TRYMIX E-Cigarette | Starting a Second Venture in the Midst of Winter
In this bleak winter of negative public opinion, at the age of just turning 31, I passionately began my second entrepreneurial journey after leaving P&G. What did I gain from my first full-time startup journey? At the beginning of 2017, driven by my belie
TRYMIX E-Cigarette | Starting a Second Venture in the Midst of Winter
In this "winter" where public opinion is pessimistic, I, having just turned 31, passionately embarked on my second entrepreneurial journey since leaving Procter & Gamble (P&G).
What did I gain from my first full-time entrepreneurial journey?
In early 2017, due to my recognition of the business, I left my job at a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company after six years and moved away from home to join the shared car business as a co-founder. Looking back at those 600+ days and nights of competing with over 400 brands nationwide, I realized two key insights that form the foundation for my new start:
/ Insight I /
The essence of entrepreneurship must always be measured by cash flow in terms of user service levels and return on investment.
/ Insight II /
A winning team is one that continuously undergoes self-awareness revolutions and aligns actions with knowledge.
What are the plans for my second entrepreneurial journey?
Life is mostly about choices.
/ Starting Point of the Second Journey /
It began with a gift from the United States.
During the National Day holiday in 2018, a friend who used to work at Tencent and is now my co-founder brought back a set of JUUL products as a gift. This was my first close observation and experience of the rapidly growing retail category of e-cigarettes.
As a retail professional, I sensed that this could be a huge business and possibly a historic opportunity to create a great category. After quickly understanding the market, I decided to return to cash flow business.
/ Thoughts on the Category /
The essence lies in the invisible vapor, not the physical smoke.
E-cigarettes, formally known as electronic vaporizers, essentially vaporize liquid through heating to produce a mist effect. Of course, different liquid components give rise to different subcategories, including nicotine-containing cigarette alternatives or partial alternatives, vaporized beverages with food-grade flavors, and energy bars with medicinal or health components.
Smoking e-cigarettes satisfies your lungs, but more importantly, it relaxes your mind.
Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, because they do not contain tar and do not burn, indeed reduce the harmful physical substances found in traditional cigarettes, but they still carry the risk of nicotine addiction, albeit to varying degrees.
Therefore, if the goal is to quit smoking, e-cigarettes can assist, but the key lies in personal willpower. Here are two examples from life regarding personal willpower:
Example 1: Waking up on a winter morning, the alarm rings, reminding you that it's time to get up, but the difference in willpower among people is whether you hit the snooze button and continue sleeping or get up immediately to start your day.
Example 2: I know many older relatives who have been heavy smokers for decades and have vowed to quit smoking for various external reasons, trying chewing gum, mints, nicotine gum, and other aids, only to experience multiple "quit smoking failures" and continue to smoke; while another relative, who has smoked for over 40 years, decided to quit completely at the age of 50 and has not smoked a single cigarette in over ten years.
But why do we often find something harmful to health so hard to resist?
Because of our mental needs.
Understanding the essence of the category, I wanted to create an e-cigarette that redefines this category, focusing on responding to people's mental needs. As for which "effect" to choose, that is up to you.
Thus, the spiritual core of TRY MIX E-Cigarette was born, and I embarked on my second entrepreneurial journey with the intention of:
Making vaporized cigarettes a young way to relax.
I only hope that when you experience the product, you can temporarily detach from reality in the dancing mist and feel a moment of mental relaxation.
/ About Product Selection /
Private label production or redevelop and produce?
The convenience of being located in Shenzhen gives us access to the most comprehensive product options in the world: within a 13 square kilometer industrial park, we hold over 500 private label options.
Facing a wide range of products, I feel like I have returned to my early days at P&G—witnessing the rise and fall of various brands in a sea of over 6000 SKUs in a large supermarket. Ultimately, those that can exist for a long time and be recognized by consumers are invariably based on reliable product quality.
Since I decided to create a reliable brand, I resolutely chose the "Hard" mode to define the product: redevelop and produce.
/ Having the Heart of a Champion /
One must strive to gather the pieces of the championship puzzle as much as possible.
Under the dual guidance of "converging values + complementary abilities," I am fortunate to have found the championship puzzle pieces in the early stages of team building:
A technical partner who has "served" in a championship team (an e-cigarette listed company) and has 10 years of experience in e-cigarette technology and product development;
A product partner with a formal background who has spent the past 8 years honing and possesses experience in large consumer electronics projects;
An operations partner from Tencent's operational school, focused on user-oriented and C-end product operations.
Tackling core technologies—stability of vaporization, more user-friendly interaction designs, feedback and optimization from over 200 seed users regarding initial flavors, mold opening and adjustment...
From product to packaging to building a user service system, although it has been less than 100 days, with nearly 14 hours of team effort each day, 10 years of professional technical accumulation, and strong support from supply chains exporting to Japan and Europe, we collectively delivered the first performance of the "Winter League":
The launch of TRY MIX E-Cigarette Series I (first generation) product!
Our championship journey has officially begun.
On January 22, 2019, TRY MIX E-Cigarette officially collaborated with the P&G alumni association to launch a limited free testing event for seed users and "discerning" fast-moving consumer goods professionals!
For me personally, this is a fresh start;
For our team, this is the first step of the journey.
Product refinement is endless, and we look forward to receiving more candid feedback from our testers to define and optimize this first-generation product together.
Although it is winter, our hearts are ablaze:
A young way to relax starts with this puff!
In this "winter" where public opinion is pessimistic, I, having just turned 31, passionately embarked on my second entrepreneurial journey since leaving Procter & Gamble (P&G).
What did I gain from my first full-time entrepreneurial journey?
In early 2017, due to my recognition of the business, I left my job at a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company after six years and moved away from home to join the shared car business as a co-founder. Looking back at those 600+ days and nights of competing with over 400 brands nationwide, I realized two key insights that form the foundation for my new start:
/ Insight I /The essence of entrepreneurship must always be measured by cash flow in terms of user service levels and return on investment.
/ Insight II /
A winning team is one that continuously undergoes self-awareness revolutions and aligns actions with knowledge.
What are the plans for my second entrepreneurial journey?
Life is mostly about choices.
/ Starting Point of the Second Journey /
It began with a gift from the United States.
During the National Day holiday in 2018, a friend who used to work at Tencent and is now my co-founder brought back a set of JUUL products as a gift. This was my first close observation and experience of the rapidly growing retail category of e-cigarettes.
As a retail professional, I sensed that this could be a huge business and possibly a historic opportunity to create a great category. After quickly understanding the market, I decided to return to cash flow business.
/ Thoughts on the Category /The essence lies in the invisible vapor, not the physical smoke.
E-cigarettes, formally known as electronic vaporizers, essentially vaporize liquid through heating to produce a mist effect. Of course, different liquid components give rise to different subcategories, including nicotine-containing cigarette alternatives or partial alternatives, vaporized beverages with food-grade flavors, and energy bars with medicinal or health components.
Smoking e-cigarettes satisfies your lungs, but more importantly, it relaxes your mind.
Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, because they do not contain tar and do not burn, indeed reduce the harmful physical substances found in traditional cigarettes, but they still carry the risk of nicotine addiction, albeit to varying degrees.
Therefore, if the goal is to quit smoking, e-cigarettes can assist, but the key lies in personal willpower. Here are two examples from life regarding personal willpower:
Example 1: Waking up on a winter morning, the alarm rings, reminding you that it's time to get up, but the difference in willpower among people is whether you hit the snooze button and continue sleeping or get up immediately to start your day.
Example 2: I know many older relatives who have been heavy smokers for decades and have vowed to quit smoking for various external reasons, trying chewing gum, mints, nicotine gum, and other aids, only to experience multiple "quit smoking failures" and continue to smoke; while another relative, who has smoked for over 40 years, decided to quit completely at the age of 50 and has not smoked a single cigarette in over ten years.
But why do we often find something harmful to health so hard to resist?
Because of our mental needs.
Understanding the essence of the category, I wanted to create an e-cigarette that redefines this category, focusing on responding to people's mental needs. As for which "effect" to choose, that is up to you.
Thus, the spiritual core of TRY MIX E-Cigarette was born, and I embarked on my second entrepreneurial journey with the intention of:
Making vaporized cigarettes a young way to relax.
I only hope that when you experience the product, you can temporarily detach from reality in the dancing mist and feel a moment of mental relaxation.
/ About Product Selection /
Private label production or redevelop and produce?
The convenience of being located in Shenzhen gives us access to the most comprehensive product options in the world: within a 13 square kilometer industrial park, we hold over 500 private label options.
Facing a wide range of products, I feel like I have returned to my early days at P&G—witnessing the rise and fall of various brands in a sea of over 6000 SKUs in a large supermarket. Ultimately, those that can exist for a long time and be recognized by consumers are invariably based on reliable product quality.
Since I decided to create a reliable brand, I resolutely chose the "Hard" mode to define the product: redevelop and produce.
/ Having the Heart of a Champion /
One must strive to gather the pieces of the championship puzzle as much as possible.
Under the dual guidance of "converging values + complementary abilities," I am fortunate to have found the championship puzzle pieces in the early stages of team building:
A technical partner who has "served" in a championship team (an e-cigarette listed company) and has 10 years of experience in e-cigarette technology and product development;
A product partner with a formal background who has spent the past 8 years honing and possesses experience in large consumer electronics projects;
An operations partner from Tencent's operational school, focused on user-oriented and C-end product operations.
Tackling core technologies—stability of vaporization, more user-friendly interaction designs, feedback and optimization from over 200 seed users regarding initial flavors, mold opening and adjustment...
From product to packaging to building a user service system, although it has been less than 100 days, with nearly 14 hours of team effort each day, 10 years of professional technical accumulation, and strong support from supply chains exporting to Japan and Europe, we collectively delivered the first performance of the "Winter League":
The launch of TRY MIX E-Cigarette Series I (first generation) product!
Our championship journey has officially begun.
On January 22, 2019, TRY MIX E-Cigarette officially collaborated with the P&G alumni association to launch a limited free testing event for seed users and "discerning" fast-moving consumer goods professionals!
For me personally, this is a fresh start;
For our team, this is the first step of the journey.
Product refinement is endless, and we look forward to receiving more candid feedback from our testers to define and optimize this first-generation product together.
Although it is winter, our hearts are ablaze:
A young way to relax starts with this puff!
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