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From soldier to entrepreneur, he has enabled domestic products to surpass imports and fill the global gap!
- Jan 5
- 8 min read
There are still opportunities in any industry , even in the decoration industry that relies on real estate.
Today, we'll get to know a veteran entrepreneur whose company is rooted in the field of environmentally friendly new materials , specializing in wall problems for over 20 years, such as dampness, cracks, mold, leaks, peeling, formaldehyde, and odors.
This is an industry with established dominant players, a highly competitive market, and one that is operating counter-cyclically. His company didn't seize the initiative early, but instead successfully carved out its own differentiated path by entering the market later.
This company is called Biaolang Housing Industry (brand name: Cason). It is very low-key, and you may rarely see its name. But this company, with the "true colors of a soldier", has worked hard and secretly made great efforts to represent China's strength and achieve the goal of catching up with imports, filling the global gap. In the face of fierce competition, it has successively won orders from large central and state-owned enterprises such as China National Nuclear Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation.
After gaining a deeper understanding of this company, we believe that its story can offer valuable insights for many businesses facing counter-cyclical challenges, intense competition, and sluggish growth. Therefore, we recently interviewed Zeng Guangbin, Chairman and Principal of Biaolang Housing Industry, an outstanding alumnus , to hear his insights on how a company can "take control of its own destiny" and how it can rise to the top amidst fierce competition and adversaries.
Zeng Guangbin, Chairman of Biaolang Housing Industry
Condensed EMBA, Issue 457
Principal's EMBA, Issue 92
Additional Information: In 2018, Action Education issued an announcement entitled "On Supporting the Learning of Disabled Entrepreneurs and Veteran Entrepreneurs," which stated that disabled entrepreneurs and veteran entrepreneurs could study "Condensed EMBA" for free.
1. From soldier to entrepreneur
He dragged Nobel laureates into a fierce battle.
If we were to pinpoint the secrets to Biaolang Housing's success, we must begin with the transformation from "soldier to entrepreneur," which has shaped Biaolang Housing's two core values: a commitment to benefiting the people and a relentless spirit of perseverance.
Before starting his business, Principal Zeng Guangbin had a 28-year military career.
He joined the army in 1990 and served as the commander of squads, platoons, companies, battalions, and regiments during his service. He also served as a division chief at the regimental level in the army group headquarters, holding the rank of colonel. He was awarded the Third-Class Merit Citation four times, was rated as an outstanding commander by the former Guangzhou Military Region, was rated as an advanced individual in training by the former Guangzhou Military Region four times, and was rated as an outstanding Communist Party member by the army-level unit.
During his time in the military, he also pursued a master's degree and was passionate about innovation and research, achieving numerous invention patents.
Such a person, who constantly strives for self-improvement, would find it difficult to choose comfort upon leaving the military. Therefore, faced with the choice of working within the system, he chose to start his own business and take over Biaolang Housing Industry.
At the time, Biao Lang Home Furnishings was already teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, but what he valued was the significance of Biao Lang Home Furnishings' business.
"Biaolang Home Furnishings mainly deals in paints that improve wall problems, which reminds me of the underground command posts in the military. Because they are underground for many years, the paint peels off the walls, making the working environment very poor and also bad for the soldiers' health. Is there anything else I can do to contribute to the military? "
But later, he discovered that this problem wasn't limited to the military, but was affecting countless households. As long as the renovation period went on, problems such as dampness, peeling paint, and cracks appeared one after another. Later still, he discovered an even more serious social problem: 80% of the families of children with leukemia in China had renovated their homes within the past six months, and formaldehyde was destroying families one by one.
"Is there a wall coating that can be waterproof, crack-resistant, remove formaldehyde, eliminate odors, extend lifespan, shorten construction time, and reduce costs? There isn't one yet. This industry is in a very painful situation, and it will definitely be a very difficult road, but we are determined to try." Principal Zeng Guangbin embarked on his entrepreneurial journey with this determination.
Principal Zeng Guangbin said that he is a very resilient person. He believes that no company, whether at home or abroad, can do something that requires extremely high technical barriers and great research and development challenges. However, he does not back down and is determined to see things through to the end. In the second year after taking over the company, he brought together two Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry and embarked on this "path of relentless struggle".
In 2018 and 2019, Biaolang Housing Industry signed cooperation agreements with world-renowned scientists, including Nobel laureates in Chemistry, Professor Mario Molina and Professor Jean-Pierre Sauvage, respectively, to build a multinational research team and establish Hunan Province's first Nobel Prize laboratory. Simultaneously, the company established industry-university-research collaborations with Central South University and Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen Campus), with Dr. Xu Hai, a professor at Central South University, joining as a shareholder and responsible for technology transfer.
Kason is the brand name of Biaolang Housing Industry products.
The addition of world-class expertise has greatly boosted the development momentum of the struggling Biaolang Housing Industry. A long road of technological breakthroughs is about to begin.
2. Let domestic products surpass imports
Seize the key point and overtake on the curve
Two key points must be highlighted here. How can a company that is already struggling to survive and lacks advantages in scale and brand turn its development around?
Biaolang Housing Industry has grasped two key aspects: research and development innovation, and world-class talent. Research and development innovation targets the industry's technological high ground, focusing on creating differentiated value and carving out a blue ocean in a red ocean—a path that is undoubtedly the most difficult. How can breakthroughs be accelerated? The key is talent; leveraging talent to drive development. This can be a breakthrough strategy for many companies facing difficulties.
By focusing on these two key aspects, Biaolang Housing Industry finally achieved a major technological breakthrough, not only enabling domestic products to surpass imports but also filling a global technological gap.
In the field of waterproofing materials, Biaolang Housing Industry applies molecular machine technology to concrete, enabling it to intelligently repair itself and even achieve the astonishing effect of unlimited automatic repair. What does this mean? Wall cracks and water exposure can continuously grow and self-repair, fundamentally solving the problem of cracking and leakage.
This is a technology that international industry leaders have not yet achieved, and it is also a technology that no company in the world can currently realize. This veteran and a company in Hunan, China, achieved this technological breakthrough through talent integration that prioritizes excellence and a tenacious spirit of research and development.
Even more valuable is that their materials can shorten construction time by more than 90%, extend service life by 5-10 times, and reduce overall costs by 50%. Their interior wall coatings are also the only products globally capable of simultaneously purifying formaldehyde, toluene, pet odors, smoke, and musty smells, with technical parameters surpassing many international brands.
"We are not simply replacing domestic products; we are filling a global gap," Principal Zeng Guangbin said proudly. The Shenzhen Municipal Government also provided a grant of 100 million yuan to support the establishment of its intelligent new materials laboratory.
Perseverance pays off; the leading-edge product has been developed. The next step is to sell it and, to whom?
3. The latecomer surpasses the former.
Breakthrough with major clients and organizational restructuring
In 2022, a learning consultant from Action Education visited Principal Zeng Guangbin multiple times, informing him of Action Education's public welfare education assistance program for veterans and urging him to come and learn, as it could help Biao Lang Housing Industry solve its development problems.
Principal Zeng Guangbin saw his own reflection in this learning consultant, who never gave up in order to achieve his goals. What intrigued him even more was why this learning consultant, who had no sales targets or commissions, would travel so far to persuade him to study.
Therefore, in August 2022, Principal Zeng Guangbin stepped into the classroom of Action Education for the first time to study the 457th "Condensed EMBA".
Principal Zeng Guangbin at the 457th "Condensed EMBA" course
" This course has amazed me . You have systematized business management. I used to work in management in the military, held many positions, pursued a master's degree, worked in engineering and technology, and was also a university teacher. But looking back, I am still far from achieving my goals. I feel that I should rely on you to carry some of my dreams. " Principal Zeng Guangbin shared his feelings about taking the course for the first time in an interview.
After the training, Principal Zeng Guangbin implemented three major changes within the company:
1. Shift from B2C to B2B, targeting the big players.
“Previously we focused on the To C market, but now we’re shifting to the To B track,” he explained. Waterproofing materials are products subject to mandatory national standards, and to demonstrate our technological prowess and become number one in the world, we must partner with major projects.
After adjusting its strategy, Biaolang Housing Industry targeted major clients, focusing its efforts and launching a fierce offensive. Subsequently, this previously unknown company surprisingly won major projects from China National Nuclear Corporation and China Railway Construction Corporation, and its products can be applied to national-level large-scale infrastructure projects such as subways, nuclear power plants, and hydropower stations.
Zeng Guangbin cited an example: due to the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the water level in the Beijing subway rose, and traditional waterproofing materials could no longer meet the requirements, but Biaolang Housing Industry's products perfectly solved this problem. "China Railway Construction investigated us for four months and ultimately chose to cooperate, valuing our strong technical capabilities."
2. Rebuild organizational capabilities and start afresh.
With business expansion, Principal Zeng Guangbin quickly recognized the urgency of upgrading organizational capabilities. "Our company is as stable as a state-owned enterprise, with the longest-serving employee having worked there for 25 years." This stability used to be an advantage, but in the current market environment, Biaolang Housing Industry needs organizational vitality even more.
Therefore, he led the core management team to systematically study "Condensed EMBA," upgrading technical managers into business-oriented managers, and focusing on reshaping the organizational structure and processes, introducing the performance mechanism from the course to revitalize the organization. "My motto is 'Repack and start afresh.'"
Shortly before the interview, Principal Zeng Guangbin remotely deployed an organizational restructuring plan. "Professor Li Jian's saying, ' Where the customers are, that's where R&D should be ,' has enlightened us. Now the company needs to establish a more agile R&D response mechanism."
3. Strategic upgrade: formulating two "Five-Year Plans"
Having regrouped and set off again, Biaolang Housing Industry has also formulated two "five-year plans" for the company's future:
" In the first five years, we will become number one in the world in both waterproofing and interior wall coatings . I have already acquired globally leading technology and a global perspective. I can embrace the world and promote this technology to the whole world."
In the second five-year plan, we will build an industry platform to share some of our technologies , enabling the industry to achieve comprehensive upgrades and thus help countless households get rid of wall problems and the risk of leukemia more quickly.
From defending the country to technological innovation, the battlefield may change, but the original aspiration to protect the safety of the people remains the same.
In this era of "involution," Principal Zeng's story with Biaolang Housing Industry shows us how a company struggling to survive can break through adversity and how a company on the verge of collapse can turn the tide, make a late-mover advantage, and overtake others.
From focusing limited resources on R&D—the "key to seizing the commanding heights" of the industry —to introducing key talents for breakthrough R&D , to achieving instant fame and leading the industry with the "whale strategy," and then to long-term strategic guidance and maintaining strategic focus , we can examine ourselves in light of these developments:
Where is the commanding height of our industry?
What is the key to seizing the commanding heights?
How to quickly break through in the market?
What strategic goals should we anchor ourselves to for steady progress?
Some say that every industry in China deserves to be re-experimented. Perhaps, when we return to first principles and think about things, every industry is full of opportunities and has great potential.