The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Back in Hong Kong, it was already early January 1950. Lin Zhichao immediately convened a meeting with several management members of Global Shipping.

"Two 10,000-ton freeships are already sailing to Hong Kong and are expected to arrive at the port at the end of January. Therefore, today we will discuss the operation plans of the two ships, and everyone can speak freely."

Global Shipping is not a newbie. It has good experience as an Eastern trader operating ‘Wanhe Shipping’. In addition, the top management are all from shipping backgrounds, so everyone has suggestions.

"At present, Hong Kong's largest trading partner is still the mainland. We can open multiple non-fixed routes to the mainland, just pick up the goods and go!" said Feng Yongfa, deputy general manager.

This kind of business is indeed good. Xu Aizhou's fleet currently sails along the inland coast.

Lin Zhichao remained silent and continued to listen to everyone's suggestions.

Business manager Gao Qiqiang also immediately said: "It is difficult to operate two 10,000-ton cargo ships by soliciting cargo. The only way is to open fixed routes. One ship can open a fixed route to Tokyo, Japan, and one ship can open a fixed route to Southeast Asia or even further. The disadvantage of the European route is that it makes less money, but it has certain benefits for the development of our shipping company."

This plan was exactly what Lin Zhichao had in mind. As for the lack of money Gao Qiqiang mentioned, Lin Zhichao was not worried at all. In the second half of the year, there will be a ship shortage in the Far East, and freight rates will soon double. Therefore, it only takes half a year to reach the spring of shipping.

Once the freight doubled, Lin Zhichao chose to cooperate with a Japanese shipping company for long-term leasing. Although it was only 75% of the income from short-term leasing, it was more convenient for loans and gaining mutual trust.

"Okay, these two ships will open fixed routes, one to Tokyo, Japan, and one to Europe via Southeast Asia. We will immediately start business layout, and we will officially start operations as soon as the ships arrive at the port."

Many fixed route businesses cooperate with shipping agencies, and Global Shipping will also open shipping companies in these places.

"Yes, boss!"

The Oriental Trader was Lin Zhichao's training ship; and the two 10,000-ton freeships were also Lin Zhichao's experimental products in the early stages. Even if he is parked at the port, he will not worry, because his goal is to make money from the Japanese when there is a "ship shortage in the Far East" in the second half of the year.

As for Global Shipping, it still has nearly 800,000 US dollars in its account, so it will naturally continue to purchase ships in April and May.

Lin Zhichao came to the Changjiang Plastic Factory. The place had a completely new look at this time. Under the leadership of technicians, workers were using second-hand plastic machines that had been eliminated from the United States to make various plastic products, including daily necessities (buckets, flower watering diffusers, etc.), and plastic products. Toys (divination gun, little yellow duck, etc.).

The entire Changjiang Plastic Factory has a total investment of HK$350,000. This is not yet a ready-made factory, so in terms of scale, it is already a large plastics company in Hong Kong.

At present, Hong Kong has 30 plastic factories, almost all of which are small-scale factories. The factory covers an area of ​​less than a thousand square feet and has only a dozen or so workers.

As for the market for Hong Kong plastic products, it is limited to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. It is impossible to open up the European and American markets, and the quality is not up to standard. The simplest one is the equipment, which is all the first-generation plastic machines that have been eliminated from the United States.

"Boss, you're back!" Tao Derong greeted him happily.

Recently he has been both excited and a little nervous. After all, he knows that his boss has high requirements for product quality, so even if he hires technicians with high salaries, he is not very reassured, so he keeps an eye on the factory.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said directly: "Have the products been produced? Have you compared them with other factories?"

It is a large factory to begin with. If the quality is not up to standard, it will be a joke.

Tao Derong immediately invited Lin Zhichao to the product display area, and then Lin Zhichao began to look at it carefully. Yangtze Plastic Factory has been preparing for almost two months, and has not yet launched the product into the market. It is waiting for Lin Zhichao's acceptance.

"Is there any comparison?"

"Yes, yes. These are products from a company called Wanhe Plastic Factory. This plastic factory is the oldest plastic factory in Hong Kong and is also a very strong plastic factory in the market."

Lin Zhichao's expression immediately changed and he immediately asked: "What is the name of the boss of this factory?"

Tao Derong did not doubt that he was there, and then said: "The boss is called Wang Dongshan, and the factory has nearly a hundred people. However, this Wang Dongshan has now handed over the management of Wanhe Plastic Factory to a young man named 'Li Jiacheng', and the overall business development is very good. worth to learn from."

Sure enough, it was him. It seemed that we were enemies on a narrow road!

Lin Zhichao nodded and said with satisfaction: "I feel relieved if you have such a humble attitude! The quality of our workers is unparalleled. The technicians are all poached and the machines are the latest in Hong Kong. However, it is undeniable that The thing is, we are still newbies and have a lot to learn!”

Tao Derong quickly agreed. He is very motivated now. The first is promotion and salary increase, and the second is huge pressure. Moreover, Cheung Kong Industries has a reward system. Outstanding employees and outstanding management who perform well during the year will be evaluated at the end of the year, and the winners can receive "three grains and four grains", similar to bonuses.

Next, when Lin Zhichao picked up the little yellow duck, he immediately said: "Is this plagiarism? You didn't create a second creation, or did you develop and design the doll shape yourself?"

The little yellow duck was the first patented toy registered by Americans in 1947. Later, the Japanese registered it, and then Lin Liang of Hong Kong developed a different little yellow duck.

The little yellow duck in Lin Zhichao's hands was the little yellow duck developed by Lin Liang, but it was not patented.

"Plagiarism? Secondary creation?" Tao Derong couldn't react at the moment.

In this era, Hong Kong has no awareness of patents and copyrights. It is a place where copycat factories gather.

"I understand. The boss means that we develop new dolls ourselves. I have thought about it, but I don't have enough time. I can only use the products on the market as samples for production. Later, we will create our own dolls. Toys, boss, please rest assured." Tao Derong quickly added.

Lin Zhichao didn't take it to heart. He couldn't ask for too much from the beginning, otherwise he would be embarrassed. Moreover, there was only one purpose at the beginning, and that was to survive.

"Okay. Then call the management and have a meeting to discuss preparations for launching the product on the market!"

"OK!"

After a while, several management members came to a small conference room.

When Lin Zhichao generally set the price of his products at a lower price than Wanhe Plastic Factory, the management raised objections.

Tao Derong said: "Boss, we won't make much profit this way, and will it be easy to offend our peers?"

Sales manager Li Xiaobin said: "Boss, rest assured that our sales team has inherited the business capabilities of Yangtze River Industrial and will be able to successfully enter the market."

The sales team of Cheung Kong Industries was trained by Lin Zhichao. In this era, it is definitely a winning team.

Lin Zhichao immediately said with a smile: "We are new to the industry, so naturally we have to use strong materials to grab customers. What's more, the price is only slightly lower, not malicious bargaining, we still have profits! As for offending our peers, if I were an ordinary boss who had just joined the industry , naturally I don’t dare to do this.”

The implication was that he didn't take those small bosses seriously at all.

The shopping mall is like a battlefield, and Lin Zhichao's enemies are much more vicious to him than he is today, such as the shooting of the Yangtze River Bank.

The management stopped talking. In fact, they were more worried about the profits of the plastic factory.

But Lin Zhichao's idea is to occupy the market first, and then when the price of raw materials increases in the second half of the year, Yangtze Plastics Factory will take the opportunity to increase prices. It is naturally reasonable. Of course, without the import and export blockade in the second half of the year, he really wouldn't have done this.

This is the so-called right time and right place!

Then, Lin Zhichao added: "Secondly, we adopt a consignment model. All stores, grocery stores, and wholesale houses that buy our goods. As long as the products are not sold, we will recycle them at the original price."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was surprised again!

This is awesome!

All risks of co-authorship are borne by Changjiang Plastic Factory, wholesalers and stores have no risk. In this way, they will naturally give priority to Yangtze Plastic Factory.

The management no longer wanted to persuade him any more, and the boss was determined to seize the market as the most important purpose, even if it meant making a profit at a loss.

Lin Zhichao still has no moves yet!

But save it first to avoid overwhelming your opponent.

Li Xiaobin, the sales manager of Changjiang Plastic Factory, came to Kowloon Pacific Trading Company, the largest wholesale store in Kowloon. What he didn't know was that his senior Li Jiacheng was able to gain a foothold in Wanhe Plastic Factory and win the favor of his boss Wang Dongshan precisely by winning orders from Kowloon Pacific Trading Company.

The Kowloon Pacific Trading Company originally placed orders in Europe and the United States, and it was Li Jiacheng who changed the "foreign" thinking of Zhao Sheng of the Pacific Trading Company; of course, it was impossible to do it just by sales promotion, but Hong Kong's plastic products have already achieved and The quality is almost the same in Europe and the United States, so others agreed to order from Hong Kong.

"Sir, what do you do?"

As soon as I arrived at the downstairs of Kowloon Pacific Commercial Bank, I was stopped by a security guard. Because there were many sales people, this security guard was specially designed to intercept salesmen.

Li Xiaobin had worked in sales, so he naturally understood how to pass this level, so he said, "I'm here to place an order with Boss Zhao. This is Kowloon Pacific Trading Company, right?"

If he dares to come here to sell, he has already done a lot of homework, otherwise he wouldn't have to do it himself.

When the security guard saw Li Xiaobin's dress and confident temperament, he believed him. If he was in sales, he could tell at a glance.

"Yes, yes, on the third floor!"

"Thanks"

Next, Li Xiaobin experienced the second level, as the front desk lady of Pacific Commercial Bank.

"Hello, Miss, I have an appointment with Boss Zhao to discuss business!" In order to see Zhao Sheng, Li Xiaobin could only lie all the way. After all, if he was sincere, he would not even be able to meet him.

Therefore, a dead horse is treated as a living horse doctor as an attempt.

As the sales team of Changjiang Plastic Factory, the boss and deputy general manager actually do not put much pressure on them. However, everyone feels that the quality is similar to the high-quality ones in the market and the price is cheaper, so there is no reason not to win some orders.

"What's your last name?"

"I am Mr. Lee"

"Okay, please follow me!"

After passing one level again, Li Xiaobin got his wish and was taken to Zhao Sheng's office by the receptionist.

At this time, Zhao Sheng was on the phone and very busy. When he saw the front desk lady bringing someone in, he didn't hang up the phone immediately. This made the front desk lady immediately confused. Could it be that the person she brought in was a salesperson?

This is not the first time this has happened!

He was brought in two years ago and has become a partner of the company.

Li Xiaobin waited patiently! Although his sales experience was only two years, he was personally trained by his boss Lin Zhichao and he learned a lot.

After a while, as soon as Zhao Sheng hung up the phone, the front desk lady quickly said: "Boss, this gentleman said he had an appointment with you, so I brought him in!"

Without waiting for Zhao Sheng to question him, Li Xiaobin immediately said: "I'm sorry, Boss Zhao! I am Li Xiaobin, the marketing manager of Yangtze River Industries. I know you are very busy, so I tried to find a way to meet you!"

Zhao Sheng was preparing to drive away customers if Li Xiaobin was in sales, because he hated the way salesmen chattered all the time, probably because that was the way he worked because he was also a wholesaler.

However, when he heard the words 'Changjiang Industries', Zhao Sheng took back his words because he had heard of this company and even fantasized about becoming their agent. He heard that it was very profitable.

"Manager Li, please sit down!" Zhao Sheng took the initiative.

This scene made the front desk lady a little confused. She was also a salesperson. How could this person be treated like this? Could it be because she had a manager.

After a while, when Li Xiaobin got down to business, Zhao Sheng was disappointed again. It turned out that he was not selling zippers!

Li Xiaobin observed the words and knew that Zhao Sheng was looking at the words "Yangtze River Industries". Now that he heard that it was not a zipper, he was naturally a little disappointed. So, he decided to seize the opportunity.

"Boss Zhao, the quality of our products is excellent, but the price can be cheaper for you. Not only that, we can cooperate with you by adopting the policy of returning goods at the original price if they are not sold in full, so you don't have to worry about the accumulation of goods."

After hearing this, Zhao Sheng once again had the desire to listen, and first asked: "Your Yangtze River Industry is so good at making zippers, why do you still care about the plastic industry?"

Li Xiaobin immediately said: "It's an opportunity! Since we dispersed part of our production capacity to Xingdao for production, there were more workers. The management wanted to fire a hundred people, but the boss didn't agree. Later, the boss decided to open a plastic The factory doesn’t care about how much money it makes, it just doesn’t want to make workers’ lives difficult.”

For a moment, Zhao Sheng immediately admired him and said, "Your boss is worth learning from!"

Immediately, he looked at the samples. Because he was worried about being thought of as selling, Li Xiaobin only brought some simple plastic products.

So, when Zhao Sheng was looking at the products, Li Xiaobin then said: "Boss Zhao, we can bring you more products!"

After Zhao Sheng looked at it for a while, he said: "The products are indeed made with care. Although you are newbies, the quality is not bad. However, we have been ordering from Wanhe Plastic for two years, so we canceled it rashly. I’m afraid it’s not good!”

Li Xiaobin thought for a while and said: "If it's because of Boss Zhao's emotional value, I have nothing to say. But if we are talking about business, I hope Boss Zhao will consider us carefully. After all, we have achieved low prices. , the quality is high-quality, and to be honest, our profit is very low.”

Zhao Sheng suddenly thought to himself, what kind of feelings? Of course I do business to make money. His products are exported to Southeast Asia, and the local market in Hong Kong is also very large, so the cost must be considered when making large quantities.

"In this case, if you bring samples again, I need to strictly control the quality!"

"Okay, thank you Boss Zhao for the opportunity!"

Li Xiaobin knew that this business was done. Although the Yangtze Plastic Factory was just opened, it had hired a lot of technical workers to guide it. In addition, the quality of the workers was high, so the product quality was guaranteed.

There is no such thing as high-tech or technological content in plastic factories. The fact that there are 30 plastic factories in Hong Kong is the best proof. As long as you want to ensure quality, you can achieve it.

The product that was rushed to work must be a defective product, and the Li family was deceived in the previous life.

The Yangtze Plastic Factory has hundreds of workers producing from the beginning, so there is no rush to complete the work. What's more, the quality of workers is also key.

On this day, Lin Zhichao and Lee Shau Kee made an appointment to have a small gathering at Lin Heung House on Queen's Road.

Lian Xiang Lou originated from Guangzhou. In the 1920s, it was invited by Hong Kong businessmen to open a branch in Hong Kong. At the beginning, like Guangzhou, it only served dinner parties; but starting this year, Lian Xiang Lou opened a tea market during the day and banquets at night.

After the two sat down, Lee Shau Kee said: "On the 6th of this month, the London government admitted that the mainland would resume power on the 9th and was willing to cooperate. Since then, these teahouses have been overcrowded with people from all walks of life who have come to Hong Kong to develop, whispering and chatting. Discuss politics.”

Lin Zhichao tasted the snacks and said with a smile: "Brother Zhaoji must be one of them!"

The employment relationship between the two has ended, but it has a beginning and an end. They broke up peacefully, but their friendship is still there.

Lee Shau Kee immediately said: "How can I have a clear goal like Lin Sheng? Now that gold has fallen, there is no chance anymore, so I often come to these places to inquire about information and look for an opportunity. By the way, Lin Sheng, Pan Yaoxing's bank account has gone bankrupt." , it is said that I lost a lot, and someone came to ask for debt!"

Lin Zhichao was stunned and said: "No way, no matter how much you lose, can you lose all your capital?"

Lee Shau Kee said with a smile: "There have been quite a few people who have lost their fortune speculating in gold recently. Since the end of last year, gold has plummeted to 400 Hong Kong dollars per tael, which is close to half of the price. This Pan Yaoxing must also be unwilling to get involved in the trend of gold speculating. That’s why we suffered this disaster.”

No wonder!

Lin Zhichao had also been paying attention to it for a while. After he withdrew all his employees and took down the signboard, Pan Yaoxing's store business plummeted. Unexpectedly, he was unwilling to give up and actually took the risk of speculating in gold to fill the hole. After all, he might go bankrupt.

"Time is destiny! If you are not greedy, you cannot lose your money."

Lin Zhichao sighed.

He would only deal with people once, and he would not kill them all. After all, he would only use legal business methods to trick people. He was afraid that he would not be able to stop doing illegal things if he got into trouble.

Li Shauji nodded. This former boss was very polite and talked about business.

Then, Lin Zhichao asked Li Shauji: "You haven't decided what to do next?"

Li Zhaoji shook his head and said, "There's no rush, you can take your time to examine and think about it!"

At this time, Lin Zhichao said: "In recent years, the export sales of Hong Kong products will surge, and Hong Kong will transform from an entrepot in the past to a trading and manufacturing center. If you still want to start a career, you might as well think about it from this point of view."

Li Shauji's eyes lit up. He naturally had a deep understanding of Lin Zhichao's vision, so he carefully analyzed the information.

"Xie Linsheng for your advice!"

"Haha, thank you, you helped me a lot. What's more, sitting here is all about talking about this!"

To put it bluntly, he also encouraged Lee Shau Kee to join trade with the mainland as early as possible and enter the hardware manufacturing industry. As for when Lee Shau Kee will take action, it is unknown.

For example, Lee Shau Kee wanted to persuade his father to come to Hong Kong, but he still failed, so it was fate.

In any case, Lee Shau Kee still respected and appreciated Lin Zhichao very much, and the two also had a happy chat.

The only question that makes Lin Zhichao think: Will Lee Shau Kee join Sun Hung Kai in this life?

After all, if Lee Shau Kee makes more money in the past few years, he will almost have the strength to become a real estate developer on his own. But it's hard to say, after all, he doesn't have a cash cow, like Li Jiacheng had Plastic Flowers and Zheng Yutong had Chow Tai Fook in his previous life.

It seemed like it had changed Lee Shau Kee's destiny, but it also seemed like it hadn't changed, it seemed like everything was fate.