There are issues that need to be addressed. Continuing like this is not a viable solution. If the sole purpose is to run a fish ball shop, then the model of Hai Da No. 1 shop is also acceptable. The key is that Li Zhi not only wants to make money but also aims to expand and strengthen the 'Happy Fish Ball' brand.
"First of all, the design of your shop is not practical!" Sophie put the fish balls in her hand aside, looked at Li Zhi, and bluntly said, "I don't know who designed the shop initially, but the use of space is simply subpar, and the decoration is also lacking, with no redeeming qualities!"
Li Zhi touched his nose, and Xiao Qing, who was nearby, almost burst out laughing, struggling to hold it in.
"Let's talk about the operational issues directly!" Li Zhi coughed.
Sophie pointed to the two square fish ball cooking containers and asked, "Why are these items placed in plain sight?"
"Fish balls need to be cooked, don't they?"
Sophie smiled and asked, "Does that mean there must be beef in braised beef noodles?"
"Is it the same?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" These items can be prepared indoors and then marketed. "Why cook and sell them on the spot?"
"Freshly cooked food is delicious!" Li Zhi muttered.
Sophie said, "It's true that it's delicious, but have you considered the labor costs, land costs, and various other expenses?" With so many people coming and going in the shop, what if a customer gets burned? Have you considered these things, or rather, the cost?
Before Li Zhi could respond, Sophie waved her hand and said, "Alright, from now on, you don't need to worry about these things." I will take care of them. "You only need to focus on the supply of fish balls!"
Without further ado, Li Zhi was dismissed by Sophie. This meant that since this shop was given to her as a test, Li Zhi could leave, and she would take care of the rest.
Li Zhi stared at Sophie, who was indeed beautiful. However, they had only known each other for a short time, and she was already taking over the shop. Could he trust her?
"Starting tomorrow, the shop will be closed for a day!" Sophie ignored Li Zhi and turned to Dong Xiao Rou and Xiao Qing, saying, "Dong Jie, Xiao Qing, I need your help!"
Li Zhi touched his nose, but the thought of the two million in his account made him decide not to argue. He let her do as she pleased.
If she messed up the fish ball shop, he would go and settle the score with her father. After all, her father was a famous tycoon.
The next day, Li Zhi went straight back to the village factory on Fish Head Island.
"Boss!"
Hei Zi had already bought the raw materials needed for the day from the dock.
Li Zhi nodded and smiled, "Hmm, you've worked hard these past few days."
The factory was being run by just one person, and there wasn't a single complaint. Li Zhi wasn't heartless; as long as someone was willing to put in the effort, he didn't mind helping them build a future.
"What day is it in a few days?" Hei Zi thought for a moment and said, "The 6th!"
There will be a job fair at the talent market on the 8th and 18th, and a recruitment fair on the 28th. Li Zhi planned to recruit a few more people to bring back to the factory.
After exchanging greetings with Hei Zi, the two of them loaded the fish balls produced over the past two days into the car. Li Zhi then returned to the city. This time, he came back mainly to bring the fish balls. There weren't many items left in the shop.
After putting the fish balls in the shop, Li Zhi didn't bother with the fish ball shop because Sophie said she would take charge of the renovation, so he went to the building materials market.
The factory needed to be expanded, and there was already space available. Many of the old factory buildings could be utilized, but they required renovation. With money in hand, he couldn't let the production workshop look like a "black workshop" anymore.
Li Zhi also bought a set of equipment online. The mechanical equipment purchased this time is ten times more powerful than the current set in the factory. According to the evaluation by the Star Cloud I9 Smart Factory, it can achieve a "mini" level of performance, rather than just a "rudimentary" level.
The cost of purchasing the mechanical equipment and upgrading the factory totaled more than 1.2 million dollars. For Li Zhi, this was a true "investment."
The new production workshop, clean, tidy, and meeting hygiene standards, was fully operational. The production capacity could reach 16,000 catties per day, and only six people were needed to operate it.
Furthermore, a basic set of packaging equipment was included. The newly produced fish meatballs will be packed directly into bags, with each bag weighing 10g. Eight thousand bags could be produced in a day, enough to meet the current demand. As for future production capacity, if it were not sufficient, he would definitely continue to expand the factory.
A bag of fish meatballs weighing 10 kg contained exactly two hundred pieces. Calculated at a retail price of five yuan per fish ball, the total cost amounted to exactly one thousand yuan.
If all the products were sold, the factory's daily production capacity would amount to eight million dollars. For the time being, this would definitely be enough.
Li Zhi went to the job fair to hire two finance professionals and one mid-level manager for the factory. He also had Hei Zi recruit six employees locally from Fish Head Island village.
"Xiao Rou Jie, when will you come back?" Li Zhi called Dong Xiao Rou. Besides Hei Zi, he didn't have anyone else to consult. The equipment in the factory workshop was brand new. Once the new workshop stabilized, the production line in the old workshop could be shut down.
"…" Dong Xiao Rou remained silent.
Regardless of her willingness, Li Zhi directly ordered, "Leave the management of the fish ball shop to Sophie and Xiao Qing." "Please return to the factory immediately."
"Okay!" Dong Xiao Rou hung up the phone.
With his phone in hand, Li Zhi couldn't help but touch his nose and smile wryly. Wasn't he the boss? Why did his employees have such big attitudes? Dong Xiao Rou was one thing, but what was the deal with Sophie?
The night before last, Li Zhi called her to ask about the situation in the fish ball shop, but she only said one sentence, "This is not your concern," and then hung up!
Yes, she hung up on Li Zhi. He didn't know why Miss Su had such a bad temper!
If it wasn't his concern, then he wouldn't worry about it. However, Dong Xiao Rou belonged to Li Zhi, and he had to bring her back. In addition to investing million in the factory, Li Zhi also planned to construct a small cold storage facility within the factory. It wouldn't be enough to rely solely on a refrigerated cabinet to store a large quantity of fish meatballs.
After Dong Xiao Rou returned, she took the initiative to find Li Zhi without his request and engaged in a lengthy conversation.
"You exchanged two hundred thousand to allow Su Feier to take away twenty percent of the shares of the Happy Fish Ball shop." "I think you've missed out." This was the first thing Dong Xiao Rou said to Li Zhi when she saw him, with a serious expression and no hint of joking.
Lost out?
Li Zhi smiled and nodded, "I know, there's a saying that goes 'a loss may turn out to be a gain.'" "You should have heard of it!"
Dong Xiao Rou didn't say anything!
"Stick with me, and your world won't be confined to a small fishbowl chain enterprise." "The sky is so vast," Li Zhi said with a smile.
Dong Xiao Rou rolled her eyes and retorted, "Are you saying I'm narrow-minded?"
"Hehe!" Li Zhi put away his smile and said, "Let's get back to the point." As the general manager of Xiao Rou Food Factory, you are responsible for overseeing the expansion and construction of the food factory.
"Don't try to flatter me!" Dong Xiao Rou said calmly. "As the general manager, how much will you pay me per month?"
Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "A million yuan per year, in addition to five percent of the profits." "What do you think?"
Dong Xiao Rou was stunned and remained silent for a while before speaking, "If you want to hand over the factory to me, I hope to separate the accounts between the processing plant and the Happy Fish Ball shop." "The factory is the factory, and the fish ball shop is the fish ball shop!"
Separate?
"What do you mean?" Li Zhi asked.
"Two separate businesses, although both in your industry, need independent accounts." Dong Xiao Rou paused for a moment and continued, "It's easy to separate the fish ball shop and the factory now, but it won't be so simple in the future when 'Happy Fish Ball' expands. You may need to separate them again!"
Li Zhi understood. Sophie's complete control was already evident, and Dong Xiao Rou was in charge of the factory. The factory was currently only a supplier to the fish ball shop, but what about the future?
If the factory wanted to develop and expand, who would make the decisions, Dong Xiao Rou or Sophie?
Although Dong Xiao Rou was a few years older than Sophie, she also had a competitive personality.
"How has the fish ball shop been these past few days?" Li Zhi didn't respond to Dong Xiao Rou's words and shifted the conversation to the fish ball shop.
"Very good!" Dong Xiao Rou's words were simple, consisting of only two words. However, from the literal meaning, it was evident that there were no issues with the management of the fish ball shop. Sophie's management was no worse than Li Zhi's, and she didn't want to discuss this matter any further as the fish ball shop was not under her authority!
"It's fine to separate the factory," Li Zhi agreed without hesitation. In his opinion, whether it was the fish ball shop or the factory in the village on Fish Head Island, they were merely a way for him to gather initial capital.
Once he had money, Li Zhi would definitely venture into other industries. Since Dong Xiao Rou wanted to take charge independently, he didn't mind handing it over to her.
The "Star Cloud I9 Smart Factory" was not only for assembling fish ball machines to produce fish meatballs. With enough capital, Li Zhi was confident that he could make the world revolve around him.
"What is the relationship between you and Mu Xiaomei?" Dong Xiao Rou looked at Li Zhi with a casual and nonchalant expression.
Originally, she didn't want to ask, but this matter had been on her mind for a long time. When she saw Li Zhi upon her return, she couldn't contain her emotions any longer.
"Good friends!" Li Zhi smiled and gave the same explanation.
"Good friends?" How good? Dong Xiao Rou asked with a stern face.
Li Zhi's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. Could it be that she had developed feelings for him? He smiled and said, "Very good." Let me put it this way: I may have wronged her in the past, but she was the only one who reached out to help me when I needed it most. She lent me the money to rent this place, buy equipment, and start the factory. Without the hundred thousand dollars she lent me, I wouldn't have the factory and fish ball shop I have now. I'm not ungrateful. Do you understand now?
"I do!" Dong Xiao Rou turned her head and walked away with a stern expression.
Watching Dong Xiao Rou's back, Li Zhi smiled wistfully. A woman's heart is truly hard to fathom. He couldn't guess what she was thinking!
After Dong Xiao Rou returned, Li Zhi felt relieved. She would be in charge of all construction and expansion matters. In addition to investing 1.2 million in the factory, Li Zhi also planned to construct a small cold storage facility within the factory. It wouldn't be enough to rely solely on a refrigerated cabinet to store a large quantity of fish meatballs.