In the northeast corner of downtown Beijing, opposite the National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature is a small coffee shop named Many People’s Cafe. Its striking green signboard bearing the odd name frequently causes passersby to stop for a glance at the cafe. The name was inspired by the fact that 80 different owners, with an average age of 25, hold shares in the establishment. They call such a commercial mode “micro business.”

The idea to establish a small cafe with diverse shareholders was conceived by a white-collar worker with the internet screenname “Mosquito Girl.” On January 6, 2011, she wrote in a forum, “Everyday when I sit at my computer desk in my office, I dream of sipping a cup of coffee while bathing in sunshine. Once, the idea to open my own cafe dawned on me... I hope that all who embrace a similar dream can join me in consolidating our money and time. Our coffee shop can be called Many People’s Cafe.”

The post attracted wide attention throughout the Chinese blogosphere soon after its publication. Within several days, more than 20 netizens expressed intention to invest. One week later, they established an online group named Many People’s Cafe, which would become the name of their coffee shop.

Later, after several face-to-face meetings, the group members gradually established mutual trust and reached a consensus on the kind of a cafe they would open. Eventually, 80 independent investors from a variety of places and backgrounds raised funds totaling 410,000 yuan. Ultimately, the 190-square-meter cafe featuring simple, pastoral-styled decorations became reality.

“The 80 shareholders are the most loyal customers,” smiles Mosquito Girl with confidence in the concept of the cafe. “Each of them has at least five friends who get coffee at our shop, so we have at least 400 regular customers. If each of these 400 regular customers had five friends...”

However, the seemingly-idealistic slogan, “everyone is the boss”, and the rarely-duplicated business mode have aroused doubts from the very beginning.