The process of extending New Century's business to Shenghai and Jiangsu Province was smoother than expected.
The Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Lu regions are similar in geography, culture, language and customs. They are all economically developed regions with close ties to each other. Even local television and newspaper media often report news about the other two regions.
New Century already has more than 200 stores, and the number is still increasing day by day. An enterprise of this size is a frequent guest in the provincial media, and it also appears from time to time in the media of Shenghai and Jiangsu Province, and has long been known to some people.
It is much easier for a brand that has been successful in Lin'an to gain recognition and trust from Shenghai and consumers in Jiangsu Province than for companies in other provinces.
If you are a brand with its headquarters in other provinces, it will not be easy to enter the Shenghai or Jiangsu market.
It would be useless even if a company grows as fast as New World and has more than 200 stores.
In fact, as early as half a year ago, investors who were interested in joining Shenghai and Su Province had already appeared one after another.
Merchants in these two regions have a keen sense of smell. If they couldn't make money, New Century would not have opened direct stores and franchise stores so crazily. It must be profitable, and the profit of this model would not be small.
However, at that time, New Century was busy cultivating the provincial market and had not yet released investment and franchise plans in other provinces, so it had no time to take care of it. Therefore, the Commission rejected these investors and told these potential investors that the investment plans in the two regions would be opened later.
Then, starting from November 1st, the investment plan was released, and many of the potential investors who had been eyeing us before came to visit.
At the same time, New Century also launched a media offensive in Shenghai and Jiangsu Province. The natural influence of New Century radiating from Zhejiang Province to the other two regions was not enough, and it had to be fueled by advertising.
New Century’s loans have officially exceeded 100 million.
If you expand your business from one province to three provinces, you will definitely have to spend more money, after all, the layout is more impressive.
Despite such a huge debt, Su Zelin was not at all panicked.
There are two types of commercial debts. One is when there are operational problems and financial pressure is so great that one has to take out loans to get through the crisis.
One reason is that the development is too fast and the funds cannot keep up, so they turn to the bank for loans so that they can further expand their territory.
New Century belongs to the latter, and banks are more willing to lend to the latter. Experience tells banks that the repayment ability of such enterprises is usually guaranteed.
What's more, the provincial government is also very optimistic and has strongly supported it on many occasions in public. The official media has awarded many corporate awards. When the top leaders met with the presidents of local banks, they even intentionally or unintentionally stated that if New Century has any funding needs, they hope the banks will take care of it as much as possible.
Therefore, as long as the number of stores of this company increases, the amount of loans issued by the bank will also increase accordingly, from the first five million, to the later thirty million, and then to over one hundred million today.
There are many large enterprises that owe money to banks. If they don't owe some money, they would be embarrassed to call themselves large enterprises. For example, the amount that Lao Wang owes is terrifying. Compared with others, the 100 million owed by New Century is just a drop in the bucket.
Dingsheng Building, New Century Headquarters, employee leisure and entertainment area.
The Big Three are playing pool again.
The staff at the billiard table next to them tactfully moved away. Firstly, they did not want to hinder the Big Three from playing, and secondly, they knew that the CEOs liked to talk about business while playing billiards, and there were some things they should not hear.
“Bang!”
Su Zelin raised his cue and a colorful ball went into the warehouse.
He stood up and asked casually, "Taojin released the Zhifubao yesterday. Did you see the news?"
“I see!”
Yang Fen and Kang Baohong nodded at the same time.
They also have the habit of checking current affairs news every day, even when they are very busy.
"What do you think?"
Su Zelin asked again.
Taojin released the third-party payment tool Alipay, which seems to be a small news and ordinary people may not pay much attention to it.
However, those with a keen business sense can detect a lot of things.
“Zhi Fu Bao may become a killer for gold rush. The convenience and reliability of payment are obstacles for e-commerce, especially online shopping. The launch of Zhi Fu Bao is expected to solve these two major problems!”
After hanging out with Su Zelin and Brother Xiao Yang for a long time, and being influenced by the two big guys, Kang Baohong's vision and analytical ability have improved greatly without him noticing, and he hit the nail on the head.
“That’s right, but this new third-party payment tool still faces many problems!”
"For example, would Guo Jia be willing to acknowledge its legal existence?"
"For example, how do we solve the problem of fund security? After all, Zhifubao is just a computer program!"
"Since it is a program, it naturally has loopholes and the possibility of being hacked!"
"Take Q coins for example. The relevant person in charge of the People's Bank of China has previously issued a statement pointing out that Q coins and other game currencies launched by online merchants do not have the virtual currency attributes stipulated by Guo Jia at all!"
"Besides, because of Q coins, a special QQ account-stealing Trojan has appeared on the Internet. The huge amount of illegal income has attracted a large number of criminals!"
"The penguin's problem is also what Zhifubao needs to face and solve!"
Yang Fen said in a deep voice.
Compared with Kang Baohong, he is always more accustomed to seeing problems and hidden dangers when examining a matter.
"You are all right!"
Hunzi affirmed the opinions of both of them.
"Gold rush is expected to make e-commerce and online shopping more convenient and reliable, and promote the development of this industry. At the same time, there are many problems that need to be solved in Zhifubao."
"But overall, this is a positive test!"
"The Internet economy is the direction and trend of future economic development. Guo Jia may have some concerns and worries during the exploration process, but from a long-term perspective, he will definitely support it. He may even enter the market sooner or later to formulate policies to support the development of the Internet economy, assist Internet companies in solving problems, and combat cybercrime."
"From a technical perspective, I think Ali is more prepared than Penguin. After all, Penguin was almost sold for one million dollars a few years ago, while Ali received two rounds of financing from 1999 to 2002, totaling 30 million US dollars. Compared with Penguin, Ali has enough funds to develop technology!"
"If the problem of this third-party payment tool is solved, its application will be far more than just buying things online. It may even be used to pay phone bills, water, electricity, gas and cable TV bills, book hotels, buy plane and train tickets, and take taxis..."
Su Zelin casually listed the application scenarios of Future Wealth Treasure, which left Yang Fen and Kang Baohong dumbfounded.
In less than ten years, all of this will be realized, but to people today it sounds like a fantasy.
"Can a rich man do so many things?"
Kang Baohong couldn't help but ask.
"It's just a bold idea. Everything is possible. Of course, it will take time to prove it. Let's wait and see whether Zhifubao will succeed or fail!"
Having said that, Yang Fen and Kang Baohong could hear Su Zelin's confidence in e-commerce from his tone.
In fact, Hunzi has always been very optimistic about this area, and even let New Century enter the market early. Not only did it open an online store on Taojin, it also prepared to form a special team to develop its own app.
At this time, many brands do not pay attention to this thing. They think that online shopping is still a long way off and may not even become a mainstream consumption method. If there are some brands that they are optimistic about, they will at most regard them as a small supplement to offline and will not invest so much energy in them.
But they all believe in Su Zelin's vision. This big boss always looks far ahead.
In the evening, after leaving the company, Su Zelin did not go to Song Yuwei's rented house for dinner, because the female assistant had made an appointment with several familiar female colleagues to have dinner and go shopping, so Su Zelin did not get involved.
He and Song Yuwei were having an underground relationship. Office romances were not illegal, but since they were in the same department and directly superior to each other, it would not have a good impact on the company if this matter were to be made public, so they still had to be a little careful.
After returning to campus, Hunzi went to the Finance Institute store.
"Hello, welcome!"
He was greeted by a strange new face.
Every new semester, a group of seniors will leave the store. After all, they have to prepare for graduation projects and internships, and their schedules are very busy, so they cannot balance study and work.
However, every employee who left was very grateful to New Century. They were all poor students, and New Century provided them with a great work-study opportunity, which reduced the pressure of tuition and living expenses, while also allowing them to learn a lot.
When senior students leave, of course new employees have to be recruited to replace them.
This unfamiliar face was a freshman. Su Zelin had not shown up at the Finance College store this semester, so he thought he was a customer.
Before Su Zelin could respond, someone came running over: "Haha, Ah Xin, you don't need to greet this guy, he's one of us, the boss of our Caiyuan store!"
It was Gray Wolf who saw Su Zelin and stepped forward to introduce him to the new employee.
"Big Boss?"
The employee named Ashin was stunned.
"Our former boss, the absolute veteran of the Caiyuan store, has the same seniority as me. He was one of the first employees of the Caiyuan store, the former store manager, and later the manager. Even store manager Xiao Liu was brought up by him!"
Gray Wolf first briefly explained the origin of the title "Old Boss", and then continued: "But Old Boss has been promoted to a senior executive at the headquarters and rarely comes to the Caiyuan store, so you haven't seen him!"
Ashin was shocked.
Oh my god, this old boss is so awesome!
From store manager to store manager, and then to headquarters executive, and he is still a college student, this is too awesome!
Seeing him in a daze, Gray Wolf patted him on the head and said, "What are you doing? Why don't you say hello to the seniors and the boss?"
This kid is not sensible.
However, it is understandable that freshmen are a little naive. After working in the store for a year or two, they will become much more experienced.
"Old old old old..."
Ashin's face turned red, and he stammered his greeting, repeating the word "old" four times.
"Haha, relax, I'm not from the Caiyuan store anymore, Gray Wolf, don't bluff others!"
Su Zelin couldn't help but laugh, as if he saw the shadows of the group of newcomers who were around him back then in the past.
"I don't have any!"
Gray Wolf complained: "I was just teaching him so that he could be smarter! Anyway, Boss, you haven't favored us for so long, I miss you so much!"
Su Zelin was a little confused: "What do you mean by favor? Do you know what this word means? Only men can favor women. Grey Wolf, if you don't understand, just pretend to be cultured!"
"Okay, so you're here to pamper Manager Xiao Liu, that's right, right?"
The gray wolf scratched his head and corrected.
Su Zelin: “…”
Although he was not here to favor Liu Wanyin, the gangster really wanted to see Liu Wanyin.
All the other senior employees resigned voluntarily, leaving only Liu Wanyin.
Xiao Liu has decided to stay in New Century and develop her career. This company is where she will do her internship, and it will not affect her job search as she has already been hired.
After chatting with Gray Wolf for a while, he walked towards the cashier counter at the back. All the old employees he met on the way greeted him.
"Boss, you're here."
When Liu Wanyin noticed him, a smile appeared on her face.
Compared to his freshman year, Xiao Liu's appearance has changed almost drastically. In addition to becoming more capable and confident, he is not as thin as before. He has gained a lot of weight and his complexion is also rosy. If you take out the photos taken during the previous team-building activities, it is hard to believe that the two are the same person.
"Shall I make you a pot of tea?"
Liu Wanyin was not sure whether Su Zelin was just coming for a stroll or would sit in the store for a while, so she asked this question.
"Haha, all right, Xiao Liu, by the way, check to see if your tea-making skills that I taught you have deteriorated!"
As he spoke, Su Zelin walked into the manager's office.
Liu Wanyin followed.
She could tell from the gangster's words that he had something important to discuss with her.
Soon, Liu Wanyin made a pot of tea, poured it for Su Zelin, and poured herself a cup.
Because of her relationship with the gangster, she not only learned how to make Kung Fu tea, but also occasionally drank a few cups herself.
After taking a sip of tea, Su Zelin praised: "Not bad, not bad. It seems that your skills have not declined. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, Boss!"
The two drank a few cups of tea and chatted for a while, then Su Zelin got to the point: "Wanyin, I came to you this time mainly to discuss something with you."
"Boss, tell me!"
Liu Wanyin put down the teapot in her hand. She had guessed it long ago.
"After some time, I hope to transfer you to the company headquarters."
The gangster said slowly.
"Company headquarters?"
Liu Wanyin was slightly moved.
"Yeah, what do you think?"
Su Zelin asked.
"Just make the arrangements, boss. I'll listen to you!"
Liu Wanyin responded without even thinking.
"Xiao Liu, why do you always listen to me? Don't you think about the pros and cons yourself? Aren't you afraid that I will sell you out?"
The bastard was half joking.
"Boss, you're joking. You're a good person. Whatever you ask me to do, it must be for my own good."
If there is anyone other than her family that Liu Wanyin trusts 100%, Su Zelin is definitely one of them, and the other is Luo Xi. Both of them have cared about her very much and even traveled thousands of miles to come to her home.
"Okay, but no matter what, I still have to explain the situation."
Su Zelin shrugged: "If you are transferred to the headquarters, your income will decrease in the short term. After all, you are just an ordinary employee in the headquarters and you don't get the commission of a manager. In addition, you don't have a company car for the time being!"
After a pause, he added: "But from a long-term perspective, it is definitely more promising than being a manager at the Caiyuan store."
"The highest position a store manager can take is just one store. The income may not be low, but the ceiling is also very limited!"
"But if you work at the headquarters, you may even be in charge of all the stores in a city or even a province. If you can become a city-level regional manager or a provincial-level regional manager, your commissions and bonuses will be far beyond the reach of a small store manager!"
In a large company, employees' income usually increases step by step like a pyramid.
However, the current income of New Century's store managers is higher than that of many employees at the headquarters. Of course, this is only a temporary phenomenon. When New Century moves out of Zhejiang Province and subdivides more senior positions, this situation will soon change.
"Is our New Century going to expand beyond the province?"
Liu Wanyin was shocked.
She heard an important message from Su Zelin's words.
"Haha, yes!"
Su Zelin nodded: "We have officially recruited franchise stores in Su Province and Shenghai, and have begun to promote and develop business there. At the same time, the team at the headquarters must also be expanded and more positions must be subdivided. The company has decided to continue to poach people on the one hand and promote from the stores below on the other. This will be a good opportunity for you!"
"Wanyin, remember what I told you before? As long as you stay in New Century, your annual salary may exceed one million in the future. But you have to look to the future and climb higher instead of being satisfied with being a store manager!"
Liu Wanyin's eyes lit up.
Su Zelin had indeed made a bold promise to her that he would earn a million dollars a year.
Although he believed in the gangster, Xiao Liu still thought it was a fantasy at that time.
However, New Century expanded from one store to two or three hundred stores, from Lin'an to the whole province, and then from the province to the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Luzhou regions. My salary also increased from a few hundred yuan for ordinary employees to over a thousand, then to two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, and five thousand...
Liu Wanyin discovered that her boss was not joking.
"Of course, it may be a bigger challenge for you, because in the future you will face far more things and problems than managing a store. If you really become a regional manager, you have to learn to be independent!"
Su Zelin looked serious.
Although I am familiar with Liu Wanyin, I cannot mess around with the company's important personnel arrangements.
He would give Xiao Liu a chance, but if her ability was not enough for a higher position, he would not force her into the position.
Therefore, how far one can achieve depends on Liu Wanyin’s own growth.
Of course, Su Zelin has great confidence in this young deputy.
Xiao Liu is a very smart person and pays special attention to details when doing things. Most importantly, having experienced the hardships of life, she works harder and is more resilient than others.
During the time I spent at the Caiyuan store, I was never disappointed.
If she was really incompetent, she wouldn't be the manager today.
Su Zelin once asserted that Liu Wanyin would achieve great things.
Now, it's time!
Liu Wanyin took a deep breath, her eyes determined: "Okay, Boss, I'll go to the headquarters whenever you let me!"
…