Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

However, Lin Shu was not surprised by the speed at which these sponsors approached him.

It's normal for them to come.

It could even be said that every single sponsor who approaches us at this time is a high-quality partner.

Putting everything else aside, at least their marketing department is staffed with truly knowledgeable and proactive individuals.

First, we need to understand what exactly is so attractive about the esports market to these businesses at this stage.

It's the massive attention from young people that drives traffic, and the level of discussion that arises after a sufficiently large event achieves certain results.

And wouldn't you say it's a coincidence, Lin Shu happened to have all of these things.

Let's talk about traffic first;

The ID "Emperor" has been ranked number one on the Chinese server's ranked ladder for almost two months, has hundreds of thousands of followers on his live streams, and has been releasing tutorial videos one after another. He has already won the favor of ordinary players to the max.

Attention level?

He has no shortage of things.

Let's talk about the results again;

If you want to get a piece of the young and popular esports pie, you need to have a decent team, right?

Then the question arises again: would you sponsor an established team with an unclear future, or a new team that is currently just an empty shell but whose core players are truly top-notch?

Do I even need to think about the answer?

As for why these sponsors who proactively approach us are considered "high-quality partners"?

The reason is very simple.

The potential of the esports market is obvious.

Whether Lin Shu is a worthwhile person to invest in is obvious.

There are very few people who can see through this level, and even fewer who can see through it and then make a decision directly, with real money coming to their door.

Therefore, Lin Shu basically accepted all sponsorship offers that came his way, as long as the terms weren't outrageously unreasonable.

……

"Alright, the sponsorship is settled. Now we need to figure out how to successfully establish our team, or rather, our future championship club."

After declaring his goal of becoming a professional player and forming his own team in front of tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream, Lin Shu has been busy these past few days, going through the entire landing process.

First, the issue of LPL league slots.

The inaugural LPL season will only have eight slots, starting at the end of January next year. Currently, there are two ways to obtain these slots: one is through the TGA Grand Prix, and the other is through the upcoming LPL qualifying tournament.

The TGA Grand Prix was over in November, so we had to take the second route – the qualifying rounds.

To compete, you first need a team of at least five people.

Even if the mid laner plays himself, that means we'll still need to recruit four more people:

Top laner, jungler, and bot lane duo.

Top laner + bot lane duo!

So, how much money would it cost to build an esports team by the end of 12?

Fortunately, Lin Shu had experience in various e-sports projects in his previous life, so he had a good grasp of the situation and quickly came up with a budget.

Taking the domestic e-sports market salary in 2012 as an example, in terms of player compensation, under the premise of free room and board, ordinary professional players generally earn 1500-2000 yuan/month, core players of the team earn 2500-4000 yuan/month, and only star players like Mingkai and Weixiao can earn more than 5,000 yuan/month.

Of course, with WE's championship win and the establishment of the LPL next year, the number of teams will increase dramatically, expanding the demand for high-ranking players, and this treatment will definitely rise even higher.

Lin Shu used an average value here.

He himself, a star player and the number one player in the Chinese server, earns a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan. For the other four positions, players who can consistently reach LPL level will have a starting salary of 4,000 yuan.

Four times four, plus eight, equals twenty-four.

In other words, once the team was established, the players' salaries alone would amount to more than 20,000 yuan per month.

Although he didn't need to pay such high salaries before the team was just starting out and hadn't even made it into the LPL, the expenses of a team are not just about paying salaries.

Logistics, venues, and equipment—all of these cost money.

But there's nothing we can do; this is the current state of the esports industry.

Game streaming is still in its infancy, and most teams rely on their owners to invest money themselves, with almost no profit and very little sponsorship.

Take himself as an example. Although he had secured several sponsorships before the team was even formed, most of them were in the form of physical products. Only two sponsors actually paid real money, which amounted to just over ten thousand yuan in total.

"Let's ignore that for now."

Lin Shu put aside the matter of calculating expenses and continued to ponder the minimum configuration for forming a team in 2013.

"In terms of organizational structure, the manager can be omitted. Sister Lin can handle all the administrative, financial, contract, and external liaison matters by herself."

After silently reciting "Amitabha" in his heart, Lin Shu did not hesitate to assign a brand new task to his nuclear power employee.

Hmm... we can just give them a raise later.

Sister Lin herself said that as long as she is paid enough overtime, she doesn't mind working like a slave.

"And then there's the team leader..."

Lin Shu looked somewhat worried in front of the computer.

Because this spot really can't be pried off.

Leading the team in matches, arranging schedules, coordinating with the venue... these miscellaneous tasks can't be easily handled by dragging Sister Lin over when I need to play in the match myself, can they?

Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, he's not some skinning boss.

Before the competition starts, if all else fails, I'll find a part-time job at a nearby university to tide me over.

Fortunately, the coach doesn't cost any extra money.

Other teams don't have this, but he can do it all by himself.

"Finally, the support staff!"

After thinking about it, Lin Shu decided to hire a cook.

Before, when he ran his Taobao shop, it was just him and Sister Lin. They would just grab a bite at some cheap, hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

But now that we need to form a team, with six or seven mouths to feed, the cost of food alone is several hundred yuan a day. It would be better to just hire a housekeeper.

Moreover, back in 2013, one cook was equivalent to three people doing cooking, cleaning, and laundry, making it extremely cost-effective.

Besides, once a Taobao store grows, it needs a physical office.

In addition to the team's daily life and training needs, Lin Shu plans to rent a venue directly as the club's base.

They already have a base, yet people still eat outside, without even a proper canteen; that's a bit outrageous.

"Renting the venue...that's the biggest expense."

"There's also the cost of basic setup for the facility, computer equipment, internet fees, utilities..."

Lin Shu felt a pang of toothache.

It is necessary to know the amount of funds he currently has at his disposal.

After deducting the daily operating costs of the Taobao store and keeping a small amount for emergencies, there's only...

"Four hundred and forty thousand!"

Yes, in just over a month, Lin Shu made a remarkable transformation from 800 yuan to a six-figure bank account!

It looks like a lot, doesn't it?

Yes, it will be gone soon.