At the age of thirteen, the factory commenced operations, and Cheng Su, following Joy Soon Loy Restaurantâs welfare policies, handed out "red packets" to celebrate the opening, and added more dishes for a festive New Yearâs meal.
Ning Ge, as one of the bosses, also returned. With a cheeky smile, he gave his New Yearâs greetings to Cheng Su and stretched out his hand, "Sister-in-law, happy New Year, wishing you prosperity."
Cheng Su, slightly annoyed, handed him a red packet and asked, "I thought you wouldnât be back until after the fifteenth?"
"I missed our company, so I came back earlier to avoid you saying Iâm slacking off," Ning Ge said with a smile. "Even during the big holiday, I didnât slack off; Iâve secured a few orders for us."
"Really?" Cheng Su was surprised.
"Of course, itâs true. Iâve left everything in Wang Boâs hands," Ning Ge said proudly. "Not to boast, but now our Joy Soon Loyâs jam is stocked in all the big supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores, our brand is the most renowned."
"What about Friendly?" Cheng Su was most curious about their former competitor, Friendly.
Ning Ge snorted lightly, "Can they compare with us? Ever since that incident, Friendlyâs jam just isnât as good as before. Although it hasnât been a huge impact, they swapped good jam for bad, and thatâs left a bad taste in the peopleâs mouths."
"Itâs a pity, indeed. If they had focused on research, they might have caught up with us. Now, it will take them quite a long time to recover their reputation," Cheng Su sighed.
"Wrongdoing always meets its demise; they brought this on themselves, nobody else to blame," Ning Ge said with a look of âthey had it coming.â "Letâs not talk about them anymore. What are your thoughts on our factoryâs development this year?"
Cheng Su took out a new business plan and opened it.
"A corporate culture is essential. Once our factory is up and running, shouldnât we also organize some charitable activities and staff development? We need to start a canteen as well, the employee benefits are important. Besides, Iâm thinking of hiring another manager. When neither you nor I are around, someone should be able to help manage," Cheng Su said. "But thereâs no rush on this. What do you think?"
Ning Ge sat up and gave it some thought, "Our product line is quite limited right now. What do you think about creating some new types of jam?"
Cheng Su pursed her lips and said, "Thatâs inevitable. But as you know, our company has only been in business for less than six months, the capital cost has not been fully recovered. Investing more means greater risk and more equipment to add. Plus, I feel our factory space is too small; we need an expansion, but we donât have the funds for it."
The employee canteen is indispensable, the work area needs expansion, not only does the factory space require an addition, but the capital cost also needs to increase. They were still far from recovering their investments. With more investment, first, the capital isnât fully in place, and second, it would require more manpower. Their current factory setup was just right, and even the management was being handled by the bosses themselves.
With this scenario, how to diversify and develop?
Itâs not easy for a company to develop. To reach the skies in one step is nothing more than a wishful thought.
"However, if our products are too monolithic, that wonât be good for the companyâs development," Ning Ge frowned.
"Itâs not that thereâs no solution," Cheng Su mused, biting the end of her pen. "We can invite investors and also look for financiers."
Securing investors means setting up dealerships in certain areas, but one must be cautious, as choosing dealers is not a mere matter of selection; the wrong dealers can cost you business in a whole region.
Financing, in simple terms, is finding others to invest in Joy Soon Loy, seeking investors to contribute capital in exchange for shares. With that approach, the company would have funds to further develop.