Can "factory-free youths" become bosses? AI and flexible supply chains are rewriting the rules of entrepreneurship.

Qi Yue, born in 1991, probably never thought that a sudden idea for product improvement would make him a sensation across the internet.

After noticing that the in - car refrigerator of Li L9 lacked a dedicated cup holder and that the official product was too expensive for many people, he spent 100 yuan to hire a designer to draw the blueprints, 200 yuan for 3D printing of a sample, and then collaborated with a factory for small - batch production. He launched a more practical and cheaper product, filling a gap in the market. More importantly, this earned him 1.3 million yuan in half a year.

Young entrepreneurs like Qi Yue, who don't own factories, are becoming the main group of buyers rising on 1688, a sourcing platform under Alibaba. This B2B platform, established in 1999, has exceeded 100 million annual active buyers. Besides e - commerce sellers, the newly joined groups mainly include bloggers, live - streamers, influencers, group - buying leaders, YouTubers, stay - at - home moms, college students, and former employees of large companies who have left the traditional career path. Their characteristic is that they not only know how to spend money but also love to make money.

This is not an accidental migration of users. The slowdown of economic growth and the fierce competition in the traditional job market have reduced their trust in traditional career paths. The high - pressure 996 work culture and the career anxiety at the age of 35 force them to seek more flexible income sources. The rise of Generation Z consumers, with their strong demand for personalized and emotionally - valuable products, provides huge opportunities in niche markets. They are no longer obsessed with getting a so - called "good offer" in the traditional sense. Instead, they start side businesses and light - scale entrepreneurship early, turning their hobbies and consumption insights into business orders.

If in the past, starting a business required staking one's entire fortune, now with "AI + flexible supply chain", all one needs is a good idea and a small amount of capital.

01 The Secret to the Sudden Wealth of Factory - less Youth

If Qi Yue's success came from an accidental inspiration, the model he relies on has become a common rule for "factory - less youth" to achieve business leapfrogging - realizing personalized light customization through partner factories and then distributing products through drop - shipping.

In the traditional business logic, producing a product often involves a long - cycle process from R & D, design to production and sales. Just finding a factory is enough to discourage countless people. However, with the reduction of information asymmetry and the flexibility of the supply chain, young people realize that they don't need to start from scratch. They can simply add a little unique creativity or functionality to existing products and supply chain bases. Such personalized light customization can also drive big business.

Jiajia, a mom entrepreneur, is one of the typical cases of personalized light customization. She drew her pets into cartoon images and made them into pillows and small blankets. Unexpectedly, they became popular after being posted on Xiaohongshu. As the orders increased, her home - based manual production couldn't keep up with the demand. She then tried to find a sourcing factory for subcontracting. When the in - stock inventory ran out or customers had customization requirements, she would ask the factory to directly produce and ship the products to customers. Since 2019, she has earned nearly 3 million yuan, expanded her product range from one to dozens, and achieved the transformation from manual production to large - scale production.

Another entrepreneur, "Yili Dayaner", quit her job at a large company and started custom - making niche - style nail sets. When she chose this field, the nail set market was almost a red ocean and had fallen into a price war. She took the opposite approach and focused on high - end customization with a unit price of over 150 yuan. She tested more than 30 types of glue on 1688. To find better partner factories, Dayaner would attend offline exhibitions and use the image search function on 1688 to find the same sourcing factories. Now, her brand has not only established a foothold in the domestic market but also ventured into cross - border e - commerce.

Stories like those of Jiajia and "Yili Dayaner" are not rare. Personalized light customization is becoming one of the core trends in the consumer market. Data from the 1688 platform shows that it is estimated that 30% of products will be customized in the future, and 60% of all custom orders are for small - batch customization.

Personalized customization is not only an opportunity for small and micro entrepreneurs but also a new growth point for traditional factories. A factory in Dongguan customized traditional playing cards into an intimate - scene guide, added anime elements to sex toys, and customized AI interaction functions. Factories are no longer just the end - point of production but also the starting - point of innovation, promoting the integration of creativity and manufacturing.

It is this integration that has connected young and creative sellers, more flexible factories, and a wider range of buyers, enabling more consumption to circulate and more niche hobbies to be realized.

For Aqiu, a post - 2000 entrepreneur, her business is a bit "small and peculiar". Aqiu's works are full of personal emotional expressions, such as sealing flower petals with resin or integrating oil - painting brushstrokes on acrylic boards. When she first looked for an acrylic processing factory, Aqiu had no experience and could only make a blind choice. Fortunately, she met an old factory in Yiwu that was friendly to introverts. The factory never gave extra suggestions like "Do you want to add a logo?" or "Do you want to change the color?" It simply and quickly replied with messages like "Send the blueprints, samples will be ready in 3 days" and "As usual, let's start with 50 pieces to test the waters". They have been cooperating ever since, allowing these niche designs to come to life. As Aqiu described it, "Hiding in a small workshop, I'm connected to the whole world."

02 Why Are 100 Million Young People Flocking to an Old Platform?

In the past year, the number of active buyers on 1688 increased by 55% year - on - year. When all major platforms are competing for users, why can this 26 - year - old platform attract so many new users, especially young ones? This change is driven by both the platform's strategic adjustments and structural changes on the supply side.

From the platform's perspective, in recent years, 1688 has almost unilaterally advocated "buyer - first". It has proposed that buyers are the primary customers of both the platform and sellers and has taken various measures to improve the buyer experience. It is said that three years ago, among the daily official buyer complaints received by 1688, there were up to 5,000 complaints just about sellers' abusive behavior. Now, this number has dropped to single - digits. At the same time, 1688 has also made great investments in AI technology. It can help merchants more efficiently serve individual customers through "AI digital employees" and also improve the buyer experience, further lowering the transaction threshold.

A deeper driving force comes from changes on the supply side, especially the keen insight into market demand and proactive adjustments made by the second - generation factory owners after taking over. They are more conscious and determined to meet the demand for personalized light customization.

Xiang Guowei, a post - 1995 second - generation factory owner from Wenzhou, who was reported by People's Daily and financial writer Wu Xiaobo, is a typical example. After taking over the family business, he used his wedding dowry and all the family's cash flow to buy a piece of equipment worth more than 15 million yuan to support small - wholesale and light - customization production. This rapid response to personalized needs is exactly the supply - chain capability expected by young consumers and emerging light entrepreneurs.

Driven by the platform, the chemical reaction between buyers and sellers will be further amplified. It is reported that 1688 will launch the "Excellent - to - Excellent Resonance" strategy, precisely matching the top 20% of high - quality buyers with the top 20% of high - quality sellers. This business resonance is transforming 1688 from a mere sourcing place for business into a source of business inspiration.

03 When Every Ordinary Person Can Tap into Chinese Manufacturing

When Qi Yue, a post - 1990 entrepreneur, invested a few hundred yuan to transform the in - car cup holder and drove a million - yuan business, he was tapping into not only a well - known OEM factory but also the flexible production capacity of the entire Chinese manufacturing industry. When Aqiu, an introverted artist, turned defective acrylic boards into unique coasters, she was supported by the supply chain's tolerance for non - standard requirements and small - batch customization.

Entrepreneurship is no longer the exclusive right of elites in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Housewives who design pet - related products while taking care of their children, college students who resell concert glow sticks in their dormitories, and even ride - hailing drivers who study AI - based product selection during their breaks can all enjoy the convenience accumulated by the Chinese supply chain over the decades.