Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 910 Ideas

Xiao Wei said, "I want to discuss something with you two. Whether it's a company, a student opening a shop, or a student opening an individual shop, we'll probably be opening quite a few shops in the future. I'd like to organize a few capable people into several technical teams to specifically handle the technical aspects of opening the shops and travel around with them."

Lang Yan became interested: "Sure, sure, I'll do it. Traveling around on business, seeing all sorts of things, wouldn't that be great?"

Xiao Wei said, "This is actually a process of strengthening your own technical management skills. Different places and different stores will always have different things to do, and I think you can learn something from it. As for where you're opening your stores, it will be in Fengtian. We'll open the cake shop and the convenience store together, and you'll become shareholders. Once you've recovered your costs, the stores will be yours."

Lang Yan's eyes widened: "Really? Boss, you're so great!" She was so excited that she almost pounced on him, rubbing her hands and stamping her feet.

Xiao Wei said, "We have only one standard for non-directly operated stores: recover the cost. Once the cost is recovered, the store belongs to the individual. It may take you two a little longer than others. Another requirement is that after the store belongs to you, you must also obey management. This is actually beneficial to you. Don't feel that just because the store is mine, I can do whatever I want with it."

Zhang Guiqin said, "That's definitely possible. We're obedient to management, and having a company take care of things makes things easier for us."

Xiao Wei said, "It's easy to open a store, but it's not so easy to keep it running well and for a long time. There are many things that need to be standardized, and you have to stick to them for a long time. In fact, it's unrealistic to rely on an individual, because people's hearts can change. That's where the system comes in. In the future, including our directly operated stores, we will gradually release shares to store managers or other individuals who have made contributions as a reward."

Lang Yan said to Zhang Guiqin, "Then why are we even opening a shop? Let's just do our job properly. I feel that being a shareholder is better than opening a shop; at least the company has everything."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "It's different. This is your store, and that's the company's store. We can't give you too many shares; it's just a reward."

Lang Yan said, "That's great! I have a salary, bonuses, and profit sharing. I also like my job. What more could I want? I've been happier this past year than I have in the previous ten years."

Zhang Guiqin nodded in agreement.

Xiao Wei said, "People think differently. You guys are happy here because you had problems in your previous lives, because it's relaxing. But others might not feel the same way, right? You all have no problem joining this group, right?"

Lang Yan nodded: "No problem. Is the shop still open?"

Zhang Guiqin pulled Lang Yan along, and Xiao Wei said, "Go ahead and open them normally. We're going to open a batch of them in Fengtian, not as big as the current ones, but the business will be the same. Once they're open, you can choose one, it doesn't matter. If you have work, go out and do it; if you don't, you can work in your own shop, although it's not yours yet."

Lang Yan nodded excitedly: "Okay, okay, really? Hahaha, I'll definitely do my best."

Xiao Wei said, "We'll definitely need a team of technical support staff to open the next store. My idea is to use you guys as the backbone, find some skilled people who are open to this model, and build a department. The company will handle everything for your own stores in the early stages. You guys just need to take care of that for me. As we gradually add more people, we'll replace you guys, and then you can focus on running your own stores."

Zhang Guiqin nodded and said, "Okay, whatever you say, I'll do it."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, then it's settled. You guys contact the other students and see who else is interested. Sign up yourselves first, and if we don't have enough people in the end, I'll figure something out. Go fill out the form at Hongmei's place."

Lang Yan asked, "How many people do we need?"

Xiao Wei said, "There will be about twenty people going on business trips. We will sign an agreement with the trainees who are opening shops to regulate your food, accommodation, and safety during the trip. Each of you will receive a travel allowance and your round-trip tickets will be reimbursed."

Zhang Guiqin said, "Many places don't even have a flagship store yet, so how will we handle the others?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's build it right away. First, we'll set up the branch offices in each province. We don't need technical expertise for that, so it'll be quick. Our Xidu properties are almost ready, and we'll open the main store together then."

"Things might be a bit slower in Harbin. Let's rent a place and get the company up and running first. Actually, we're just making preparations right now, renting a place. It'll get cold soon, and some work won't be possible."

Zhang Guiqin said, "Actually, I feel that there's no need for a big renovation inside. Just use wooden boards to partition it. No one lives there, so the difference between soundproofing and sturdiness isn't that significant. As long as it's lightweight, quick, and looks good, that's fine. The same goes for areas with bad walls or that need to be demolished. Just cover them with wooden boards or cloth. It can be dried in winter. Anyway, just hang up the sign, set up the machine, and you can get to work."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "You're right, so we'll start preparing in a few days, starting from Liaodong and working our way north. I'm currently discussing with the furniture factory about our main store and the large directly-operated stores, trying to develop a fixed approach and have a design institute design it so that opening stores will be faster. For individual stores, we'll have to listen to their own opinions and try to be as consistent as possible, but we won't force it."

Zhang Guiqin and Lang Yan felt reassured and happily went downstairs, while Xiao Wei returned to his desk to consider things.

Opening a cake shop seems simple, but there are still many things to consider.

I won't go into the ingredients: rice, flour, sugar, oil, and eggs. The only requirements are that the flour must be low-gluten (bread is high-gluten) and the sugar must be caster sugar.

The equipment includes an oven with both top and bottom heat, a medium-sized whisk with three speed settings, a small whisk (for butter), a turntable, three basic spatulas (straight and curved teeth), a standard set of steel piping nozzles, piping bags, parchment paper, and a set of cake molds.

If you're making bread, you'll need a proofing box and a dough mixer. Of course, you'll also need to buy molds; there are special molds for bread and mooncakes.

If you have access to pre-cooked, pre-made products, you can also make your own using agar or gelatin.

All other additives can be bought at additive stores. Don't worry if you don't know how to use them; they'll teach you. This includes pigments and spray guns.

The most important factor is the location. It should be easily accessible, with high foot traffic, and free from sources of odor. The store should be clean, spacious, and bright, giving a hygienic impression. Items should be neatly arranged, and ideally, the kitchen should be transparently visible.

Everything in the store, including clothing, should be bright, eye-catching, and frequently washed and changed to keep it clean.

Personal hygiene is also very important; nails and hair are of utmost importance. Spitting and picking your nose must be avoided.

This is why Xiaowei is adamant about not allowing wholly-owned stores to use his own brand. Without unified management, things are unpredictable, and the overall image will be damaged.

After mentally reviewing the situation, Xiaowei took out a pen and notebook and wrote down his thoughts.

After he had considered it, he needed to discuss it with everyone. Finally, Li Na and Liang Gaoyou would formulate specific regulations and systems based on the overall intention, print them out, and distribute them to the stores for implementation.

(End of this chapter)