Chapter 40 SynTao 39 Be a Risk Manager

The essence of business: Wenzhou businessmen have always been burdened with the reputation of a speculator.For quite a long time, the word "speculation" has had some kind of pejorative connotation.Now it is different. Economists have put on an appropriate elegant name for "speculation", which is called "risk management".Once the name was changed, Wenzhou businessmen changed from "speculators" to "risk managers". In fact, not only Wenzhou businessmen, but every successful businessman in the world is a "risk manager". They will not give up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make money because they are afraid of risks. Step up to success.

In 1921, the Soviet Union experienced civil war and famine, and urgently needed relief supplies, especially food.Hamer could have sat in a clean hospital with a stethoscope in his hand, and lived his life without worrying about food and clothing.But he loathes this life.In his eyes, it seems that those places that are not known by people are the battlefields that are worth taking risks and doing a great job.He made a choice that most people thought was crazy, and set foot on the terrible Soviet Union that was described by the West as hell.At that time, the economy of the Soviet Union collapsed due to civil war, foreign military intervention and blockade. People's lives were very difficult. Infectious diseases such as cholera, typhus and typhoid fever and famine seriously threatened people's lives.The Soviet regime led by Lenin adopted a major decision - the New Economic Policy, to encourage the attraction of foreign investment and rebuild the Soviet economy.But many Westerners are full of prejudice and hatred towards the Soviet Union, and regard the Soviet regime as a terrible monster.Going to the Soviet Union to do business and invest in enterprises is called "exploring to the moon".

Hamer became the first American to run a concession enterprise in the Soviet Union.Since then, Lenin has given him greater privileges, letting him be the agent of the Soviet Union's trade with the United States, and Hamer has become the representative of more than 30 companies in the Soviet Union, including Ford Motor Company, American Rubber Company, Ellis-Charles Machinery and Equipment Company, etc. general representative.As the business grew bigger and bigger, his income also increased.He has a staggering amount of rubles in the Bank of Moscow. Hammer is often asked about the "magic" of getting rich.They insisted that Hammer's fortune is not only due to diligence, shrewdness, tact, and prudence, but also the "secret weapon".

At a party, someone came up to Hammer to ask for "the secret of making a fortune." , as soon as you get there, you go around the various trade departments of the government, buying and selling, and there are probably no less than two or three hundred of these departments!" Hearing this, the person who asked for advice muttered angrily, turned and left. The first adventure made Hamer taste a huge sweetness.Therefore, "As long as it is worth it, take risks at all costs" has become the soul of Hamer's business. In 1956, Hamer was 58 years old. He felt that he had done enough in business, so he moved to Los Angeles and planned to spend the rest of his life with activities such as swimming, sunbathing, and donating collections.

Unexpectedly, the God of Wealth dragged him back again and put him into the most lucrative career of his life-the adventurous oil industry. Oil drilling is, after all, a risky business. In 1961, Occidental Petroleum Corporation almost used up its $10 million exploration fund, but still failed to achieve anything. Hamer plans to concentrate his efforts to overcome difficulties.This plan attracted a young geologist named Bob.He suggested to Hamer: "East of San Francisco, there is an area abandoned by Texaco Oil Company. There may be natural gas fields in this area, and Western Petroleum Company should lease it." a rich natural gas field.

Profits began to flow into Occidental's accounts like oil, and the adventure once again made fortune favor the adventurer. To take a risk is to take an opportunity and hope for a better life, whether it's changing your lifestyle, your personality, or your relationships.If you want to be successful, you have to take risks. Otherwise, no one wants to wander the world, and no one will start a new business. Wenzhou businessmen seem to have inherent adventurous qualities.If he never takes a chance, he will spend his life just drifting with the tide, waiting for the wind and waves to break him at any time.

In the eyes of Wen Shang, taking a risk is not making a big decision, but clenching the bullet, no matter how difficult it is, you must have the determination to win.The taste of success also comes from this. Taking risks has certain risks, but if you want to walk the road of being rich, you must take taking risks as an important part of your life.Seizing opportunities is not an easy task, nor is it something that everyone can do if they want to.Because of this, taking risks is so important, and taking risks has the value of taking risks. Seizing opportunities is like all adventures, you must first give up the uncertain win or loss in advance, and explore the next step that you are not sure about.

Lloyd, a large art dealer in New York, is very adventurous. In March 1938, the German army crossed the Austrian border. Before Hitler arrived in Vienna, Lloyd traveled to London with $10 and founded the "Marlborough High Art Showroom" in 1948.It mainly sells its collection of art treasures for many prominent families in the UK, and later operated modernist paintings.In just 6 years, it has become the largest export agent of modern art works.Among his buyers was Pope Paul VI. Lloyd had little interest in fine art and only cared about making a lot of money selling and selling his works.Therefore, he adopts a purely commercial and professional approach. Most of his works are sold on consignment, and the art museum only collects commissions after the business is over.But in addition to the venue, the museum also provides a full range of services such as advertising, promotion, mailing, insurance and transportation.Therefore, artists are satisfied with Lloyd's services. Not only can their works be sold at the highest price here, but regardless of the sales situation, the museum will give them a stable living allowance, and even painters from all over the world are willing to work with them. come and go.

At present, the art museum has become a superpower in the world art circle. It has branches in Zurich, Rome, Tokyo, London, Toronto, and Montreal. The annual sales total is 25 million US dollars, accounting for 5% of the world art market. ~10%. In 1963, Rothko, a famous Russian painter of abstract impressionism, sold 15 works to the Marlborough Art Museum at a price of 147,600 US dollars, and all the paintings were settled within 4 years.By 1969, Rothko's works rose to 21,000 US dollars per painting. At this time, Lloyd signed another agreement with Rothko, agreeing to sell 87 works at a price of 1.05 million US dollars, and then raised the total price to 1.446 million US dollars, agreed to sell 108 works.At the same time, it was agreed that in the next 14 years, regardless of the operating conditions of Lloyd or the museum, the Rothschild Bank would pay Rothko $100,000 per year, for which the museum mortgaged a considerable amount to the bank. property.In return, the museum obtained Rothko's sole agent qualification for the next eight years.

This kind of "bet" regardless of the artistic trend and the change of the artist's creative status is undoubtedly extremely risky. The actual situation is that Rothko committed suicide less than one year after the agreement was implemented, and Lloyd was sued by Rothko's children. sent to court. But as long as other things are put aside, Lloyd’s unscrupulous behavior of bringing risks to the art market is enough to see the unique vision and courage of Jewish art dealers. There are many opportunities in the world, but almost every opportunity has certain risks. Opportunities and risks coexist. If you want to seize opportunities, you must take risks.

Hanzheng Street in Wuhan developed into a wholesale trade center by taking advantage of the opportunity of reform and opening up.Here, there are many poor people who work hard to get rich with flexible minds and opportunities. Wang Renchang University degree. During the "Cultural Revolution", he was labeled as a rightist and sentenced to 10 years in prison. In 1981, he was released and returned home.Back on Hanzheng Street, the first question before me was how to survive.At that time, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee had just been held. Wang Renchang, who was smart and sensitive, immediately seized the opportunity and started his business career in Hanzheng Street with 260 yuan borrowed by his sister from others. At this time, the three towns of Wuhan were becoming more and more prosperous, and Hanzheng Street was full of traffic and people.Wang Renchang's department store was too busy for one person, so his younger brother Wang Renzhong came to help. After the Spring Festival in 1981, when others were still in the dark, the Wang brothers began to quietly sell the old-fashioned umbrellas of Wuhan Umbrella Factory on credit.Each umbrella is purchased at 3.7 yuan, and the net profit of sending it to other wholesalers is 0.2 yuan. The last credit payment will be settled when the next purchase is made, and the turnover can be 2 to 3 times a month.After working hard for three months, the ability and reputation of the Wang brothers are well-known in Hanzheng Street.Before long, nearly ten vendors have come to their senses and started selling umbrellas in the same way, both wholesale and retail.The competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Vendors grab information and compete with each other for speed and intrigue. They are as busy as the crowded and lively Hanzheng Street. The biggest secret to the success of the Wang brothers in business is to skillfully use the time factor in the face of opportunities to make a fortune, use the funds flexibly, and play "karate" that others do not even know how to do. With the elder brother's knowledge and wisdom and the younger brother's practical experience, the two brothers soon discovered that a new type of folding umbrella produced in Guangzhou would sell better.You must seize the opportunity before others!But the money in hand is far from enough, and others don't do credit sales.At this time, due to their good reputation, the two brothers' contract with the umbrella factory has been changed to a monthly settlement, which happens to be a one-month cycle. The money earned from credit goods is used to buy goods in Guangzhou, and the money is settled with the Wuhan Umbrella Factory after they are sold out. .In order to turn credit goods into cash as soon as possible at the beginning of the month, the two brothers gritted their teeth and decided to wholesale each umbrella at a price that was ten cents less than the purchase price. "Wang Renchang's umbrella is 3.6 yuan!" For a while, the umbrellas of the two brothers were snapped up by vendors on the inner and outer floors, while other people's umbrellas were piled up like a mountain, but no one cared about them. Two days later, the two brothers took the risk of ruining their fortunes, climbed on the train going south, and lay down on the dirty hard seats for more than ten hours.The goods sent back from Guangzhou are very popular. The purchase price of 8 yuan sells for 9.5 yuan, and 500 umbrellas are sold every day, and the turnover can be 4 to 6 times a month. This means that the Wang brothers sell Guangzhou goods more than Wuhan goods every month. Earn more than 10 times more.The Wang brothers don't invest a penny, but rely on the intangible asset of reputation to make a lot of money with other people's money. The Wang brothers understand the dialectic relationship between taking risks and seizing opportunities.What about taking a little risk if you can seize the opportunity and make a fortune? There is no perfect thing in the world, and there is no chance without risk in the world. If you want to succeed, you will not succeed without taking risks.