Leaving the military doesn't mean fading away: revisiting a veteran's chicken-farming startup journey
In recent days, veterans across the country have been seen off by their comrades-in-arms, bidding farewell to their barracks and setting out on the road home, where second employment awaits them. Among last year's veterans, the reporter interviewed one named Zhao Guotao, an ordinary soldier who had long carried out emergency response to sudden natural disasters. Now he can also handle the delicate work of raising chickens, and he does it impressively; from not knowing how to raise chickens at all to becoming a chicken-raising expert in his village and even throughout the entire town, Zhao Guotao has a story of his own.
"Every time my family accompanies me to the chicken coop to feed them, I feel immensely happy, because I know that no matter what, my family will support me and stay by my side," Zhao Guotao said.
Zhao Guotao, 27 years old this year, is from Zhaojiatang Village, Qinglong Town, Jianshui County, Yunnan Province. In 2007, Zhao Guotao enlisted in the military and became a soldier in the Third Squadron of the Xichang Detachment of the Liangshan Prefecture Forest Armed Police, and later became a squadron squad leader thanks to his outstanding military qualities. During his 8 years in the military, Zhao Guotao grew step by step from an ordinary soldier into an excellent squad leader in charge of troops. He successively took part in the 2008 "5.12" Wenchuan earthquake rescue and relief effort, the 2009 "8.6" Hanyuan massive mudslide, and more than 80 forest fire rescue operations, and was awarded a Third-Class Merit once, an Outstanding Soldier award 6 times, and an Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer award once.
Last year, Zhao Guotao honorably left the military without fading in spirit, and with reluctance toward the police camp and his "second hometown," he boarded the train home. Holding his retirement pay, he faced multiple choices: should he live quietly, or strive to start a business and become prosperous? Having served as a soldier, he naturally chose the hardest path -- starting a business on his own.
"With each heavy egg in my hands, it isn't just a harvest, but also an affirmation of me. There is no moment I am happier than this," Zhao Guotao said.
"Nine out of ten startups die." In order to find a suitable path to entrepreneurship, Zhao Guotao asked around and walked who knows how many miles, and finally made up his mind to raise chickens. "Because a friend of mine also raises chickens, I can ask him for advice, so at the beginning of the business I can avoid many detours," Zhao Guotao said.
Just like that, Zhao Guotao started from zero, learning techniques while raising chickens. Every morning before dawn he got up to go to the chicken coop to feed them and clean up, during lunch break he also stayed in the coop observing, and at night he busied himself in the coop until late. Although it was a bit hard and tiring, the road to entrepreneurship could be considered smooth sailing. Zhao Guotao said: "The old saying goes, 'Good fortune lies within bad, bad fortune lurks within good.' That saying is not wrong. I thought my road to entrepreneurship would be smooth and level, but unexpectedly, I still took a fall."
Besides high-quality feed, the environment of the chicken coop is also a very important factor.
In the early days of starting the business, he used his retirement pay to set up a chicken farm of no small size, and in less than a few months he earned his first pot of gold. Seeing that he had made money, he naturally thought of buying original chickens and expanding the scale.
In June 2016, the scale of the chicken coop had just been expanded, but the egg price in the egg market suddenly "became popular" all the way. Production increased, yet the eggs could not be sold, and the house was piled full of stored eggs. In the single month of June, he lost 20,000 yuan. "I had thought that expanding the scale would earn more money, but unexpectedly I ran into eggs that couldn't be sold. At that time I had no working capital at all left, and in the end I relied on my family to keep going," Zhao Guotao said. "By July, I thought the egg market would improve somewhat, but unexpectedly the egg price still 'stayed low and wouldn't rise,' and as a result I lost nearly another 20,000 yuan in July." Two blows in succession made this honest and simple veteran consider giving up.
Eight years of military experience will always change a person. Zhao Guotao said: "At that time I really wanted to give up, because all the money had been lost, but every time I chatted with my comrades-in-arms about charging bravely forward in military competitions, about rushing into the fray during earthquake rescue and in forest fire scenes, I felt again that I was not a cowardly soldier." The spirit of daring to endure hardship, daring to strive to be first, and never giving up, forged in the military, made him stand up again. He discovered that when egg prices fell, there were still chicken farms in the egg market that could sell their goods. Why was that? With this question, Zhao Guotao visited places all around and found that there were as many as more than 120 chicken farms in Jianshui county town. How to stand out among them was the key.
In order to produce eggs of high quality and high quantity, Zhao Guotao learned and asked for advice on one hand, while also constantly searching for information on the other. He found that to produce "good eggs," first the chicken feed must be chosen correctly, and second the sanitation of the chicken coop environment must be in place. In order to find suitable chicken feed, Zhao Guotao asked around extensively and ran through most of the local chicken farms, carefully recording the advantages and disadvantages of various chicken feeds. In order to ensure the sanitation of the chicken coop, Zhao Guotao cleaned every day and disinfected regularly, never once slacking off.
When we interviewed Zhao Guotao, he was in the middle of selling a batch of eggs. "I am truly grateful to the military. If not for the experience of being a soldier, perhaps I would have given up long ago," Zhao Guotao said. "Next I will continue to expand the breeding scale, but I will never again be eager for quick success and instant benefits. If things develop well in the future, I will also let the dividends of the chicken farm benefit more villagers."