu Xiaohu said: "That period was so difficult. We hugged each other and cried at night. She (his wife) said we should go back. But when I woke up the next day, I continued to work hard. Gradually, I really persisted. Down."
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Speaking of the past, Liu Xiaohu also told us some anecdotes about his return to his hometown. At that time, he would go back to his hometown about once every two months. He took the green train from Shanxi to Shandong for an entire night, so every time before going to the train station, he would go to the vegetable market and buy 200 yuan. The food (cucumbers, tomatoes, ham) is cleaned and sold to the passengers on the way. It only takes 3 hours to sell for more than 400 yuan. He spent all the 200 yuan he earned to buy cigarettes. When he returned to the village, he distributed cigarettes to his elders. They all said: "Liu Xiaohu is doing well in Taiyuan and has a promising future." When the author heard this, in addition to feeling sorry for Liu Xiaohu I was surprised by his business acumen and couldn't help but feel sad for him.
The picture shows the style of the Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store team
Liu Xiaohu said: This society does not believe in tears. No matter how hard it is for you, you will still break your teeth and swallow it in your stomach. What others will see will only be glamorous. side.
Destined to join hands with the Lion King on the way forward
There is a saying that goes well: God will not treat anyone who works hard badly. No matter how much sweat you pour for the land, it will reward you with how much food you have in the end. It can be regarded as planting good causes and reaping good results. Liu Xiaohu's entrepreneurial path is becoming clear step by step.
From roasting to wholesale
In the process of buying goods from others for speculation, Liu Xiaohu slowly accumulated trust in the circle, from ordering goods once a week to half a month or even once. Month by month, the quantity gradually increased from a few hundred boxes to several thousand boxes; sometimes Liu Xiaohu would also get some high-quality goods, because he had certain experience and judgment and could accurately grasp the value of each batch of goods.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
2001, a ceramics factory owner named Sun Jimeng in the village gave Liu Xiaohu two truckloads of goods on credit, and one truckload of goods cost about 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. So Liu Xiaohu started to find his own wholesaler, and the friends he had met before also They all came to find him. To this day, Liu Xiaohu still remembers the help he received from his boss. He feels that when receiving favors as a person, he must also know how to repay, so he always sells his goods to his friends at the lowest price. In this way, Liu Xiaohu relied on his unique vision and courage to expand the wholesale of ceramic tiles in Taiyuan, with more than a hundred distributors under his hands.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Encounter a big project and win a big brand
In 2003, one of Liu Xiaohu’s alumni worked as a salesperson in Lion Ceramics and came to Taiyuan to find a dealer. Liu Xiaohu was very enthusiastic about helping the alumni and the largest local ceramic tile dealer. This was Liu Xiaohu's first contact with the Lion King brand. Liu Xiaohu told reporters: "Lion King was already very famous at that time and was the leading brand in Zibo. Being Lion King's agent was something I didn't even dare to think about at the time."
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
After hearing this, the author couldn't help but wonder why Liu Xiaohu finally won the Lion King's agency in Taiyuan? Liu Xiaohu said slowly: "Being an agent for Lion King is not a choice, but an opportunity, mainly stemming from an engineering project." When Lion King began to send out samples, the quality of the infiltrated tiles was much better than other products on the market. It happened that Shanxi University needed to use 600*600 permeable tiles for the construction of Shanxi University. Liu Xiaohu successfully won this project of more than 10,000 square meters. This was also his first time to do such a large project, and his confidence doubled instantly; plus the originalA large dealer has many brands and does not promote the Lion King brand, so Liu Xiaohu dared to start trying to get the Lion King brand and make it himself.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Become the No.1 Lion King in sales in the country
In 2003, Liu Xiaohu, who has more than 100 distributors, began to promote the Lion King brand. From 2004 to the present, it has continued to rank first in the national sales of Lion King. Liu Xiaohu said: "My current achievements are inseparable from the Lion King brand. At the same time, I have also accompanied the growth of Lion King." Facts have proved that the development of each dealer and the manufacturer complement each other, and I represent a company that is on the rise. Stage manufacturers and dealers will also follow the continuous development and progress. Liu Xiaohu said: Manufacturers are always more forward-looking than dealers. Lion is a good brand and there is nothing wrong with following the pace of manufacturers.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
From wholesale bricks to brand bricks
With the germination of brand meaning, Lion King began branding operations around 2010. It is very difficult for traditional dealers to transform from wholesale to high-end brands by decorating showrooms and opening up channels. However, Liu Xiaohu is very willing to take the initiative to cater to the development of the times and innovate. The investment in stores will only be higher than the requirements of manufacturers, and even understands every year. Decorating a showroom is not too much trouble. He said: "A good brand and good products need a good display."
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Liu Xiaohu has personally experienced that every time he improves the image of his store, it can bring him a certain amount of income. Even when the market was bad, he courageously invested 5 million yuan in renovating a 3,000-square-meter store. He told reporters: "You should have a long-term perspective when doing business. People who deal with ceramic tiles in this market have gone from selling wholesale cheap bricks to selling good bricks, and then selling good brand bricks. They have not sold brand bricks and then come back to sell cheap bricks." , this is an inevitable trend that will not be reversed.”
The best is as good as water and the virtue is great
In 2008, immediately after the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, Liu Xiaohu generously donated money and materials to the disaster area without hesitation, and mobilized more companies to extend love Helping to rebuild the homes of compatriots in disaster areas; in 2010, the Shandong Chamber of Commerce in Shanxi Province was established, and Liu Xiaohu and the Chamber of Commerce jointly initiated poverty alleviation in impoverished mountainous areas; in 2013, Liu Xiaohu donated money to poor college students to complete their academic dreams during the student aid operation; in 2012, Liu Xiaohu, who never forgot to repay his elders in his hometown, funded the reconstruction of roads and the construction of public welfare facilities in Daokou Village, Ziboluocun Town, his hometown...
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Water is good for all things without doing any harm. truly kind-heartedPeople can always put themselves very low and never ask for anything in return for doing good deeds. Having done so many good deeds, Liu Xiaohu just said modestly: It was the Lion King's culture of love that infected him. He told reporters that after many years of getting along with Lion King Chairman Liu Bao, he became a loving, kind and virtuous group, which had a great impact on him personally, both in business and work. Therefore, he has always been adhering to the idea that when running a business, one should drink water and think about the source. He knows that charity requires the participation of every citizen, and it also needs the enthusiastic support of successful entrepreneurs. This is the high expectation that society places on successful businessmen. This strong sense of social responsibility is also the yardstick that truly demonstrates the social value of a company. He said: "I have also lived through hard times. When I can help those in need, I feel very satisfied and happy. This also spurs me to work harder and make more money to help others. ."
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
In addition to being kind-hearted, virtuous people also value friendship. Lion King Chairman Liu Bao often said to Liu Xiaohu: "Even if one day you stop making ceramic tiles, we will still be good brothers." Just the year before last, when Liu Xiaohu's father was hospitalized with cancer, Liu Bao put down everything , personally accompanied Liu Xiaohu on the train to major hospitals in Beijing to seek medical treatment for his father. Liu Xiaohu was very moved at that time and made up his mind, "As long as Liu Bao still produces ceramic tiles for one day, I will sell your bricks for one day." Therefore, the relationship between Liu Xiaohu and the Lion King manufacturer is very strong, and the relationship is as deep as a family. Liu Xiaohu treats his subordinates and employees in the same way. No matter who has difficulties, he always spares no effort to help.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Anyone who has been in contact with Liu Xiaohu knows that LiuXiaohu is a low-key and simple person, not pretentious, but broad-minded, kind and friendly. It is most appropriate to describe him as "low-key but not low-ambition, pragmatic and innovative"; this kind of person is always active in doing things or managing people. Down-to-earth, sincere and trustworthy, fair and orderly.
The picture shows the team style of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store
Liu Xiaohu prides himself on being a person of gentle temperament. He said: "People are born with selfishness, but they must learn to control this selfishness and know the trade-offs. Before doing business, you must first know how to be a human being." It can be seen that the mind and quality of entrepreneurs determine the pattern and future of the enterprise.
Since its establishment, Lion Ceramics has taken the family culture to take root in the company as its general orientation. Over the years, Lion people have always adhered to the "being a good person and being good" put forward by Chairman Liu of the Group. The new user thinking concept of "being good at the foundation, doing business, practicing truth, doing business, and being pure" is in line with the three original aspirations of "employee happiness, customer satisfaction, and social responsibility" as the corporate mission, and has repeatedly started from the sense of corporate responsibility. , interpreting the social responsibility of a large enterprise in the simplest way. In the future, Lion people will continue to start from the altruistic thinking of "giving and giving is the highest wisdom to obtain wealth", to achieve success for their families, forge ahead, pioneer and innovate, Forge ahead bravely towards new strategic goals!
The picture shows the family life of Liu Xiaohu, chairman of Lion Tile Shanxi Taiyuan flagship store Photo
