The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 307 Outputting knowledge is more important than taking in knowledge (4K)

Although Jiangbei is where Hongqi's headquarters are located, there are only two physical stores there.

One is in the north of the city, and the other is in the south, located next to two large, mid-to-high-end residential complexes.

It's important to know that fresh fruit and vegetable stores have requirements regarding customer traffic.

Especially in small fifth-tier cities like Jiangbei, where there are numerous ordinary farmers' markets and street stalls, community-based boutique fresh produce is not very competitive.

This requires us to find solutions from other angles.

Therefore, the company did a lot of screening work in the initial site selection before finally deciding on these two locations.

"It has been proven that market research before opening a store is very necessary."

Chen Jingle admires those who know nothing, do nothing, just throw money at a shop, spend hundreds of thousands on renovations, and then close down in less than three months.

What's the difference between this and throwing money around?
When a person's perception does not match their wealth level, then the wealth they possess will eventually flow back to society in various ways. The value of this statement is still increasing.

The two housing developments that Hongqi chose are inhabited by a relatively well-off group of people in Jiangbei. At least there are no resettled residents. They have a certain pursuit of quality of life and usually prefer to go to the supermarket to buy things, rather than to the nearby vegetable market or street stalls.

However, not everyone has time to go to the supermarket every day.

Some people go to work early and get off work late, and there is no one else in their family to buy groceries.

In this situation, the emergence of Hongqi physical stores meets the needs of these residents.

The products are of good quality, the prices are relatively cheap and transparent, and it's right next to the neighborhood, so even if I get off work late, I can still buy good quality fruits and vegetables.

It's even better when you occasionally come across clearance sales or discounts.

Therefore, even without any promotional activities, physical stores still attract good customer traffic and revenue after opening, and gradually build a stable customer base.

Ultimately, Hongqi's offline physical stores have never been positioned as boutique stores, but rather as affordable stores.

We will adopt an affordable pricing strategy to meet residents' daily needs for fruits and vegetables at more down-to-earth prices.

With most people now opting for a downgrade in consumption, you can't expect them to be as willing to spend money as they were before the mask mandate. To get money out of people's pockets, you have to put in more effort.

Nowadays, everyone tries to stretch every penny to two and lives frugally.

In this situation, price becomes particularly important.

Even if it's only a penny cheaper than other stores, it's still a bargain.

If you can offer a discount of one dollar, it's no exaggeration to say that residents within a five-kilometer radius are all your potential customers!
People who buy groceries and fruits every day are very good with numbers.

"When you open a store, you have to make customers feel like they're getting a good deal."

Why does Chen Jingle know so much?
Because his father's favorite thing to do used to be to ride his motorcycle to another market seven or eight kilometers away to buy fresh pork that was two yuan cheaper.

I don't even know if it will cover the gas costs for the round trip, but my dad just keeps doing it.

My mom does the same. When she goes to pick up her package, she'll buy two watermelons, because the fruit stall next to the delivery point is two cents cheaper per pound than the one at the market next to our house.

This desire to get a bargain applies to people of all ages.

Price wars are the most effective form of marketing!

Everyone says that Walmart's Qian Dama (a popular online shopping platform) offers discounts at night, which is a blessing for working people.

Chen Jingle's idea is that we don't need discounts to become a boon for working people.

……

However, the affordable route is not suitable for everyone.

Hung-Chi has its own complete supply chain, which allows it to keep costs to a minimum, which is why it dares to do this.

Other brands, such as Qian Dama, which is being imitated, have no choice but to take the high-end route and add a nighttime discount strategy.

Even so, it's difficult for Aunt Qian to stay in third- or fourth-tier cities in the Lingnan region.

The phrase "We don't sell overnight meat" might be a good slogan for residents in other provinces, but in the Lingnan region, no fresh food store dares to sell overnight meat.

Unless you don't want to work here anymore.

In addition, since it operates on a franchise model, the rules for evening discounts and promotions are set by the brand, but the losses are borne by the franchisees themselves. As a result, the franchisees cannot afford the losses and have to resort to underhanded tactics, giving people the impression that Qian Dama's stores are of varying quality.

Therefore, Qian Dama is not very competitive in non-first- or second-tier cities, and is even less competitive than roadside stalls.

Hongqi, having learned from Qian Dama's experience, naturally couldn't afford to fall into the same traps she had already encountered.

In the fresh produce market, strategy is key to success.

As I said before, you don't need to be the best, just better than most of your peers.

Everything depends on contrast.

That's how Hongqi operates. It's better than others in this aspect and better than others in that aspect. When combined, it leaves all its competitors behind.

Although it is a newcomer to the fresh food industry, Hongqi already has ten physical stores throughout the province.

Apart from two in Jiangbei and one in Fengcheng, the others are located in the provincial capital and Pengcheng.

These two first-tier cities are where the majority of consumption occurs.

Several of them are under renovation and will open for business soon.

In the future, the program will be gradually rolled out to other cities through a point-to-area approach, with the target being at least second-tier cities within the province, and provincial capitals or sub-provincial cities outside the province.

It will not cross the Yangtze River.

However, the decision not to adopt a franchise model will not change for a long time to come.

Franchising is the way to go if you want to expand rapidly and raise funds for an IPO.

However, Hongqi does not need it.

Without a complete and robust supply chain, the supply cannot keep up, and the franchise stores will not be able to survive and will have to go bankrupt. In that case, it will damage Hongqi's reputation.

……

There were still some people out buying groceries to prepare dinner in the afternoon, though not as many as in the morning.

Chen Jingle and Li Wenhui stood opposite the Hongqi physical store in the north of the city, watching the crowds entering the store one after another and constantly recording data.

Li Wenhui also learned to take notes.

From the very first day she became Chen Jingle's assistant, Chen Jingle told her, "Write down everything you see that you think is valuable."

As for what is valuable, that's for her to decide.

Isn't this a test in itself?

Looking at the time, Chen Jingle said to her, "Here's 200 yuan. Go and browse around the store and the nearby fruit and vegetable shops. From a consumer's perspective, compare and see where Hongqi's advantages are and what you think are its shortcomings."

"Oh, okay," Li Wenhui hurriedly agreed. Seeing her frantically get out of the car and walk towards the other side, Chen Jingle shook his head slightly.

My cousin is too reserved and timid in her actions.

This is a common problem for many children from rural families, including him back then.

The educational philosophy instilled in children from a young age is to avoid causing trouble for the family, which has fostered a personality that is indecisive, lacks courage, and is afraid to try new things.

It's easy to miss out on various opportunities.

To grow, you need more knowledge and more experience.

Or perhaps, it can never be changed in a lifetime.

How far she can grow depends on her own destiny. At most, Chen Jingle can say that he will guide her into the field and teach her some methods and techniques; he can't possibly teach her for a lifetime.

After a while, Li Wenhui came out of Hongqi's shop with a plastic bag of fruits and vegetables in her hand. She glanced in the direction of Chen Jingle and then walked into another fruit shop next door.

But this time, after walking around for a while, she left without buying anything and went to the next store.

After repeating this process several times, and having visited all the fruit and vegetable shops around the neighborhood, Li Wenhui was almost too full to carry all the plastic bags in her hands before she finally walked back to where Chen Jingle had parked his car.

Get back in the car.

Li Wenhui breathed a sigh of relief, wiped her sweat; it was just too hot outside, air conditioning was much better.

"Tell me what you saw," Chen Jingle asked her.

Li Wenhui thought carefully before answering: "Hongqi's selection of fruits and vegetables isn't extensive, but they are very fresh, and the prices are relatively cheaper. The store environment is cleaner, and the service is also better. When you walk into other stores, you can more or less feel some problems, such as the product display, the staleness of the goods, and some even being rotten but still on the shelves."

Chen Jingle nodded slightly: "Write a simple investigation report and hand it to me later."

"Huh?" Li Wenhui was stunned, unable to believe it, and asked in a low voice, "Me?!"

Although I don't know what the investigation report is, it sounds like it won't be easy to write.

Is this something a high school student like her could accomplish?
"What is the problem?"

Chen Jingle looked at her and smiled, saying, "It's just an investigation report, nothing difficult. To put it simply, it's about describing and summarizing what you've seen and the facts in relatively objective language into an article. There are plenty of templates and examples online; just search for them yourself later. I didn't buy you this computer to let it gather dust at home."

You need to learn how to search for information online. These days, the internet offers a wealth of non-confidential information if you're willing to search. If you lack even basic search skills and have to ask others for everything, big or small, you'll likely find it difficult to get things done at work. Learn to solve problems yourself and cultivate your problem-solving abilities, understand?

"understood."

Li Wenhui nodded hurriedly, while pondering how to complete the task.

Seeing this, Chen Jingle comforted him, saying, "Don't be afraid of not writing well. This isn't an exam. There are plenty of opportunities to try and make mistakes. If you're afraid of making mistakes, you'll never learn many things in your life."

"Hmm!" Li Wenhui thought for a moment, "Is there a word count requirement? Is there a time limit?"

"There is no word count requirement. Write as much as you want, just write down all your thoughts. As for the time, there is no rush. Just finish writing it before the end of next week."

Chen Jingle simply assigned her homework without having any expectations for her results.

It's important to know that the vast majority of undergraduate students' graduation theses are rubbish, let alone the research reports written by high school students.

The key is to learn to copy and write.

She needs to learn to combine knowledge with practice, understand the importance of having no right to speak without investigation, and learn to think critically and seek answers to questions.

In addition, Chen Jingle believes that outputting knowledge is more important than taking in knowledge.

When you encounter a new concept, try to understand it. Once you have mastered it, try to review it again. Finally, use your own words to teach it to others.

That basically means you've grasped this knowledge point.

This is the famous Feynman Learning Technique.

He enjoys writing papers for the same reason: simply reading and learning is not enough; one must successfully output what one has learned in one's own way in order to truly make it one's own.

……

After dropping Li Wenhui off at home and letting her take all the fruit and other things with her, Chen Jingle drove to Shuangde Square.

I managed to steal a moment from my busy schedule today and met up with Liang Cheng for afternoon tea.

The two hadn't seen each other for a while. The last time they met was at his wedding. Liang Cheng came a day early to help decorate the bridal chamber, and he didn't have much time to entertain his friends on the wedding day.

In the blink of an eye, almost a month has passed.

Everyone's busy.

Either he's busy or Liangcheng is busy. As people reach middle age, they have to balance their careers and families, so they have even less time to go out for meals and tea with their colleagues.

Unlike before, when everyone would come home for summer vacation and just take a phone call to ride their electric bikes out.

Forget it, there's no point in trying to find a sword by marking the boat in the long river of time.

Chen Jingle arrived at the location first, and after a while, around 4:30, Liang Cheng finally arrived.

"It feels like it's been a while since we last met."

Chen Jingle asked with a smile, "How have you been lately?"

"I'm incredibly busy, just finished working overtime." Liang Cheng sighed, looking listless. "Recently, I've had to deal with inspections from above, providing data and stuff, so I can only work overtime. It's so annoying."

He paused, then pointed to his eyes: "See these dark circles under my eyes? I worked overtime until 2 a.m. last night before I got home, and I had to leave again at 8 a.m."

"Two o'clock?!"

Chen Jingle was stunned: "Dude, is this really that outrageous? What kind of promises did your bureau chief make to you that make you work this hard?"

Liang Cheng slumped back in his chair: "If only there were real promises, at least there would be some hope. The problem is that it's all unpaid overtime. It's an old problem within the system; if you don't do it, plenty of others will."

"How long will you be busy?" Chen Jingle asked curiously.

"I'd guess it'll be next Wednesday, there's been a lot going on lately." Liang Cheng frowned, shook his head, and glanced out the window. "Plus, this awful weather, it's unbearably hot, I don't even feel like I have the will to live anymore."

"..."

Not to not to not to.

Chen Jingle shook his head: "It's the summer solstice today, so it's normal for it to be hot. Stop complaining, let's order something to eat first!"

He pushed the menu in front of Liang Cheng and waved to the waiter at the counter.

This is a tea shop that also sells desserts such as egg tarts, caramel pudding, and chocolate chip cookies, making it perfect for afternoon tea.

"I'd like some dessert. I need something sweet to recharge."

Liang Cheng went all out, forgetting all about calories and indulging in his food first, deciding to worry about dieting later!
The two of them each ordered milk tea and dessert.

After the waiter left, Liang Cheng said, "By the way, didn't you say before that your family's fast food restaurant was planning to open a branch? I noticed that there's a nice location that's available for rent, but I'm not sure if it's suitable."

(End of this chapter)