On the first snowy day in Beijing, we met the warm "Blanko" in a creative park less than 400 meters away from Joy City in Chaoyang. In a park lined with independent buildings, Blanko is located on the first floor of the Unbounded Space Joy City store. There is no flamboyant open

On the first snowy day in Beijing, we met the warm "Blanko" in a creative park less than 400 meters away from Joy City in Chaoyang. In a park lined with independent buildings, Blanko is located on the first floor of the Unbounded Space Joy City store. There is no flamboyant open door, and the simple facade makes it feel more comfortable. The large white area in the store echoes the Nordic-style wood color. In the tall split-level space, simple metal chandeliers hang naturally. On the white wall are beautiful magazines and books collected by the two shop owners from all over the world. The vibrant green plants and the coffee served by the barista make people have the urge to stop and enjoy the slow life.

Doudou, formerly known as Zou Quan (left); Xiaosong, formerly known as Yin Yu (right)

On the opening day, the place set a record of over 10,000 yuan in sales per hour. Many people came for the lively "New York Impression" themed party. But I really fell in love with this cafe and the two beautiful proprietresses who were born in the 1990s and returned from overseas. For a time, this place even became the Internet media's coverage of returnee entrepreneurship events, and was once rated as "the most beautiful cafe in Beijing" by many media. Since its establishment, Blanko has gained a large number of fans. In addition to operating physical coffee stores, Blanko has also added a series of household products, thus deriving a lifestyle brand that combines cafes with home display spaces. During Double 11 in 2016, we not only received orders from all over the country, but also customers from overseas.

html Post-90s, returnees, and female entrepreneurs are hot words in today’s Internet era, and they are also the three major groups that have attracted much attention under social trends. The two partners of Blanko have these three controversial labels of the times at the same time. When innovation meets inheritance, and the Internet meets reality, how do these two young returnee bosses spark entrepreneurial sparks step by step?

Every time you explore, your efforts will not be in vain

Kosatsu, a Leo, speaks eloquently and thinks clearly. She looks cute and petite, but she always seems to be able to exude powerful energy. She speaks about the current situation. He controlled the situation accurately and confidently, "I am the kind of person who used to have good academic performance, so my parents also managed me very loosely. Before going abroad, I felt that I was very similar to my mother, but after going abroad, I began to gradually form A set of own judgment methods and logic of doing things. Therefore, it is still recommended that girls go out and see more. It is more helpful to find and shape themselves in different environments. "

Komatsu is now very good at brand marketing, but he is a complete person. The master of science. He studied in the Department of Mathematics at the National University of Singapore for his undergraduate degree, and then went to New York University to study for a master's degree in economics. She has a background in science, but she has covered a wide range of subjects. She can talk about any topic for a while, from Marquez to Ji Kang, from Japanese tea art to all kinds of bartending. Perhaps it is because of her endless curiosity about unknown fields and her sensitivity to numbers and reports that she also worked as a fashion buyer for a period of time in New York, the most developed fashion industry in the world.

In mid-2015, after many years of overseas life, Komatsu chose to return to China. It was at this time that she began to get in touch with the domestic Internet entrepreneurship circle. It was also when Unbounded Space had just been founded, and Komatsu joined Unbounded Space as CMO. “It was a very unforgettable time. We were in a strong atmosphere of Internet entrepreneurship, and we were fortunate to be exposed to it. I met many other entrepreneurs. Not only the Wujie team, but every entrepreneurial team I came into contact with was full of energy.” During his tenure at Wujie, Komatsu led the team to organize and plan multiple brand operation activities, successfully shaping Wujie’s reputation in the industry. The brand tone has also greatly improved its brand competitiveness and influence in the industry, laying a good foundation for the rapid expansion and successful financing of Unbounded in the later period.

It was during this period that Komatsu began to feel more and more the joy of continuous creation and exploration. "I am very happy to enjoy the creative process from 0 to 1, watching the team develop step by step. The high-intensity rhythm and rapid expansion of the startup company have allowed us to grow at a high speed." The unbounded experience has provided a solid foundation for Komatsu's future management and A solid foundation has been laid for marketing skills.Just as Wujie's office scale continued to expand and its development prospects became increasingly promising, Komatsu quickly retreated from Wujie and chose to follow Gao Gao, a veteran in the brand marketing industry, to learn and polish its own brand strategy more solidly. At Neighbor Communications, founded by Gaoming, Komatsu was more systematically exposed to brand communications, and also had the opportunity to do branding and creative campaigns for start-up companies such as Eat Home, Branch Office, and Work Together. This is why she is so thoughtful when talking about branding, operations and public relations.

Every exploration is to go further. For Xiaosong, who was born in the 1990s and returned from overseas, as she continues to move forward, she also begins to get closer and closer to what she really wants to do.

Every effort is for a better start

Doudou, a Gemini, looks like a Cancer. Every smile and every move exudes the cheerful temperament of a northern girl. On the day of the interview, she wore light makeup, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was about to have a second time. The joy and warmth of being a mother. This highly educated returnee girl graduated from Columbia University in New York. After graduation, she returned to China and became a full-time mother. When asked whether it was a waste to become a full-time mother with a high degree of education, Doudou replied: "Studying at Columbia University and five years of overseas life have shaped my current character and personality to a certain extent. These upbringings have been engraved in my blood. , will always follow me. Whether I start Blanko or in my family life, they will not be wasted. "

Doudou, a long-legged girl, is a beautiful foodie who loves New York-style freedom. I also love British-style afternoon tea, and I am willing to spare no effort to explore delicious food from all over the world. She and Xiaosong met in New York. From then on, the two returned girls, who also loved life, started spending countless wonderful afternoon tea times in New York. After visiting most of the cafes and various interesting stores in New York with Xiaosong, , they began to dream of opening a small shop.

"The first time we had this idea was in 2014. Our initial wish was to have a place where friends could come and chat comfortably, or where they could just relax and enjoy some alone time." Asked about her favorite thing Regarding New York cafes, Doudou returned and said: "We both like a cafe called Lady Mendl's very much. It has a more retro British afternoon tea style. What's very special is that it introduces the concept of interior design and combines home and afternoon tea. The combination of tea is very similar to the coffee shop we originally wanted to build.”

After having the idea of ​​building a small shop, Xiaosong and Doudou began to explore and study around the world while they were studying. I have been to New York, Melbourne, Sydney in the United States, and more than ten times to Japan. Step by step, I followed the prearranged store list and visited different styles of gourmet shops, coffee shops and home furnishing stores in various countries. "In fact, I have many profound memories when I go to each country. For example, we all love Japan. Especially Komatsu has been to many places such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc., and has eaten at more than ten "tea shops" in Kyoto, including later The concept of bento in the light snack products launched by Blanko is also influenced by Japan. In the future, we will also publish a map of Komatsu and Doudou stores around the world, and there will be interesting recommendations in the countries and cities we have visited.”

Doudou, who loves travel and food, once went to Monsant Cafe in Jeju Island, South Korea. This cafe, which means "dream" in Korean, has attracted many people from all over the world to make pilgrimages since its trial operation. In addition to the fact that the store owner is G-Dragon, the leader of the South Korean pop group Big Bang, the large floor-to-ceiling windows of Monsant Cafe perfectly echo the local scenery, giving people a very soft and peaceful feeling. Doudou said that it is also their goal to open a cafe like this facing the sea and with spring flowers blooming.

A better start, integrating "feelings" and "innovation"

Every effort is for a better start. After a lot of preliminary accumulation and inspection by Komatsu and Doudou, Blanko’s first offline store was finally completed in July 2016, which is one of its current projects - Blanko Café.From Monday to Sunday, this cafe carefully prepares brunch and exclusive coffee time for nearby white-collar workers. In order to improve product quality and audience experience, Komatsu and Doudou spent a lot of thought.

"The popularity of coffee in China is still relatively low, and the coffee industry as a whole is not mature. Most people's understanding of coffee is still limited to chain brands such as Starbucks and costa. We are studying Australia's coffee culture and hope that we can make more More specialty coffee." Regarding the concept of coffee, Komatsu introduced. Not only are the origins of the coffee beans in the store carefully selected, Blanko has also made thoughtful adjustments to the common traditional sandwiches. “Because the original shape of the sandwich is easy to leak and is inconvenient to hold, Blanko changed the thick bread into Break it open and put ham, eggs, and lettuce in the middle. The small arms tightly wrap the food, so it is called a 'pocket sandwich.' "Currently, Blanko is also constantly developing new products, and recently launched a special winter drink." Hazelnut Sea Salt Latte” is also popular.

's high-quality store environment and products and services have allowed the cafe to maintain stable profitability. At this time, the division of labor between the two became more clear. Komatsu focused more on brand building, while Doudou focused more on managing back-end operations. In October 2016, the home product line Blanko Home was also officially launched. It is located in the large-scale youth community sharing center in Dongsishitiao, Beijing. It has attracted many people since its establishment.

Since then, Blanko has gradually taken shape as a lifestyle brand. Talking about the origin of the brand name, Komatsu explained: "Blanko means 'blank' in German. Our brand concept is to allow more urbanites to return to nature and live a comfortable and relaxed life." Regarding the subsequent expansion of the brand, the two founders said: "Blanko will continue to operate offline concept experience stores in 2017, and is expected to launch restaurant and hotel projects. In addition, we will combine home furnishing and catering, which is what can be seen in the store. Tables, chairs, furniture and other peripherals can be purchased directly. Blanko will continue to expand its brand range, but we are not a furniture e-commerce or platform. Our concept is to rapidly expand small and beautiful boutiques.”

Blanko has the same name, it is both empty and all-encompassing, and the key to this is to return to the original attitude. Two overseas entrepreneurial girls born in the 1990s are not only catching up with trends, but to some extent, they are trying to become participants and promoters of the trends of the times. After all, this is an era in which young people are gradually gaining the right to speak. Who else understands young people better than young people.