Entrepreneurs in the storm

Author: Chen Wei is the vice president and editor-in-chief of Masakazu Island

Source: Masawajima Decision Reference, December 2021 issue

Needless to say, in recent years, public opinion has stigmatized entrepreneurs.

Associated with this, part of the stigma is the generalization of the concept of the entrepreneur.

Strictly speaking, the "harvester" who cuts leeks in various names is certainly not an entrepreneur; an investor who only treats the enterprise as a fast "cash machine" is not an entrepreneur; and the red-top businessman who relies on the mayor instead of the market is not an entrepreneur.

The clarity of the boundaries of entrepreneurs contributes to the emergence of true entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial spirit.

What exactly is an entrepreneur? There are many relevant discussions in China and the West in this regard. I have served entrepreneurs for many years, and my real feelings in this regard are related to two ancient Chinese poems related to artistic conception.

The first is The Song Dynasty Zhang Yu's "Silkworm Woman": yesterday into the city, returned with tears in her eyes. A person who is full of silkworms is not a silkworm keeper.

"He who is full of silkworms is not a silkworm keeper." Silkworm women enter the city and find that they have raised silkworms all their lives, but they cannot wear clothes made of silk, which is the bitterness and lamentation of the working class. After chanting this sentence, it is inevitable that there will be some sadness.

The other is also a Song poem, Fan Zhongyan's "Fisherman on the River": people on the river, but love the beauty of sea bass. Jun looked at a leaf boat, haunted by the storm. People who eat fish only know the deliciousness of the fish, but they can't think of the hard work of the fishing people, who can think of the "fishermen" who often have to run in the wind and rain, haunt in the wind and waves.

Turmoil is risk and volatility, risk and uncertainty, which is the environment and characteristics of businessmen. Consumers experience comfortable and exquisite products, but do not want to make good products, entrepreneurs have to roll in the bloody rain of the market, in the shock of the society to move forward, the water is hot, out of the blue.

The storm is the loneliness and fate of the merchant class.

Starting from this, the so-called entrepreneurs, perhaps simply put, are people who are good at manipulating the tide, but they do not forget to help those around them and distant guests; they are people who are dressed in fine clothes and jade food, but also strive to let silkworm farmers be able to spread all over the world, so that everyone in the rivers and lakes knows the beauty of perch.

In 1082 AD, Su Dongpo and his friends encountered rain on a spring trip, there was no rain gear, and the companions all felt embarrassed, but Su Dongpo in the depreciation of Su Dongpo swam calmly and leisurely, and did not think it was a good idea. After a while, the sky was clear. He wrote a poem "Fixing the Wind and Waves": Don't listen to the sound of the leaves beating through the forest, why not groan and walk slowly. Bamboo cane mango shoes light victory over horses, who is afraid? A cloud of smoke and rain is a life of peace. The steep spring wind blows wine awake, slightly cold, but the mountain head obliquely illuminates each other. Looking back at the place where it has always been, returning, there is no wind or rain or sunshine.

Entrepreneurs have such a heart and mood, even if the wind and rain are accompanied by wind and rain, the wind and waves are uncertain, or they can be cloudy and sunny, calm and floating. Although there is some noise and noise in public opinion on the way forward, as people of insight show, the main purpose of high-level support for entrepreneurs and the stimulation of entrepreneurial spirit has never changed.

A while ago, at the "Win the Battle" forum at the Zhenghe Island Changemakers Annual Meeting, I asked Song Zhiping and He Zhiyi, two profound teachers, to describe Chinese enterprises in a poem. Teacher He said that there are talented people in jiangshan generations, and each has led the way for hundreds of years. Chairman Song said that in order to have the courage to sacrifice more, he dared to teach the sun and the moon to change into a new heaven.

There is pride and deep meaning. I remembered that in the WeChat column "He Zhiyi Looks at the Industry" on Zhenghe Island, Teacher He talked about the Sino-US industrial competition, and used another poem" "The apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the light boat has stayed in the Wanzhong Mountain", and at that time he said a paragraph on the forum: "Stayed", it is not yet over, it will pass in the future. There is also a "ten thousand heavy mountains" in front, which is difficult and dangerous. What to do? Have faith.

Our private enterprises are not easy, all the way in the twists and turns, after all, from small to large, from weak to strong, converging rivers into the sea.

So at this time I think of a poem by Yang Wanli in the Southern Song Dynasty, called "Guiyuanpu", which can also be used to vividly describe the current situation and future of private enterprises.

"Ten thousand mountains are not allowed to run a stream, and the sound of the creek is noisy day and night." The stream was about to flow forward, and the Ten Thousand Mountains stopped it, and the stream was noisy. At this time, don't be in a hurry, don't be afraid.

"To the foot of the mountain in front of the head, the tangtang creek water out of the front village." When you reach the foot of the village in front of you, the stream will be pouring into the ocean and moving forward. The green mountains can't cover it, after all, it flows east.

This is the great vitality, vitality and creativity of private enterprises as the source of China's economy. Although there are many difficulties at present, we are convinced that China has a national destiny that cannot be stopped. We are also convinced that China's private enterprises must have an unstoppable future.