On December 13, 2019, Beijing welcomed a warm, sunlit weekend as the inaugural session of the “Alan Song Excellence Dark Horse Lab” kicked off with vibrant energy.

Twenty‑two “hidden champions” from the consumer sector gathered in Beijing. As lead mentor, Alan Song focused on elevating the strategic vision of entrepreneurs, providing a deep analysis of macroeconomic trends and interpreting the underlying logic that connects these trends to the consumer industry—as well as how to assess the growth potential within their own market segments.

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Opening the session, Alan Song examined the choices and emerging logic of the consumer sector from a macroeconomic perspective.

Among the three drivers of economic growth—consumption, investment, and exports—consumption has undeniably become the most important engine for China’s economy during its structural transformation. Boosting domestic demand through consumption and modern services, while focusing investment on high‑tech upgrades in manufacturing, is key to sustaining China’s steady growth in the years ahead.

In the second module, Alan Song analyzed the new logic shaping consumption and discussed how enterprises can manage and create both internal and external value based on evolving consumer demand.

As Alan noted, **“The consumer industry shouldn’t just focus on supply—that’s merely doing business. To build an enduring enterprise, you must start from the customer’s needs and manage the lifetime value of your consumers.”**

Over the two‑day program, Alan also conducted in‑depth project diagnostics with participants and encouraged peer‑to‑peer learning through interactive workshops. He emphasized that the goal of the Dark Horse Lab is not just to teach, but also to foster mutual assessment and insight among the entrepreneurs themselves.

Entrepreneurship is about carving possibility out of seeming impossibility. In this economic winter, Harvest Capital is committed to contributing its modest energy to ignite a field of starlight—equipping private entrepreneurs with the tools to thrive and continuing to believe in the future of Chinese consumption.

More highlights and insights to come—stay tuned.