Source: Cover News
Time: 2019
Anime entrepreneurship is also crazy: a person perseveres in entrepreneurship for 15 years, wanting to give up but still persevering
https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1647015753941770049&wfr=spider&for=pc
As a Chengdu animator, Tan Xiaozheng, born in 1983, has been immersed in the field of animation for 15 years. Little known is that for the past 15 years, he has almost always been running his own business.
As a person who has been searching hard on the road of entrepreneurship, what kind of persistence and dreams have enabled him to walk on this path for so long, and what setbacks have he experienced during this period?
I have a professional background and have been working in the animation industry for 15 years
Tan Xiaozheng’s office is located on the 42nd floor of a building in the center of Chengdu. Unlike other offices, Tan Xiaozheng’s office is only about 3 square meters – a single room office, which means his company has only him.
This small single room office is full of childlike innocence, with walls covered in various anime posters, cabinets filled with anime books, and anime themed merchandise. When it comes to why he entered the field of animation, Tan Xiaozheng has many emotions.
In 2000, the Internet began to develop, and personal online animation was rapidly popular. At the same time, many universities across the country have started offering animation majors, with a focus on cultivating technical talents. It was at this time that Tan Xiaozheng entered the field of animation.
That year, Tan Xiaozheng was admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts and became the first student majoring in film and animation at the academy. At that time, the online animation industry was still in its infancy in China, and many domestic animation companies were doing “contract processing” for foreign companies. After graduating in 2004, Tan Xiaozheng resolutely embarked on the path of independent entrepreneurship and founded “Dongke” in the same year.
As an anime community, Tan Xiaozheng hopes to establish a platform to connect anime enthusiasts. During this period, he found that there was no professional media in China reporting on animation companies. So he set up a column to interview anime industry insiders from all over the country, and spent a year alone struggling.
Return to hometown Chengdu and collaborate with well-known catering brands
To outsiders, Tan Xiaozheng’s entrepreneurial experience can be described as very rich. Organized a national exhibition of outstanding works in animation at art institutes, responsible for promoting the animated film “The Adventures of a Mysterious World” in Chengdu and Chongqing, and planning and designing the “First International Animation Expo”
After staying in Beijing for 6 years, he returned to his hometown Chengdu and founded a brand public relations service company – Chengdu Dongke Brand Management Co., Ltd. The entrepreneurial journey was not as smooth as he had imagined. The long project cycle of animation companies, difficulties in receiving orders from service companies, and financing issues all gave him headaches.
Due to excessive pressure, Tan Xiaozheng suffered from severe insomnia and even had difficulty falling asleep for half a year in 2016. As a result, he had to stop his work and rest at home. Through self-learning, Tan Xiaozheng has explored the relationship between brand marketing and anime promotion. In February 2019, Tan Xiaozheng designed a new VI system, IP image, and IP basic library design project for Sichuan Baijia Food’s new brand.
In order to combine with the “foodie” attribute of food enterprises, Tan Xiaozheng designed the panda IP image. After repeated modifications, the panda image was deconstructed, highlighting Sichuan elements, and a cute creature that fits the youth era was designed. This image was registered as a trademark. This has also become one of the few profitable projects in recent years, “Tan Xiaozheng said with a smile.
Entrepreneurial insights:
Always wanting to give up, always persevering
When it comes to entrepreneurship in recent years, Tan Xiaozheng said that he has almost walked through all the pitfalls of entrepreneurship: starting a business after graduation, starting a business alone, and choosing an industry that is not a hot topic
Is a person’s entrepreneurship lonely? Tan Xiaozheng said that during this period, he also thought about forming a team, but initially the company was not large in scale and had limited funding sources. Later on, we gradually recruited employees, but due to high turnover, we were unable to form a satisfactory team and have now become accustomed to working alone.
He has his own understanding of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship doesn’t necessarily have to be about making money. It’s better to let oneself grow first. Although this is said, he is constantly struggling in his heart. He feels like he wants to give up at any time and is also persevering. “Two ideas are fighting, and he persisted for 15 years. Maybe entrepreneurship is risky, just want to take a gamble.