Good Teeth × Zhou Yuxiang | A Dental Man in Earth Tones

The Way is paramount, the methods follow.

Since their inception, private dental clinics have stood on the balance between medicine and commerce:

What is the balance between medicine and business?

This is a fundamental issue faced by every dental brand and every dental professional.

This episode's guest speaker: Zhou Yuxiang

As he grows older, nearing forty, Mr. Zhou has perhaps clearly realized that his long-standing habit of reading has perfectly balanced the conflicting forces within him—his inner softness and rebelliousness. He no longer experiences the identity anxiety he once did; now, he is a guiding light in the dental industry.

Lao Zhou's Book Club has become a rare occurrence for entrepreneurs in the dental industry.

If we count from the year Lao Zhou graduated from Beikou, he has been in the industry for thirteen years, which means he has witnessed the latter half of the twenty-year history of private dental clinics. Moreover, he himself is deeply involved in it. In every setting, he is referred to as "Teacher Zhou".

Many of my friends, like myself, didn't initially understand why Lao Zhou quit his job to start his own business. After all, looking at Lao Zhou's resume, he is a rare young elite in the dental field: he was the only student from Guangxi to be admitted to Peking University's School of Stomatology that year, obtained a master's degree in stomatology, and later went on to study business English at the University of International Business and Economics. He was also a visiting scholar at Columbia University in the United States. He had run his own clinic and spent five or six years at Huanle Dental Clinic, managing the IDSO training program.

But most of his friends didn't expect that the real reason Lao Zhou decided to start his own business was the "identity anxiety" he had accumulated over many years in the industry.

Young Lao Zhou | Image source: Lao Zhou Reading Club

Part 1 | Restart

On July 1st this year, Lao Zhou told me on WeChat that his computer crashed, all his data was gone, and he had to start all over again. I said, "That's a good start too."

He kept in mind Socrates's words: "I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance." Later, Charlie Munger elaborated on this, saying, "To admit one's ignorance is the beginning of wisdom."

Part Two | Questioning, Observation, and Deduction

We rarely chatted casually on WeChat. I only knew that after that, his WeChat Moments had a new name—"Old Zhou's Book Club." I just observed, neither commenting nor liking.

If this was just a hobby or a publicity stunt, then there's not much to comment on; but if it was an all-in career gamble, then it's worth investigating. Surprisingly, it now appears to be the latter.

If we evaluate objectively, the "Lao Zhou Reading Club" knowledge community, from the current industry perspective, is a project with virtually no competitors. On the surface, it seems like a blue ocean market, yet it indirectly competes with everything in the industry that requires time and investment.

Offline book club | Image source: Lao Zhou Book Club

So how difficult is this?

It's like taking time away from the fast-paced pursuit of KPIs and IPOs, meant to support 500,000 dental professionals, to do something quite slow. And this doesn't even show any direct increase in bank account balances.

This doesn't even take into account the current fragmented and motivational reading habits of the audience. Many good books and articles simply lie on bookshelves, becoming mere decorative elements, or conceptual relics of knowledge. The reading shares we often see on social media have become tools for communication and brand building.

Can Lao Zhou pull off something so "against the trend"? From a cross-industry perspective, yes, he can.

In September of this year, Beijing Siwei Zaowu Information Technology Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Get App, submitted its IPO prospectus to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. According to the information, Get App has evolved from its earliest general knowledge products [audio and video programs] to a systematic knowledge production, distribution, and operation [knowledge service provider], and now it is exploring a lifelong education service model for users [lifelong education service provider]. It has taken six years to reach its current online and offline integrated service model.

Image source: Prospectus of the parent company of GetApp.

The earliest form of Get was 60-second audio clips on WeChat official accounts. Looking back now, it seems very primitive, even clumsy, but Luo Zhenyu, this ruthless man, persevered even with extremely low costs back then, pioneering and digging day by day, until now, he is poised to become the "first stock in lifelong education".

According to the prospectus, as of March 31, 2020, the "Get App" had accumulated more than 21.35 million registered users and more than 3.5 million monthly active users (MAU). The "Get University" offline campuses have covered 11 cities in China, offering 85 classes and enrolling more than 7,000 students.

Compared to the 500,000+ dental patients that Lao Zhou mentioned, it's indeed not on the same scale in terms of total market size.

Image source: Good Dental Styling

So, what are the prospects for this? Is it worthwhile to do this again in the dental industry?

Part Three | Observation, Surprise, and Worry

1. After seeing his commercial canvases, I felt a motherly concern.

It wasn't until October that Lao Zhou shared his early business canvas with me. I glanced at the large image and it was still quite immature, even worrying: doing it this way is almost like running an NGO, how long can this person stick to it?

Old Zhou later explained this as: prioritize altruism.

"Altruism" is a broad term; it sounds the same to everyone, but putting it into practice involves different approaches and difficulties for each individual. To truly confirm that someone is genuinely "altruistic" and not just paying lip service, it's necessary to observe them over a longer lifespan.

Assessing solely from a commercial value perspective is much simpler; however, once people switch to a business-centric approach to conversation, it becomes cold and impersonal.

At the time, all I could tell him was that what he wanted to do had a slow release of commercial value; it wasn't just delayed gratification, it was practically intermittent gratification. I talked to Lao Zhou about the need for a "healthy business model" because I'd seen too many independent bookstores and projects driven by passion, where the founders got caught up in the passion and ultimately just remained indulging in passion. Passion has value, but passion can't put food on the table.

Later, I heard Lao Zhou say, "Everyone asks me about the business model. I know it's important for the project to survive, but I don't really want to talk about it." Years of experience in the industry have taught him that outpatient clinics provide immediate gratification, while book clubs offer delayed gratification. He wants to influence a generation through his efforts over the next 20 years.

Of course, creating value is not the same as creating commercial value. In business, numbers can be calculated, but some values ​​cannot. But you can't deny these kinds of values; they are there and truly influence generations.

After that, I joined the membership community of "Old Zhou's Reading Club" to see firsthand how this was done.

Old Zhou, a frequent visitor to bookstores | Image source: Old Zhou's Book Club

2. Lao Zhou's membership group is different from what I expected.

Many readers and members have encouraged us to create a community, but we have always been worried that without a sound operating mechanism, the community will either become a dead group or an advertising group. We will definitely not do it before we are ready.

Old Zhou's group is different.

• Books are shared daily in the group, and members diligently write reading notes.
• When a member has a birthday, red envelopes are sent out in the group as a blessing, making it quite lively.
• When new members join the group, Lao Zhou will give them a thorough introduction, and the interactions among group members have a strong sense of ceremony.
• Members occasionally ask questions in the group, and other group members volunteer to answer them.
  

  …

So you're saying he's just building a utopian startup based on passion? Not really. He has his own plans and is implementing them step by step.

This New Year's Eve, he organized a thought-sharing session titled "Understanding Transformation: New Thinking Proposals for Dental Professionals," and to his surprise, it filled up quickly after he mentioned it in the group chat. Judging from the registration situation in the past two days, he might have to add more sessions. I suddenly realized that it's not that the industry lacks demand, but rather that many people have overlooked seemingly "marginal" needs.

The fact that reading, a "non-essential" activity, can still trigger user choices may be where the real value lies. I recall a conversation I had with a veteran in the industry who said, "Things that are interesting are the greatest value in the industry right now."

Part Four | Meeting: Identity Anxiety and Being Persuaded by Him

In November, Lao Zhou flew to Guangzhou and we met for the first time at my coffee shop.

He looks almost exactly like his photo; I joked that "the photo wasn't heavily photoshopped." He has a round, fair face, bright eyes, and short hair. When he arrived, he was wearing a cotton sweatshirt from the "Old Zhou's Reading Club" and soft-soled sneakers, and he moved with agility. If I hadn't known his medical background beforehand, Old Zhou would have looked more like an internet entrepreneur.

That day, Lao Zhou gave me a copy of Professor He Fan's book "Variables" and a membership badge for the "Lao Zhou Book Club". The badge was in a small and exquisite red velvet box.

We talked from afternoon until evening that day. Old Zhou choked up several times during our deep conversation, and only then did I truly understand him a little. I've recorded this conversation and am sharing it with you all:

YUE: Why do you think dentists need to learn to get along with themselves?

Old Zhou: Lack of happiness. I've been in this industry for so long, and I've seen and heard many stories. Many friends have indeed improved their social status and wealth. They've opened more and more stores, and their teams are growing bigger and bigger... But more and more friends are telling me that they feel increasingly unhappy, and this is happening more and more frequently.

YUE: What are the reasons they feel unhappy?

Old Zhou: Everyone has their own reasons, and it's hard to define them all at once. I later concluded that it's because everyone is too busy with work, professional titles, KPIs... When they reach a certain age and start a family, they give all their remaining time to their partners and children, and have less and less time to spend with themselves.

YUE: What about you?

Old Zhou: My family is quite happy; I have two children. For a long time, I would sit beside them, watching them play with their toys, sometimes lost in thought. When I'm with my children, I often ask myself: besides accumulating wealth, what else can we, as parents, do for our children? What can we leave them? I think this way: the scope of information a person receives influences the scope of their thinking.

Old Zhou and his child | Image source: Old Zhou's Reading Club

Old Zhou said that parents and children are similar in some ways; we both need to continuously learn, enrich our worldview, and expand our cognitive boundaries in order to become better parents and better versions of ourselves. Lifelong learning is not just an empty phrase.

This is also a question that Lao Zhou has been thinking about: what people in the industry are learning—is it the real facts, or the "correct" things they tell us from their own perspectives?

Old Zhou: You must think critically before you can act decisively—what if what you think is "correct" is actually wrong from the start?

Some people live at 10 PM because they remain in yesterday.

Some people live at two in the morning; they will surely embrace the future.

Both are pitch black, but that's the difference.

— Written by Luo Zhenyu in 2014

YUE: What would be the consequences?

Old Zhou: You might think you're doing the right thing. Then one day you suddenly realize you've become the person you least wanted to be. And that creates new identity anxiety. Actually, work, company, clinic—these aren't the ceilings of our understanding and abilities. If we confine our vision to the physical world, focusing only on vertical promotions and salary increases, that's just linear career development. But if our understanding and thinking can't be fully expanded, over time, it really will cause a lot of anxiety. A lot of anxiety.

YUE: How do they deal with this anxiety?

Lao Zhou: To some extent, many people are trying to resolve their identity anxiety while struggling with it.

How should we understand the term "identity anxiety"?

In his book *Status Anxiety*, British author Alain de Botton argues that this anxiety stems from people's fear of not being able to align themselves with societal role models of success. However, he overlooks the fact that this same anxiety can also arise when people fail to align themselves with their original, intrinsic self-expectations. He addresses this latter point indirectly in his section on methods for resolving anxiety.

So while most people were exploring how to get along with their industry and the outside world, Lao Zhou gradually realized that many people in the industry had forgotten how to get along with themselves. Lao Zhou chose reading as his way of getting along with himself.

Lao Zhou: We can actually care about more than just our own experience or company affairs; we can care about broader things—through reading.

He started encouraging members to read together. The books he selected were related to both the industry and individuals: books on oral and overall health, such as "Take good care of your teeth to keep your children healthy," "If you have dental problems, you definitely have health problems," "Periodontal disease can really be fatal," "Smart dental implants are a no-regret," and "Chewing power needed from 0 to 100 years old," as well as books on personal growth, such as "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," "The Fifth Discipline," and "Reproducible Leadership."

We also take members on study tours and exchange programs.

In Lao Zhou's view, reading and studying abroad are not about completely absorbing or accepting information, but about "debating" with different authors and industry professionals. Understanding what these people are thinking and why they think that way gradually cultivates a habit of observing and thinking from multiple perspectives.

Old Zhou: Reading is supposed to be a private matter, but many friends in the industry have lost this habit. Now I want to guide everyone in reading together. One thing Old Zhou does for his members every week is to update a book for in-depth reading. This way, members can read an extra 50 books a year.

Listen more, question more, and observe how the world works. Only then can you gain a holistic understanding when making decisions and judgments in your own world. Differences in perception are the greatest obstacle in this world.

Lao Zhou and his friends | Image source: Lao Zhou's Book Club

Lao Zhou: If the industry as a whole is to collaborate better, the most fundamental logic is to ensure that everyone maintains a positive mindset and an inclusive and open attitude.

YUE: What else do you want to do next, besides taking members to read books and travel for study?

Old Zhou: We hold regular sharing sessions, not large-scale forums. I don't want dentistry to become a "praise group." I want to invite thoughtful friends from both inside and outside the industry to share their observations and their "whys." The invited friends may be industry leaders or just ordinary employees, but they all have their own insights and charm. Everyone's path to success is different, and there's more than one way to succeed. The core is to let 500,000 dental professionals understand, through listening and participation, what truly triggers goodwill and upward momentum.

YUE: What should you do when you encounter a conflict between your ideals and reality?

Old Zhou: You'll always encounter it. I just realized that I have this "intention" and I'm very firm in it, so I'll just do my best to fulfill my responsibilities for this intention.

Old Zhou has been very busy lately, preparing for his 2020 New Year's Eve Think Tank and attending several corporate workshops. He has more and more members, and more and more things to do.

[Postscript]

I often laugh and say, "Only those who are too desperate to start a business would go back to doing so." Starting a business like a book club seems even more "desperate" on the surface. Old Zhou said I was wrong: "I've just come to terms with it."

If Lao Zhou succeeds, it will demonstrate that the scope of value creation in the industry is expanding: choosing lifelong learning and growth, and integrating the values ​​of medicine, business, and humanities as much as possible, will create a better dental business civilization. Frankly, I also look forward to seeing such a knowledge entrepreneur in this industry: someone who illuminates others and shines brightly himself.

“

Old Zhou is a dental professional with an earth-toned appearance.

Comfortable, practical, and close to the earth.

He simply held up the lamp and walked earnestly.

”

Blessings to Lao Zhou, "After solitary courage, the world is at your fingertips."

Author: YUE

Edited by: Ayao

Layout: Xiaxia

Visuals: Halo

Proofread by: CC

Producer: YUE