CCTV celebrity Wang Lifen's business start-up: I would rather drop dead on an unknown road

by usjaro1bh on 2010-04-20 15:54:19

Wang Lifen On August 3, 2008, Wang Lifen (first from the left), Shi Yuzhu (second from the left), Jack Ma (second from the right), and Feng Lun were present at the Second APEC Business Advisory Council Asia-Pacific SME Summit. Entrepreneurs like Jack Ma, Liu Chuanzhi, and Niu Gensheng were once distinguished guests on "Win in China," and they became part of the business network that Wang Lifen built during her time at CCTV.

As the founder of the famous entrepreneurial competition show "Win in China," Wang Lifen could have continued to climb the career ladder if she had stayed at CCTV. However, at middle age, she was not content with a predictable life.

Reported by Zhang Shougang and Xie Shuxu (intern) for NanDu Weekly:

Wang Lifen resigned from CCTV in September 2009. She founded Youmi.com and became its editor-in-chief, starting her entrepreneurial journey. In 2005 and 2008, she successively launched the shows "Win in China" and "Us," serving as both the producer and host. The same year, she was selected as a "Global Young Leader" by the World Economic Forum in Davos. She had previously served as the chief producer of programs such as "Economic Information Broadcast," "Global Information Chart," "First Time," and "Economic Half Hour," as well as a reporter for "Oriental Horizon," "Focus Interview," and "News Investigation."

On August 3, 2008, Wang Lifen (first from the left), Shi Yuzhu (second from the left), Jack Ma (second from the right), and Feng Lun attended the Second APEC Business Advisory Council Asia-Pacific SME Summit. Entrepreneurs like Jack Ma, Liu Chuanzhi, and Niu Gensheng were once distinguished guests on "Win in China," and they became part of the business network that Wang Lifen built during her time at CCTV.

In unfamiliar territory, Wang Lifen quickly made some mistakes.

The first mistake was somewhat related to Jack Ma. In April 2009, while training at Harvard Kennedy School, Wang Lifen had a great idea—to create a C2C website. Simply put, Jack Ma's C2C website Taobao sells tangible goods, whereas she wanted to build a platform to "mine" people's wisdom and experience. Users would open the website, pay, and then engage in video conversations with the person they desired.

Wang Lifen thought this was an excellent idea. Her team of over 80 employees was inspired and motivated by her vision. By late November of that year, the website was finally launched. But she soon realized that users rejected it.

"This idea is great, but no one is willing to pay for it. I assumed consumers would love this, but it wasn't true at all." Two weeks after the launch, she shut down this idealized yet flawed website.

The second mistake was pointed out by Liu Chuanzhi. After logging into Youmi.com, Liu told her that her website had too much content. He suggested focusing on fewer topics with higher quality, breaking through key areas first, achieving excellence in one battle, summarizing patterns, and then replicating them. Wang Lifen recognized this issue and began streamlining her efforts.

"Entrepreneurship requires rationality." In a recent speech, Wang Lifen expressed this insight.

However, her decision to leave CCTV and pursue entrepreneurship stemmed from a restless heart and a strong passion for innovation and trying new things. At middle age, a sense of urgency did not allow her to hesitate or waver any longer. In 2009, after deep discussions with CCTV's new director Jiao Li in July and September, she eventually became a free agent.

Prior to this, she had already been a highly successful professional media figure. During her tenure at CCTV, she experienced three "five-year" phases: five years as an investigative journalist, five years responsible for shows like "Dialogue" and information programming, and another five years as the chief producer and host of "Win in China" and "Us." She disliked the kind of life where the future was predictable. Now, embracing uncertainty, she embarked on another five-year journey.

Recently, she has been asked countless times: What if your entrepreneurial venture fails? Essentially, the biggest failure would be if her Youmi.com does not become profitable, leaving her with significant losses. Her response: "I can't even imagine what 'total failure' would look like."

She has prepared herself. In Beijing, no matter how cold the morning, if you keep running for 20 minutes, you will feel warm. Wang Lifen says this is her deepest experience in overcoming difficulties.

Each step must be self-determined

When former president of HP China Sun Zhenyao was a guest on Youmi.com, he recounted a small story. His father once told him that if you take someone's salary without doing your job properly, it's no different from being a thief. This influenced Sun Zhenyao's professional life. Wang Lifen liked this saying very much.

Clearly, Wang Lifen has entered her role and started to view issues from the perspective of a company leader.

Becoming a Ph.D. at Peking University was once Wang Lifen's goal in high school. However, neither her bachelor's nor master's degrees were completed at Peking University. After graduating with a master's degree, she became a teacher at Wuhan University. Two years later, the restless Wang Lifen became a doctoral student under Professor Xie Mian of Peking University. She told herself, "Some dreams never die."

If she hadn't left CCTV, she might have continued to advance in her career. She had long thought about this clearly—her strength lies in making programs, not navigating complex interpersonal relationships. Her principle is: if it's not the truth, she'd rather not say it, but if she speaks, it must be something she wants to say.

She doesn't talk about problems at CCTV. But when faced with the operational processes of foreign TV stations, she once cried. "We are far behind others, but there are still many Chinese television professionals who pursue quality, which makes me feel bittersweet."

Entrepreneurship cannot happen without money, but she said that counting money is something she dislikes the most. "Perhaps because I've never suffered financially, having worked at CCTV for fifteen years, my husband also has a good job, we're a family of three. I don't lead a luxurious life, and I don't envy rich people. What gives me the greatest satisfaction is being able to pursue something according to my own wishes."

NanDu Weekly: The theme song of "Win in China," "On the Road," whose lyrics you wrote, includes the line 'had no choice but to set out.' Was your current entrepreneurial endeavor a case of 'had no choice'?

Wang Lifen: The lyrics mostly reflect the broad group of entrepreneurs. My entrepreneurship is definitely not for survival, nor merely to prove myself. It's truly about hoping to build a platform that young people welcome and finding the best service method.

NanDu Weekly: From your blog, it seems that your inner passion for entrepreneurship has become irresistible.

Wang Lifen: Yes, I must take control of my own destiny because I believe I am already middle-aged. I might be someone who feels a stronger sense of urgency. I could have continued working comfortably at CCTV, but is that the life I want? What is good or bad must be determined based on inner needs. The best things in the world aren't necessarily things you need to possess. If something isn't what I want, I should let it go.

NanDu Weekly: Is it because you can see what your life will be like in a few years?

Wang Lifen: Your guess is spot on. I particularly dislike living a predictable life. I'd rather perish on an unknown path than live comfortably on a known one.

NanDu Weekly: What kind of people are suitable for entrepreneurship?

Wang Lifen: That's hard to generalize. If there is one common point, it's that those who always make themselves the masters of their fate are suited for entrepreneurship; those who are willing to follow others' commands or are accustomed to working within a certain framework are better off as employees.

NanDu Weekly: How do you see yourself?

Wang Lifen: I belong to the former. Every step I've taken has been self-determined, even if others have tried to control me, I've turned it around.

Idealist Entrepreneurship

Wang Lifen said that when she decided to start her business, she didn't consult the opinions of the business tycoons. It was only after starting her business that she discussed internet business models with people like Kai-Fu Lee. In her view, other people's opinions can only serve as references. Before truly embarking on entrepreneurship, one should listen to the voice inside oneself, which is the most genuine sound. There are "no golden rules."

Youmi.com's main program "On the Road," broadcast every night at 8 PM, invites experts from various industries to discuss issues related to personal growth and development at different stages, forming a "three-pronged approach" with two other programs, "Innovative China" and "Entrepreneurial Clinic."

This content bears resemblance to the gold-standard program "Win in China" she previously hosted. Does Wang Lifen plan to create an online version of "Win in China"?

Her answer is: No. She believes that the mission of "Win in China" has been accomplished. Its essence was to inspire young people to realize their dreams and start businesses, with enough passion. Now, it's time to return to rationality. Who is suitable for entrepreneurship? How to start a business? These are the questions Youmi.com aims to address.

Li Shufu famously said, "What's so difficult about cars? Aren't they just four wheels and a box combined?" A couple of months ago, Wang Lifen asked him, "I heard you bought Volvo?" Li Shufu chuckled sheepishly and replied, "I'm in the process of buying it. It feels like buying a cabbage."

"The braver a person is, the more productive the land becomes." This is the insight Wang Lifen gained from Li Shufu. And looking at her Youmi.com, her ambition in terms of distribution channels cannot be underestimated.

NanDu Weekly: Choosing to start an internet business, some say you violated the principle of "not doing what you're unfamiliar with." Your background doesn't seem suitable for providing internet services primarily aimed at grassroots users.

Wang Lifen: At first glance, Youmi appears to be a network, but in fact, it has a bit of an "all-media" meaning. Each of our programs is produced to television standards and compressed into different terminals, with the network being just one of them. We're about to start live broadcasts on iPhones, and this year, 30 local TV stations will air our programs. We will also collaborate with CCTV mobile terminals to broadcast in airports and train stations. Wherever there are young people, our terminals will be there. What you see is a network, but in reality, we're producing television content.

NanDu Weekly: The positioning of Youmi as "a network television serving the state and intellectual groups" may seem too elitist and authoritative, not very populist.

Wang Lifen: It should be understood this way. First, service is a very positive attitude. How many people in the media industry talk about service? I think this is a very populist stance, transforming ourselves into a service industry.

NanDu Weekly: Everyone asks you what happens if you fail. I'd like to ask, what would it take for you to consider yourself successful?

Wang Lifen: If Youmi can provide practical help to people aged 15 to 45 during their transitions, such as job hunting or starting a business, that would be a success. Accomplishing this task means success, and it’s absolutely not about going public.

Going public has a low threshold. Nasdaq only requires around 8 million RMB in profit to list. But completing my primary mission is extremely challenging.

Her Secret Weapon

By April 13, the controversial auction of "Three Hours of Chat with Shi Yuzhu" had soared to 700,000 RMB.

Some commentators said that Wang Lifen's chances of entrepreneurial failure were "quite high." One reason was her haste in using core resources excessively. Including the auction of Shi Yuzhu's time, inviting Lin Zhenggang from Cisco to talk about career planning, these were seen as wasteful uses of valuable resources, classic examples of "using a butcher knife to kill a chicken."

In fact, this auction was proposed by Shi Yuzhu himself. "He wanted to help me, but I didn't even ask. I'd rather endure hardships myself than seek help. I care most about maintaining dignity and equality in our interactions," Wang Lifen said.

More celebrities have expressed willingness to auction their time to Wang Lifen, especially from the business community. However, the auction of celebrity time is not a regular feature on Youmi.com "because it's not our main focus." These business tycoons respect Wang Lifen greatly. An example is when "Win in China" first started, Wang Lifen interviewed Liu Chuanzhi. To ensure a good outcome, Liu willingly repeated recordings multiple times, ultimately spending two hours.

Wang Lifen naturally possesses this mysterious charm. Some people, upon meeting her for the first time, reveal many private matters that even their husbands or best friends haven't heard, all to Wang Lifen. Sometimes she asks why they trust her so much. They reply, "Looking at you makes me want to confide in you." Wang Lifen thought to herself, "Hey, looks like I'm pretty suited to be a pastor."

NanDu Weekly: People are very interested in your relationship with the celebrity guests on "Win in China." How would you describe your relationship with them?

Wang Lifen: I get along very well with them. They trust me and are willing to help me, but I try to minimize seeking their assistance as much as possible.

NanDu Weekly: Do you often meet up for tea?

Wang Lifen: It seems like we only contact each other for work... Occasionally, we meet for tea. But isn't chatting without purpose wasting their time? Their time is very precious.

NanDu Weekly: Why do they trust you, especially after you left CCTV?

Wang Lifen: That's a good question. My trustworthiness doesn't come from any institution but from who I am. I generally follow through on what I say, which is quite hard to achieve. They are wealthy, and I have never involved money in our interactions. I push away any benefits they offer. Our interactions are purely based on mutual admiration. Many people interact with entrepreneurs thinking they are rich and treat them accordingly, which they strongly dislike.

NanDu Weekly: Some say you're now leveraging the high-end celebrity resources you accumulated.

Wang Lifen: Celebrity resources are not my core competitiveness. My core competitiveness lies in my ability to understand the voices of a large group of young people undergoing changes, as well as the challenges they face, and converting these into cultural products they enjoy, placed on platforms they prefer.

These celebrities (celebrities) may not visit my site. Has Jack Ma come? No. Have the other guys come? No. I continue working regardless. I estimate that within half a year, I won't bother reaching out to Jack Ma. Why must I rely on him to work? Of course, if he comes voluntarily, there's nothing I can do, haha.