Can following the rules be called rebirth?

Chapter 233, Section 231: The First Business Negotiation

"Hey?"

"They arrived so quickly?"

"Okay, okay, go reserve a table and let's talk in person."

Around 10 a.m. the next day, at Building A8 of Shanshui Huating.

Zhou Mingyuan was embracing his senior's soft and fragrant body, lost in a sweet dream, when he was suddenly awakened by He Min's phone call.

After making a long story short, he quickly woke up Du Jianuo and pulled her along to attend the business banquet at noon.

Surprisingly, the owner of MAIA ACTIVE, a small shop specializing in yoga pants, took the high-speed train from Hangzhou overnight after receiving accurate information.

It looks like just an ordinary Taobao store, but it has such a strong execution capability!

Zhou Mingyuan couldn't help but look at him with newfound respect.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou~"

“I am Dai Ying, the person in charge of MAIA ACTIVE.”

The first serious business meeting was naturally held in the most impressive conference room of Jieyou Media.

Inside the conference room, Zhou Mingyuan, his assistant He Min, and the head host Du Jianuo, who had finished washing up, welcomed the guests who had come from afar.

"Hello, hello, please sit down."

Upon seeing Dai Ying, the man silently gave her a very high evaluation in his mind.

So young!
In fact, given his advanced understanding of the internet age, it is precisely these young and beautiful female Taobao shop owners who are often able to discover niche clothing items to the fullest extent and become experts in them.

Dai Ying is not very old, she looks to be under thirty, but she is tall with long legs and her features and temperament have a touch of sophistication.

"Mr. Zhou, we've come all the way from Hangzhou with the utmost sincerity."

Let me first briefly explain the specific business and logic of MAIA ACTIVE.

Before her sat a fragrant cup of Lapsang Souchong tea. Dai Ying picked up the exquisite bone china cup, her shoulders and waist always perfectly straight, making her a photogenic figure from any angle.

Indeed, her starting point was that small world illuminated by spotlights.

"I started out as a Taobao model, so I'm fairly familiar with fashion trends."

Dai Ying's fingertips traced the rim of the cup repeatedly, her thoughts drifting back to the bustling food stalls of Sijiqing Market in Hangzhou.

Several years ago, Dai Ying, fresh out of a university in Hangzhou, with the youthful vigor and pretty face of a newborn calf, plunged headlong into the burgeoning Taobao ecosystem.

At that time, becoming a Taobao model was a shortcut that shone like gold in the eyes of countless pretty girls.

Only those within Hangzhou's social circles know that proximity to the source gives you an advantage.

Top Taobao models earn several thousand yuan a day. They can cover their living expenses by shooting for three or four days a month and never have to worry about making a living again.

With her tall figure, excellent camera presence, and a touch of scholarly elegance, Dai Ying quickly stood out among many models.

"Nono, let me tell you, your figure is perfect for yoga pants, trust me!"

"My sister works in this industry. She has tried on almost all kinds of clothes. Her main strength is her expertise."

As Dai Ying spoke with a smile, she recounted the past to everyone.

When she talked about her first photoshoot, it was for an original women's clothing store that mainly focuses on the Mori Girl style. She spent the whole day shooting by West Lake and finally received two thousand yuan in cash. Her fingers were trembling slightly.

In the years that followed, Dai Ying's life was filled with filming schedules.

In the bamboo forest of Jiuxi Yanshu, she embodies the elegance of a long cotton and linen dress; under the cool light of a LOFT studio, she showcases the sleekness of European and American fast fashion; and in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of a coffee shop, she transforms into a sweet Korean girl, fiddling with the latest seasonal styles.

She travels to photography studios, trendy cafes, and designer studios of all sizes in Hangzhou.

With her daily salary rising, she paid off her student loans early and was even able to rent a nice apartment in Hangzhou, no longer needing a penny from her family.

Dai Ying, with her sweet smile and graceful demeanor in front of the camera, is a style icon that countless customers aspire to be.

"I've wanted to start my own business for a long time."

"There's no way around it, being a Taobao model is basically a job that relies on your youth."

"So I spent a lot of time and looked at a lot of projects before finally choosing this track."

Compared to most of her peers who were complacent and had only a pretty face but no brains, Dai Ying was smart and keenly perceived the changes in the market.

Younger, fresher faces are constantly emerging; they charge lower prices and have more energy.

Furthermore, businesses are no longer simply requiring models to be good-looking.

The market is starting to seek more distinctive personas and conversion rates.

More importantly, Dai Ying herself knew that she couldn't make a living as a model forever.

Through countless photo shoots, Dai Ying became familiar with shops of different styles and price ranges.

At the same time, she also came into contact with various links in the industrial chain.

"Mr. Dai, I'm actually quite interested in these things. Could you tell us more about them?"

In the conference room, Zhou Mingyuan listened with great interest, a smile playing on his lips, his attitude extremely supportive.

Ultimately, to truly monetize traffic, it probably still comes down to Taobao stores.

It was a rare opportunity to encounter someone with so many skills, especially one who was a former model, so Zhou Mingyuan immediately felt the urge to learn from him.

"I'll just share my experience."

Dai Ying didn't hold back at all, taking small sips of hot tea and speaking frankly.

"Hangzhou has established a fairly complete supply chain in e-commerce, especially in the apparel sector."

“For example, in high-end original design stores, the owner is often the designer himself. He rents a studio in the west of the city and hires two or three pattern makers and sample makers.”

“They regularly fly to Dongdaemun in Seoul to gather inspiration and shop around, keeping a close eye on the four major fashion weeks and trend bloggers on Instagram, and then quickly create patterns and samples.”

"At this point, I am their touchstone; the effect of wearing the garment directly determines whether it can enter small-batch production."

During this process, Dai Ying learned to read patterns, examine fabric composition, and observe sewing details.

She can even tell at a glance whether a sample garment is an original design or a replica.

"For example, mid-range online celebrity stores are the main employers of our Taobao models."

"The owners are usually internet celebrities or have strong traffic operation capabilities. They don't employ designers, but rely on clothing studios."

"One end connects to designers who are extremely sensitive to trends, and the other end connects to fabric suppliers and processing plants of all sizes scattered around Hangzhou, such as Haining, Tongxiang, and Keqiao."

"The studio is responsible for designing, pattern making, and sample garment production, which are then sent to collaborating online influencers and shop owners for selection."

"Once selected, the studio will be responsible for contacting the factory to place the order and produce the goods, while the shop owner will only be responsible for selling and marketing the products."

"."

Listening to your words is better than reading ten years of books.

Both Du Jianuo and He Min had a silly look on their faces, as if they had just learned something new.

Professionals are just different!
But what surprised them even more was Zhou Mingyuan's ability to guide them.

It seemed like just a few words, but it completely aroused Dai Ying's desire to express herself, and she kept chattering away.

Just like now, Dai Ying is still continuing.

"Of course, there are also some low-end, high-volume shops rooted in the Sijiqing wholesale market, where the stall girls are the best models."

"The logic here is simpler and more direct: the boss gets popular products from first-tier wholesalers in Guangzhou's Thirteen Factories or along the Hangzhou-Guangzhou line, changes the label, hires a well-known model to take a set of pictures, posts them on Taobao, and uses information asymmetry and price wars to boost sales volume."

Wholesale markets have no design; they only have speed and price.

During her years as a Taobao model, Dai Ying absorbed all this information like a sponge.

“In our line of work, design can be outsourced to studios and production can be outsourced to factories, but the core value lies solely in the ability to market and select products directly to consumers.”

"Mr. Dai is absolutely right!"

Zhou Mingyuan clapped his hands, expressing his strong agreement.

"I have another question, Mr. Dai."

"With so many excellent clothing categories, how did you decide to choose yoga pants?"

Just as Dai Ying herself said, when she switched jobs to open a Taobao store, she sensed the right product selection and just happened to seize the opportunity at the forefront.

In Hangzhou, the complete industrial chain is meticulously broken down, with each link able to survive independently yet collaborate closely, all for one purpose.

This frees up those selling goods from the cumbersome supply chain, allowing them to focus on marketing and traffic.

There's a goldmine hidden in essential consumer goods.

Dai Ying noted that with the rise of fitness craze among urban white-collar workers and the athleisure trend spreading from Europe and America to China, sportswear, especially yoga pants, is rapidly penetrating from the professional fitness field into everyday wear scenarios.

The reason for choosing it is simple: it combines functionality and style, and everyone who has tried it says it looks good.

“Research data is one aspect, and technology is another.” “We have technology that is in no way inferior to that of top-tier brands.”

After going around in circles, the two sides in the meeting room finally got down to business.

Let's talk about MAIA ACTIVE's products.

Dai Ying surveyed a large number of female sports enthusiasts, including former model colleagues and ordinary women in gyms.

She discovered that yoga pants on the market generally have several pain points.

The regular fabric has insufficient elasticity, poor wrapping properties, is prone to deformation, and is not breathable.

High-end international brands may seem perfect, but they are expensive, and their designs may not be entirely suitable for Asian women's body types.

Needless to say, many low-priced products suffer from problems such as inferior fabrics, pilling, and sagging.

We need comfort, shapeliness, and value for money.

The demand is hidden here.

"What technology?"

Zhou Mingyuan also sat up straight, his eyes lighting up as he pressed for an answer.

"Yarn blending technology".

To put it simply, it means...

Leveraging her network of contacts accumulated in Hangzhou over the years, Dai Ying worked tirelessly and finally found a small technology company specializing in the research and development of functional fabrics.

This company has mastered a new type of bare-feel yarn blending technology.

Breathable, quick-drying, highly elastic with excellent resilience, and soft to the touch.

"so smart?"

Zhou Mingyuan listened with great interest.

"Actually, Mr. Zhou, we not only excel in technology, but also in pattern making."

Halfway through her sentence, Dai Ying gestured with her lip to the follower who had come to Jiangcheng with her.

The other party immediately handed over a stack of A4-sized color photos.

"Mr. Zhou, you see, although we don't have much start-up capital, we have invested a lot of real money in this area."

Dai Ying said with a smile.

Through connections, she managed to recruit a senior pattern maker who had previously served as a technical supervisor at an international sportswear brand's OEM factory.

This expert is well-versed in how to use three-dimensional tailoring to maximize the shaping of the waist, abdomen, hips and legs that are common among Asian women, while ensuring athletic functionality.

"Yes, yes, that's it. We've solved the problems of high-waisted tops not rolling up and lifting the buttocks without making the crotch area look awkward."

"According to you..."

Zhou Mingyuan pressed one hand against his temple and asked curiously.

"The product has both technology and design, but I'm looking at sales figures."

"."

Dai Ying blushed and didn't respond for a moment, her deepest sore spot touched.

"Starting online is still too difficult."

"I can only say that I have persisted until now because I have enough confidence in the product. Relying on its quality and comfort, I have accumulated some word-of-mouth and repeat purchases among a small group of fitness enthusiasts and sports circles."

"but."

Dai Ying hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Marketing is the biggest challenge, I understand."

Zhou Mingyuan took over the conversation at the right moment and waved his hand.

Most small, unknown Taobao shops share this common problem.

With low brand awareness and an extremely limited marketing budget, it's like throwing a pebble into a vast ocean of products on e-commerce platforms—it's hard to make a ripple.

Traditional direct traffic campaigns are costly and have unstable conversion rates.

"That's right, Mr. Zhou is indeed an expert."

Dai Ying nodded, forcing a wry smile.

The hardships of starting a business far exceed expectations.

Persuade fabric suppliers to accept small-batch orders, work with contract manufacturers to refine process details, design packaging visuals, and build a basic e-commerce operations team.
Each level was exhausting.

Dai Ying is no longer the glamorous model in front of the camera. She wears flat shoes, carries samples, and shuttles through fabric markets, factory workshops, and empty office buildings.

He argues with all sorts of people, often replying to emails from the factory late at night.

MAIA ACTIVE's first batch of products was almost entirely the result of her savings and hard work.

She was fully aware of both the advantages and disadvantages.

For products like yoga pants that emphasize the wearing experience and the overall feel of the environment, static images and text descriptions lack depth.

She needs a more intuitive, engaging, and trust-building communication method.

"So this is also the reason why we came all this way."

"We hope to invite Uno to help us promote our products."

Dai Ying, who started her career as a Taobao model, not only has a strong sense of the camera but also a great understanding of online trends.

A frequent internet surfer, she often watches live streams and quickly noticed a rising star on the Douyu platform.

Du Jianuo, the queen of the dance section.

Her dancing is so beautiful, it's breathtaking.

Especially the interesting bullet comments that fly around every day, like those in 6610.

[Uno teacher has a new outfit! Come and see!]

What's your look today?

Wow, the school beauty with the high ponytail!

[The streamer's clothes are so nice, where did you buy them?]

As she looked around, Dai Ying sensed a business opportunity deep down.

With such a large amount of traffic, is it possible?
She immediately realized that the live streaming platform had a large and targeted fan base, as well as highly interactive streamers.

This might be the key to breaking through the marketing impasse!
Especially the streamers in the dance section.

In the days that followed, Dai Ying practically lived in Du Jianuo's live-streaming room.

The more I look at it, the more feasible it seems.

Du Jianuo's solid dance skills allow her to maintain both the range of motion and professionalism and aesthetics when showcasing sportswear.

Most importantly, she's incredibly beautiful.

The innate sexy and charming vibe of yoga pants is almost the most direct way to showcase their advantages.

There's absolutely no need to worry about key indicators such as elasticity, wrapping, support, and whether it deforms through the skin.

This is a natural advantage that ordinary models or even fitness influencers can hardly match.

Moreover, dance itself is a form of exercise.

The scene of dancing live is naturally similar to the scene of wearing yoga pants.

Moreover, Du Jianuo's fans are extremely enthusiastic about interaction and have a strong bullet screen culture, possessing great potential for community dissemination.

"Gamble!"

This thought grew stronger and stronger in Dai Ying's mind.

However, contacting a rapidly rising top streamer is no easy task.

I sent countless private messages, but the emails just disappeared without a trace.

But she never gave up and would send things over every now and then.

For example, fan profile analysis provides a detailed demonstration of the overlap between Du Jianuo's fans and the target users of yoga pants, as well as their purchasing potential.

There are also scenario-based product demonstration scripts, highly attractive cooperation plans, physical products, and detailed specifications.
Hard work pays off.

Until the day before, she finally received a message from He Min agreeing to meet and talk.

(End of this chapter)