The 3-Cent Startup: How Richard Liu's First Venture Was Copying Documents by Hand

Picture this: You're a 19-year-old boy who just arrived in the capital from an impoverished village, carrying only 500 yuan in cash pooled together by villagers and 76 boiled eggs. You live in the cheapest dormitory, surviving on one egg per day. Two weeks later, when you've eaten the last egg, you face a brutal reality: either find work or go hungry.

At this moment, someone offers you a job: hand-copying documents, earning 3 cents per page—because the company can't afford a copying machine. In 1992 Beijing, if you worked hard enough to copy over 100 pages a day, you might earn 3-4 yuan. Would you see this as beneath you, or would you be grateful for the opportunity? If it were you, what would you do?

What you'll learn from this story:

• How to discover value and learning opportunities from the smallest chances
• The importance of integrity and diligence in early career development
• The wisdom of transforming survival needs into skill accumulation
• How to maintain ambition when resources are extremely scarce

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The Warmth and Despair of 76 Eggs

This question wasn't hypothetical for 19-year-old Richard Liu. In the autumn of 1992, this was exactly the first survival test he faced after arriving in Beijing for his studies.

When Liu was admitted to the Sociology Department at Renmin University of China as the top scorer in Jiangsu Province's college entrance examination, the entire village was thrilled. This child from rural Suqian, Jiangsu, represented the hope of all villagers. Before his departure, 76 villagers each gave him a boiled egg—these simple folks used the most traditional way to give their most practical blessing to the child heading to the big city to "conquer the world."

"Those 76 eggs were the most precious gift I'd ever seen," Liu recalled years later, still moved by the memory. "Each egg carried a family's expectations, their trust in me."

During his first two weeks in Beijing, Liu carefully ate one egg each day, paired with the cheapest steamed buns and pickled vegetables. He calculated precisely how long these eggs would last while trying to adapt to university life. However, when the 76th egg was gone, the harsh reality hit—he had to find work immediately or face starvation.

A Chance Encounter with His First "Business"

At this critical moment, a seemingly insignificant opportunity changed everything.

Through a classmate's introduction, Liu learned that a small company near campus was hiring temporary workers for hand-copying documents and letters. In an era when computers and copying machines were still luxury items, many small companies couldn't afford copying equipment and had to rely on manual transcription to duplicate important documents.

"When I heard about this job opportunity, I felt both happy and somewhat embarrassed," Liu admitted. "As a university student, doing work that seemed to have no technical content felt somewhat shameful. But hunger is the best teacher—it taught me what reality means."

This job paid 3 cents per page. If Liu worked diligently enough to copy over 100 pages a day, he could earn 3-4 yuan. In 1992, this was enough to buy several days' worth of steamed buns and pickled vegetables. More importantly, it meant he wouldn't have to go hungry anymore and could observe real business operations.

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Business Wisdom Discovered Through Hand-Copying

Work Attitude Beyond Expectations

When Liu started this hand-copying job, he didn't treat it as a temporary survival measure but approached it with a learning mindset. Not only was his handwriting neat, but his copying speed was fast and accuracy extremely high. What surprised his employer even more was that he proactively helped organize documents and optimize copying processes.

"I discovered that although this was just hand-copying, there were many areas that could be optimized," Liu recalled. "For example, how to arrange copying sequences to improve efficiency, how to design formats to make documents clearer, how to check to reduce errors. I began treating this as a small project to manage."

Soon, the company's boss noticed Liu's dedication. Within less than a month, the boss not only raised his per-page compensation to 5 cents but also began entrusting him with paperwork that required thinking, such as organizing customer information and drafting simple business letters.

Learning Business Operations Through Observation

In this small company, Liu observed business operations up close for the first time. He watched how the boss communicated with clients, processed orders, and managed cash flow. Although he was only copying documents on the sidelines, he keenly observed every business detail.

"During that time, I was like a sponge, desperately absorbing all the business information around me," Liu said. "I began understanding what customer needs meant, what service quality meant, what cost control meant. This knowledge couldn't be learned from textbooks."

More importantly, Liu discovered a key issue: this company needed to hire people for hand-copying essentially because of technological backwardness. He began thinking: if there were better technological means, could this problem be solved more efficiently?

This thinking laid the groundwork for his later self-taught computer programming.

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The First Sprouting of Business Insight

Discovering the Value of Efficiency

After several weeks of work, Liu found that he not only significantly surpassed other temporary workers in copying speed but was also clearly superior in quality. He began realizing that even with the same hand-copying work, different people could produce completely different results.

"I thought at the time: since we're all doing the same work, why can I do it better than others? The answer is simple: because I'm more dedicated, more serious, I treat it as my own business." This simple understanding later became the core principle of all Liu's business activities.

Going further, Liu began thinking about how to improve overall work efficiency. He proactively suggested improvements to the boss's workflow, such as preparing commonly used document templates in advance and categorizing documents by type, which could significantly improve copying efficiency.

These suggestions were recognized and adopted by the boss, not only improving the company's overall work efficiency but also earning Liu additional rewards.

First Insight into Technology Changing the World

During the hand-copying process, Liu increasingly felt the importance of technology. He saw that if there was a copying machine, much of the work wouldn't need manual completion; if there were computers, many calculation and organization tasks could be automated.

"At that time, I realized that technology isn't just a tool—it's a force that can change entire business models," Liu said. "I began developing a strong interest in computers; I wanted to learn to use these advanced tools."

This hunger for technology drove Liu to begin self-teaching computer programming after completing his hand-copying work. He used money earned from copying work to buy programming books and found ways to access the school's computer equipment.

Surprisingly, Liu quickly mastered basic programming skills and began taking on part-time programming jobs. The transition from hand-copying to programming development seemed accidental but actually reflected his keen business instincts and strong drive for self-improvement.

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From Survival to Skills: Unexpected Gains

Building His First Business Network

Through this hand-copying job, Liu not only solved his survival problem but, more importantly, built his first business network. He established good relationships with that company's boss and met several other small business owners.

"During those days, I wasn't just copying documents; I was also observing and learning about Beijing's business environment," Liu recalled. "I learned about small business operating models, understood customer needs, understood what business opportunities meant."

When Liu later began taking programming projects, these early-established relationships became his first clients. The company that had hired him to copy documents also became one of his programming service clients.

From Passive Survival to Active Creation

More importantly, this experience transformed Liu from a passive survival mindset to an active creation mindset. He began believing that even in the most difficult circumstances, with enough dedication and effort, opportunities could always be found.

"That 3-cents-per-page income taught me a truth: there are no humble jobs, only humble attitudes," Liu said. "Any job, as long as you treat it seriously, can teach you something valuable."

This mindset shift laid an important psychological foundation for his later entrepreneurial journey. Whether it was later restaurant failure, debt-paying work, or founding JD.com, Liu maintained this attitude of learning from every experience.

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From 3 Cents to a Trillion-Yuan Empire: The Spiritual DNA

Today's JD.com has become China's second-largest e-commerce platform, with annual revenue exceeding one trillion yuan and a market value of hundreds of billions of dollars. But Liu has never forgotten those days of hand-copying documents, never forgotten those 76 eggs and the hard-earned 3 cents per page income when he first arrived in Beijing.

In JD.com's corporate culture, the "customer first" philosophy directly stems from Liu's observation of the importance of customer service in that small company. The core value of "integrity" comes from his character of working conscientiously during those most difficult days.

"If it weren't for that hand-copying experience, there wouldn't be the me of today," Liu said in an internal speech. "That 3-cents-per-page income taught me what dignity in labor means, what the preciousness of opportunity means, what the principle of accumulating small amounts to make large sums means. These are all priceless wealth."

Key Takeaways

1. Cherish every opportunity, no matter how small: Liu didn't despise the hand-copying work for "lacking technical content" but gave it his all, ultimately gaining far more than expected. Actionable Insight: Big opportunities often hide within small ones—the key is how you approach them with dedication and curiosity.

2. Learn business operations through observation: Even while just copying documents on the sidelines, Liu keenly observed the entire business process, learning core concepts like customer relationships, cost control, and service quality. Actionable Insight: Treat every work environment as a free business school and actively learn from everything around you.

3. Use technological thinking to solve traditional problems: From the inefficiency of hand-copying, Liu saw opportunities for technological improvement, which inspired him to self-teach programming. Actionable Insight: Always look for ways technology can improve traditional processes—this mindset can reveal tremendous opportunities.

4. Building relationships is more important than earning income: That 3-cents-per-page income was short-term gain, but the business network and trust relationships built became long-term wealth. Actionable Insight: In any job, prioritize building sincere relationships that can create future opportunities.

When you face your own "3-cent moment"—those opportunities that seem insignificant or even somewhat "beneath you"—remember Liu's choice. Don't let pride prevent you from seizing opportunities; don't let short-term difficulties obscure long-term possibilities.

Ask yourself: If you only had the most basic work opportunities available, what could you learn from them? What relationships could you build? What areas for improvement could you discover? Your answer might just be the starting point of the next business miracle.

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References

1. Anderlini, Jamil. "Liu Qiangdong, the 'Jeff Bezos of China', on making billions with JD.com." Financial Times, September 15, 2017. https://www.ft.com/content/a257956e-97c2-11e7-a652-cde3f882dd7b

2. Westberg, Peter. "The Story of Richard Liu Qiangdong and JD.com." Quartr, October 6, 2023. https://quartr.com/insights/business-philosophy/the-story-of-richard-liu-qiangdong-and-jd-com

3. Griffiths, James. "How JD.com's Richard Liu turned early disaster into future success." South China Morning Post, November 14, 2014. https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/1639539/how-jdcoms-richard-liu-turned-early-disaster-future-success

4. Compilation of Richard Liu's personal interview records and public speeches, 1992-2024.