What are the elements that can reflect China? They need to be used in design

What can be done with paper-cutting that has been circulated in China for thousands of years? Window grilles, hanging money, and paper-cut paintings are used during the New Year and festivals. . . . . . This is the common understanding. But the protagonist of this article broke this thousand-year-old "rut" and created a brand new paper-cutting business and a very artistic brand by cleverly combining paper-cutting with new materials, clothing, calendars, advertisements, decorative stickers, DIY, etc. ----The printed shirt is red. In just two years, dozens of franchise stores have opened from Yiwu to all over the country, and overseas customers have also come to visit. Although during the Beijing Olympics, market development was forced to slow down due to logistical inconvenience. But as soon as the Olympics ended, he couldn't wait to get on the long train.

On August 26, 2008, Chen Yun traveled from Yiwu headquarters to Tianjin via Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Beijing. Along the way, I signed a regional general agent. This is the fourth provincial and municipal general agent contract he has signed after Xiamen and Lu'an. There is a girl who wants to start a business waiting for him in Tianjin that day. This girl may become his fifth general agent or the 24th franchise cooperative store.

●Talk about products, this is my only business

Just a few hours after settling in Tianjin, Chen Yun, dressed in simple clothes, hurried to negotiate. In a coffee shop, he met the Tianjin girl and her assistant, Zhao Dong, the owner of an advertising company. Zhao Dong was obviously an expert in business. He briefly looked at the paper-cut samples and investment materials brought by Chen Yun and asked, "Do you have patents on these products?" "Of course," Chen Yun replied quickly. Can the thousands of paper-cuts passed down from our ancestors still be patented? Yes, because Chen Yun’s paper-cuts are not made of paper.

Yinshanhong has two products, paper-cut clothing and new DIY paper-cut. Paper-cut clothing is made by making ultra-thin paper-cut patterns on clothing. This environmentally friendly paper-cut material is one of its patents. The new type of paper-cut DIY allows customers to create personalized paper-cut decorative paintings by hand or computer. This material is also patented and can be stuck anywhere without applying glue. It does not leave traces or fade when peeled off like paper-cut paper. The front and back sides are the same color, unlike wedding magnets where one side is always black, which affects the appearance. He said that he is further developing new products, such as paper-cut dart calendars, magnetic decorative store stickers, etc.

“With the patent, my business is unique. A few days ago, I found a Taobao store with the name “paper-cut clothing.” Although there was no product, I gave it a call. Taobao deleted it. As he spoke, Chen Yun picked up a red portrait and put it on the wall, then peeled it off. Zhao Dong nodded and was quite satisfied with the effect of the product.

Chen Yun's. The new material paper-cutting has made up for many shortcomings of paper-cutting. From the beginning of its development, he has been optimistic about the market. Needless to say, China's paper-cutting market will use paper-cutting during festivals, decorations, artworks, weddings, red tourism development, etc. According to statistics from the China Paper-cutting Association, tens of billions of dollars are spent every year. Chen Yun believes: “This tens of billions is just a market for traditional paper-cutting. My products can not only replace its traditional functions, but also have greater application space. In addition to traditional festival market applications, it can be well integrated with what is popular in the current market. Take paper-cut clothing as an example. "There is no continent in the world without clothing." The market is so huge. The leader of the Paper-cut Association once told me that the market for your paper-cut is unlimited. Once it is done, it will be a new kingdom of paper-cut. .

Zhao Dong agrees with Chen Yun's market analysis. He is in the advertising business. One of the reasons why he wanted to take up this paper-cutting project is that he thought it could be combined with advertising. But then he raised questions: "These materials Did you produce it? If someone else found the materials, couldn't they make it themselves?" Before Zhao Dong finished speaking, Chen Yun said with a smile, "Don't worry, patent protection is one thing, I can only produce the materials in our factory." /p>

In order to stabilize his market and prevent others from copying, Chen Yun has been innovating in products. A year ago, his paper-cut material was still a few millimeters thick, but now it is only 0.5 millimeters, and the cost is the same. Traditional paper is comparable. He believes:

"No matter how new a small company's product is, it will not be copied by others, so it just needs to be diligent and one step ahead of others.

”

●When talking about business, I am attracted by “tradition”

After reading the product, Zhao Dong turned the topic to the most critical business issue and asked directly: “How do you do this?” Guarantee that we can make money? "Chen Yun has been asked this question countless times, and he replied calmly: "No one can guarantee 100% profit in the current market, and I have also lost money. Now my franchise stores make an average profit of two to three hundred yuan a day, and a good month can make up to two to thirty thousand yuan. Of course, there are some that can be maintained, but the main reason is that we haven’t found a good market. "Having said that, Chen Yun actually has many ways to make money in his business, and he has figured out all these ways.

The paper-cutting business is originally an industry that is obvious in the off-season. Except around the Spring Festival, other periods are considered Off-season. Especially in the summer, people who make paper-cutting basically change their profession temporarily, so it is very rare to make more than 100,000 yuan in this industry. They are all those who use molds to mass-produce paper. A quality festival paper-cutting enterprise, its products are nothing more than hanging money, spring couplets, window grilles and other traditional folk items.

Before starting the paper-cutting business in 2002, Chen Yun considered the problem of long off-season because it was impossible for franchisees to go there. Working on a project that had no business for seven or eight months a year. In 2003, during the SARS period, Chen Yun, who was stuck at home, came up with an idea to combine paper-cutting with clothing and T-shirts, and make paper-cut pictures according to the customer's requirements. Personalized paper-cut clothing, in this way, paper-cut clothing can sell well in the summer, and the problem of off-season is easily solved. With the addition of Chinese folk custom elements, paper-cut clothing, facial makeup clothing, and window decoration clothing with Chinese style characteristics are formed, which are combined with local characteristics. , can develop red travel T-shirts. It has become the only casual shirt and couple's shirt in China that is mainly sold in paper-cut products. In the past three years, paper-cut T-shirts have been sold to him every year. Hundreds of thousands of profits.

The idea of ??DIY paper-cut decorative paintings originated from the popularity of Chinese style in the past two years, allowing Chen Yun’s paper-cuts to penetrate into new markets, such as advertising, education, tourism, and decoration. , collectibles, couple products, etc. Among them, tourist attractions are the most profitable, a 5 cent paper-cut can be sold for dozens of yuan; advertising is the most popular, with an order at least tens of thousands of yuan, and the most worthy of mention is advertising and education. Two markets that seem difficult to participate in paper cutting.

Introduced by Chen Yun. In 2005 and 2006, I have been conducting surveys and learned that many companies give gifts to customers during holidays, and they often give gifts on a regular basis. Among the forms of advertising, traditional Chinese craft gifts are more popular. However, among these gifts, porcelain, colored glaze, bronze, etc. are all over the streets. The general sticker advertising effect is not good, so companies have always wanted to find some. Gifts that are more unique and have good advertising effect, so I thought of my paper-cutting. One is very traditional and can be easily engraved with the company’s logo and advertising patterns without affecting the decoration. The other is not like ordinary paper-cuts. Like sex sticker advertisements, it is easy to put on but difficult to take off. No matter where I put the paper cutout, I can peel it off easily without leaving any trace. This kind of non-compulsory product placement is what customers are willing to hang as decorations in their homes. The effect is naturally better. In 2007, two large group companies, Site Wine and Vinda Paper, used our paper-cut gifts. Each company has orders of hundreds of thousands. Now my products include magnetic paper-cut decorative stickers. Darts calendar, water-based paper-cutting, etc.

The combination of paper-cutting and education is another great discovery of Chen Yun. In early 2008, Chen Yun saw on the Internet that the Shanghai Education Department was organizing a summer camp for primary and secondary school students, with the theme of Chinese tradition. Cultural education, “I had formed a habit at that time. Whenever I saw the four words “Chinese tradition”, I would immediately think of whether my paper-cutting could be used. "Chen Yun introduced that at that time I tried to contact the organizer and introduced my paper-cutting. Within a few days, the other party agreed to purchase my DIY paper-cutting as theme activity supplies for the summer camp. After taking the order, Chen Yun did not simply deliver the goods. Instead, he took the initiative to come up with new ideas for the organizers. He made a set of paper-cutting bags based on the hands-on characteristics of primary and secondary school students. Each bag was equipped with pre-drawn linear Olympic Fuwa paper-cutting materials, safety scissors, and mats. Wait. Normally, Fuwa cannot be used casually, but this time it was a cooperation with an educational institution, and Chen Yun’s act of caring for the organizer won him favor, and the other party helped him get the commercial authorization for Fuwa graphics. “I really didn’t expect a summer camp. There are actually hundreds of thousands of them, and they are even related to the Olympics. There are at least thousands of summer camps, experience classes, and art classes across the country every year. This market is worth exploring. "Chen Yun said with a hint of surprise.

Inspired by this summer camp, Chen Yun realized how profitable the education market was. In July and August this year, he cooperated with more than a dozen primary schools to offer paper-cutting classes, and also held a training class of his own. , and found a new buyer for more than 100,000 yuan a year.

After listening to these talks about making money, Zhao Dong and the girl nodded frequently. At this point in the negotiation, the two parties already had some "like-mindedness".

●When talking about cooperation, don’t lie to anyone

After talking about the product and the market, the topic has entered the stage of substantive cooperation. "How to join the franchise? Can we make qualified paper-cuts when we open a store?" the girl asked.

The agency franchise form formulated by Chen Yun is unique. There is no franchise fee or agency fee. You only need to purchase goods. The lowest one can open a store is about 10,000 yuan, and more than 10,000 paper-cut styles can be used. , samples worth several thousand yuan required for opening are provided free of charge. The technique of paper-cutting is very simple, and both adults and children can learn it.

"In this case, isn't it just a simple supply and marketing relationship? How can it be an agent franchise?" Zhao Dong had some questions.

"No." Chen Yun explained, "Only my franchisees can get goods at low prices. I want to prevent anyone from taking my goods and setting up a new business. Anyone who disrupts the market will be cancelled." With the franchise agent qualification, you will no longer want to get goods at low prices. At the same time, as long as you become an agent franchisee, no matter how big your local order is, even if the customer comes to our company directly to ask for the goods, I will transfer the business. Here you go, no matter how much money you make, I will never steal business. The local market is entirely yours. I will not participate, nor can other agents."

Except for those who get the goods after joining. The price is low, and Chen Yun also provides some follow-up services. For example, an order quantity of more than 10,000 sheets cannot be done in a franchise store. Chen Yun will bear this kind of difficult business. There is no cost except raw materials. In addition, there are Paper-cut styles and materials are constantly updated, which guarantees the long-term survival of franchise stores.

"Will the price increase in the future? The cost of many raw materials is rising now." The girl then asked,

"Don't worry about this, our total sales volume is constantly increasing. Yes, the cost will be reduced every year, and the price we will give you in the future will only go down, not up," Chen Yun said confidently.

"How do we know whether the price you give me is high or low?" the girl asked.

“Go to our company website to check. The purchase price of all franchisees is the same, so that franchisees can supervise each other, do business with an open mind, and make money clearly. Don't lie to anyone." Chen Yun replied.

After every store opened, Chen Yun would travel thousands of miles to assist in the operation for a period of time. The launch of the opening tracking service was probably one of the important reasons why he later found that it took an average of 10 days to open a store.

●Talk about starting a business and make a fortune Sanqingshan is listed as a World Heritage Site

The negotiations are coming to an end, and the intention to join has been initially determined. Several people chatted about their entrepreneurial experiences. Chen Yun has many stories. My family is in Jiangxi, and I served as a soldier in Xuzhou. I even received third-class merit for paper-cutting. Since then, I have been fascinated by paper-cutting. After retiring from the army, I worked as an air-conditioning installer in Beijing, a security guard in Xiamen, selling clothes to others, and doing online sales. It was not until 2003 that I returned to Shangrao, Jiangxi and opened my own store. He has always been optimistic.

Chen Yun’s first pot of gold came from Sanqingshan. His home is not far from Sanqingshan. At that time, the new paper-cutting had just been finalized, and it happened to coincide with Sanqingshan’s application for World Heritage. There was a lot of publicity for Sanqingshan Mountain's application as a World Heritage Site. At that time, the management committee was looking for suitable promotional materials. Of course, Chinese places must have Chinese characteristics. Chen Yun naturally believed that his paper-cuts were the most suitable, and then rushed to make a batch of them with Sanqingshan Mountain in mind. Paper-cut T-shirts with pictures of famous scenic spots were provided to the management committee as team uniforms for the World Heritage application. "They were very satisfied at the time, and the subsequent cooperation started smoothly. My store in Sanqingshan was only a few square meters, but do you know how much I could sell in a month? Four to five million. From then on, I had the money to move here. From Yiwu." Chen Yun looked very proud.

There are many things that make Chen Yun proud. One of the more peculiar ones is the story of how he made paper-cutting overseas. He had no export rights and did not seek help from a foreign trade company. ; It’s not illegal, how did he do it?

This happened in March this year. Two customers from South Korea and Singapore had been in contact online for some time. However, because Chen Yun did not have the right to export, the cooperation has not been possible.

By chance, Chen Yun learned that export problems could be solved with the help of foreign chambers of commerce in China. He quickly told two foreign customers about the news. Later, with the help of the chamber of commerce, he entrusted imports, and a profit of 400,000 yuan went out of the country. Now these two A customer has become its overseas general agent, and the overseas stores are left to them.

When leaving, Chen Yun expressed another emotion: "Entrepreneurship is just one word - hardship. I actually don't know how to do business right now. Take your time! Fortunately, I am young. ”