Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

On the afternoon of January 12th, Lin Ying returned to Shenzhen Yingchuang Technology. As soon as her car entered the factory area, Chen Guodong was already waiting at the entrance of the administration building.

Unlike before, he didn't immediately hand over documents upon meeting her. Instead, he first observed Lin Ying's expression and asked, "Ms. Lin, was your journey smooth?"

Lin Ying got out of the car: "Successfully, things in Guangzhou are all taken care of."

Chen Guodong followed her into the building: "Did you sign the agreement for the toy factory shares?"

"It's signed. The first payment of eight million has already arrived, and the remaining eight million will be settled within three months."

Chen Guodong: "This way, the cash flow will be more abundant."

When the two entered the conference room, He Fangqin, Xu Jianlan, and Zhou Ping had already arrived; subsequently, Liu Yang, Chen Jian, Sun Miaoshu, Liu Ya, and Li Jia also rushed over from the R&D building and production workshop.

Once everyone was present, Lin Ying began: "Today we're having a mid-to-senior level meeting, which should be kept under an hour; the first thing we need to do is the university recruitment fair in June."

He Fangqin immediately opened the folder: "There are several university recruitment fairs in Shenzhen this year, including those from Shenzhen University, South China University of Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University, and several vocational colleges. Last year, we mainly recruited for production, quality inspection, after-sales, administration, and sales positions. Are you planning to shift your focus to technical positions this year?"

"right."

Lin Ying said, "This June, you need to directly recruit thirty undergraduates specializing in computer software; postgraduates are preferred, but undergraduates are also acceptable. The key is to have a solid foundation and be willing to work in a factory to develop systems."

He Fangqin confirmed again: "Thirty software directions?"

"Yes, I want to work on computer software later; but not immediately, we need to train the right people first."

Liu Yang: "Boss, are you looking to develop an enterprise management system? Or software to complement your television products?"

"We need to see both." Lin Ying didn't rule out any possibility: "The first step is to start with our own factory management system; right now, the entire factory relies solely on forms and manual statistics, which is too inefficient."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guodong had already prioritized this matter in his business management: "So, who will be in charge of these thirty people after they come in?"

Everyone is thinking about this issue, after all, Yingchuang now has a research and development center, which mainly focuses on color TV hardware, processes and production line related technologies.

If the software part were forced upon Liu Yang, he might just hang a white flag at the entrance of the R&D building.

Liu Yang asked first, "Boss, let me make this clear: I can cooperate with the requirements, but please don't let me manage the software team; I'm already busy enough with the second-generation product and production line upgrades."

Lin Ying: "I didn't intend for you to interfere."

Liu Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I'm relieved. If we really want to make the software business work, we need to find a dedicated person in charge. Otherwise, if thirty recent graduates come in and no one mentors them, they'll just end up sitting in an office, unable to write anything."

Lin Ying: "This month, Manager He will first post the position of software team leader; the requirements will be clearly stated: experience in enterprise software development, knowledge of databases, experience in project management, and preferably experience in leading a team."

He Fangqin quickly took notes: "What's the salary range?"

Just as Lin Ying was about to speak, He Fangqin immediately slapped her own mouth: "Boss, please don't mention the numbers yet."

Several people in the meeting room laughed.

Lin Ying smiled and said, "Okay, you decide."

He Fangqin was finally satisfied: "I'll do some market research first, then I'll give you a salary range; it can't be too low, but it also can't be too high and scare away the competition."

Lin Ying did not refute: "Okay, but these thirty people are not just for writing internal systems; computers will become widespread across the country sooner or later, and enterprises will need information technology more and more in the future; let's test it on ourselves first, and if it works, we can then become a software company for external clients."

Xu Jianlan: "So, will sales also involve selling software in the future?"

"That's still a long way off, we'll talk about it later."

After finishing her sentence, Lin Ying looked at Zhou Ping, the new finance manager: "The second thing: Zhou Ping, on the finance side, you continue to liaise with Cinda Yongdao and compile all our accounting processes, tax documents, asset depreciation tables, and contract payment milestones into fixed templates."

Zhou Ping immediately agreed: "No problem; however, the firm needs Mr. Chen's signature and authorization for some documents."

Chen Guodong chimed in, "You make the list, and I'll sign it."

"Okay." Zhou Ping made a note of it.

Then, Lin Ying turned to the next page: "The third thing is employee innovation rewards."

He Fangqin: "Is this the improvement proposal you made before?"

"right."

Lin Ying looked at Liu Yang, Liu Ya and the others in charge of technology: "Our factory has a lot of employees now. The front-line workers touch the equipment, assemble parts and check the yield every day. They know better than people who sit in the office where things get stuck."

Liu Ya: "That's true; the opinions of frontline workers and after-sales staff are indeed very important. Many of the improvements in product yield are the result of their experience."

She handed several sheets of compiled data to everyone: "Employees will be rewarded for any suggestions they make regarding improvements to product qualification rates, production efficiency, material savings, etc."

He Fangqin looked at the numbers on the paper: "ranging from three hundred to five thousand RMB?"

"right."

Lin Ying said, "Small improvements, confirmed to be effective, are priced at 300; those that can significantly improve yield or reduce costs are priced at 1,000 to 3,000; and those that make a significant contribution to product improvement and process upgrades are priced at up to 5,000."

Li Jia agreed: "Boss, that's a good idea."

However, He Fangqin quickly raised a question: "Rewards can be given, but the standards must be clearly defined."

Lin Ying said, "We have a monthly improvement proposal review meeting; one person from each of production, R&D, human resources, and finance will participate; the proposals must clearly state the problem, suggestions, and trial results; employees who cannot write can ask their team leader to write it for them, but the signature must be their own."

Chen Guodong: "We also need to prevent team leaders from taking workers away from the proposal."

He Fangqin immediately nodded: "I'll write the carry-over. The proposal registration will be collected directly by HR. Team leaders can only assist, not submit on behalf of employees."

Xu Jianlan then asked, "Can the sales team also get involved? Some customer feedback can actually help us improve our products."

"Can."

Lin Ying said, "If sales feedback drives product improvement, this mechanism can also be used. The purpose of this is not just to give out bonuses; three heads are better than one, so it's time for us to get active."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yang laughed first: "The boss finally admits that one person isn't enough."

"I already admitted it."

Lin Ying then shifted the topic to the factory expansion: "The fourth thing is the construction issue; Chen Guodong will be mainly responsible for the second phase of the factory, the high-rise dormitory, and the subsequent renovation of the R&D center; you keep an eye on the application, construction, safety, and acceptance for now, and hand it over to them after the safety center is built."

Then Lin Ying looked at Xu Jianlan: "You will continue to be in charge of sales and channels. You and General Manager Chen will work together to arrange the shipment of the fourth batch of two thousand units. You will also need to take care of the domestic channels, Claire, and Lucas."

Xu Jianlan opened her notebook: "The pressure is immense domestically. Several key distributors have already informed us that customers will place additional orders after the Spring Festival; European hotels need 200 units, and the US needs 150. At the current rate, even the fourth batch won't be enough."

"Prioritize them. Prioritize clients who have made advance payments and can establish long-term relationships; those who only talk a big game but don't pay will be put on the back burner."

Xu Jianlan nodded: "Understood."

The meeting has now concluded, and all the main points have been covered.

He Fangqin still asked, "Boss, will you be coming to Shenzhen often in the future?"

Several people in the conference room looked at Lin Ying. Lin Ying knew what they were worried about. Most people didn't know that she was pregnant, but core members like He Fangqin and Chen Guodong already knew.

Lin Ying felt there was no need to hide anything: "I will reduce long-distance travel. From now on, I will mainly stay between Hong Kong and Shenzhen and will no longer travel to other places. You can handle the daily affairs yourselves, and for important matters, please call or fax me."

Looking at the time on her watch, Lin Ying said, "That's all for today. Manager He will compile the meeting minutes and distribute them to all departments tomorrow morning."

Everyone got up and left, but Chen Guodong stayed behind.

After the conference room door closed, he placed a document in front of Lin Ying: "Ms. Lin, there's one more thing, but it wasn't convenient to talk about it during the meeting."

Lin Ying: "What?"

"Two companies in the same industry have inquired through intermediaries and tried to poach Liu Yang, Liu Ya, and Li Jia, offering quite high prices; currently, Liu Yang and the others are ignoring these companies."

Lin Ying opened the document and saw the names of two companies on it: "It's normal for competitors to poach people. What we can do is not to lock people up, but to make them feel that it's more worthwhile to stay."

Chen Guodong: "Understood."

Lin Ying added, "Also, have Shen Yanwen review the technology confidentiality agreement and non-compete clause again; we can't manage the company based on personal relationships, the necessary systems must be in place."