Meng Zihan's business was not going well, and Ye Linchen's entrepreneurial project had also reached a bottleneck.
After several internal group discussions, the general direction of the project has been determined, and the next step is to conduct market research.
But once you get to this point, the problem is like a wall blocking your way.
She couldn't find any relevant data or case studies to support her proposal.
In 1995, computers were still a rarity, placed in school laboratories for the use of a select few, let alone the internet.
Unlike in later generations, where a few words can generate a massive amount of information, we no longer have the means to access such information.
To get data, you have to rely on people to turn the pages of books and run errands.
The first place Ye Linchen thought of was the Jiangcheng University Library.
Finance is the school's flagship program, so you might be able to find some materials specifically designed for finance students here.
Without hesitation, Ye Linchen buried himself in books to search for information whenever he had free time.
For a whole week, she practically lived in the library, flipping through everything from thick economics textbooks to collections of foreign financial case studies translated into Chinese, but the result left her greatly disappointed.
The pages of those books were yellowed, and they smelled musty when you opened them.
The book contains mostly old data from the 1970s and 80s, which is out of touch with the current market.
The only slightly valuable item is a foreign merger and acquisition case mentioned in a translated Western textbook.
But that case took place in the United States in the 1980s, which is more than ten years ago. Not only is the time too long, but the setting is also too "Western," so it cannot be applied to her proposal at all.
Ye Linchen sat at the long wooden table in the library, staring at the line of small print, a sense of powerlessness welling up inside him.
Moreover, during this process of studying the books, she keenly noticed another problem:
In the 1990s, when entrepreneurship was just beginning, entrepreneurs generally believed in "being bold," "having connections," and "daring to do things," and almost no one realized the value of risk assessment and asset management.
If her proposal doesn't convince the reviewers, it could easily be dismissed as "just wishful thinking."
The data wasn't found, but new problems arose.
But Ye Linchen did not give up.
Since the school library isn't working, let's try somewhere else.
Find a place with more complete information.
So she went to the city library instead.
The city library is in better condition, with the latest magazines and research materials on the shelves.
Ye Linchen picked up a stack of Economic Information Daily and Southern Weekly, sat down and started flipping through them.
For those two weeks, she went to the city library almost every day.
I would leave home with my schoolbag as soon as it was light, and when I came back at night, my shoulders would be sore from the weight of the books.
Fortunately, all that hard work finally paid off.
In a magazine, she unexpectedly came across a paper on "Research and Analysis of Entrepreneurial Failure".
It not only contains current statistics but also incorporates several real-life cases, making it seem almost tailor-made for her.
Staring at those few pages, Ye Linchen's heart skipped a beat.
She had a new idea!
She could start with the cases of those who failed.
Once the data from this study is compiled, and you interview some people who have failed and succeeded in starting their own businesses, and incorporate their answers into the plan, her viewpoint will naturally emerge.
As soon as the idea popped into Ye Linchen's head, he suddenly felt enlightened and couldn't wait to start writing.
Fearing that someone else would borrow the magazine, she immediately lined up to complete the borrowing procedures, stuffed the magazine into her bag, and hurriedly returned to school.
She pushed open the dormitory door, couldn't help but raise her voice, and broadcast to her roommates and comrades in a clear and resonant voice.
"Friends, a major discovery! A major discovery!"
Her voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, and her eyes sparkled. But the dark circles under her eyes betrayed the exhaustion she had endured from staying up late these past few days.
Looking at her excited expression and then at the dark circles under her eyes, Li Hongying said with concern, "Have you been staying up late again these past few days? Look at your dark circles, they're almost as dark as a giant panda's."
Ye Linchen waved his hand dismissively and continued excitedly, "Compared to my groundbreaking discovery, what's staying up a few nights!"
Li Hongying rarely saw her so happy, and couldn't help but be infected by her emotions, so she hurriedly asked, "What did you find? Tell me quickly!"
Lin Xuemei, who was lying on the bed writing a letter, looked up and said with a smile, "Seeing how happy you are, have you found a new way to make money?"
Ye Linchen spread the copy of "Southern Window" open on the table, pressed his finger on a page, and gestured for the two to look at it:
"This is it! This paper provides a very in-depth analysis of the reasons for startup failures, and it also includes the latest data. We can definitely use it as the basis for our business plan!"
As she spoke, she pushed the book in front of Li Hongying and Lin Xuemei and poured out all her thoughts from the library and the ideas that had just popped into her head.
Li Hongying became more and more excited as she listened, almost leaning over the book to read it, her eyes shining.
"Yes, yes, yes, if we compile this data, it will be very persuasive when used in a project proposal!"
Lin Xuemei tossed the letter aside, sat up, and began to write and add notes as she went.
“We can attend more entrepreneurship lectures and interview the entrepreneurs individually afterward. This will save us time in contacting them. I remember our college has two related lectures next month.”
Ye Linchen nodded repeatedly.
“That’s right! I was just thinking that we can not only use their stories, but also proactively contact some small startups and help them with risk assessments and financial management for free, helping them overcome the difficulties in the early stages of their business. If we can secure a few real-world cases, our proposal will be much more solid!”
Upon hearing this suggestion, Li Hongying slammed her hand on the table.
"That's brilliant! We're not just talking theory; we're actually helping others! That's truly mutually beneficial!"
Lin Xuemei said confidently, "The judges will definitely look at us with new eyes when they see this kind of practical case."
The three of them chatted more and more enthusiastically, and the dormitory room suddenly turned into a war room.
No one noticed that there was a person standing at the dormitory door.
Zhao Yutong, carrying her schoolbag, leaned against the door, hesitantly staring at them.
After listening for a while, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior, what are you all talking about? Why is it so lively?"
"Ah!" The three of them were startled by the sound and realized that the dormitory door had been pushed open at some point.
Lin Xuemei patted her chest: "That scared me to death. I thought the dorm supervisor was suddenly checking the rooms."
Li Hongying smiled and nudged her: "You haven't done anything against the rules, what are you afraid of?"
Ye Linchen straightened up and greeted Zhao Yutong with a smile.
"We were talking about the school's entrepreneurship support program."
Ye Linchen then gave Zhao Yutong a brief introduction to the school's project and told her that the three of them were now in the same project team.
Zhao Yutong's gaze swept across the magazines spread out on the table and the notebook filled with drafts, lost in thought.
She paused for a moment, then asked, "Senior, can I participate in this program?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
