2008: The Initial Encounter with Excavators

    Perhaps due to youthful recklessness, or perhaps because of an unrestrained heart, Zhang Libo, upon leaving campus, had no clear concept of his future plans. His initial idea for choosing a career stemmed from his father's expectations. Zhang Libo's father was an ordinary farmer in Jilin. However, for his son, the father did not want Zhang Libo to spend his whole life dealing with the land; he hoped he could open up his own world in some field. From then on, Zhang Libo began planning his future. Carrying his father's hopes and his own undetermined dreams, he came to a technical school in Changchun.

      That year was 2008, and Zhang Libo was only 20 years old. Entering this technical school, his connection with excavators seemed somewhat arbitrary. The reason he chose to study excavator operation was simply to finish training early and start working. It was this momentary choice that bound Zhang Libo and excavators together ever since.

After graduation, Zhang Libo found his first job operating an excavator. Rather than a job, it was more like an unpaid internship. After four months of on-site practice, not only did he become proficient in various excavator operations, but his diligence, responsibility, and rapid growth in machine operation also earned high recognition and praise from his boss.

      2009: Low Wages Cannot Conceal the Boldness of Youth

    In early 2009, Zhang Libo returned to the same construction site where he had interned the previous year. This time, his salary changed from negative to 1,000 yuan per month. Although the income seemed pitifully meager, this first pot of gold was the beginning of his wealth creation. That year, he was only 21 and had no formed concept of money and wealth.

      Zhang Libo's first dissatisfaction with his salary stemmed from a sense of “indignation”.

According to Zhang Libo's recollection, that year, a friend who had just graduated from a technical school after studying excavator operation came to him for help. Before long, he found the friend a job operating an excavator on a construction site. The difference was that this friend lied about the income of excavator operators and thus obtained a salary of 1,800 yuan per month. At the time, Zhang Libo felt unbalanced deep down; after all, when he first came to the site, he had no salary and even had to pay the boss a little tuition. A young heart is sometimes filled with boundless enthusiasm, but it can also erupt like a volcano. So, he quit.

      His second job was in Daqing. At that time, he went to a site where excavator operators were being recruited. When the boss asked about his salary requirement, he said: “Don't look at how much I ask for; just look at how much I'm worth. I'll work here, and you watch. If you think I'm good, I'll stay; if not, I won't.” These words not only reveal the iron-willed ambition of a northeastern man but also convey Zhang Libo's confidence from the inside out. Since he first came into contact with excavators, he had always studied and worked earnestly. So his operating skills were recognized once again.

      2010: Rapid Elevation of Personal Value

      In 2010, Zhang Libo got married. Because of work, he came to Changchun again and did not return home until his wife gave birth. Since September was the peak construction season, he took only one day off before returning to the site. At that time, he was 22 years old with a salary of 3,000 yuan per month. By then, Zhang Libo's operating skills were already mature, and his work could earn his boss an additional 30,000 yuan in profit per year. So the boss himself offered to raise his salary to 3,500 yuan per month. At the end of the year, the boss personally visited Zhang Libo's home, met his parents, and saw his child. In Zhang Libo's view, 2010 was the most ordinary year since he entered the excavator industry, but in fact, it was the year when his personal value was most clearly elevated.

        2011: Starting with Buying an Excavator, a Difficult Search for Business Opportunities

　　In 2011, Zhang Libo suddenly had the idea of buying an excavator. This idea caused controversy in his social circle, but he was not swayed by the doubts of some people. Now, when he recalls it, he feels that his initial resentment toward those who were pessimistic about his buying an excavator was somewhat immature. After all, at that time he was 23, still a child in the eyes of most people around him. But at that time, he was excessively persistent about buying an excavator. This persistence stemmed from his desire to prove his strength to everyone and to confirm his goals for his future career plan, and perhaps it also carried his father's expectations and trust. When most people were worried, he received his father's support.

      However, excavators are expensive compared to other goods, and buying one is not easy. The first time he tried to buy an excavator, he failed to reach an agreement with the seller. Zhang Libo then went to another construction site and found a job. This time, his salary was 4,000 yuan per month. Although he found a job, he did not give up his plan to buy an excavator. So he told the boss about this idea and indicated that he might not work there long. Seeing his skilled operation and high efficiency, the boss did not reject him because of his idea. However, this job unexpectedly enabled Zhang Libo to successfully purchase an excavator.

      In 2011, this boss's profits were not good due to a reduction in engineering workload. In his professional judgment, although this Hitachi excavator was second-hand equipment, it was basically as good as new. Buying it at the original price was not a loss. Zhang Libo bought the excavator from the boss with a down payment of 100,000 yuan, and the boss transferred all the loans for purchasing this excavator to him.

      Successfully buying the excavator meant that Zhang Libo's career and life would undergo a 180-degree turn. The heavy burden of family and the pressure of loans made him feel the responsibility of being the pillar of the family. During the day, he wandered around construction sites looking for business opportunities, inevitably facing rejections and even cold words. He did not give up. Morning and evening, he had to walk a long way between home and the construction site. Sometimes, when there was a bus, he would ride part of the way. But most of the time, walking between home and the site still took the longest. Every day was like this. Seeing his son work so hard, his father suggested he buy an electric bike. But in Zhang Libo's heart there was a sense of pride. Because after owning the excavator, he would not spend an extra penny until he made money, even if it was just the cost of an electric bike. His father understood his persistence but could not bear to see him suffer so much, so he borrowed his daughter's bicycle as his son's daily transportation.

      Hard work pays off. After hitting walls everywhere among the construction sites, Zhang Libo finally met a contractor who needed an excavator. For him, what he needed was an opportunity to show his skills, because in the eyes of everyone who had seen him work, his operating skills were excellent. Thus, his business opportunities began from this point. A high sense of responsibility, skilled operating techniques, and efficient work efficiency allowed Zhang Libo, in a short time, to go from being ignored to becoming a sought-after talent among construction sites. Gold will shine wherever it is. Zhang Libo was initially like gold whose light was covered; once the clouds were parted, it emitted a surprising brilliance. Catching the peak season of September and October, Zhang Libo made a net profit of 120,000 yuan from the excavator. This excavator had once been abandoned by others and had been neglected in the early days of Zhang Libo's entrepreneurship, but now, in Zhang Libo's hands, it made a magnificent turnaround and became a beautiful sight on the construction site.

      2012: Career on Track, Ideals Becoming Clearer

    As his career gradually got on track, Zhang Libo was always in a happy state while working. Perhaps that hard sweat was sweet to him. This sweetness came not only from wealth creation but also from the joy of success. And he was not content with the status quo. In 2012, at 24, he owned his own private car and bought a second excavator. At that time, the engineering workload had somewhat declined compared to previous years. But Zhang Libo's business did not shrink because of this. In the off-season, his excavator still operated. When the peak season came, he was still an excellent operator sought after by everyone.

      Zhang Libo, a post-80s generation fighting on the engineering frontline, achieved today with integrity and sweat. From the confusion of early career choices, to the bumpy road of seeking business opportunities, to vigorously striving on construction sites. His story contains the impulsiveness of the post-80s generation, the unwavering belief in the face of difficulties, and a sense of responsibility to his family. In those days, he suffered but did not belittle himself; he was content but not satisfied with the status quo; he failed but did not give up. From his story, we see the doubts of entrepreneurship becoming clear through persistence; we can also see the hardships of entrepreneurship becoming insignificant in the face of one's fighting spirit; and we see even more that years of tempering have transformed Zhang Libo from a young lad with no concept of life into a man of iron will. Everyone believes that Zhang Libo is still young, and on the long road of life ahead, he will continue to grow. This dazzling gold will emit an even brighter light.