Student Question:
Master Chi, hello. I have a career direction question I’d like to ask your guidance on.
I’m currently working as a project lead for outside-hospital product sales at a distributor company. The products are gynecological HPV treatments — sanitization-category items and gynecological gel. We operate through the outside-hospital pharmacy channel. I’ve been running this model for half a year, but the boss keeps switching the products we represent — there’s been instability along the way, and our actual time in the market is short.
As for the outside-hospital landscape: gynecology products account for roughly 50% of the market, with HPV treatments taking the dominant share. The rest are peripheral categories. Competition in this segment has been building since 2015.
On a personal note: I’ve always been a diligent salesperson with strong execution. Before vaccines, I came under your influence and got interested in POCT (Point-of-Care Testing). As an individual contractor last year, I installed several dozen POCT machines at grassroots clinics for inflammation diagnostics. After COVID this year, the returns started coming in — that income has already exceeded my primary outside-hospital work.
Thank you, Master Chi. Honestly, even without the COVID situation, those machines would have functioned like small ATMs, generating steady income.
After that experience I moved into outside-hospital work, mainly because it offered a management track — project team lead. Looking back over these months, I can handle it comfortably.
But I worry about the future. From the perspective of long-term industry planning, industry ceiling, and personal resource accumulation, I lean toward the space that’s already been giving me positive returns. The problem is my POCT foundation is thin — making the switch would mean giving up my current management position and starting again as a regular employee.
Some industries get smaller and more regulated over time. Others expand — growing lighter, larger, more transparent, even something worth passing down. For me, choosing an industry is a matter I approach with reverence. But I’m also aware my understanding is limited, and I can’t quite sort out the priorities.
So I come to you again, Master Chi: between outside-hospital sales and skin POCT — choose one, go all in — which would you pick?
I’m afraid of climbing the right ladder against the wrong wall. This is a question of direction, and getting it wrong is fatal.
Master Chi’s Response:
Throughout your messages, you’ve expressed yourself with exceptionally precise logic — that’s excellent. Effective expression is what allows you to get things done. The ancients said: “If words lack order, thoughts cannot exist.” Your clear logic shows your thinking is sharp.
Back in 2020, I wrote that POCT is a good business — especially for individuals. Those who listened have basically made money over the past two or three years. Revenue explosions of 5x to 10x are everywhere right now. You saw that information, you executed, you got results, you made money — and you came back to report it. That’s strong execution.
Your boss kept cycling through products rather than moving upstream. That signals insufficient ambition and drive. Staying here, the odds of breaking through are slim. Being a small team lead at a small distributor is not a meaningful position.
My personal recommendation: increase your POCT investment. Aim to open your own company within one to two years.
In our community, there are already around ten people who restarted from scratch and crossed the ten-million-yuan revenue mark. Feel free to reach out to me — if the territory works, I can help you map out a path. Wishing you success.
II
Student Question:
Master Chi, hello. I’m currently an R&D manager at a top-three company in the industry, with an annual salary of around 450,000 RMB. If I were to change jobs, I could get an offer of around 600,000 RMB.
My former leader is starting a medical device company — currently around ten people, with two products. One of the products overlaps with what I currently work on; I have nearly ten years of deep product development experience in this area. That product has entered mass production and is the company’s primary revenue driver, with annual revenue currently around 10 million RMB.
The second product is pending regulatory registration. He’s invited me to join as head of R&D, with an annual salary of 250,000 RMB plus equity — the equity terms haven’t been discussed yet.
How do I choose? If I go, should I negotiate the equity terms first? This is a major life decision that requires caution — especially on the equity question.
Master Chi’s Response:
You’re currently earning 500,000–600,000 RMB as a technical R&D manager. Going directly to a startup with only 10 million in annual revenue cuts your income in half. The only thing that can compensate for that cash-flow loss is future upside — so if you’re truly going, the equity terms must be locked in first.
As for how to decide: spend some time looking into investors in this industry. We have people from the investment side in our community. You’ll find that many companies raise multiple funding rounds and still collapse in the end — and plenty of founders practice the “use the donkey, then slaughter it once the grinding is done” approach. Analyze your own risk tolerance, and your confidence in both the project and your former leader.
If your former leader hasn’t proactively brought up equity himself, you should be on guard.
How much equity you can get depends on your specific contribution. The company already has over ten people and is generating revenue — the odds of a generous stake are not high. Being placed in an employee stock pool is the most likely outcome. Without seeing the specific project and terms, I can’t give you a precise answer. You’re welcome to connect with the investors in our community — they can offer guidance, and there may even be opportunities for collaboration. Wishing you success.