2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 48 Gu Qingqing (Part 3)
Having been in contact with many business people since childhood, Gu Qingqing is still a freshman in college and is rather shy.

I was earning a decent side income, but suddenly I felt a little embarrassed to ask about my boss's business secrets.

For a moment, I didn't know how to start the conversation.

Tan Jincheng wasn't in a hurry. He had already met this young woman several times through filming assignments and had gained some understanding of her age and personality.

Tan Jincheng had seen her ID card; she was born on June 15, 1987, and was already a freshman in college before she turned 18. It seemed she started school at a relatively young age.

She was poised and unpretentious when we first met, and her initial refusal to accept the down jacket today showed that she was quite persistent.

It's clear that she has a good upbringing, and her family doesn't seem to be short of money.

As for why she did part-time work to earn extra money, Gu Qingqing had openly stated this when the two first met: her family was strict, and she wanted to earn some pocket money herself.

Tan Jincheng could understand this; parents these days are generally quite strict.

Tan Jincheng's family was not poor. Although his parents doted on him when he was in school, they did not give him much money.

Gu Qingqing remained silent, and Tan Jincheng wasn't in a hurry either. The girl seemed embarrassed, probably because she was having some kind of trouble.

The 38-year-old soul of Tan Jincheng now sees Gu Qingqing as his younger sister from his previous life.

"Um, Mr. Tan, is your car new?" After a long while, Gu Qingqing finally mustered up the courage to ask.

"That's right, it was just mentioned a few days ago."

"Um, is it really that profitable to run a Taobao store? I heard from my senior that Boss Tan's Taobao store has only been open for a few months."

So that's what it was about. Now I understand why Gu Qingqing was too embarrassed to speak up.

Tan Jincheng smiled and said, "You want to ask about how to open a Taobao store, right?"

Gu Qingqing nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Mr. Tan, could you tell me? I know this is a bit presumptuous, but if you can't tell me, that's fine."

"There's nothing I can't say. Tell me your thoughts first." As expected of a Yiwu native who can trade chicken feathers for sugar, his mind is quick.

With just one car, he seized an opportunity. Although he didn't earn his money through a Taobao shop, it was indeed a very good business opportunity for the future.

"Well, there are a lot of small commodities where I live. My idea is that if opening a Taobao store isn't too difficult, I plan to source some small accessories from my hometown and sell them. That way, I won't have to rely on my parents during college and I can earn my own pocket money."

Now that she had spoken, Gu Qingqing's thoughts flowed much more smoothly, and she concisely described her ideas and plans.

After listening to Gu Qingqing's words, Tan Jincheng laughed: "Haha, that's interesting. She has brains, but not many. It's probably because she's too young."

Tan Jincheng knew about the Yiwu Small Commodities Market, and Gu Qingqing probably wanted to make a profit by going from large-scale wholesale to retail.

Tan Jincheng was well aware that small accessories had high profit margins. For a time, there were chain stores selling small accessories all over the city, in the suburbs and small towns, and the profit margins were quite considerable.

In later years, there were also many small jewelry stores in shopping malls that had been renovated, and some even became branded, such as the Liangpin brand, which even went public.

However, this type of product is not suitable for online shopping, especially nowadays.

The average order value is too low and the express delivery is too expensive. It seems like there is a lot of profit, but in fact there is no profit. It is more profitable to set up a stall.

“The idea is good, but it’s not suitable for you, especially since you’re still a student,” Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

Subsequently, Tan Jincheng pointed out the numerous drawbacks, and Gu Qingqing quickly realized that opening an online store was not something she could control. Indeed, setting aside the issue of the low average order value, the frequent need to send packages would consume a significant amount of her time, making it difficult to concentrate on her studies.

"I was thinking of spending a few hundred yuan to buy some goods back home, then opening an online store to sell them slowly and earn some pocket money, but it looks like that won't work," Gu Qingqing said with a wry smile.

“It’s not that you can’t run an online store, but you can’t sell this type of product. If you can convince your parents to help you and let them manage it, that’s not impossible. Just change the product category.”

"Besides, you've misunderstood something. My money didn't come from this online store; it was just something they did on the side."

Gu Qingqing looked at Tan Jincheng with some curiosity and asked, "Mr. Tan, do you have other businesses?"

"Of course, if you take a closer look at my online store, you'll know that his monthly sales volume is far from enough to buy a car."

"I see. So what kind of business does Boss Tan run?"

"I run an import and export business, and the website is just for handling leftover orders from foreign trade."

It's not impossible for a Taobao store to earn enough to buy a car in a few months, but it's clearly not possible now, nor is it possible with the small-scale approach that Tan Jincheng is taking. A certain level of investment is needed to achieve that profit margin.

"Oh, you're in foreign trade? I know that. Looks like I misunderstood. Never mind, I'll just stick to being your student. If you need any more clothes to photograph in the future, please remember to give me a call. I'll earn some pocket money."

"No problem. By the way, you're an English major, right?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"If your English is good, in addition to being a fashion model, we can also give you translation work in the future. At present, our company is not large enough to afford a full-time translator."

Gu Qingqing's eyes lit up: "This is great, this is great! Not only can I earn money, but I can also gain some work experience."

"Don't get too excited yet. You're only a freshman. I don't think you're capable of doing translation work right now. You should focus on your studies first," Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

College students are so naive to get so excited over just a pie in the sky.

“I understand. Right now, my main focus is on learning. However, if there is any translation work available, Mr. Tan, you can let me try. I can work for free or for less money. I just want to gain some experience and broaden my horizons.”

"Alright, I'll let you know when there's a chance." After thinking for a moment, Tan Jincheng added, "Let's add each other on QQ. I can leave you a message if you need anything."

"Okay, no problem, thank you, Boss Tan," Gu Qingqing said happily.

After exchanging QQ numbers, Tan Jincheng realized he hadn't given her the shooting fee for today. So he took out two hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and handed them to Gu Qingqing, saying, "This is your shooting fee for today. We probably don't have any shooting plans before the New Year. We'll contact you again if we need anything after the New Year."

The company currently has a relatively abundant sample inventory, covering all four seasons, which is sufficient to cope with next year's Canton Fair. Some of these samples have already been put into small-batch trial production and are being sold and displayed on Taobao and the international website.

Gu Qingqing accepted the money generously and said, "Thank you, Boss Tan."

Hehe, 200 yuan in hand.

"You're welcome, you deserve it," Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

Tan Jincheng doesn't object to students doing part-time jobs. In his previous life, he would encourage his younger sister to work in some companies to develop her skills. However, Tan Jincheng doesn't recommend that college students do jobs such as being waiters or handing out flyers.

There's really no need for this kind of work that's purely for making money. It's better to spend your time studying, unless you're really short of money.

(End of this chapter)