Siheyuan: Selling antiques? Only making 28,000 RMB from 30,000 RMB

"Uncle Yi, you've been really troubled today." Zhou Dong said with a smile.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, "It's a small matter. Come, sit down."

After the two sat down, Yi Zhonghai picked up a piece of braised pork for Zhou Dong and said, "Try this. I spent a long time learning how to make it so well."

Zhou Dong ate it in one bite and praised, "It's delicious, Uncle Yi, your cooking skills are not worse than mine."

Yi Zhonghai laughed, "You are a sweet talker. I dare not compete with you. Your snack bar business is so good, all thanks to your cooking skills." "No, I am still learning, and there are many areas that need improvement."

Share entrepreneurial experience

Yi Zhonghai poured a glass of wine and handed it to Zhou Dong. "Little Zhou Dong, let's not talk about anything else today, just talk about your entrepreneurial experience. I have always admired you. It takes a lot of courage to quit your job and start a business."

Zhou Dong took the glass, thought for a moment, and said, "Uncle Yi, I was actually very hesitant at first. After all, giving up a stable job to start a business is very risky. But I always think that young people should have dreams and aspirations. Although it is very hard now, I think it is worth it."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in agreement, "Yes, young people should be motivated. When I was young, I also had such thoughts, but there were fewer opportunities in that era, and I didn't have as many choices as you do now."

Zhou Dong looked at Yi Zhonghai gratefully, “Uncle Yi, you have always been my role model, and your encouragement is very important to me.”

Yi Zhonghai patted Zhou Dong on the shoulder and said, "Little Zhou Dong, I believe in you. As long as you persevere, you will succeed."

Neighborhood support

A few days later, Zhou Dong's snack bar welcomed a group of special customers - the neighbors of the courtyard. Qin Huairu, Liu Haizhong, Jia Dongxu and others came, and they decided to support Zhou Dong's business with practical actions.

"Zhou Dong, we are all here to show our support today." Qin Huairu said with a smile.

Liu Haizhong nodded, "Yes, I heard that you recently launched a new dish, so we came here specially to try it."

Zhou Dong felt warm in his heart. All snacks today are free, everyone can eat as much as they want. "

Jia Dongxu teased, "Zhou Dong, don't lose money, we are big eaters." The atmosphere suddenly became lively.

Zhou Dong personally cooked and prepared a table full of delicious dishes for his neighbors, and everyone chatted and laughed while eating.

Qin Huairu tasted the spicy tofu skewers made by Zhou Dong, "Zhou Dong, this dish is absolutely amazing, it tastes so good!"

Liu Haizhong also praised it highly, "Yes, this taste can't be tasted anywhere else."

Zhou Dong smiled modestly and said, "Please come often in the future. I will continue to improve and make better dishes."

"Xiaomei, long time no see!" Zhou Dong, long time no see. "Come on, come on, full of praise, Zhou Dong, Zhou Dong found out," Zhou Dong, "Write it out? Nodding, "Okay, then write it out."

then,

Yi Zhonghai's suggestions

Once, Yi Zhonghai invited Zhou Dong to his home again, and the two chatted while drinking tea.

"Xiao Zhoudong, your snack bar is doing good business now. Have you thought about your next move?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

Zhou Dong thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Yi, I am indeed considering expanding my business, but both funding and manpower are issues." "Yes, these two points are the most difficult in the early stages of starting a business. However, I have a suggestion, I wonder if you are willing to listen to it."

Zhou Dong quickly said, "Uncle Yi, if you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me. I will listen to them with an open mind."

Yi Zhonghai smiled and said, "I think you can consider cooperating with some time-honored snack shops and learning from each other. This will not only improve your skills, but also help you expand your influence with their fame." "Uncle Yi, this is a great suggestion! I only thought about doing it myself before, and never considered the possibility of cooperation."

Yi Zhonghai continued, "Also, you can increase the popularity of your store among the neighbors through some community activities. For example, hold some free tasting events and invite everyone to taste the food."

Zhou Dong nodded repeatedly, "Uncle Yi, you really enlightened me. I will consider these suggestions carefully."

Success of community activities

Soon, Zhou Dong began planning a community food tasting event. He carefully prepared some signature snacks and invited the neighbors in the courtyard to participate.

On the day of the event, the courtyard was bustling with people coming to taste Zhou Dong's snacks. Not only did they taste them themselves, but they also brought many friends with them.

“Zhou Dong, this event was really well organized. Not only did we enjoy the food, but we also made a lot of new friends.

Qin Huairu also agreed, "Yes, Zhou Dong, your cooking skills are getting better and better, and everyone likes it. I will hold more activities like this in the future so that everyone can have fun together."

Yi Zhonghai also came. He was very satisfied with Zhou Dong's performance. "Little Zhou Dong, such activities can not only enhance the popularity of your store, but also increase the cohesion of the community." "Uncle Yi, these are all your suggestions. I just followed them."

Zhou Dong keeps improving

As time went by, Zhou Dong's snack bar became more and more popular. He not only mastered more cooking skills, but also learned how to operate and manage it better. Yi Zhonghai's advice and the support of his neighbors gave him unlimited motivation.

One day, he suddenly received a call from someone who claimed to be the head of a time-honored snack bar and hoped to cooperate with Zhou Dong.

"Boss Zhou Dong, I'm Manager Zhang from the time-honored snack bar 'Tong Le Xuan'. I heard that your cooking skills are very good. We would like to cooperate with you. I wonder if you are interested?" Manager Zhang said on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Dong was very surprised. "Manager Zhang, it's my honor that you came to me. I am very willing to cooperate."

Manager Zhang smiled and said, we can arrange a time to discuss it in detail. "

Zhou Dong hung up the phone

Liu Haizhong was jealous of Zhou Dong.

Zhou Dong has a handsome face and a tall figure.

Jealousy in the bangs

Although Zhou Dong's snack bar business is getting better and better, not everyone is happy for him. Liu Haizhong, an old resident of the courtyard, is jealous of Zhou Dong's success. He always feels that he has worked in the factory for so many years without much achievement, while Zhou Dong, a young man, can be so successful, which makes him feel very unbalanced.

One day, Liu Haizhong met Jia Dongxu in the yard and deliberately mentioned Zhou Dong's matter.

"Dongxu, do you think Zhou Dong can always be so successful?

Jia Dongxu was a little puzzled, "Brother Haizhong, what do you mean? Isn't Zhou Dong's business doing well now?"

Liu Haizhong sneered, "Business is good? That's temporary. I heard that his snack bar has had some problems recently, and there aren't as many customers as before."

Jia Dongxu asked doubtfully, "Really? Why haven't I heard of it?"

Liu Haizhong continued to provoke, "Think about it, Zhou Dong is a young man, how can he know anything about business? It looks prosperous now, but it won't be long before problems arise."

Jia Dongxu nodded thoughtfully, but did not completely believe what Liu Haizhong said.

Spread of rumors

Liu Haizhong's words gradually spread in the yard, and some neighbors began to doubt Zhou Dong's snack bar. Qin Huairu met Liu Haizhong in the yard and couldn't help asking: "Brother Haizhong, I heard that there is something wrong with Zhou Dong's snack bar. Is it true?"

Liu Haizhong pretended to be mysterious and said, "Oh, I heard about it too. It is said that he recently bought a batch of stale ingredients, and the customers are not very satisfied."

Qin Huairu frowned, "What should we do? Zhou Dong has been working very hard. If there is really a problem, we should help him."

Liu Haizhong sneered, "Help? How can I help? He doesn't pay attention to it, so he has to bear the consequences if something goes wrong."

Zhou Dong's confusion

Zhou Dong gradually felt that there were indeed fewer customers in the store, but he did not find the specific reason. One night, he and Yi Zhonghai talked about this in the yard.

"Uncle Yi, I feel like the business in our store has been declining recently, but I don't know what went wrong." Zhou Dong said with a frown.

Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Zhoudong, it is normal for business to have ups and downs. You need to analyze calmly and find out the root cause of the problem." "Uncle Yi, I think so too. Recently, I noticed that some customers seem to be dissatisfied with our ingredients."

Yi Zhonghai patted his shoulder and said, "Then you should start with the ingredients and see if there is a problem with the supply channel. Also, the reputation among neighbors is also very important. You can talk to customers more and listen to their feedback."

Zhou Dong thought for a moment, "Thank you, Uncle Yi. I will look into it carefully."

uncover the truth

Zhou Dong decided to go to the market to investigate the supply channels in person to ensure that every ingredient was fresh and high-quality. At the same time, he also began to communicate more with customers to understand their real thoughts.

One day, Zhou Dong met an old acquaintance in the market - Lao Li, the owner of a snack stand.

"Uncle Li, how is business lately?" Zhou Dong asked with a smile.

Old Li shook his head. "It's OK, but the competition is getting more and more intense. Xiao Zhoudong, your snack bar business is doing well, right?"

Zhou Dong smiled bitterly, "We also encountered some problems. The customers seemed to be dissatisfied with the ingredients. I came here specially to take a look today."

Lao Li nodded, "You did it right, the ingredients are the basis. But, Xiao Zhoudong, I heard someone is saying bad things about your snack bar behind your back, you have to be careful." "Who is it?"

Lao Li said mysteriously, "I don't know who it is, but it seems to have come from your yard."

Zhou Dong's heart sank and he decided to go back and investigate thoroughly.

The truth is out

After returning to the courtyard, Zhou Dong found Qin Huairu and wanted to find out what was going on.

"Sister Qin, has anyone in the yard been saying bad things about our snack bar recently?" Zhou Dong asked directly.

Qin Huairu was a little embarrassed, but still told the truth, "Zhou Dong, some people did say that the ingredients in your snack bar are not fresh. It seems that it was spread by Brother Haizhong."

After hearing this, Zhou Dong felt a chill in his heart, "Brother Haizhong? Why would he do this?"

Qin Huairu sighed, "Brother Haizhong might be jealous of you. He thinks you are young and promising, so he feels unbalanced."