Chapter 41: Expansion

f attention, there was nothing particularly disagreeable about his personality.Su Can remained mostly silent during the meal, observing these high school seniors from ten years ago. His initial hypoth...Chapter 41 Expansion

The vice mayor's recent hectic schedule has brought him the nickname "Jin Yi Er Jian." Although opinions are mixed, some people see it as a publicity stunt. He first made a televised speech at Star Sea Square and then embarked on tours of inspection across various regions, giving speeches and engaging in talks with the public every day, appearing frequently on television shows. While celebrities have high visibility everywhere, Wang Bo is well-known only in Xia Hai city.

On the other hand, his actions have garnered much praise. Some people comment that compared to the previous市委書記劉嵐 who rarely appeared in public, Wang Bo's initiatives have rapidly increased public trust in him. The establishment of a hotline for citizens and the opening of信訪室(folk petition office) further reinforced his image as an approachable and practical leader.

For Su Zhen's family, the greatest benefit came from Wang Bo’s unintentional support during one of his inspection visits. This incident left a deep impression on the officials involved and those who reviewed the footage in Xia Hai city.

Xia Hai stationery store is now recognized as a designated procurement unit by the municipal government. Many offices recently lacking paper or writing instruments would now purchase directly from the store, under the banner of supporting this prominent individual business owner.

Almost everyone at the Xia Hai Stationery Wholesale Market knows Zeng Ah, and the bosses who regularly buy from her are feeling quite proud now. When discussing supply prices with others, they mention knowing the Xia Hai stationery shop next to the government buildings. "Our boss Ms. Zeng buys supplies exclusively here! She's also the only one we offer our wholesale price to. If you can achieve that level of purchasing volume, I'll give you a discount!"

The store’s business immediately improved; although daily sales didn't change much, orders were increasingly numerous and varied. Su Licheng was pleased with this development.

Statistics showed over 30% of the units on Government Street purchased from their shop, settling accounts monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually.

In the past, annual settlements occurred, but these were inconvenient and often delayed, leading to modifications. During the transition period, some organizations hinted they would stop placing orders if annual settlements continued. Zeng He didn't press them; she supplied those who agreed to new settlement terms while letting others make their own decisions.

Annual settlements weren't convenient for suppliers with low volumes, delaying capital recovery and tying up funds unnecessarily.

This monthly or semi-annual payment system made operations more flexible.

Thanks to the unique and positive reputation of Xiahai's stationery store, it immediately gained popularity.

In the past, government and public institutions were required by tendering regulations to spend 1 million yuan annually at this location. However, now the combined supply value from all these entities could reach or exceed 400,000 within a year.

Unconsciously, Su Cen's stationery store has taken away some of the procurement shares from other designated suppliers. This is like a limited pie; if you're not competitive enough, you'll end up being eliminated in this competition.

Of course, these are just estimated figures. To know whether they can achieve this theoretical value, it will take an entire year to see the results.

However, recently his parents have been getting up earlier than usual, brimming with excitement and vigor. They must understand that the contracts they've signed have almost monopolized a significant part of Xiahai's government institution market. They've secured several strategic positions.

In comparison to half a year ago when they were struggling early in the morning over an uncertain future, worrying about their daily necessities, now they stand at a higher level, no longer concerned with performance bonuses or meal allowances from their workplace.

During the family meeting, everyone discussed this issue. His parents are quite satisfied with the current situation. However, when Su Cen spread out a map of Xiahai City on the table, his parents exchanged puzzled glances, unsure what he was up to.

"Dad, Mom… Do you think you've captured how much of Xiahai's stationery market" When Su Cen said this, his gaze flickered uncertainly.

His mother thought for a moment and shook her head. His father, Su Licheng, was satisfied with the mature way Su Cen spoke despite his youth. He replied after some consideration, "Without boasting, at least 10%. Looking to Zeng He for confirmation, he added, 'Sister Wang from the People's Bank has also signed up here; now many departments in various city institutions are placing orders with us…'

Zeng He nodded. However, he continued, "Most of them don't have high demand; they visit once a month at most, spending just a couple hundred to a few hundred yuan each time. Some places place larger orders, several times a month, for thousands each time. Of course, if schools were to order from us, that would be great! However, the supply of notebooks is contracted with printing factories; we can't interfere."

“To have this share is already quite remarkable!"

Su Cen smiled and said, "Dad and Mom, you really make me proud. This number is about as much as it's possible to achieve! If we were to expand further, it would be time-consuming and laborious with minimal returns; it wouldn't be worth the effort."

Hearing their son's praise, the parents felt particularly proud. Su Can then said, "So you guys calculate, how much is our annual turnover just from retail"

Zeng He fell silent for a moment and replied, "If we add up both storefronts' monthly turnover, it’s probably around 120,000 yuan. Annually, it would likely be around 1.2 to 1.3 million yuan!"

After this detailed calculation, the parents were indeed surprised; with considerable effort, their annual supply of goods for enterprises and government agencies amounted to over one million yuan, while combining both storefronts’ turnover also reached close to a million.

"Then tell me, what proportion of our retail sales in Xiahai City do you think this represents"

The parents were stumped. Su Licheng said, "This depends on the location; for example, your mother chose good locations for these two storefronts—one is right by the Third Middle School entrance and the other is next to the government.

It's also near three schools in total, but if we consider all of Xiahai City, we wouldn't know."

Su Can raised one finger.

Zeng He asked doubtfully, "Ten percent"

Su Can shook his head. Zeng He became impatient and said irritably, "Hey, you little brat, even when talking to your own parents, you still play coy! Your parents opened this store for what Isn’t it all for you! We work hard and earn money so that everything we make is yours in the future. Everyone calls us Mr. Zeng and Ms. Su, but truly speaking, aren't you the real boss! It's all to make your life better in the future, with a car and a house. Your parents create such conditions for you—your starting point will be higher than others. Both of your parents are just ordinary workers; nowadays girls are so picky. If you want to marry a good girl in the future, how can you let her family look down on you"

Seeing their parents’ frustration, Su Can quickly put an end to his joking and reassured them seriously, "Less than one percent! Right now, with our store plus Wang Ming's branch at the Third Middle School, we only have less than one percent of the stationery retail market share in Xiahai City!"

Su Licheng and Zeng He were stunned. Su Can’s words always seemed to open up a window after another for them, revealing one world after another.

"Now you guys probably understand what I want to talk about. To secure this ten percent market share through corporate contracts is already our peak performance. If we want to advance further, we need to deal with the heads of these companies and obtain various qualifications."

Tiring and laborious, the final outcome is not assured either, with annual turnover only reaching a million.

"However, in retail, our market share in all of Xiahaishan City is merely one percent. If we open more branches and focus on retail, if we can capture ten percent of the stationery market in Xiahaishan City, then our annual turnover in Xiahaishan City would be ten million! Ten million!"

After Su Cang passionately finished speaking, he noticed that his parents were staring at him like they were looking at a gorilla, their expressions full of surprise.

An annual turnover of ten million means roughly three million in net profit. A yearly profit of three million is already quite impressive for this era; it marks the completion of the most basic accumulation process of capital.

In this era, many people do not care about money or earning money. Many older intellectuals still prefer a simple and honest lifestyle with only a cup of wine, a few close friends, and poetic nights. In Xiahaishan City, life is slow, the rhythm is relaxed, thoughts are tranquil, and time itself moves slowly. In this pure era, many pure-hearted individuals do not have the inclination to venture into commerce for profit.

This mindset isn't inherently wrong, but who can foresee that in the future commodity economy society, wealth will directly reflect a person's social status and value The questions asked during matchmaking would leap from "What are your thoughts like" or "What is your character" to direct inquiries about money and education. Questions such as "How much do you earn per month based on your degree", "Do you have a car or a house", and "How much can the girl's family offer in dowry" would be asked, along with how lavish the wedding will be.

Just like what the graduate student who agreed to marry a boy after working together but ultimately broke up said: "It's not that I'm not persistent enough; it's just that this world is changing too fast."

To earn money, to prove one's worth—that's the無奈 of life.

After staring at Su Cang for quite some time, Zeng Actian said, "I get it. You want us parents to open more branches We'll have to wait until we've recovered about four or five thousand from our current store first. After expenses on inventory and other costs, there won't be much left over. However, I can borrow another ten thousand from your maternal uncle; he had said before that he would lend it. Once we find a good location, let's open another branch!"

Su Cang nodded in agreement. This was the golden period for expanding and developing the stationery retail market, the best time to grow capital through this channel. After this period, when the market approaches saturation, there would be no choice but to accept that.

But looking at it now, money is still the most urgent need!

The update for today has been delivered; in order to maintain quality, I write slowly and will incorporate any feedback from my brothers. Please continue supporting me (the author), as well as Su Cang. Handshake!various messages he heard from different subject teachers. This was an essential skill for a homeroom teacher. There were times when it wasn't appropriate to directly ask subject teachers about some i...