You call this entrepreneurship?

Chapter 361 How to Make Money
Inside a hotel room in New York.

The photographer and assistant were busy setting up the venue and equipment, and carefully adjusting the lens.

Wen Jiali, who was in charge of the interview, used a small mirror to touch up her makeup and then carefully checked the manuscript in her hand.

As the interviewee, Qin Shaoyan was simply made up by the makeup artist and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

When he sat on the chair, Wen Jiali opposite him looked up and was suddenly stunned when she saw Qin Shaoyan wearing it.

Because Qin Shaoyan was wearing a white T-shirt with the three big words "Campus Network" printed on it, and the logos of Campus Network and the United Nations below.

Qin Shaoyan saw that Wen Jiali looked upset, so he pretended to be cautious and asked, "What's wrong? Reporter Wen? Is my outfit inappropriate?"

"That's not the case." Wen Jiali smiled, "It's just that Mr. Qin's outfit is very surprising. I thought you would wear a suit."

CCTV interviews do not require the interviewees to dress formally, as long as they do not violate the law or indecent behavior and are clean and tidy.

Qin Shaoyan had confirmed with the CCTV staff in advance, so he specially picked this T-shirt to go abroad.

Wen Jiali knew what Qin Shaoyan was thinking at a glance. She smiled and said, "We will put subtitles on it with Mr. Qin's name and the website name. You can be a little more formal."

"I don't usually like to wear suits, because our company advocates comfortable working, and we usually wear whatever is comfortable." Qin Shaoyan smiled embarrassedly, "This is how I usually dress."

"This T-shirt is a commemoration of the World University Forum Summit. I think it is very meaningful to be interviewed wearing this shirt."

Wen Jiali didn't dwell on the issue of Qin Shaoyan's clothes, but asked with a smile: "Then can we start?"

"Anytime." Qin Shaoyan immediately became serious.

Wen Jiali asked the first question: "How did you come up with the idea of ​​organizing an international event like the World University Forum Summit?"

"The World University Forum Summit is jointly organized by our campus network, Facebook in the United States and the United Nations. It is part of the International University Summer Camp." Qin Shaoyan said slowly, "The World University Forum Summit is mainly to show the international community that college students are actively participating in the future social development and global hot issues."

“At the same time, the elite representatives selected by various countries will show the world the responsibility and commitment of the university student community to global development.”

"The United Nations has long recognized that the imagination, ideals and vitality of young people are crucial to the sustainable development of their societies. Therefore, relevant UN departments have given considerable support to this forum and summit and provided us with a lot of convenience."

"We can use the platform provided by the United Nations to better showcase the comprehensive qualities of young college students to the world."

“We also hope to use this platform to show the world the excellent abilities and positive spirit of Chinese college students.”

Wen Jiali continued to ask: "What do you think of the performance of the Chinese university student representatives this time?"

"Excellent, very good!" Qin Shaoyan said with a smile, "During the entire forum summit, Chinese university students demonstrated outstanding qualities and rich knowledge reserves, especially in the debate session, which won high praise from the judges."

“The world-renowned experts and scholars attending the conference all spoke highly of the Chinese university student representatives.”

"Although the entire Chinese university student delegation only won the silver medal, this is also a historic breakthrough. The judges also awarded the Outstanding Group Award and Special Award to the Chinese university student representatives."

"This is a unanimous recognition of China's university student representatives."

Wen Jiali: "I understand that the World University Forum Summit is part of the international summer camp activities. What I want to ask is, how did you want to hold such an international event?"

"Because the main user group of our campus network is college students, we often organize activities targeting college students." Qin Shaoyan said, "At the same time, we are an Internet company. The spirit of the Internet is sharing and communication, breaking the restrictions of region and language, and eliminating the barriers of culture and customs."

"The purpose of holding the International College Summer Camp is to provide a platform for college students from different countries around the world to communicate and learn from each other on an equal footing."

"At the same time, it can provide Chinese college students with a window and opportunity to understand the world. Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, and visiting different countries in person."

"In addition to the natural scenery, there is also a unique culture, and an opportunity to get in close contact and communicate with world-renowned universities."

Wen Jiali: "Compared with outstanding college students from all over the world, how do our college students perform?"

"Unexpectedly excellent." Qin Shaoyan said seriously, "At the beginning, our college students were a little reserved. When we were touring Italy, the Italian students were very enthusiastic and soon livened up the atmosphere."

“After arriving at the second stop in Germany, our students were able to actively communicate with students from other countries. They cooperated well in subsequent activities and many of them became good friends.”

"Our college students have strong teamwork and execution capabilities, and can often complete various social practice activities in a short period of time. American college students like to form teams with Chinese college students the most, and often compete with each other."

Wen Jiali: "Do you think this international college summer camp meets expectations?"

"This event has greatly exceeded my expectations and is even better than I imagined." Qin Shaoyan said with a smile. This was a rare true statement from his heart. "My original plan was to let Chinese college students go out and take a look, so that they can have a preliminary understanding of European and American countries and learn something from the study tour. This is already a success."

“But in the social practice activities, our students performed perfectly, which impressed students from other countries. I think this summer camp has far exceeded my expectations.”

"We will hold this summer camp every year so that more college students can participate and learn about the world."

Wen Jiali was very surprised, this kind of activity seemed to be very costly. She thought it was just a promotional activity organized by the campus network, but she didn't expect the campus network to make this activity regular.

"That's going to cost a lot for the campus network, right?"

"I think the money is well spent. It's right to spend money on meaningful things." Qin Shaoyan acted calmly, but he knew in his heart that this event did cost a lot of money, tens of millions of dollars.

Thanks to Facebook and American students' parents who paid the bill, the campus network paid for the air tickets, food and accommodation. Otherwise, Qin Shaoyan would never have dared to brag about this to CCTV.

Wen Jiali showed an expression of admiration and praised: "The campus network has developed so well in just two years. It is inseparable from President Qin's vision and vision."

"It's all thanks to the joint efforts of my employees and the love of my users. I just caught up with the good opportunity of the rapid development of the Internet." Qin Shaoyan said modestly.

"Boss Qin is too modest." Wen Jiali said with a smile, "This is not the first time we have dealt with each other."

Qin Shaoyan was stunned, and his mind quickly recalled when he had any intersection with CCTV.

Wen Jiali reminded, "The last time was last year, at the Global International Marathon. I was there, but unfortunately I didn't have the chance to interview Mr. Qin. I finally made up for it this time."

"Oh, it's the charity event for the Olympic Games." Qin Shaoyan suddenly realized.

Wen Jiali smiled and said, "At the end of the interview, Mr. Qin, do you have anything to say to college students in China?" Qin Shaoyan thought for a moment and said, "Now is the best time. I hope that students can work hard and strive for progress."

“Keep your feet on the ground and learn more about the world. Although there is still a big gap between us and developed countries, I hope that students will face up to their shortcomings, not belittle themselves, and stand up straight to look at the world with equal eyes.”

……

After finishing the interview, Qin Shaoyan and Wen Jiali chatted for a while, exchanged contact information, and asked their secretary Xiao Chen to see reporter Wen off.

Secretary Xiao Chen prepared two small gifts in her handbag in advance, and while seeing off the other party, she would look for opportunities to give them to the other party.

Qin Shaoyan was wondering whether the entire interview would be published on the news, and if there were any cuts, which sentences would be released.

Secretary Xiao Chen returned quickly and reported to Qin Shaoyan, "Boss Qin, the gift has been sent out. The other party received it very well. I want to convey my gratitude to you."

Qin Shaoyan hummed perfunctorily, "You should keep in touch with her later. It would be great to be able to connect with CCTV."

"Okay, Mr. Qin." Secretary Xiao Chen took out a cell phone from her bag and handed it to him. "Mr. Xiong called you several times."

Qin Shaoyan picked up the phone and saw that there were several missed calls, so he called Xiong Xiaoge back, "Boss Xiong, what's the matter?"

"When will you come back?" Xiong Xiaoge asked directly.

"Let me check the schedule, maybe next week." Qin Shaoyan glanced at the schedule and said, "I will definitely return home next week."

"The activities over there are over, but you haven't come back yet." Xiong Xiaoge asked, "What are you doing in the United States?"

Qin Shaoyan said unhappily: "Boss Xiong, I am not only the boss of the campus network, I am also a shareholder of Facebook. I have a lot of things to deal with in the United States."

"Besides, these Chinese college students haven't returned yet, so what's the point of me going back alone?"

"Huh?" Xiong Xiaoge was a little surprised, "You plan to come back with the student representatives."

"That's not necessarily true." Qin Shaoyan sighed, "Boss Xiong, don't rush me. I called you right after I finished the interview. I'm also very busy."

"An interview with CCTV?" Xiong Xiaoge asked curiously.

"Hey, Mr. Xiong is well-informed." Qin Shaoyan was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Xiong Xiaoge in China knew about this.

"Mr. Qin is really capable. He even managed to get an interview with CCTV." Xiong Xiaoge joked.

"This is also for the promotion of the campus network. It will be listed on the IPO next year. As the boss of the campus network, I have to put more thought into it." Qin Shaoyan complained, "I have been running back and forth for this matter, working day and night. Mr. Xiong, please help me because I have made no contributions but have worked hard."

"Alright, alright, you're talking like you're working for me." Xiong Xiaoge said impatiently, "I came to you for this matter. You need to tell me clearly in advance what you plan to do."

"Of course." Qin Shaoyan thought for a moment, "I'll finish things here as soon as possible, and we'll talk about it in detail after we return home."

The IPO listing does require Xiong Xiaoge's strong help. This matter is not like other things that can be dealt with carelessly.

Qin Shaoyan is almost sixty years old in his two lifetimes, and he has never participated in a company's IPO, so he has no such experience.

As for the listing process, not one of the hundreds of people in the company understands it. Although there will be specialized securities firms, accounting firms, and law firms to assist, it is impossible for the campus network to just sit there and do nothing.

The most important thing is that it is not that easy to go public. Xiong Xiaoge and Sequoia need to coordinate together to find a capable brokerage firm.

Qin Shaoyan can't handle these things because he has no connections and no background.

Qin Shaoyan now has two things on hand, one is how to form the "Anti-Qvod Alliance", and the other is the listing of the campus network.

Although the "Anti-Qvod Alliance" obtained financing with the help of Qin Shaoyan and quickly organized a counterattack, Qin Shaoyan didn't care about them at all.

After all, video websites can’t survive just by having money, not to mention that the money they get is not enough.

Therefore, the most important thing right now is the listing of the campus network.

After two years of hard work, his first entrepreneurial project is finally going to be listed. He still feels excited when he thinks about it.

By then, Qin Shaoyan will be the boss of a U.S. listed company. It will be quite interesting to spend the money of American investors to improve his life.

Next, he just needs to solve one small problem before he can successfully go public.

That is how campus networks make money.

The topic of how campus networks make money can be traced back to when Sequoia and IDG first invested in him. At that time, Qin Shaoyan described many promising profit-making methods to these two venture capital firms.

Advertising revenue is definitely better than nothing. Although the campus network is very famous and has many active users, it can also bring in a lot of income from selling advertisements.

However, when Qin Shaoyan first created the website, he said that for the sake of user experience, the campus network should have as few advertisements as possible, which resulted in almost no advertisements on the campus network.

Some advertisements are purely in cooperation with friendly companies and will only appear when needed.

In the early days, the campus network relied on the gimmick of e-commerce to let venture capitalists see the consumption power of the campus network user group, which led to the cooperation with Jingdong Mall.

However, the spending power of the student group is limited after all, and it is difficult to make much money from them.

Qin Shaoyan never counted on e-commerce at all. As for the college student station, it was a pure money-losing project in Qin Shaoyan's plan. It was an unexpected surprise that he could now maintain a balance between income and expenditure.

As for why Qin Shaoyan wanted to engage in a money-losing project.

Those who understand this know that it is normal for a company project to have profits and losses.

Xiong Xiaoge called Qin Shaoyan in such a hurry because he wanted to find out how Qin Shaoyan was going to make money quickly through the campus network.

This may be related to the market value of the campus network.

(End of this chapter)