Siheyuan: If you ruin the reputation of the whole courtyard, I will move out

"I plan to create a trading company, collect scarce materials from the south, and then sell them in the capital. I will start with a small shop to accumulate funds, and then gradually expand. The long-term goal is to open a department store in the capital."

The experienced businessman immediately pointed out the difficulty: "Transporting from the south to the north is a feasible strategy, but how to deliver it efficiently is the key challenge."

In response to this statement, Zhang Yu smiled and said: "This is the winning strategy in business competition. I believe that transportation facilities will be more convenient in the future. Don't worry, I know the limits."

.....

As the Lou family enters the mainland market at an increasingly rapid pace, their lives will frequently cross between the north and the south.

Regarding the construction of the factory, Zhang Yu expressed his own opinion: "I think Shenzhen has more investment value than Guangzhou."

“But Guangzhou is more competitive?”

Zhang Yu calmly analyzed: "Because of this, Shenzhen's growth potential is unlimited, and it has greater geostrategic value for us."

......

After bidding farewell to the Lou family, Zhang Yu returned to the market with a full load of clothes and men's shoes. Because of the large purchase volume, he received a special price discount and planned to send part of the goods to Sijiu City to test the waters. He was confident in the turnover of goods and believed that warehousing was more convenient than transportation.

This purchase cost him 3,000 yuan, and he successfully bought a batch of goods. The news spread quickly throughout Guangzhou. However, if the inventory was insufficient, his wallet might be hit hard.

Zhang Yu was exhausted as he took the train home, and he longed for the high-speed rail to be put into use as soon as possible to facilitate his travel.

After returning home, he showed Zhao Zihao his latest purchases. Seeing this batch of goods, Zhao Zihao was surprised and said, "Brother, where did you get all these fine products?"

Touching the clothes, Zhao Zihao felt the unique material and said, "These clothes will definitely find people who like them in Beijing." He then asked, "Will this kind of design, which is hard to find locally, be popular?"

Zhao Zihao said confidently: "Yes, with excellent quality and unique design, it will definitely become a trend."

Afterwards, Zhang Yu showed Zhao Zihao his leather shoes and asked him to help promote them. "There are still a batch of leather shoes left, please help me promote them."

After receiving the high heels, Zhao Zihao praised them highly. Obviously, the demand for shoes far exceeded that for clothes. He curiously asked, "How much stock do you have now?"

"There are about 500 shirts, 1,000 pairs of jeans, and about 4,000 pairs of shoes," Zhang Yu told the reporter honestly.

After hearing this, Zhao Zihao immediately gave the price: "17 yuan per shirt, 20 yuan per trousers, 30 yuan per shoe, and I will be responsible for the sales."

Zhang Yu pondered: The shirt costs 10 yuan, the jeans 12 yuan, and the shoes 25 yuan. The total profit is expected to reach yuan.

Trusting each other, they agreed to discuss the remaining amount after the goods were sold out, without worrying about the other party's breach of contract. They thought that sufficient inventory would support them for a while, but they did not expect the purchasing power of Beijing citizens to be so strong that within just two months, Zhao Zihao came to Zhang Yu with an envelope containing 30,000 yuan - all the goods had been sold out.

"They were all sold out so quickly?" Zhang Yu couldn't believe it when looking at the envelope.

Zhao Zihao's face was full of excitement: "There are still some left unsold, this part is considered a refund. Are you ready for the next purchase plan?"

"Why is it selling so quickly?" Zhang Yu asked in confusion.

Zhao Zihao slightly exaggerated: "You know, these clothes are even more popular than the drama!"

At the beginning, the sales were not satisfactory. Since the new products had just been launched, the demand for trying on was not strong, especially for shirts and jeans, which few people actually tried on. Zhao Zihao tried on the clothes himself and immediately set off a trend in the market. The store traffic increased sharply and the goods were quickly sold out. If it weren't for the large inventory of leather shoes, he might have needed to purchase more from Zhang Yu.

"Brother Zhang, someone once came to me and said that if I don’t get an individual business license, I won’t be able to continue my business. Do you understand the importance of this document?" Zhao Zihao confided.

"It looks like your operations are getting on track," Zhang Yu replied. "It's faster than expected. You can apply for a business license without any worries. We have already implemented this regulation here. It's not possible to do business without a license."

Zhao Zihao then asked: "So, the national policy has begun to relax restrictions on this industry?"

Unwavering determination

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "Indeed, you don't have to worry about running your business anymore. You can consider renting a store to start your business."

"What's the point of renting a store? It's such a waste!" Zhao Zihao said nonchalantly.

"Believe me, try to rent it first. If you have the chance to buy it directly, it would be better, but the possibility is very small. At least you have to wait until the real estate industry policy is clear." Then he added.

"In the future, we will accomplish great things together. I will handle the sourcing and transportation of goods, you will be responsible for the sales of the goods, and the profits will be distributed in a 50-50 split." He gave Zhao Zihao a suggestion for cooperation.

Faced with the invitation, Zhao Zihao was somewhat shaken: "Are you really going to give up your civil service position, Lao Zhang?"

Zhang Yu confessed: "I no longer look forward to returning to the system."

Although Zhao Zihao could not fully understand the meaning of this sentence, he did not easily judge Zhang Yu's determination to join the business. In this era of change, the value of a stable civil servant job is hard to measure. If Zhao Zihao makes a choice, he may also tend to seek the path of entrepreneurship unless he really has no other choice.

"You go ahead and apply for a business license and rent a shop. I'll submit my resignation from the factory tomorrow morning and start purchasing right away. I'm determined to do this."

After returning home, Zhang Yu and He Yushui began to discuss the business in detail. As for Li Shufen, although she was taciturn, her reaction to this matter was very strong.

"No, no! You should work hard in the factory, why do you want to do such a small business?" Li Shufen advised earnestly, "Son, you are already the head of the drivers, Director Yang trusts you very much, and you have unlimited prospects. Why do you want to get involved in these trivial matters?"

Zhang Yu retorted: “Two months ago, I went to Yangcheng to purchase goods and made a net profit of 50,000 yuan.”

Li Shufen was stunned, and even her breathing seemed to be disordered. "Do you really make that much? How much is it?" she asked.

"Fifty thousand yuan." Zhang Yu took out the bag given by Zhao Zihao and placed it on the table, looking at Li Shufen's shocked eyes.

He Yushui, who had long known about Zhang Yu's private business, was not surprised. However, Zhang Yan, who was only six years old, did not seem to understand the value of the money.

"In an era when one can earn 50 yuan a month, it is difficult for an average worker to earn such a sum in his lifetime." Li Shufen's words were filled with disbelief.

Zhang Yu sincerely said: "I have been doing underground business for many years and earned about 120,000 yuan."

This amount shocked Li Shufen and made her feel uneasy. "Will I be arrested by the police if I earn this much?" she asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, the country is now open and business development is being strongly encouraged. My partner has already started applying for a store license and is preparing to find a formal storefront to operate." Zhang Yu said comfortingly, "Godmother, please believe me, I have thought carefully about my decision to resign. I think doing so will make our lives better."

"Our life is already pretty good. You see, most families can eat meat every day. That's why we are content with what we have." Li Shufen responded.

However, Zhang Yu insisted: "You will understand sooner or later, godmother."

Then he turned to He Yushui and said sincerely: "Yuer, I hope you can stand behind me and support me."

He Yushui said: "No matter what choice you make, I will fully support you. However, there is one thing I need to make clear: I respect your entrepreneurial plan, but I don't want to withdraw from my current job. I will continue to stick to the factory and make sure we have a way out. Regardless of the success or failure of your business, the foundation of our family will be there."

After listening to He Yushui's words, Zhang Yu hugged her deeply: "Okay, I accept your suggestion."

Most people thought Zhang Yu was impulsive when he decided to resign and start a small business. Even Director Yang held this attitude. He wanted to dissuade him immediately and keep him in office, but because of Zhang Yu's determination, he failed to retain the talent in the end.

During his trip to Guangzhou, Zhang Yu hoped to have more time to optimize his purchasing channels. He believed that the original pricing was too high and hoped to contact the manufacturers directly to gain a larger profit margin and bypass numerous agents.

Half a month later, Zhang Yu solved the pricing problem and returned to Beijing with 10,000 pairs of women's leather shoes and some clothes. At the same time, Zhao Zihao successfully obtained a business license and found an ideal store, which he opened next to Zhangfujing.

The store was under the jurisdiction of the community, with a monthly rent of 5 yuan, a ten-year contract, and an annual increase of %. After Zhang Yu personally visited the location, he was very satisfied and immediately invited Zhang Lichun to renovate the store again.

A month later, "Taohuo Zhang" opened, and Zhang Yu even lit firecrackers to attract customers. However, to his surprise, there was no business in the first three days, which puzzled Zhao Zihao.

When the store was secretly operated, it was very popular, but now that it is open for business, customers are so few and far between that they are almost non-existent.

Feeling confused and puzzled, he looked at the bustling crowd on the street, and saw Zhao Zihao standing outside the door loudly promoting sales, but no one entered the store.

Although the store had been open for three days, no deal had been made. Zhang Yu was surprised and looked forward to finding an answer. Perhaps because he was overworked, Zhao Zihao came in and sat next to Zhang Yu to drink tea. There was a heavy feeling in the air.

Zhang Yu stood up and suggested, "Let me take a walk around the neighborhood. Maybe I can get some inspiration."

After bidding farewell to the store, Zhang Yu strolled to the bustling Zhangfujing Street, where people were thronging and full of energy. He had thought that the popularity of Zhangfujing would bring him good luck, but it did not happen. After deep thought, he returned to the store and began to analyze the reasons for the slow business.

He explained to Zhao Zihao: "I think I understand the crux of the problem. Maybe we opened the store too suddenly, and consumers have not yet fully adapted to accepting private store products."

Zhao Zihao got the general idea, but was still confused: "How long does this mean we have to wait? The current investment is not small, and we have to consider other expenses."

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment and proposed a strategy: "Try to hire some people to pretend to be real consumers. The more people the better. Even if it's just a performance, I'm willing to invest an appropriate budget." Zhao Zihao, who was quick to react, quickly understood what Zhang Yu meant and quickly left the store to find suitable candidates.

However, Zhang Yu underestimated Zhao Zihao's ability. After more than an hour, he had brought more than 20 "customers", including their families such as Niu Meili and Zhao Duojin. They were all busy shopping for clothes and shoes, attracting a large number of passers-by. "Auntie, how is the quality of the things here? It should be convenient to buy them back?" Such voices kept floating in the small shop.

"Don't worry, we are a formal business with national certification and business license." Like a real buyer, Niu Meili guarantees the quality and integrity of the products for customers. Someone nearby echoed: "See, the clothes here are very fashionable, and you can hardly find such designs outside." Everyone praised the quality of the clothes.

With the encouragement effect of those seemingly real shoppers, more potential customers are attracted, and the dazzling array of merchandise is very exciting.

At this moment, Zhang Yu's figure suddenly appeared in the crowd: "The products in our store are the latest designs directly supplied from Yangcheng. All the leather shoes in the store are made of high-quality yellow cowhide, which is absolutely trustworthy." Every product is convincing. Seeing that the person who made an excuse took decisive action, others also began to move.

Gradually, the business of "Taohuo Zhang" began to pick up, and people queuing up to shop slowly formed a picture. In this way, day by day, new customers poured in every day. A week later, "Taohuo Zhang" became famous in Beijing and became a hot spot for finding fashionable clothes - if you want to find trendy clothes, accessories and shoes, this place should not be missed.

The products carefully selected by Zhang Yu are of high quality and low price, slightly better than the national standards, and at the same time uniquely designed and unparalleled, which is the reason for their popularity.

After overcoming the initial difficulties, the number of customers of "Taohuo Zhang" increased rapidly like bamboo shoots in spring, and Zhao Zihao's smile was full of joy every day. The most popular among customers were those novel women's leather shoes, whose unique designs quickly attracted many young ladies to patronize.

After a busy month, when checking the accounts, the two were surprised to find that the monthly sales had exceeded the 100,000 mark. Looking at the bill, Zhao Zihao asked in disbelief: "Is there really no mistake? One million in sales, minus the cost, the net profit exceeds more than 50,000 yuan."

Zhang Yu calmly analyzed: "Of course, taxes have to be deducted, and the net profit is only about 20,000 yuan."

After hearing this, Zhao Zihao said in a slightly exaggerated tone: "Even so, we can still make a net profit of nearly 10,000 yuan a month. In this way, we can make 120,000 yuan a year."

Facing this achievement, Zhang Yu smiled and said: "You seem to be calmer than before. I remember that you were anxious no matter how much income you had. Now everything is better. The money comes cleanly and refreshingly, right?