I Came to Shenzhen in 1998 with a Loan of 800 Yuan—My Journey as an Entrepreneur

 

98年借800块钱来到深圳——我的创业路

--------Alice（宏铭达物流总经理）

I Came to Shenzhen in 1998 with a Loan of 800 Yuan—My Journey as an Entrepreneur

--------Alice (General Manager of  Sunny Worldwide Logistics)

98年来深圳的时候，我身上只有800块，那是把大学毕业证押给别人借的。

第一份工作在华强北，做监控器贸易。后来去观澜的台资厂做电视设备，老板脾气大，我学会了在高压下把事做好。

再后来，我跟先生进了一家陶瓷工厂，开始接触给国外品牌代工。老外下单，工厂生产，全程跟进——这才是我想要的工作状态。

进入国际物流行业是个偶然。做物流的同学说：“你懂外贸，做物流有优势。”我从操作做起，没多久老板说：“你去做业务。”我说不会，他说：“你有潜质。”

第一个月没开单，压力大到偷偷哭。哭完继续打电话。第一个客户很小，但我跟了整整一个月，每一步都盯得死死的。客户后来说：“杨姐，你是最负责的。”

有了经验后，我开始想：能不能换种方式做物流？我懂外贸，懂工厂，懂客户。我们把物流当产品，在平台上做推广，客户自己找上门。这套方法用了20多年，到现在还在用。

20多年，从一个人到上百人团队。我一直记得父母的话：吃亏是福。客户资金紧张，我们理解；疫情时垫款帮客户发货，后来他们都成了铁粉。做生意不只是赚钱，更是交朋友。

2023年起，我们每天直播，到现在500多场。累，但值得。

不是每一份付出都会有回报，但不付出，一定没有回报。

When I came to Shenzhen in 1998, I had only 800 yuan to my name—money I’d borrowed by pawning my college diploma.

My first job was in Huaqiangbei, trading in monitors. Later, I went to work at a Taiwanese-owned factory in Guanlan making TV equipment. The boss had a short temper, so I learned how to get things done under high pressure.

After that, my husband and I joined a ceramics factory, where I began working on contract manufacturing for international brands. Foreign clients placed orders, the factory produced the goods, and I managed the entire process—that was exactly the kind of work I wanted.

My entry into the international logistics industry was a coincidence. A classmate in logistics told me, “You understand foreign trade; that gives you an advantage in logistics.” I started at the operational level, and before long, my boss said, “Go handle sales.” I told him I didn’t know how, but he replied, “You have potential.”

I didn’t close a single deal in the first month. The pressure was so intense that I cried in secret. After crying, I kept making calls. My first client was very small, but I followed up with them for a full month, keeping a close eye on every single step. Later, the client told me, “Sister Yang, you’re the most responsible person I’ve ever worked with.”

Once I gained some experience, I started thinking: Could I approach logistics differently? I understood international trade, factories, and clients. We treated logistics as a product, promoted it on platforms, and let clients come to us. I’ve been using this approach for over 20 years, and I still use it today.

Over the past 20-plus years, we’ve grown from a one-person operation to a team of over a hundred. I’ve always remembered my parents’ words: “Taking a loss is a blessing.” When clients were short on funds, we understood; during the pandemic, we advanced funds to help them ship their goods, and later they all became loyal customers. Doing business isn’t just about making money—it’s about building relationships.

Since 2023, we’ve been live-streaming every day, and we’ve done over 500 sessions so far. It’s tiring, but it’s worth it.

Not every effort yields a return, but if you don’t put in the effort, there will definitely be no return.