Ten Years of Chasing the Light, Journeying Together Across Mountains and Seas – Reflections on the Company's Tenth Anniversary

As the calendar flips to a familiar month, I'm suddenly struck by the realization that our company has already passed ten years. Reaching out to brush against the yellowed old photos on the office wall, the bittersweet memories hidden within those years instantly flood my mind like a tidal wave, so vividly clear as if they happened just yesterday.

The most unforgettable memories are of our initial, makeshift office space of less than ten square meters. The entire "team" consisted of just Dan and me. Dan, tending an old desk, managed daily affairs and business operations with impeccable efficiency, from contract organization to invoice pasting, never making a single mistake. Meanwhile, I carried a thin stack of business cards, braving the scorching sun or the freezing wind, traversing the city's streets and alleys to drum up business. Back then, we had no established strategy. Even with my sales background, I often felt lost facing the challenge of starting from scratch—unsure of where our target customers were, what persuasive techniques to use, and simply pushing forward with the mindset of "making one sale at a time." Looking back now, without the unwavering support of our early partners, without their encouragement of "Keep going, we believe in you," we probably wouldn't have survived those darkest days. It was this profound trust that gave us the strength to persevere.

We often say we are "lucky ones of our time." The company's rapid development has always been in sync with the nation's progress. The "Belt and Road" initiative has swept across Asia and Europe, and the wave of transformation in Zibo's economy has surged forward. It is this combined force that has lifted us from our first steps to steady progress. Around 2015, the Zibo tile industry pioneered the Central Asian market, with Uzbekistan becoming one of the first "pioneers." Those pioneers in the ceramics industry traveled thousands of miles to this unfamiliar country, struggling and anxiously negotiating cooperation. Their sweat and perseverance paved the way for us and secured valuable market opportunities for Zibo enterprises. Driven by the export of ceramic tile production capacity, Zibo's glaze, kiln, chemical, and infrastructure industries have also taken root in Uzbekistan, writing the story of "Made in China" on Central Asia. As a member of the service trade sector, we were fortunate to board this "giant ship of production capacity going global," providing professional logistics services to safeguard the export of manufacturing industries. Even more unexpectedly, while cultivating the Uzbek market, our solid service reputation led local customers to proactively recommend us to our Russian partners, laying a valuable foundation for our later expansion into the Sino-Russian market.

Fate never fails those who are prepared, and the most unforgettable "test" was undoubtedly the darkest moment at the beginning of the pandemic. At that time, the company had just passed its three-year initial startup phase, its foundation still unstable when it was suddenly hit by a storm. My university mentor called to offer his condolences. Holding the receiver, I couldn't help but sigh, "If I had another two or three years to build up my skills, I wouldn't be so panicked." After hanging up, looking at the familiar faces in the office, I was struggling to explain our predicament when several old colleagues gathered around, saying, "Boss, don't worry, we can forgo our salaries for now, we'll weather this together!" These words were like a ray of light, instantly dispelling the gloom in my heart. I immediately decided: if there's no business, we'll hone our skills! We started working from home, clocking in on time, holding daily training sessions, refining every step from document completion standards to customer communication skills; we also picked up our phones to film freight stories, reviewing past cases, turning every spare moment into an opportunity to recharge and recharge. It was precisely this indomitable spirit in the face of adversity that showed our resilience to our clients. After the normalization of epidemic prevention and control, our business not only rebounded quickly but also achieved growth against the trend—no one expected that this forced "self-cultivation" would make us one of the earliest companies in the service trade industry to deploy short video marketing.

Now, standing at the tenth anniversary mark, the old office photos have been updated time and again, and the two-person team of yesteryear has grown into a family of over a dozen. Those colleagues who stood by us through thick and thin are now key members capable of handling their own tasks; those clients we met during the pandemic are now trusted partners. While organizing documents recently, I came across my old handwritten business ledger, and the phrase on the title page, "Take it slow, things will get better," perfectly encapsulates our ten-year journey.

Throughout these ten years, we have always upheld the belief that "business and goodwill go hand in hand." This has not only been a decade of ambitious progress and business expansion, but also a decade of upholding our original aspirations and giving back to society.

From the very beginning, we have deeply embedded the spirit of public welfare into the DNA of our corporate development. While our business has continued to expand, we have never forgotten our social responsibility, actively participating in various public welfare undertakings, focusing on education, assisting the vulnerable, and practicing environmental protection. Every business expansion is accompanied by the sowing of love; every firm step is imprinted with the warmth of public welfare.

Ten years of entrepreneurship, and also ten years of public welfare. This is not only a summary of a journey, but also the best interpretation of our company's core values. In the future, we will continue to forge ahead on this path, using the power of business to achieve broader social value.

Ten years is not long, not enough to witness all the changes; yet it is not short either, enough for a group of people to unite as one and forge their own path.

The Belt and Road Initiative continues to unfold, and the potential of Sino-Russian trade continues to be unleashed. We will continue to move forward with our original aspirations—to uphold our responsibility of serving the overseas expansion of the manufacturing industry, and to continue moving forward with the trust of our team. After all, we deeply understand that the glory of these ten years is not the achievement of any one person, but a gift of the times, the support of our partners, and the result of the hard work and dedication of every "family member" who has fought alongside us. The future is promising; let's journey together across mountains and seas!