🟠 BrandLand #07. Bohan Zhang, founder & CEO of PopuMusic
Making music accessible to everyone via gamification 🎶.
Welcome to BrandLand 👋: We tell stories about impactful brands from around the world.
🎙️ Today is time for interview #07
Today’s e-com BrandLand guest is… 🙌 Bohan Zhang!
Bohan Zhang, founder & CEO of PopuMusic 🎹🎶, a Chinese brand founded in 2015 that specialises in developing instruments that are easy to self-learn via gamification. The brand develops both the software and the hardware. Bruce (Bohan’s Western name) studied economics & finance and was awarded 2017 Forbes Asia 30U30.
Topics at a glance:
💬 Conversation topics
✍️ Key learnings from the interview
🕑 Time stamps and topics
💬 Conversation topics
Bruce's passion for music and education drives him to make music accessible to all. He's committed to fusion gamification and musical learning since he believes that music should be accessible to all. A part from mentioning the benefits of such fusion, like simplifying the learning process, Bruce also talks about…
…his passion for music and for making music accessible for everyone
…the role of innovation in PopuMusic
…the importance of a user-centered model
…PopuMusic global expansion starting from China
…the role of strategic partnerships like Xiaomi in their growth
…how luck can help your business
…the benefits of handling software development, content creation and operations in-house
…why they use crowdfunding campaigns
…the marketing & financial set-up
And much more!
✍️ Key learnings from the interview
The key insights we've gained from the interview include:
Passion and vision: Bruce emphasises the importance of having a passion for what you do and a clear vision for your company. He strongly believes that passion is what keeps entrepreneurs going even in the face of challenges.
"Music education should be a joyful experience. We want to provide a fun, colorful, and engaging way for people to learn music." - Bruce
Innovation and technology: PopuMusic merges technology and music instruments to make music learning more accessible and enjoyable. Bruce believes that technology can simplify the process of learning music.This highlights the importance of innovation in traditional industries.
"The whole society and technology are driving the instrument area into a new phase where people have a different understanding of how to learn music." - Bruce
Global Expansion: Popu Music started as a Chinese company but aims to expand globally. Bruce sees the Chinese market as a test for expanding to the global market.
"China is just like a test area for us. The real battle is happening in the global market." - Bruce
Xiaomi Partnership: Xiaomi is an investor in Popu Music, but Bruce mentions that their involvement is mainly strategic, and they do not interfere with day-to-day operations.
In-House development: Popu Music handles software development, content creation, and most operations in-house, highlighting the advantages of an integrated approach.
"Everything besides manufacturing is in-house. We have our app team, tech team, and content team." - Bruce
Overall, Bruce shows passion, innovation and a strategic use of technology to transform a traditional industry. Watch the full interview to learn more on how PopuMusic started and what their next steps are 👇:
Below you can find the exact times when discussing a specific topic. This allows you to move back and forth where you find the most interest. Enjoy it! 👇
🕑 Time stamps and topics
(00:00) Snippet
(01:50) Bruce’s connection to music
(08:02) Beginnings of PopuMusic (funds, first prototypes, USPs…)
(25:55) Yes or no questions
(37:25) Marketing & sales
(27:40) Product pipeline & materials
(46:03) Financing, profitability & funding rounds.
(50:41) Personal questions (salary, biggest fuckup and favourite brand besides PopuMusic)
Thinking about bringing your e-com brand to Switzerland? 🇨🇭
Do you have an impactful brand and want to bring it to Switzerland? Book a meeting with our founders to get to know each other 😃
Jens Bergermann: Working in purchasing & sales of consumer brands for over 8 years.
Previously helped to scale DeinDeal.ch and Amorana.ch until exits. Passionate about branding and distribution strategy. Let’s talk!
Nicolas Huxley: Building brands on Shopify for over 9 years.
Previously founded Elephbo.com and Tauschtoni.com. Love to build and support brands with purpose. Happy to jump on a call!
👈 Previous interview
On the previous interview we had a chat with Mateusz Haberny, founder & CEO of Oakywood 🪵🪚, a Polish brand founded in 2017 that specialises in workspaces accessories and customized desks made of wood. Their priorities are sustainability and quality 🤝 . Mateusz has a masters in IT & econometrics and founded the company together with his father and brother. Check the interview to learn how the company went from a family business to a team of 30 👇:
Do you have something to say?
We’re always happy to receive feedback!