Losing Money to Be a Tycoon c1-883

by Inebriation-seeking Blue Shirt, 青衫取醉

  “I think we should give it a soul and become an art.”

  Chang You’s ears prickled. “Soul? Art? Boss Pei, can you explain more?”

  Pei Qian coughed lightly: “Infuse this smart speaker and the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine together to make an AEEIS-artificial-intelligence Fully-Automated Bickering Machine!”

  Chang You: “Huh?”

  He thought he heard it wrongly.

  The Fully-Automated Bickering Machine… wasn’t that the art design by Boss Pei previously?

  That square black box that would automatically bounce when someone pressed the metal stick?

  Infuse the smart speaker with this?

  That definitely did not go well together!

  Chang You was really shocked this time. This requirement was too crazy even if one regarded the previous requirements as reasonable!

  “Boss Pei, please rethink it!” Chang You blurted out.

  “I also bought one Fully-Automated Bickering Machine. It is indeed very thought-provoking and has profound philosophical meaning, but the space inside has basically been taken up, right?

  “It is impossible to stuff a smart speaker in it!

  “If you want to make these two things together, it means that the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine has to be redesigned and reproduced.

  “But a lot of the original Fully-Automated Bickering Machine had been sold. All that wanted to buy it would have bought it. The new version would definitely not be easy to sell!

  “The fully-automated bickering machine sells for 488 yuan. This smart speaker has to be sold at… at least 300 yuan. That would add up to 800 yuan—which is too expensive.

  “Who would be willing to buy the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine again?

  “The most important thing is that these two things have nothing to do with each other.”

  Pei Qian was silent for a while. “There is… a connection.

  “The essence of the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine is contrarian. However, a contrarian that cannot speak is not complete.

  “As the saying goes, the contrarians are not afraid of holding up the world.

  “What about the smart speakers? It does not have any personality, characteristics, or artistry to it.

  “If it is combined with an art like the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, then our smart speaker will have its uniqueness and artistic connotations.

  “It, therefore, evolved into the AEEIS artificial intelligence lifting machine!

  “At that time, AEEIS will talk to them cordially when the users are playing with the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine such as ‘humans are always wasting their time on meaningless things’.

  “Wouldn’t that be a perfect fit?”

  “Furthermore, the speaker and stereo must be of high-quality. Those that cost 200 yuan really pull down its quality.

  “Most companies should be able to achieve a price of around 200 yuan. The competition would be too fierce. We will still implement the previous principle of displaced competition.

  “No one will be able to compete with us if we use prices around 2000 yuan and above.

  “Spend money to make it about 2,000 yuan, adding on the cost of the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine. Make it to 2588 yuan!

  “This product will be one of a kind. There will not be any similar products like ours for a year or two!”

  Chang You was dumbfounded.

  He blinked, thinking that something was wrong, but he did not know where to refute.

  There would be no similar products for a year or two? Boss Pei, you are too conservative. Similar products probably would not appear in my lifetime!

  Combine the Fully-Automated Bickering Machine with the smart speaker as one and become an artificial intelligence fully-automated bickering machine?

  How did he even think of it?!

  Chang You wanted to say something, but he swallowed everything, silently thinking of Boss Pei’s previous strategies and clever calculations.

  He wrote down everything Boss Pei said in his little notebook.

  “Alright, Boss Pei, we’ll do according to what you said.

  “The AEEIS artificial intelligence bickering machine is our first attempt into the field of artificial intelligence home furnishing.”

  Pei Qian nodded with a smile. “Yes, I believe it will be a great start!”

  Chapter 687 - Useful App

  October 18th, Tuesday…

  Qiao Liang dragged his luggage and returned to Jingzhou once again.

  “Jingzhou! I, Teacher Qiao, am back!

  “Eh, why the word ‘again’?”

  For some reason, Qiao Liang had an inexplicable affection for Jingzhou.

  He sold everything in the original apartment that could be sold after returning to Beijing. He returned the rented apartment; sent his computer, precious figurine collection, and other treasures to Jingzhou; and then dragged a suitcase with his clothes.

  For some reason, Qiao Liang felt relaxed.

  Say goodbye to the messy rented apartment and return to the clean and tidy Sloth Apartments to start a new life!

  In July this year, the high-speed railway station in Jingzhou was officially opened, making the journey from Beijing to Jingzhou more convenient.

  It was the first time Qiao Liang came to the high-speed rail station in Jingzhou. He followed the signs inside the station to the waiting area for a taxi.

  Many people were waiting in line for taxis. Qiao Liang dragged his suitcase to the end of the line when he suddenly saw a huge billboard next to him.

  ‘New business card of Jingzhou city!’

  This seemed to be a series of billboards. The billboard nearest to Qiao Liang was a famous local scenic spot in Jingzhou, and there was a line of fine art introduction under the billboard.

  ‘Historic city, ancient rhyme in Jingzhou’.

  Looking ahead was another billboard with a famous local scenic spot in Jingzhou, with blue sky and white clouds, green mountains and azure water. There was also a line of fine art introduction below.

  ‘Poetry, painting and landscape, beautiful Jingzhou.’

  As the queue continued to advance, Qiao Liang also looked forward towards the rows of billboards.

  The billboard at the back also had the night view of the high-tech zone. The slogan was ‘Industry Upgrade, Innovation in Jingzhou’; the aerial view of Handong University, the slogan is ‘Use what you have learned, teach in Jingzhou’, etc.

  Going forward and after crossing these billboards, Qiao Liang’s eyes suddenly lit up.

  The slogan of the billboard in front was ‘Healthy Life, Livable Jingzhou’, and the content on the billboard turned out to be the content of Tengda Life App!

  The central part of the billboard was a mobile phone screen with Tengda Life App on the screen. The labels expanded from this app are various industries related to Tengda Life, including Sloth Apartments, Deposit Fitness, Fish-Catching Take-Out, etc.

  Qiao Liang was stunned for a moment and hurriedly took out his mobile phone to take pictures.

  “Awesome!”

  Such city-level propaganda was certainly not something Tengda could achieve by itself.

  Obviously, the healthy life concept advocated by Tengda and these very advanced physical industries had become the new business card of Jingzhou and a part of the urban culture!

  The concept of the business card was actually the appearance of the city as a whole, seeking more opportunities to showcase itself. It was not a traditional packaging. To be more precise, it was a comprehensive, three-dimensional, and specific comprehensive publicity branding.

  In this concept, ‘lifestyle’ was a vital factor. It was the carrier of the city’s own characteristics and values. People living in the city could use the carrier of ‘lifestyle’ to complete the psychological identification of the city.

  The industries related to Tengda Life obviously had a profound impact on the lifestyles of Jingzhou people, and it was reasonable to become a bu
siness card.

  Being able to become the city’s business card of Jingzhou was more than just a promotion on a billboard.

  That also meant that Tengda Corporation had been recognized by the city of Jingzhou. It would be a benchmark enterprise in all aspects and receive various preferential treatments and supports. It could better base itself on Jingzhou and radiate its influence throughout the province and even the whole country.

  “It seems that Boss Pei’s strategy of ‘based in Jingzhou and diversified development’ has worked!

  “Is this a strategic vision?”

  Qiao Liang could not help but sigh.

  If Boss Pei tried his best to expand Fish-Catching Internet Cafe across the country after his success at the beginning of Fish-Catching Internet Cafe instead of getting involved in other industries, then there would be no more ‘Tengda Life’. Moreover, it is very likely that he would not get recognized as the face of the business card of the city.

  Qiao Liang got into a taxi and went towards Sloth Apartments.

  His new life was about to start in Jingzhou!

  …

  At the same time, Pei Qian was rubbing his temples in his office, feeling his headache.

  This time, it was not just for the Jingzhou business card.

  Tengda Life App became a hit during the last cycle, including Fish-Catching Take-Out, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Sloth Apartments, Deposit Fitness, GOG International invitational tournament, Thriller Hostel, etc.—all of which gained high popularity.

  This series of measures had also made the city of Jingzhou gain a high reputation across the country. Therefore, Jingzhou not only made Tengda the face of the business card but also awarded Tengda the title of ‘Excellent Enterprise of Jingzhou” and had reduced a batch of taxes from the huge taxpayer that was Tengda!

  If Pei Qian heard this news during the last cycle, he might have fainted on the spot.

  Luckily, this cycle had just started so Pei Qian reacted quickly after adjusting himself.

  It was still alright!

  There was still a rather long time until settlement so there was not a big problem.

  However, that caused some changes to the original spending plan.

  What was more, he needed to do something about the Tengda Life App now.

  Yu Pingan gave Pei Qian a lot of trouble in the last cycle. ‘Top Student, Come Quick’—which had already failed—was integrated with Tengda’s physical industry, changed its name, and regained a new life.

  Now, Tengda Life APP has gained such a high degree of attention, and the future development prospects were bright. If one left it alone, who knew what could come out of it in the future?!

  So Pei Qian felt that something must be done.

  In line with the principle of ‘whoever makes the money should spend it’, it was necessary to find some new task for Tengda Life App, so that they will not continue to kill the project.

  Pei Qian called Yu Pingan to his office.

  …

  Yu Pingan arrived an hour later.

  “Boss Pei!”

  Yu Pingan had a huge smile on his face. Who would not feel proud of becoming the face of Jingzhou’s business card?

  From ‘Top Student, Come Quick’ App to Tengda Life App, this team has undergone several transformations and succeeded every time.

  In Yu Pingan’s view, this kind of success was not based on luck… but on the foresight of Boss Pei and the hard work of all employees!

  Pei Qian motioned to Yu Pingan to sit down and asked, “How’s your work recently?”

  Yu Pingan hurriedly replied: “Boss Pei, everything is going well! The number of active users of Tengda Life App is steadily increasing, especially in Jingzhou, where the influence of our app is getting greater!

  “Of course, our team will not take it lightly, let alone become arrogant and complacent.

  “I have developed a very complete update plan!

  “At present, there are still many problems with the Tengda Life App. We have two main goals next. The first is to simplify the complexity and optimize the interface layout so that our users can use it more conveniently; the second is to further improve and have the in-depth cooperation of various industries introduce more practical functions…”

  The more Pei Qian listened, the more endangered he felt.

  The software of Tengda Life App did not make a lot of money at present, but its problem was that it would make the physical industry make a lot of money!

  Therefore, he had to give this team something else to do.

  Pei Qian coughed slightly: “Well, your plan is pretty good, but I have a new project to hand over to you.”

  Yu Pingan was stunned for a moment: “Boss Pei, please let me know.”

  He was a little confused.

  It stood to reason that it was the time to increase manpower and capital investment for Tengda Life App being so successful, wouldn’t it?

  Why do you want a new project again?

  Was it related to the Tengda Life App?

  Yu Pingan listened seriously without asking.

  Pei Qian paused and said, “I am going to do a new project, including a web terminal and a mobile app. The name is…’Useful’.”

  Yu Pingan: “Useful App? Then… what’s the specific use?”

  Pei Qian explained: “This idea is actually derived from some unpleasant experiences when I used Qiandu to search for information.

  “Now, the Internet is full of all kinds of rubbish. The same article, but dozens of websites repeatedly reprinted and washed the manuscript… so that when you search for keywords, you can’t find what you want.

  “So, I think someone has to stand up and change this situation!”

  Yu Pingan was stunned for a moment: “Then… Boss Pei, do you want to make a product similar to a search engine?”

  Pei Qian shook his head: “Although the current search engine itself has many problems, even if we build a conscientious search engine, this problem cannot be solved.

  “If 99% of the things on the Internet are worthless spam and we are going to be a search engine, how good the algorithms must be used to find out that 1% of the things? This is unrealistic.

  “So we are not going into search engines but content production.”

  It stood to reason that there was a high probability of losing money on search engines.

  Qiandu might have many problems, but it was very powerful in terms of technology accumulation in search engines. Many large companies have tried making search engines, but they have not been able to shake Qiandu’s position without exception.

  However, Pei Qian felt that one could never be too careful.

  Tengda now has an excellent reputation, and considering the TPDb website and other factors, many people may use the search engine if it was created.

  Moreover, the search engine was a window; what if there was a linkage with the existing industries? This risk was too great.

  Yu Pingan thought for a while: “Then… or can we build a Q&A platform? Although there are two products—Qiandu Wiki and Qiandu Q&A, we can continue to do it.”

  Pei Qian said: “We are going to make a combination of ‘wiki’ and ‘Q&A’ models, with three requirements.

  “First of all, we need to create a closed environment and divide our users into two parts: one is creators, and the other is readers. All must be authenticated by real names, and if you want to be a creator, you must prove your professional abilities to the reviewers. You can only answer questions in your own major and edit entries in your own major.

  “Secondly, we must do our best to protect intellectual property rights. Do not allow copying and pasting… and prevent reprinting and theft. If someone really wants to steal it by retyping, we must pursue responsibility and demand compensation at all costs.

  “Finally, we have to charge all users. If you don’t pay, you can’t read. These membership fees are given back to the creators.”

  Chapter 688 - Workload in the Level of Yu G
ong Moving Away Two High Mountains

  Pei Qian smiled slightly seeing Yu Pingan’s extremely lost expression.

  Feeling lost? You’re on the right track!

  If you are lost, it would mean my chances of losing money would be very big!

  Pei Qian had carefully considered this question. The current models with a relatively high probability of success were wikis and Q&A; both of which had been done by Qiandu search engine.

  They could not be considered successful; neither could they be counted as failures.

  This world did not have Bihu for the time being, but Pei Qian could roughly base it on Bihu’s model to come out with a less successful model.

  In Pei Qian’s memory, the Bihu mode was very successful, and its goal is to create a ‘high-quality social Q&A website’.

  There were two keywords here—’high quality’ and ‘social’; both of which were indispensable.

  In the beginning, it was based on the invitation system, and registration was opened after two years. In less than a year, the registered users climbed from 400,000 to 4 million, and a year later, it received 20 million US dollars in Series B financing.

  Many people thought that open registration would make the atmosphere of the entire community worse. This was an objective fact, but it was also a trade-off that this business model has to make.

  The invitation system and strict restrictions on the number of registered members could indeed guarantee the high quality of the entire website, but then again, any website would need a lot of traffic and users to develop.

  The invitation system and strict restrictions on the number of registered members would indeed make the atmosphere of the website better, but to obtain financing, visibility, revenue, and the website traffic must be high.

  The creators would also need a lot of traffic to gain exposure and turn this exposure into popularity and tangible benefits.

  The successful model of a similar platform should be a perfect balance between the user growth rate and the quality of the question and answer, and neither of which was dispensable.

  Therefore, Pei Qian’s approach was about not seeking any balance, not having any heat and traffic, and dissuading users as much as possible!