"Let's discuss something!"
Li Zhi drank half a bottle of beer and looked at Dong Xiaorou, saying, "Do you think it's feasible for us to not sell the fish meatballs we produce directly?"
Dong Xiaorou frowned, "Not sell them directly?" "What do you mean?"
"It means not taking the fish meatballs we produce directly to the market for sale," Li Zhi said.
"Why not take them to the market for sale?" Are we going to keep them at home and let them breed? Dong Xiaorou rolled her eyes. What Li Zhi said was simply impractical. The factory is only small-scale. If the fish meatballs produced are not sold, how will the factory survive?
Li Zhi smiled wryly and said, "That's not what I meant." Look, for example, at the day before yesterday and today when we set up a stall at the village beach. Although the stall was not big, we sold quite a few fish meatballs. "If we could sell this much every day…"
"Impossible!" Dong Xiaorou interrupted Li Zhi directly. She had also consumed some beer and calmly stated, "Initially, people might be interested, but once the novelty fades, will the sales remain strong?" "Besides, there won't be people coming to the village every day, especially during the winter and spring seasons when hardly anyone visits here!"
During the off-season, this small fishing village near the seaside could barely make ends meet.
Li Zhi didn't completely agree with Dong Xiaorou's words and said with a smile, "I admit that what you said makes sense to a certain extent, but how do you know that the fish meatballs produced in our factory are only for novelty?" Are our fish meatballs not tasty? We have tried the fish meatballs that we cooked at the stall ourselves. "After trying them, ask yourself, 'Would you miss such delicacies if you didn't have them again?'"
Dong Xiaorou looked up at Li Zhi, speechless.
"The answer is yes, right?" This means that our factory's fish meatballs have a unique taste and flavor that can entice customers to return. "So, what you said about the novelty wearing off and people not buying anymore is not entirely correct."
After a brief pause, Li Zhi became serious and said, "I believe that as long as we establish our brand, the future sales performance of our fish meatballs will definitely improve." The fish meatballs processed in our factory have a unique taste and feature that other manufacturers cannot match. "Therefore, I dare to assert that anyone who tastes this delicacy will become a loyal customer of our factory."
"I admit that the taste and flavor of the fish meatballs you produce are unique, but does that have anything to do with whether you sell them or not?" "If you don't sell the fish meatballs, how can others taste them and become your loyal customers?" Dong Xiaorou asked.
Li Zhi smiled and corrected her, "It's not mine, it's ours." "I've said it before, you are an elder of the factory, a part of this factory."
Dong Xiaorou rolled her eyes and said, "I'm just a worker." Can you not make it sound so grand?
"You are different from ordinary workers." "Trust me, as long as you follow me, you will have an unimaginable world in the future!" Li Zhi smiled, full of confidence.
Dong Xiaorou didn't refute Li Zhi's words or express any doubt. Anyone can talk big, but whether it can come true depends on reality!
"My idea is, since the taste and flavor of the fish meatballs produced in our factory are unique and have the potential to turn anyone who tastes them into a loyal customer, why don't we create a brand specifically for 'fish meatballs'?" Li Zhi said.
Dong Xiaorou was a little puzzled, but she probably understood Li Zhi's meaning.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Are you suggesting selling the products directly to the public, bypassing the distribution channels?"
Li Zhi nodded, "For example, opening a specialty store!"
The scale of the "Xiaorou Food Factory" is still small. If one or two specialty stores are opened and managed well, it will be sufficient to meet the production capacity of the factory. As for expanding the scale in the future, that is a matter for later. For the time being, there's no need to think too much about it.
Dong Xiaorou analyzed with a frown, "The biggest advantage of opening a fish meatball specialty store is to eliminate the middleman, expand our brand advantage, and ensure profits." Of course, there are also downsides. A specialty store requires a manager, as well as additional expenses like rent and decoration. The sales volume of a specialty store cannot be instantly increased, which does not align with the factory's philosophy of small profits but quick turnover!
In short, there are pros and cons.
The idea of opening a specialty store was something Li Zhi came up with this afternoon at the village beach.
Since the boiled fish meatballs were so well-received here, would they still be welcomed if the stall were moved to the city and turned into a storefront?
In the current market, this business model is not unique. For example, Han City's Moubao Duck Neck has built a huge empire based on just a small duck neck.
If a duck neck can achieve such success, why not the fish meatballs produced in the factory?
Whether it can succeed depends on practice. The problem is, even if Li Zhi wants to focus on small profits but quick turnover, the fish meatballs produced in the factory still need a market to be successful!
Li Zhi looked at Dong Xiaorou and said with a smile, "I think we can give it a try." "What if we accidentally succeed, right?"
Dong Xiaorou was not as optimistic as Li Zhi had thought. She said, "Trying is indeed an option, but you need to consider the cost and budget." When opening a store in the city, how much money will be needed for rent, labor, and various other expenses? Do you have a budget? "In other words, do you have that much money on hand?"
Li Zhi had just equipped the factory with a pickup truck, and Dong Xiaorou could almost calculate how much money he had.
After considering it, Li Zhi said, "The commercial street in the university city has a prime location, surrounded by six or seven large university campuses, totaling over a hundred thousand students and faculty members." I heard that in the future, Hai University and several other nearby universities will also relocate here, with a projected total enrollment of over three hundred thousand students. I can temporarily position the specialty store as a "featured snacks" outlet and rent a small storefront of twenty to thirty square meters. "One hundred thousand yuan will be enough."
Looking up at Dong Xiaorou, he said, "If we can make the fish ball store successful, we can quickly recoup the investment through this storefront and then expand to new stores."
"Do you have confidence?" Dong Xiaorou met Li Zhi's gaze and asked.
Li Zhi nodded with a smile, "Of course!"
The fish meatballs produced by the factory have such a unique taste and flavor; how could they not be popular?
Li Zhi was one hundred percent confident, not in himself, but in his factory and the products manufactured there!
"Then what are you waiting for?" You're the boss of the factory. If you have an idea, go for it. "No one is stopping you!" Dong Xiaorou said, picking up the beer bottle and taking a sip, with a glint of determination in her eyes. As for what she was thinking, perhaps only she knew!