Reading is always by my side, keeping me clear-headed and passionate on the entrepreneurial journey. I enjoy holding classic books in the quiet of early mornings or late nights, drawing insights from the Tao Te Ching about the “way of non-contention” and “following the natural order,” feeling the peaceful rhythm of all living things through the words. Books provide opportunities for reflection and nurturing inner strength, and they have taught me that entrepreneurship is not only about skills but also about mindset and vision. Reading has become a lifestyle that cultivates calmness and composure.

The Path of Entrepreneurship: Following the Trend

Entrepreneurship is a path of going with the flow. I believe technology products must fit the market (Product-Market Fit) and should not be blindly pushed. Agile and lean methodologies teach us to validate business models quickly with minimal input, focusing on solving real problems. As some practitioners say, entrepreneurs should “do more impactful things with fewer resources.” To me, this aligns with the Taoist idea of “governing by non-action”: it does not mean doing nothing, but rather overcoming hardness with softness, winning by using less, and avoiding futile efforts. Whenever someone over-designs a product or rushes to launch, I remind myself and my team to first listen to users and let the product naturally evolve to fit the needs, avoiding over-promotion or impatience.

Social Media: A Two-Way Mirror for Companies and Individuals

In the age of social media, both companies and individuals can use content to express and amplify their values. For companies, social media is not primarily about direct monetization but about “expanding brand awareness, providing tools and services, and supporting daily brand operations.” I often encourage my company to share experiences, knowledge, and stories through public accounts and short videos, allowing the brand to gradually take root in users’ minds. For individuals, social media is a platform for building a personal brand. As some analyses suggest, the internet lowers marketing costs and allows individuals to “support themselves through their expertise.” Independent creators, freelancers, or small teams can accumulate influence and trust by continuously producing quality content, thereby gaining more opportunities. During this process, one should not pursue fame at the expense of hard work; the key is long-term accumulation and expanding influence by going with the flow.

Small Teams, Big Ambitions: The New Normal in Entrepreneurship

In today’s business world, small companies, small teams, and even “one-person companies” are becoming increasingly common. Industry observers have noted that “in recent years, there have been more successful startups formed by very small teams (1–4 people), and this trend is becoming global.” Mature infrastructure and tools have greatly lowered the barriers to entrepreneurship: cloud services, no-code platforms, global remote talent pools, etc., allow small teams to build products and validate business models at unprecedented speed. With AI, this trend is even more obvious: AI tools improve coding and operational efficiency, enabling one person or a small team to accomplish what used to require many people, at lower cost and higher speed. Thus, many entrepreneurial projects start with just one or two people and iterate quickly. The prevalence of smart and cloud technologies is leading the entrepreneurship ecosystem toward a “less is more, simple yet efficient” new normal.

The Tao Te Ching also offers insight into this trend: “A small country with few people... content with their homes and happy with their customs.” Laozi’s ideal of a “small country with few people” perfectly matches the vision for modern small enterprises: fewer but refined, simple yet beautiful. Companies need not be large; the goal is to satisfy customers and allow the team to live and work in peace, without excessive expansion or complexity. The internet and AI provide the opportunity: the network era does not bring tighter chains but rather the key to unlocking them, allowing individuals and small teams to freely enter and exit and find their place in the larger ecosystem. By following this trend, our entrepreneurial path becomes like a naturally formed channel: where water flows, the channel forms; everything moves and grows naturally and smoothly.

Conclusion: Flow Upstream and Build Slowly

In the long river of entrepreneurship and life, I have always believed in the wisdom of “going with the flow.” Neither rushing to succeed nor standing still, but moving with the current and overcoming hardness with softness. As the saying goes, “Heaven rewards diligence.” When we read attentively and work hard, success will come naturally when the time is right. Just as water flows smoothly through a valley only when calm, entrepreneurs only need to focus on current efforts and steadily solve problems, following natural laws. Let us adopt the Taoist mindset of “non-action,” guide ourselves by circumstances, and expand our business when the time comes. In the future ecosystem, the big ambitions of small and beautiful enterprises will eventually converge into a great river and ocean.