Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 3 Breaking the Impasse (Please add to your favorites, vote with monthly tickets, and recommend this chapter)
After lunch, Gao Zhenhai went back to the factory to work, while Chen Bingwen went to the surrounding factories.

After speaking with Gao Zhenhai, Chen Bingwen wanted to confirm it personally.

There are hundreds of factories of all sizes in this area, ranging from a few people to two or three hundred.

The total number of workers is twenty to thirty thousand.

If all these potential customers have a need for sweet soup, even if only 10% of them drink it every day, the sales generated will be enough to support Chen's Sweet Soup Shop.

Chen Bingwen randomly asked more than thirty workers he encountered on the road, and the answers he received further confirmed Gao Zhenhai's words.

The workers' demand for sugar water is indeed present.

During the half-hour lunch break, the workers really didn't have time to go to the dessert shop for sweet soup.

It wasn't until 4 p.m. that Chen Bingwen finished his investigation and returned to Chen's Dessert Shop.

"Awen, why are you only coming back now? Have you had lunch yet?"

As soon as I entered the door, my mother, Wang Qiaozhen, asked me with concern.

"I've already eaten, Mom."

There were no customers in the shop at the moment. Dad Chen Guofu was preparing ingredients in the kitchen, and Mom was cleaning the shop.

Seeing this, Chen Bingwen didn't want to delay and said directly, "Dad, Mom, please stop for a moment. I have something I want to discuss with you."

Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen stopped what they were doing, looked at each other, and then looked at Chen Bingwen together.

"Dad, Mom, ever since Songji Dessert Shop opened across the street, our dessert business has been getting worse every day."

We've been losing money for the past two or three months.

If this continues, the landlord will take the shop back sooner or later.

Chen Bingwen looked at his parents and said very seriously, "So, no matter what the reason, we must make a change."

Chen Bingwen's words made Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen's faces darken.

The couple did almost everything they could to improve the shop's business, but the business still didn't take off.

Chen Guofu sighed and said helplessly, "Awen, your mother and I have thought about making changes, but we really don't know what to do."

Chen Bingwen deeply empathized with his parents' helplessness.

Chen's Dessert Shop caters to the local community, using only the finest ingredients and serving sizes in each bowl. They never cut corners, which results in high costs and low profits, putting them at a disadvantage in the competition.

The result is that when facing competition from peers, whether it's reducing the amount of materials used or offering low-price promotions, the final outcome will inevitably be a Pyrrhic victory.

Looking at his parents' somber faces, Chen Bingwen softened his tone and said, "Dad, Mom, I went to the factory area today and found a chance for us Chen Ji to come back to life."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen's eyes lit up immediately, and they quickly asked, "What opportunity?"

Chen Bingwen took out his notebook from his investigation and pointed to the data on it, saying, "There are hundreds of factories around our home, with a total of more than 20,000 workers."

These workers only have 30 to 40 minutes for lunch each day, so they don't have time to go to the dessert shop for sweet soup.

But they really wanted some sweet soup to help them relax.

Wang Qiaozhen asked in confusion, "What does that have to do with us?"

“It’s a big deal!”

Chen Bingwen patiently explained, "We can pack the boiled sugar water in insulated containers and deliver it to the factory, so that the workers can drink the sugar water at the factory."

"My goal is to ensure that one-tenth of the workers in the nearby factories can drink a bowl of our sweet soup every day." Hearing this, Chen Guofu perked up immediately, "That way, two to three thousand people will be drinking our sweet soup every day."

Chen Guofu did not say what he was going to say next.

Even if a bowl of red bean soup costs only one yuan, if the shop can sell two thousand bowls a day, the profit in a month would be nearly 30,000 yuan.

Chen Guofu felt he must be dreaming.

This number is dizzying to think about; how could so many possibly be sold?

"Dad, this quantity is entirely achievable."

Chen Bingwen said with great confidence.

Before Chen Guofu could ask any more questions, Chen Bingwen revealed his entire plan.

"I have already reached an agreement with a factory that has more than 12 workers. They will pack the sugar water in insulated containers and deliver it to the factory before noon every day."

The goods are sold to the workers during their lunch break, allowing them to buy and leave quickly without missing their mealtime.

"Considering that some workers are reluctant to buy sweet soup in order to save money, we can also launch a sweet soup set meal, which includes a bowl of sweet soup and a snack. The snack can be paired with a savory dumpling or something else, so that workers can have a full meal for only two yuan."

Chen Bingwen explained the plan to his parents in detail, and in addition, he had a series of follow-up sales measures.

However, specific sales measures should be implemented in a targeted manner based on the actual sales situation. If we reveal everything at once now, Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen might not understand.

After Chen Bingwen finished speaking, neither Chen Guofu nor Wang Qiaozhen said anything; they were still processing what Chen Bingwen had just said.

As Chen Bingwen just said, delivering the sweet soup to the factory before lunch every day so that the workers can buy it nearby might really change the current predicament of Chen's Sweet Soup Shop.

The couple were both thinking quietly. After a while, Wang Qiaozhen asked, "Awen, what if we make too much sweet soup and nobody buys it?"

"We deliver goods to one-third of the workforce, and at most no more than half, until we sell out."

Chen Bingwen had already come up with a solution: "This way, we can both guarantee sales and avoid waste."

Moreover, I plan to give away fifty bowls for free as samples on the first day.

Chen Guofu suddenly raised his head: "Giving it away for free? Wouldn't that be a loss?"

In his mind, he never intended to give it away for free.

Although Chen's dessert shop is not doing well, every bowl of dessert is made with his hard work and care.

Hearing his son say he would give away fifty bowls of sweet soup for free was somewhat unacceptable to him.

Chen Bingwen laughed and said, "Dad, this isn't a loss, it's an investment. Once the workers have tasted our high-quality ingredients, they'll naturally be willing to pay for it the next day."

Moreover, I've calculated that fifty bowls of sweet soup cost less than thirty yuan, yet they can attract four hundred potential customers. It's a sure-fire way to make a profit.

At this moment, Chen Ma Wang Qiaozhen interjected, "Awen is right, the neighborhood business relies on word of mouth. Our shop used to do well, wasn't it because word of mouth spread that people found out about it?"

After Wang Qiaozhen finished speaking, Chen Bingwen saw that his father was still hesitant, so he added, "Dad, Mom, Songji across the street is taking away our neighbors' business. If we don't actively find new customers, the shop won't last long. Why don't we take a gamble!"

Chen Guofu and Wang Qiaozhen exchanged a glance and finally made up their minds.

"Alright! We'll do it your way!" Chen Guofu slammed his hand on the table. "Let's start preparing now. My son and I will deliver the goods tomorrow!"

　The "delivery directly from the sugar water factory" model is not something the author made up; it's all true, and some people have made a lot of money using this model.

　　Reference: *Hong Kong Entrepreneurs' True Stories* -- Guangzhou: Guangzhou Publishing House, September 1999.09.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)