A transnational entrepreneurial journey started by a mechanical watch

At twelve o'clock in the morning, my phone suddenly vibrated in silence. The screen lit up, and it was a new message from Alibaba. The sender was an Italian boy named Luca. His words were full of the enthusiasm of a teenager: "Hello! I saw your factory's mechanical watches on the website, especially the one with hollow gear design, which fascinated me! My friend and I want to start a watch business. This is our first attempt. I hope to get your help!"​
 

After a brief exchange, I learned that Luca had just turned eighteen and had raised 10,000 euros in start-up capital with a few friends to open an online watch store. For them who have never been involved in the watch industry, how to select products, purchase goods, and sell them are all urgent problems to be solved.

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I carefully studied Luca's budget and needs, and selected a suitable mechanical watch from the many styles of the factory. This watch uses a stainless steel case, is equipped with a stable domestic movement, has accurate travel time, and the Roman numerals on the dial are retro and fashionable. It has great potential in the European market. I introduced the advantages of this watch to Luca in detail, and also sent the detailed parameters and real photos of the product.


 

But Luca was still a little hesitant. After all, this was all the savings of him and his friends, and there was no room for error. In order to dispel his concerns, I took the initiative to suggest that we start with samples so that he could experience the quality of the product himself. ​
 

On the third day after the samples were sent out, I received an excited message from Luca: "Great! The real thing is even better than the picture, and friends think this is the product we want!" In this way, Luca placed the first order for 100 watches.
 

During Luca's entrepreneurial process, I kept in close communication. When he encountered the problem of insufficient store traffic, I suggested that he cooperate with local Internet celebrities for promotion; when he was worried about inventory management, I shared the factory's inventory management experience. Slowly, Luca's store began to pick up, and the first batch of watches was quickly sold out. ​

Today, Luca's business is getting bigger and bigger, and I am very pleased every time I see him share the joy of entrepreneurship on social media. A small mechanical watch not only opened Luca's entrepreneurial journey, but also made me deeply realize that in business cooperation, sincere help and guidance are far more valuable than simple transactions.