Ignoring Irrelevant Advice

The first people who buy from you are often weak-tie followers—not friends or family. So how your relatives or close friends perceive you is largely irrelevant: unless they’re immediate family, they won’t pay you—no matter how impressive or unimpressive you seem. As the saying goes, “There are no great people nearby.” Yet most of us remain disproportionately swayed by those nearest to us.

For example: at a reunion, an old friend casually says, “You remind me of X—you should totally do Y! It’s super profitable!” You nod along, get excited, then spend hours ruminating on that offhand suggestion. In my view, that’s pure internal friction. My recommendation? Just mute those suggestions—and quietly build instead.

Conversely, when others ask you for business advice, don’t rush to give it. If someone needs external advice to move forward, the idea is likely flawed from the start. Truthful advice is often unwelcome; sugarcoated advice violates your integrity. Either way, you risk alienating them and compromising yourself. Unless they’re paying you for consultation, skip the free advice altogether.

On Path Dependency

Why do young people succeed more easily with short videos? Primarily because they carry little to no path dependency.

Path dependency is one of the biggest barriers to adopting new tools, platforms, or ways of thinking. Its root cause? Our reluctance to leave comfort zones.

The antidote? Let go of fixed assumptions. Clear your mental cache—and learn anew.

How to Monetize Men

Men’s money is harder to earn—but not impossible. Three levers work consistently:

  1. Vertical specialization: Dominate a narrow niche. Men’s rational mindset trusts authority—not generalists. Be the person in that space.
  2. Proximity to profit: Focus on topics directly tied to income generation—e.g., business, sales, operations—not abstract theory.
  3. High average order value (AOV): Target premium offerings. That’s why private mastermind groups, corporate study tours, and high-end business training attract predominantly male buyers.

Emotional Bluntness & Shielding Power

Your WeChat Moments overflow with trending posts, viral videos, and neighborhood gossip. But if you can consciously tune out all of it—if you stop reacting to every hot take or rumor—you’ll reclaim at least one hour per day.

That’s emotional bluntness: the quiet resilience to absorb less and act with more clarity.
That’s shielding power: the discipline to filter out everything unrelated to your current priority—including noise, negativity, and unsolicited input—so you can fully inhabit the present task.

Observations on WeChat Channels, Live Streaming, and Commerce

  • ROI rule: Prioritize absolute profit over ROI ratios. A 50% ROI on ¥10,000 yields only ¥5,000—but a 10% ROI on ¥1 million yields ¥100,000. Scale matters.
  • What makes a promising IP? Strong profit drive, openness to feedback (and real absorption of it), consistent content output—and above all: diligence and stamina. Lacking any? Build it—starting with motivation and production capacity.
  • WeChat Channels’ private traffic lever: Live stream pre-registrations are key.
  • Benchmark for registration ROI: ¥15 per registered user is solid. Example: 1,000 registrations → need ¥15,000 revenue. At ¥500 AOV, that’s 30 orders → 3% conversion rate. Hit that reliably, then scale with paid ads. Ads are force multipliers.
  • Human-hosted live rooms: Use tech—not headcount—to boost efficiency. Adding more hosts rarely scales; optimizing workflows does.
  • Subject-matter live rooms (e.g., academic tutoring): High complaint risk + regulatory uncertainty. Don’t over-expand.
  • Don’t ignore Kuaishou: It’s a radically different ecosystem—worth exploring firsthand.
  • Audience breakdown across platforms:
    • WeChat Channels: Majority 40+
    • Douyin: Dominated by Gen Z and millennials
    • Kuaishou: Strongest among 30+ users in lower-tier cities and rural areas
  • IP’s private traffic monetization: Leverage dedicated “private domain teachers” for 1:1 sales. One skilled salesperson can generate ~¥200,000 GMV/month—selling both the IP’s courses and internal faculty offerings.
  • Today’s universal principle—whether for VCs or startups: Cash is king. Profit is king.
  • Great IPs are rare: They’re found, not manufactured.
  • At the company level: Obsess over commercial efficiency.
  • Focus relentlessly: On one thing. On profitable things. Go deep. Go all the way. Avoid anything that doesn’t convert.
  • Reframe tools: They exist solely to serve traffic acquisition—and live streaming. Nothing more.
  • Three leverage strategies for live-stream–driven IP businesses:
    1. Capital (paid ads)
    2. Business model upgrades (e.g., tiered subscriptions, hybrid online-offline delivery)
    3. Team strength—especially in operations and sales