How Can Ganzhou Furniture Break Through in 2026?

A few days ago, Li Donglai gave a speech on how companies can operate well
and break through difficulties in today’s saturated furniture market.
I strongly agree with his views.

I have worked in the furniture industry for more than 30 years. Starting
as an apprentice carpenter in 1993, I have been running my own business
for over 20 years. My career has almost completely mirrored the history
of China’s furniture industry—from carpenters going door to door, to the
early stages of factory-based production, to its peak driven by real estate
and foreign trade, and then to today’s decline caused by the shrinking
real estate market and global geopolitical tensions that have created
trade barriers.

“Involution, involution, involution” has become the common cry of the
industry. Faced with this reality, I can’t help but ask myself:
how can we break through in 2026?

The Answer Is Products

Yes—products.

Maybe because I come from a craftsman’s background, I can’t talk about
grand theories. But I firmly believe that no matter how business models
or sales channels change, products are always
the core. Product is king. With truly good products, selling
becomes much easier.

In recent years, I’ve seen several Ganzhou furniture companies fall into
serious trouble—yet recover because they nailed the right product. For
example, one company accidentally succeeded with an embossed white-lacquer
bed and suddenly took off. Another was the first to focus on vintage-style
furniture and revived its entire business within a year. There are
countless such examples.

(As an aside, I may be better suited to be a product manager. At every
sharing session, I talk about products, while Mr. Liao prefers talking
about business models 😊.)

Focus on a Niche to Survive

I often give this advice: when your capital strength and scale are far
smaller than your competitors’, how do you survive in the cracks?
You must focus on a segmented product niche.

Take sofas as an example:

• Do you focus on appearance and design?
• Comfort?
• Functionality?
• Young consumers or middle-aged and elderly users?
• Large apartments, small apartments, rural self-built homes, or villas?

You cannot do everything. Choose one specific point and go deep—so deep
that you become one of the most recognized brands in that niche, whether
in the industry or in Ganzhou itself. Then you win.

Never try to “have it all.” If you want everything, you’ll end up with
nothing. Without competitive products, you’re just running alongside
others.

Channels Come After Products

Once you have a good product, then you talk about channels.

China’s market is highly layered and diverse. Channels are equally complex:
offline stores, e-commerce, content platforms, new retail models, new
scenarios, domestic sales, foreign trade, and more.

Just like products, channels also require focus.
Don’t spread your limited money, time, and energy across every channel.
Instead, concentrate on the channels you understand best and launch a
saturated attack—break through one channel completely.

Execution Is the Final Key

With strong products and focused channels in place, what remains is
execution.

Execution is operations. In today’s stock market era, business leaders
must return to commercial fundamentals—no shortcuts, no speculation,
no blind expansion. True mastery looks simple.

Optimize stores. Optimize production. Train sales processes. Design
bundled offerings.

Final Thought

Ultimately, a business leader must have insight, continuously improve
cognition, and build an organization capable of winning.

Only then can we truly break through.