A graduate student from Shenzhen University is realizing his entrepreneurial dream by selling fruit via WeChat, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.

    Liao Xiuyu, 22, a graduate with a degree in physics, has a monthly sales volume of 100,000 yuan (US$16,010) from his WeChat fruit-selling business. Liao said he was inspired to start his business after getting encouragement from a friend who enjoyed a fruit salad Liao had made.

    Liao was already active in doing business via social media. He previously ran a restaurant and sold clothes and other items through an online store. He was also the leader of a student entrepreneur club.

    Once Liao decided to start the fruit business, he acted quickly. During winter vacation, he started working on his business plan with four other students. Their business model was simple: use WeChat as the distribution channel and hire students to deliver the fruit to clients. The service was unexpectedly welcomed by other students at the university. After only a couple of months, Liao was employing over a hundred workers and had a sales volume of over 50,000 yuan a month.

    After finding success on campus, Liao and his team decided to expand the business to the surrounding Hi-Tech Industrial Park area, a place where thousands of people work.

    By the end of June, Liao’s team reached a sales volume of more than 100,000 yuan, half of which came from clients in the industrial park.

    Liao only gets about five hours of sleep a night and all of his profits are being invested back into the business. Growing up in the Internet age, Liao is a firm believer in an economy driven by followers.

    Most of his employees are students who work part-time both for money and fun. “We’re planning some experience-sharing parties and singles’ parties for our clients, most of whom are young people. We don’t want only to sell fruit, but we also want to create joy and spread a positive energy,” he said.(Anna Zhao)