1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 407 Professionals are indeed professional

Upon learning that Bruno had applied to work in Provence, the farmers of Lourmarin kept trying to arrange a meeting with him.

A phone call isn't enough to express my congratulations.
Everyone has to have a good drink twice!

But the newly appointed leader of the Provence Forestry Bureau was too busy, and the time to meet with everyone in Lourmarin was repeatedly postponed, from winter all the way to early spring.

He didn't have a chance to meet Ronan again until the end of March.

"You're finally done with your work." Ronan hugged Bruno as soon as he got out of the car.

The two Parisians coincidentally chose to greet each other in the Provençal way.

Bruno patted Ronan on the back and said:

“There’s never a time when things are done. There are so many things that need improvement in Provence, but my wife’s work is more important than mine, so I’ll take time off to come see you.”

Meanwhile, Zoe is exchanging cheek kisses with Bruno's wife, Sandrine.

Welcome to Provence.

During their meeting over the Spring Festival, Zoe and Sandrine didn't interact much and didn't even sit at the same table.

Today, in close proximity, Zoe discovered that Bruno's wife has an outstanding temperament, excellent looks, and a fantastic figure.

No wonder a single sentence convinced Bruno to abandon Paris and come to work and live in Provence.

Sandrine gently tapped Zoe's cheek three times:

"I heard you got engaged a while ago. It's a real shame I missed it."

Bruno, upon hearing his wife's words, angrily said to Ronan:
"You bastard, you didn't invite me to your engagement? I only heard it from Cornell!"

Ronan smiled and put his arm around his shoulder:

"Weren't you worried about interfering with your work? There will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future. Zoe and I will definitely invite you to our wedding. Let's go, let's go check out that shop first."

Ronan had already briefed Bruno on the basic details of the shop beforehand.

But on the way to the shop after getting out of the car, Sandrine still raised many questions:
"Do you run an art shop?"

To be honest, Sandrine didn't quite understand why Bruno asked Ronan to find her a job at first.

Her husband was an important official in the Forest Service, while as far as she knew, Ronan was just a restaurant owner in a small village.

Why would they ask Ronan for help and place such high hopes on him?
To prove his friend's worth to his wife, Bruno spent an entire evening explaining to her Ronan's standing in the Provençal art world.

Sandrine's impression of Ronan changed to that of a well-known local artist.

Ronan, holding Zoe's hand, turned back with a smile to explain to her:

"At first, yes, but in the future we hope to turn it into a furniture store."

“A furniture store?” Sandrine glanced at her husband, Bruno.

You weren't talking to me about a furniture store back then.

Ronan immediately explained on behalf of his friend:
"This change was decided recently, and it's only just begun. I haven't had a chance to tell Bruno yet."

“We’re here,” Ronan said, pointing to a small shop by the roadside. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

Kafu rented a small shop in the upscale area of ​​Apta, but they decorated it quite well. Upon entering, they set up a display wall so that customers could immediately see what they were selling.

Sandrine stood in front of the wall full of woven decorations for a long time:

"Is it all handmade?"

Ronan nodded beside her and said:
"Yes, I organized a workshop called the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative, where everything sold is hand-woven by the women of the village."

"Can I touch it?" Sandrine asked Ronan.

Ronan gestured for them to proceed.
"Yes, of course."

Sandrine touched the ornaments:
How much do these items cost?

“From tens to hundreds of francs,” Ronan said matter-of-factly. “We can sell several hundred pieces each month.”

Sandrine nodded, left the wall, and officially entered the shop.

"Hey, my buddies, you're here." Cafu, dressed in a suit, walked over to greet them warmly.

Ronan had given prior notice, and Cafu was here specifically to wait for them today.

After introducing them, Ronan noticed that there was only one smart young man in a suit in the shop today, fewer than the people he had encountered before. So he asked Cafu:
Why are there so few people today?

Cafu pointed outside with his thick arm and said:
"As the weather warms up, various activities are being organized in Apt, and they're going out to try their luck."

Sandrine asked unexpectedly:
"You actually have a 'sales team'?"

Ronan said with a smile:
"Yes, quite a few, 30 people."

Sandrine nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, she noticed a very stylish woven chair out of the corner of her eye, walked over to it, and asked:
"Was this also woven by women?"

Cafu answered her:
"This one was made by Ronan, but the ones made by women are no different from this one."

Sandrine saw the price of the chair—3500 francs.

This price is definitely considered very high in Provence.

She overheard Cafu and Ronan chatting:

“The day before yesterday, a young girl wanted to buy this sample chair you made for 20000 francs. I said, are you kidding me? For something Ronan made himself, don’t even think about it for less than 50000 francs.”

"Don't sell these sample chairs I made yet. Keep them; they might be useful later," Ronan said calmly. The budget for artificially cultivated truffles had increased, and even with new investors joining, Ronan would still be the one footing the bill.

He wants to buy land to grow grapes, but land prices in Provence are too high now.

So, even with all that calculation, Blanco's money for Ronan's winery wasn't exactly plentiful, because he still had a lot of equipment to purchase.

There are many places to spend money, but Ronan's main source of income after the truffle harvesting season ends is just one restaurant.

March is almost over, and it's almost time for the monthly accounting again. After this month's accounting, Ronan needs to think carefully about how to make more money.

Cafu didn't think as complicatedly as Ronan; he simply felt that something Ronan had made shouldn't be sold so easily.

"Yes, we didn't plan to sell them. In the end, the girl ordered a regular one. This model sells well; we sold four in just over half a month."

Hearing Ronan and Cafu's conversation, Sandrine's gaze left the woven chair she had been admiring for a long time and looked at the other chairs in the shop. She was surprised to find that each one was unique and well-designed.

She had only one thought—it was a waste to leave these chairs in Provence; they should be sent to Paris.

Sandrine and Bruno looked around the shop like shoppers, carefully examining everything from the entrance to the back, not missing a single item.

Seeing that the two people had walked away, Cafu whispered to Ronan:

"Can this woman help us?"

Ronan said uncertainly:
"Her work experience can definitely help us, but we're not sure if she'd be willing to help. What if she doesn't see the potential in our business?"

Like Bati, Kafu also believes that the current knitting team lacks a professional to help them organize their ideas.

Ronan doesn't expect to make money from knitting; it's just a small part of his many businesses. He doesn't care how much he earns, but Cafu and his partners rely on it for their livelihood.

“If she doesn’t want to come, I’ll spend money to hire someone as a consultant, at least to help me train people. I only know how to cheer people on, but I’m not a professional.”

The other end of the shop.

Bruno and his wife Sandrine were also talking quietly, but it was Bruno's 'one-man show'.

"This shop is too small, isn't it? It's quite different from your old job in Paris."

"Don't you like what they sell here?"

"It's okay, darling, we can take our time looking, or we can use some of our savings to open a shop for you!"

When Sandrine entered the shop, her expression was too serious and she remained silent. Bruno guessed that his wife was not very satisfied with the environment.

Sandrine felt her husband was too nagging and giving perfunctory answers.

What should I sell if I open my own shop?

Bruno said affectionately:
"Sell anything you like!"

Sandrine shook her head twice:
"But can you find products as unique and competitive as those in this store?"

"Huh?" Bruno was stunned.

Sandrine finally finished looking at the last item, walked back to the door, and asked Ronan and the others:

"Shall we find somewhere to talk?"

Cafu pointed to the sample chair and said casually:
"Let's talk here. We usually sit here to discuss things."

Sandrine said seriously:
"If you want your business to improve, start by changing this habit. No matter what high-end products you sell, they are essentially a symbol of the 'privileged class.' If both employees and customers can use them, it will weaken the customers' sense of exclusivity."

There's a coffee shop right across from the knitting shop.

Sandrine's 'seriousness' made Cafu not even dare to drink alcohol, and he ordered a cup of coffee instead.

Does anyone know if drinking at work can affect business?

Sandrine realized she had just had a professional fit and had gone a bit too far, so after sitting down, she started talking about some very superficial things.

For example, the location was well chosen, and the young men looked very energetic, etc. I dared not offer any further suggestions.

Ronan gave her a chance to speak freely:

"I heard from Bruno that you've been selling high-end luxury goods in Paris. To be honest, we're also thinking of moving into the high-end furniture market in the future. Could you give us some advice?"

"Yes, yes, give me some feedback, don't just praise me all the time," Cafu said humbly.

Sandrine said with a smile:
“But I really think you’ve chosen a very good category, especially in Provence. In fact, I did a lot of research before coming here and learned about the development path of many local Provençal handmade brands. I found that they have a big limitation – that is, they are too dependent on the season.”

She looked at everyone and said:
"For example, those who make lavender handicrafts can only sell for three months of the year. Your weaving is not only not seasonal, but also does not depend on the tourist season, because the renovation is carried out all year round, and we also caught up with the 'immigrant wave' in Provence, just like us."

Ronan was surprised that Sandrine had done her homework, so he leaned forward slightly to listen carefully to what she had to say next.

“Another huge advantage is that the things you sell are naturally ‘designer styles’ because they are all designed by Ronan.” Sandrine looked sincerely at Zoe. “This results in high product premiums, making them difficult to replace by industrialized goods. Even if the craftsmanship is imitated and copied in the future, it will never shake your foundation because they can’t copy Ronan.”

Cafu excitedly picked up his coffee cup.

Professionals are indeed professionals.

He only had a vague concept of these profound principles, but others explained them clearly in just a few words.

That's right, our business is irreplaceable!
Sandrine suddenly looked at Cafu:
“You are a little different from other workshops in Provence. I understand that many Provence workshops do not have sales teams and rely on ‘natural traffic’ and ‘trust economy’ to operate. This model is certainly romantic and simple, but it severely limits their development. All successful luxury goods rely on excellent business operations. Although there is still a lot to lack now, at least you are on the right track from the beginning.”

Finally, Sandrine looked at Ronan, the key figure in the weaving business:

“I’m new to this business, but I have a feeling, maybe it’s a woman’s intuition, that it can achieve a win-win situation for both business and art.”

(End of this chapter)