John Wu was born in 1976 into a small rural family. Life in the 1970s and 1980s was tough, but he remained resilient. During his primary school years, he studied in the countryside and from a young age shared household chores and farm work. After transferring to a township school for middle school, his academic performance consistently ranked among the top three in the school, with his walls adorned with awards, making him a well-known role model in the township.

In 1992, he reached a turning point in his life. At that time, many chose to attend vocational schools to secure a “iron rice bowl” job, but John Wu resolutely opted for high school and enrolled in Jingxian No. 1 High School in the county. Despite his average academic performance, he maintained balanced grades across subjects, with English being particularly outstanding.

In 1995, the gears of fate began to turn. With his scores, gaining admission to a university was virtually certain—at that time, national university admissions totaled only 400,000 annually. That same year, the government introduced a policy allowing Olympiad competition winners to be exempted from university entrance exams, and John Wu secured third place in the English competition. He candidly stated: “My growth benefited from national policies and the era’s dividends.” But in my view, every person who quietly perseveres will eventually see the light. Among the exemption options, Hebei Finance and Economics College (dubbed “Hebei’s little Tsinghua”) offered International Trade and International Finance programs; he ultimately chose International Trade. Additionally, achieving A+ grades in the academic proficiency exams could exempt him to Hebei Normal University’s Physics department, but he abandoned this path due to his self-perceived weakness in physics and career constraints (limited to teaching roles). Another option was taking the university entrance exam, but after careful consideration, he ultimately chose Hebei Finance and Economics College (Hebei University of Economics and Business), becoming the only student at the school to hold dual exemption qualifications.

During university, he studied diligently without pause. In his freshman year, he planned to pursue a double bachelor’s degree, applying for the Law program (studying on weekends), but later discontinued due to unforeseen circumstances. In his sophomore year, he switched to studying Japanese, abandoning it after a year due to his focus on graduate school preparation. In the latter half of his sophomore year, he began preparing for graduate exams, studying during spare time, but scored 327 points when applying to University of International Business and Economics, falling short of admission. He reflected: “The target was too high; if I had chosen a local university, I would have been assured success.”

In September 1999, after failing the graduate exam, he entered the workforce. The employment environment was harsh at the time, with state-owned enterprises dominating and private firms scarce, requiring connections for job hunting. He ultimately joined a provincial foreign trade company, handling towel and bath towel business, managing miscellaneous tasks and English correspondence; later, he was transferred to a factory in Anxin County, Baoding, as an on-site order follow-up specialist. After a year and a half, when the department head left, the new head led him into the carpet business, still primarily handling miscellaneous tasks. During this period, the Vice President of Import and Export Trade assigned him to clean the office, but later, when the company secured a major client, he was involved in core business operations, marking another turning point in his life.

In 2002, the company dissolved, leaving him unemployed, and he endured the toughest two years of his life, surviving on 400 yuan in unemployment benefits and part-time work. Early that year, he married, a mix of joy and sorrow. Worse still, his right eye suddenly blurred, and after visits to multiple hospitals, it remained unhealed. Yet he did not give up; that year, he also applied for an in-service graduate program at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics.

In 2003, when the SARS outbreak occurred, travel restrictions were imposed, he paused treatment and advised everyone: “Health is paramount; the body is the foundation.” That same year, by chance, he became an English teacher, earning 16 yuan per class, teaching for two years.

In 2004, his daughter was born, prompting him to start his own business, selling carpets abroad via express delivery. In 2000, he self-taught how to register an international Alibaba account, searched for clients, sent emails, and registered multiple B2B platforms. Additionally, he sought out foreign carpet stores, commissioned Hengxin Company to burn DVDs (containing carpet images), and sent them abroad via surface mail. In 2003, he shifted to website promotion, becoming among China’s first internet pioneers; in 2005, he tried Google ads, initially outsourcing to third parties with poor results, later managing it himself, focusing on customized products, emphasizing “perception determines success or failure.”

In 2006, due to demand from a Saudi client, he registered Shijiazhuang Runte Trade Co., Ltd., directly collaborating with Shanghai AGD Company (a Saudi procurement agent). At that time, TV shopping was booming, with household appliances being the primary source of goods. Around the same time, a classmate invited him to manage a company; after careful consideration, he joined, leading the team to rapid growth, juggling roles in carpets, TV shopping, and the pesticide industry.

In 2009, he ventured into the soft tube industry, setting up a 120-square-meter three-room office in Suzhou Shengdian, employing five staff. Due to unfamiliarity with the industry, performance was dismal, securing only three orders, with annual sales totaling $21,000, and facing an intellectual property crisis, incurring significant losses (compensating 600,000 yuan). That same year, he continued pesticide business at his classmate’s company.

In 2010, Hebei Runte Rubber and Plastic Products Co., Ltd. was established, and after leaving his classmate’s company, he fully committed to the soft tube business, achieving $230,000 in sales but still operating at a loss.

In 2011, he made his first overseas trip, visiting clients in Russia, laying the groundwork for the prosperous Russian business from 2012 to 2014.

In 2012, he partnered to build a rubber hose factory in Jingxian, exclusively supplying the Russian market, with Russia accounting for over 20% of sales from 2012 to 2013. In 2016, due to environmental policies and market changes, the factory closed.

In 2013, he single-handedly开拓ed the South American market, starting in Peru, then over five years visiting Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Brazil, establishing South America as the primary market.

In 2014, the company relocated to the 14th floor of Yihong Mansion, expanding office space to 270 square meters and increasing staff to 15. That same year, the Crimean crisis and oil price crash led to Russian ruble depreciation and inflation, causing significant losses for the company.

In 2015, the company established three procurement follow-up positions, one human resources and administrative role, and formed an operations department, with the initial structure of the middle and back offices emerging. Staff numbers surged, but performance declined.

In 2016, the business participated in virtual equity分红sharing, sharing development gains.

In 2018, he proposed the “3+N” strategy: 3 as the core business foundation, N as niche industries and breakthrough new products, clarifying the company’s direction.

In 2019, sales exceeded 100 million yuan.

In 2020, when COVID-19 erupted, business plummeted, with a temporary rebound from May to July; annual performance grew by 49%, but abandoned goods caused significant losses.

In 2022, the company moved to the 9th floor of Yihong Mansion, expanding office space to 1,500 square meters, initiating rapid expansion.

In 2023, the strategy upgraded: adhering to the “3+N” product strategy, shifting from “business-driven” to “organization-driven + platform-driven,” implementing a platform strategy (employee entrepreneurialization, department companyization, company platformization), launching an autonomous operation sharing platform and digital system construction.

In 2025, the company focused on core markets, with teams divided by region, globally establishing 10 operating entities, gradually transitioning to autonomous operation, setting up an information department to accelerate informatization, forming a senior management team, and exceeding 400 million yuan in sales.

In 2026, the company refined its governance structure, establishing a “Operating Committee” as the senior decision-making body, upgrading the autonomous operation sharing platform mechanism, accelerating the formation of 16 operating entities, with a basic target of 76 million USD.