The entrepreneurial history of Yang Shuping

A round-neck gray pullover and a pair of trousers of the same color. Such a dress can be described as comfortable and casual, but it is difficult to associate it with the boss's style. However, this is exactly Yang Shuping, chairman of the board of directors of Chengqi Group, one of the top ten real estate companies in Guangzhou. Last year, Chengqi Group's total real estate sales revenue exceeded 3 billion yuan, and Yang Shuping is also a billionaire boss.

“The boss is a very low-key person. He usually dresses casually when he goes to work. He almost doesn’t know how to wear a suit or tie, and he doesn’t have any bodyguards to greet him. Moreover, the boss has a good temper and rarely curses. “This is almost the consistent impression Chengqi employees have on Yangshuping.

As for this, the reporter could feel it from the first second he walked into his office. Although he also has a huge executive desk, he did not choose to sit here and accept interviews from reporters "from a distance" across the big desk. Instead, he took the initiative to shake hands with reporters one by one, and then chose to sit down in the office. He sat down at a small conference table and chatted with reporters at a "close" distance. In order to reduce the interruption to the interview atmosphere, he also took the initiative to set his mobile phone to vibrate.

Yang Shuping, who is in his forties, usually smiles a lot. Whether he talks about good times or bad times, he basically keeps smiling. However, his hands were slightly rough, and the polite but powerful handshake made reporters realize this: this should be a practical boss. The sunlight shined through the floor-to-ceiling windows and hit his back, outlining a golden silhouette for him. During most of the nearly two-hour interview, Yang Shuping did not choose to lean on his chair to speak, and basically kept a slight forward lean. His state makes people feel humble, and also makes people unconsciously feel that he should be an offensive boss.

Of course, Yang Shuping is still an emotional person. He graduated from Changsha Railway College, and now, the school's alumni association in Guangzhou is located in Chengqi Building. Yang Shuping said: "I have a place."

Yang Shuping rarely appears in public. The last time he appeared in public was at the Guangzhou Real Estate Summit on January 6 last year. In the minds of citizens, he is a mysterious figure. In the minds of reporters, Among them, he is also a very legendary figure - a chief engineer-level technical talent in the railway department. Starting from the management stock, within 10 years, he built a business from scratch, developing from an unknown small business to today's Guangzhou Real Estate Top ten. Yang Shuping led his Chengqi Group to pass five major hurdles: land, capital, talent, management, and system. Therefore, our conversation begins with "passing the five hurdles." Reporter (hereinafter referred to as "Reporter"): Land is one of the fundamentals for the development of real estate companies. In our impression, Chengqi's projects are almost all concentrated in the old city. Why is this? Does Cheng Qi particularly prefer the old city?

Yang Shuping (hereinafter referred to as "Yang"): In Chengqi's eyes, the risk of the old city project is relatively low. The land in the old city itself is very limited. In addition, there are almost no new land grants in Dongshan, Yuexiu, Liwan and other places. Moreover, the old city has convenient transportation, supporting facilities, and relatively good educational resources. Many people are willing to live in the old city. Buying a property in the city will inevitably determine the scarcity of projects in the old city. Therefore, even if the profits of the projects in the old city are not high, they are relatively safe, while the risks in some surrounding emerging areas will be greater. Our wings haven’t fully grown yet (laughs), so we don’t want to take too many risks.

Note: At the end of 2002, Chengqi invested 305 million yuan to acquire the Guangzhou Shipbuilding Machinery Factory land. This was a sky-high price at the time. With such a huge sum of money invested in a new project, does it also include Why do you prefer the old city?

Yang: When we acquired this land at a cost of more than 300 million, there were actually many comprehensive considerations.

Of course, such a price should be considered very high at the time, because many friends in the industry have calculated for us that our house with decoration must cost at least more than 6,000 yuan/square meter to make money. This was hard to imagine at the time. Yes, to be honest, I had a trace of regret the day after I got the land; however, as the land prices increased, we began to feel happy. As soon as our Swan Bay was launched on the market last year , basically the price is more than 7,000 yuan per square meter. I dare say that if the same piece of land was auctioned today, it would definitely be priced at a higher price. This also illustrates a problem. In fact, it is rare to buy land in the old city, so the projects in the old city really have great potential. Especially after macro-control, land prices in Guangzhou will rise in the next two years.

Reporter: In recent years, Chengqi Group has revitalized many unfinished projects. For many developers, unfinished building projects have many invisible risks. Why does Chengqi Group continue to enjoy this?

Yang: The unfinished building projects we revitalize are basically concentrated in the old city. In fact, most of the unfinished buildings have good innate qualities, and Chengqi only takes over the projects with suitable prices and clear financials. Therefore, the risk of unfinished building projects is actually not high. Of course, it will be more troublesome - although it is a single small project, the workload and manpower required will not be less than that of a large project. However, in our country In the real estate industry, wages account for a low proportion of costs, so Chengqi has taken over many high-quality projects. Reporter: Since 2003, the country has started macro-control. As far as we know, most companies are tightening their belts and living a tight life of "looking for money". How is Chengqi's life?

Yang: Judging from the current situation, the real estate industry is still very dependent on bank loans. To be honest, macroeconomic control has made life difficult for most domestic developers. However, the situation in Guangzhou is much better, because the management of the real estate industry in Guangzhou has been very standardized, even stricter than that in Hong Kong. We have already passed through any difficult hurdles. Moreover, Chengqi’s shell operation went smoothly after its listing last year. We believe that it is difficult for a company to become bigger and stronger quickly if it relies on its own capital accumulation, and going public is a more convenient way. Of course, after going public, you will face more supervision, you may not spend as much as you want as a sole proprietorship, and you will have higher requirements for internal management of the company, but it is worth it for the future development of the company.

Note: Judging from experience, it is not easy to find a good shell for a shell company. Why do you still choose to buy a shell company for listing?

Yang: The choice of capital operation must be based on the long term. We chose to buy the "Donghua" shell and list it because although its assets are not many, it has no hidden liabilities and is relatively clean. Although its price is not low, its quality is better. For example, if we can meet the conditions for additional issuance next year, we will be able to obtain approximately 1 billion yuan of funds. With the help of 1 billion yuan, we can also obtain a 1 billion yuan loan from the bank, which will suddenly increase the development funds by 2 billion yuan. The development path of enterprises is even wider. If our operating conditions are good and we can continue to issue additional shares, the company will develop at a geometric speed.

Reporter: There are already over a thousand listed companies in China, and many additional stock issuances are not as popular as companies think. How do you make consumers trust you?

Yang: Good performance and good dividends. Buying a shell is only the first step. After buying the shell, you have to be willing to invest in order to achieve output. At present, we have replaced Chengqi’s projects in Beijing with listed companies through asset replacement. In the future, we will It will take 3-5 years to replace all Chengqi's high-quality assets with listed companies. In this way, listed companies will be able to obtain good operating performance. According to the current standards of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, it will take 3 consecutive years. Only companies with annual average profits of more than 10% can issue additional shares. I believe there are not many such companies. In foreign countries or in Hong Kong, so many blue-chip stocks have so many fans, which means they have the support of performance. Reporter: For an enterprise, talent is a very important link. In our opinion, Chengqi is quite bold in employing talents in an unconventional way. Do you think so?

Yang: There is no issue of "breaking the rules".

Regarding employment, private enterprises have such an advantage. As long as they are talented, they can be hired. Of course, this also puts higher requirements on the boss's vision.

Note: Let’s give an example. The appointment of Liang Zhipeng, the current general manager of Chengqi's sales center, was controversial because of his youth. Why did you decide to use him?

Yang: To be honest, Liang Zhipeng is indeed relatively young, and his experience in Chengqi is not long, so there were indeed a lot of objections back then, but he is energetic, motivated, and has his own way of doing things. He has a unique perspective, and his ability is also supported by performance. Not only did the property prices in Ligang Nanwan that he managed at that time keep rising, but it also sold well. Therefore, after repeated weighing, I decided to use him. Sometimes, as a boss, you have to use the people you like, and you can't take too much into consideration.

Reporter: Does that mean you prefer young and promising talents?

Yang: That’s not necessarily the case. People in charge of different areas should have different standards. For example, those in sales need a boost of motivation, so younger people will be more suitable, while those in charge of finance and contracts will be more suitable. People need relatively calm and experienced people, so older people are more suitable. If an enterprise has talents of various ages and expertise, the development of the enterprise will be more benign. Reporter: In fact, many companies now come up with pretty good ideas, but things change when they are implemented. Therefore, the problem of "difficulty in enforcement" not only occurs in courts, but also in companies. How does Chengqi solve it? Such a problem?

Yang: Yes, a good idea cannot just be thought of and forgotten, but must be truly implemented. In my words, it is "less talk, more work, and implementation."

Reporter: According to the introduction of Chengqi employees, you are a particularly easy-going boss who almost never curses. How do you upload and issue corporate instructions in a relatively "gentle" way?

Yang: I think management methods vary from person to person, and are related to personal knowledge, growth background, etc. I admire Li Ka-shing very much, he is that kind of gentle boss. I seldom curse, but I am good at "pressuring". Of course, it is not a direct method, but a psychological driving force. The specific approach is to rely on indicators and tasks for implementation. Everyone has their own clear tasks and indicators, and checks the completion status from time to time, so that the assigned tasks can be truly implemented. Moreover, we often hold regular meetings to check everyone's implementation of tasks. People who do not do well will naturally feel pressure and hope that they can catch up as soon as possible. Of course, we also have our own reward and punishment mechanism, but we reward more and punish less. I think a gentle way of doing things is also good. When I negotiate a contract, my success rate is basically around 95%. Because I am willing to make concessions and negotiate in the other party's way, it is naturally easier to negotiate. The same is true for management.

Reporter: You were originally a technical talent, how did you transform into a management talent?

Yang: Through continuous learning. I originally studied engineering. In the beginning, I just relied on my intuition when doing business. Later, I took part in systematic management studies. Now I have completed my studies. I just don’t have time to write a paper yet. This kind of systematic learning is very helpful, especially in terms of financial management and capital operations, which has helped me a lot. I think a person must keep learning in order to make progress. Reporter: What are your plans for Chengqi’s future?

Yang: My goal is very simple, that is, I hope to get better year by year, and it is best to be slightly better than others in everything I do. I have a competitive spirit, but I won't go too far. My goal is for the company to develop steadily and prosper for a long time.

Reporter: What is Chengqi’s long-term goal for the future?

Yang: Chengqi only has its own long-term strategy and no long-term goals, because goals need to be adjusted at any time. Our strategy is to focus on real estate as our main business and avoid excessive diversification. Even if we occasionally involve other industries, it is diversified related to real estate, or we cooperate with experts. Our strategy is "don't do anything if you are not familiar with it". Of course, at the right time, we will also make investments in related industries such as roads, bridges, water, and electricity.

Last year, Chengqi started a side business related to its main business. We have invested in a ceramics factory in Qingyuan. It will be put into trial production this month and will be put into mass production after the Spring Festival. Our equipment scale and technology are at the advanced level in China. Our production line is 1 kilometer long, while the general industry level is only It's four or five hundred meters.

Reporter: An enterprise can rely on "rule of man" in its founding stage, but if it wants to become a long-lasting enterprise, it must require "rule of law". What do you think about this?

Yang: In the early days of a business, due to imperfect systems and low integrity commitment from society as a whole, in order to prevent unnecessary risks, one may appoint relatives whom one trusts more. But as the company develops, the system is improved, and an ideal monitoring mechanism is established, it can use a more open mind to attract more talents. The development direction of Chengqi is also from a traditional family business to a modern enterprise. Maybe, if the system is improved in the future, I can stop doing things and just play ball. I heard a joke. A drunk man patted his chest and said, "Which of you is better than me?" Another man stood up and said, "I am better than you!" The drunk man thought about it and said, "Then who is better than us?" Are they awesome?"

The joke is not very funny, but it has value.

When I see Yang Shuping, who is always smiling, I naturally think of this joke. Many developers in Guangzhou who are familiar with Yangshuping would say two things about him: first, he has a good personality, and second, he is a good accountant. Yang Shuping said that his success rate and efficiency in business negotiations are very high. He concluded that the reason is that he is "good at mental arithmetic." "I said this, and others insisted on asking for that. I calculated in my mind, well, that's fine, that's fine. . ”

Like many first-generation rich people who built their families from scratch, Yang Shuping also has endless enterprising spirit, the satisfaction of career for the sake of career, extraordinary energy and learning ability, etc. However, compared with those entrepreneurs who show more domineering ambitions to expand their territories, Chang Shuping is by no means straightforward. Chang Shuping said that there are both natural reasons and acquired training. I think it also has something to do with many years of experience in state-owned enterprises.

"Actually, success and failure have nothing to do with each other. Even if you fail, it's good to go back to being an engineer." "When we have a progress meeting and everyone else has finished it, you are too embarrassed not to finish it, right?" Yang Shuping said. In life and business, everything seems to be indispensable. It seems that nothing in this world needs to be shaken up. However, things are developing according to his ideas after all. Behind this smile, you can't help but feel a deep strength. Like Tai Chi.

(2005-01-24)