The poor, and truly the genuinely poor.
One, no education, which is a form of intellectual poverty. When the boss meets with foreigners to discuss business and throws out an English sentence, he might ask you if you know English. If you do, it probably won't connect the war between the US and Afghanistan with your pay raise of a few hundred RMB. The boss might say that due to the instability caused by the war, business may be difficult, hence the small raise. In reality, the war has nothing to do with the company, yet it's used as an excuse. A complex global issue like this is hard for someone without education to understand, especially when they are just solving their basic needs. Some economists claim that the textile issues between China and the US in 2005 were related to your low wage, but even the economists can't fully explain it, so why should you? Just watch TV.
Two, really having no money, financially poor. Your parents are farmers, not Gates, so there's no family fortune. With a salary of a thousand or a few hundred RMB, it's hard to save any money.
Three, no connections, socially poor. Having no money and no education equals having no influential background. Reality is harsh; sometimes even connections need to be of the right kind. Relatives who are high-ranking government officials help those with education find jobs, not low-wage ones where their help isn't needed since such jobs are easily available. Even if you have wealthy siblings, they invest in properties and businesses, and their finances are also tight. If you ask them for money, they'll say they still owe the bank hundreds of thousands for their mortgage and car loans. They're telling the truth, and you should understand. These days, even the rich owe banks money. Rich bosses borrow money from banks under the company's name, and the amount they borrow could crush you into a pancake. I remember a story my teacher told me when I was young: "A poor nephew asked his wealthy aunt, who owns chickens, ducks, geese, cows, sheep, and horses, to borrow some grain. She replied that her livestock consumes several liters of rice a day, and she barely has enough to feed them. If she lent him grain, her animals would starve." Nowadays, these aunts don't raise livestock; instead, they buy real estate hoping it will double in value in a few years. Lending money to uneducated poor people who might get rich is risky because, in the end, they might call you foolish. Their reasoning makes sense; the chance of poor people getting rich is indeed very low. You should be happy that they didn't lend you money when their property doubled in value.
After calculating all these things, being poor seems to mean having nothing, surrounded by difficulties. However, if we change our perspective and seek opportunities, entrepreneurship isn't that scary.
One, I am poor, and 'I am poor' is the greatest wealth of the poor. Whether you start a business or not, you're still poor. So why not start your own business? Entrepreneurship is the fastest way for the poor to increase wealth. There's no distinction between being rich or poor in starting a business. Don't worry about educational qualifications, promotions, or raises. You're the boss, and performance is the best proof. Working for others with good performance doesn't necessarily reflect your ability. In a certain daily chemical industry, the boss once said, "With such a large advertising budget, even a pig could make sales." Later, it turned out only a fool would say such things, but it didn't matter anymore. China is a developing country, meaning there are many development opportunities. It also means that 70%-80% of jobs don't require highly skilled talents; junior high school education is sufficient. Industries don't differentiate between rich and poor. While the rich may invest one million yuan to start a business, the poor can choose an industry that requires only ten thousand yuan.
Two, choosing an industry. Since you don't have much money, select the industry you know best. If you're in pig farming and see that airplane manufacturing is profitable, it doesn't mean you should switch to making airplanes. You can't afford even a single screw, let alone selling it. Your money will fly away like a plane. Look for innovation opportunities within industries you understand. Innovation doesn't have to be done by scientists. As a developing country, many projects are still at a low level. Even today, with the internet, information on nuclear bombs might be accessible, and chicken egg hatching technology is easy to find. Analyze the collected information comprehensively, and you might discover an innovative point. Finding an innovation point is ideal because it leads to wealth quickly. If no innovation is possible, imitation is acceptable, provided it's legal.
Three, after selecting the industry, first understand your peers and then choose a few as learning models. Study their sales channels; they are your teachers. If they sell chickens to the moon, you should follow. You might think the moon can't sustain chickens, but as a student, you shouldn't question your teachers. Be humble and learn from them. You might consider selling chickens to Antarctica, thinking it's a new market. Remember, innovation is high-risk. Every step involves innovation, which the poor cannot afford. Your chickens might freeze to death in Antarctica. Competitors can become enemies, but once you graduate, their customers might become yours.
Four, finding a market. Learning from your teachers might only gain you a few customers, which is insufficient. But these customers ensure your chickens won't freeze or starve. Their wings will grow stronger, ready to fly. With China's vast territory and the global reach of the internet, your market potential is enormous. Once the market expands, competition intensifies. Many will tell you to innovate and differentiate your products to succeed. We thought so too, but we were wrong. Today, with the internet, product differentiation isn't necessary. By the time Parisian models walk the runway showing off beauty and sex appeal, knock-offs might already exist elsewhere. At the beginning of your venture, innovation targets a few clients, reducing the likelihood of copying to zero.