Zhang Fan opened up by telling us about his unique work and life experiences, from becoming a college drop-out at age 19 to setting up LiuLiu. Having studied design, he decided to start his own graffiti studio after leaving college — a move that rattled his family and ultimately set him out on the doorstep. He went on to work in advertising, but the venturous side of him knew that in his heart, he wanted to do his own thing. Crossing over from advertising to the mobile industry, he started out with recruiting his team and from there on built his company, learning as he went along. Facing challenges such as copycats, he learned how to overcome all kinds of obstacles and pushed LiuLiu to where it is today.

“Who you partner up with is very important. A good partnership is with someone you can frankly argue with, and still continue to accomplish what you have to do. It’s when you don’t store or repress any emotions and when there’s enough trust to pass off responsibility. Starting your own business and working in someone else’s company is completely different, in that you have to be extremely self-motivated.”

By unfolding his own experiences, Zhang Fan was able to inspire all of those who are about to embark on and those who are already on their own entrepreneurial journeys.