THE QUIET BILLIONAIRE OF SHIFT AND STRATEGY

Does the name Zhong Shanshan sound familiar? Maybe not, but when you see the pictures of older adults and women who expertly use their mobile phones while standing on the grasslands of Yobe state, Nigeria. Or the read the stories of the busy ‘techies’ who work out of co-working spaces from all over the African continent, some names may readily come to mind – Individuals who have contributed or inspired the entrepreneurial spirit of the young ones and helped the elderly to feel youthful by being on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook or on devices such as mobile phones, iPod, etc. Names like Mark Zuckerberg, Ali Baba (Jack Ma) Jef Bezos, Bill gates are quite familiar but definitely not Zhong Shanshan who according to Forbes currently worth $92billion.

We are crazy for trends in this era; however, if you get lost in what is trendy, you may deprive yourself of your true calling. Rather than follow the crowd, get to stand out from the crowd.

 Zhong Shanshan is a 66-year-old ‘obscurantist' at least by the standard of popularity in this day and age. As unknown as he may be, he is today the richest man in Asia and the sixth richest man globally. He has displaced the likes of Larry Page and Mukesh Ambani.

Who then is Zhong Shanshan? What was his business, what model did he run on, and what can we learn from him? Zhong making headlines was due to how his wealth ballooned late last year. He is one of a handful of billionaires who aren’t in the tech or retail industries, unlike other big players. He is famously known in Asia as the Chair of Nongfu Spring, the largest bottled water company in China and one of Beijing’s rapidly growing pharmaceuticals, -Wantai Biolocal Pharmacy.

Upon a clinical analysis of the man, Zhong, he is indeed a creative Businessman who nurtured his business from scratch and made it to the stock exchange to raise over $1.1billion through the Nongfu Spring in less than sixty days.

According to Nongfu’s listing prospectus, He owns a massive 84.4% of the company, with his wife's relatives owning an additional 6.2% combined. As the markets responded rapidly to his equities, he has been subsequently nicknamed "the lone wolf" due to how he has steered away from politics and big business groups. In the era of media frenzy, Zhong makes few public appearances and practically never speaks to the media, making him one of the most elusive businessmen on the world's rich list.

His early days were gorier and challenging with poor formal education. Zhong dropped out of elementary school during China's chaotic Cultural Revolution and later had jobs as a construction worker, a newspaper reporter, and a beverage sales agent before starting his own business. Zhong Shanshan is likely to join the $100 billionaires club soon as the demand for bottled water in China is expected to grow by 5.7% annually: While digital technologies have spread across the African continent inexorable pace. Widely cited data on adoption rates suggest that digital technologies are making their way into every facet of life in African societies —Moreso, pure adoption does not show any broader change or transformation but suggests a potentiality for change — a latent power to catalyze more comprehensive societal change processes. Zheng's business sees technology as an enabler and not a dependant, understanding that complementary adaptations must accompany the ability to harness technology and engineering's power to solve social institutions' problems.

Zheng's success as a merchant is primarily laden on bravery, authenticity, and a constant improvement of his business trajectory. The Zheng model teaches us that the only way to accelerate achievement is never to be afraid to stand out from the crowd. How does that compare with the trends mentality among many who think that the only way to accelerate success is to ply their trade in Tech, Showbusiness, or Popular Football league?

The winners of this era -An era of constant disruptions will be those who demonstrate empathy and authenticity. Those who focus on the people and not the products or sales, It behoves that when you understand the people’s pain points and frustration, the inspiration to develop the solution will come. If the products solve their pain points, then expect a massive shift.

 So if you want to be the next newsmaker and positive social agent, sharpen your observatory skill, walk in the shoes of the people, attend to their pain points with meekness and authenticity, then you will see your dreams fulfilled.