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Just as Xiao Ran and Liu Yuan boarded the southbound green train, Su Ning had already arrived in Shenzhen a week earlier.

Unlike Xiao Ran and the others who squeezed into hard seats, Su Ning traveled by plane.

In 1992, not many people could afford to fly; a plane ticket cost the equivalent of several months' wages for an average worker.

As the plane landed at Shenzhen Huangtian Airport, Suning saw the outline of this young city through the window...

Construction sites are everywhere, tower cranes stand tall, and new buildings are springing up like mushrooms after rain.

The air was filled with a restless, desire-filled atmosphere.

After getting off the plane, Su Ning didn't rush to her father's company, but instead found a hotel in the city to stay in.

He needs to see for himself first and understand Shenzhen in this era.

Suning left home early the next morning.

Shenzhen in 1992 was completely different from the modern metropolis he remembered.

The streets are not wide and the buildings are not tall, but there are construction fences and scaffolding everywhere.

The streets were crowded with people speaking various accents...

Cantonese, Teochew, Sichuanese, Hunanese, Northeastern Mandarin...

People from all over the country gather here in search of opportunities.

Everyone regards this place as a city of miracles, as if one could become rich overnight at any time, but little do they know that most of them are just passing through.

Every day, a large number of new companies are registered, while countless others go bankrupt.

This is what makes this city a miracle city; it's not just about ability, but sometimes a bit of luck is also needed.

Next, Suning went to Huaqiangbei.

At this time, Huaqiangbei was not yet the "No. 1 Electronics Street" it would become, but it had already taken shape.

The streets are lined with shops selling electronic components, radios, televisions, calculators... a dazzling array of goods.

Suning randomly walked into a shop, and the owner, a Chaoshan native, was talking on the phone in Cantonese.

"Boss, how much is this pager?" Suning picked up a Motorola pager from the counter.

The boss hung up the phone and replied in somewhat broken Mandarin, "This one? It's imported, four thousand eight."

"So expensive?" Suning feigned surprise.

"Imported ones are all this price," the shopkeeper said. "If you want domestic ones, there are cheaper ones, around two thousand. But the quality isn't as good as the imported ones."

"Where are the domestically produced ones made?"

“There are factories in Shenzhen,” the owner said. “But they’re all small workshops, just assembling things, using parts imported from Taiwan or Hong Kong. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to some.”

Suning chatted with the boss for a while and learned that there are quite a few pager manufacturers in Shenzhen now, but they are all small-scale and have not formed a brand.

Imported BP motors cost four or five thousand yuan, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary people.

While domestically produced products are cheaper, their quality varies greatly, and after-sales service is often inadequate.

"Boss, do you think there would be a market if I opened a factory that specializes in making pagers?" Su Ning asked.

The boss glanced at him and smiled. "Young man, you're new to Shenzhen, aren't you? Of course there's a market for pagers; everyone wants to buy them now. But do you know how much it costs to open a factory? Equipment, workers, factory space, parts... it'll cost at least several hundred thousand. And you need a sales channel, otherwise, you'll produce them but not be able to sell them, and they'll all be stuck in your hands."

“I can handle the sales myself,” Suning said. “The key is technology and quality.”

"Technology?" The boss shook his head. "What technology is there in Shenzhen now? It's all about buying parts and assembling them. Core components have to be imported from Taiwan and Hong Kong. If you really want to do this, I suggest you start with trading, importing finished products from Hong Kong and selling them to make a profit. Once you have the capital, then think about opening a factory."

Suning thanked the shop owner and left the store.

He spent the morning wandering around Huaqiangbei and found that, as the shop owner had said, most of the businesses there were indeed in the trading industry…

They import electronic products from Hong Kong, resell them in Shenzhen to the mainland, and profit from the price difference.

Very few companies actually own their own factories and run their own brands.

At noon, Suning found a small restaurant by the roadside to eat.

The restaurant was crowded, mostly with young people dressed like factory workers.

Everyone ate and chatted, discussing business strategies.

"Old Wang, how are your TV sets selling?"

"No way! People in mainland China are snapping up imported products right now, nobody wants domestic ones."

"I heard that making clothes is very profitable now. You can buy goods from Guangzhou, transport them to the north to sell, and make more than ten yuan per piece."

"The competition in the clothing industry is too fierce. I have a fellow villager who invests in stocks and made tens of thousands last year!"

"Stocks? That stuff is too risky. I'd rather stick to my small business..."

As Su Ning listened to these conversations, he gradually got a sense of what was going on.

After finishing his meal, he went to the stock exchange in Luohu District.

In 1992, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange had only been established for two years, but it was already incredibly popular.

There was a long queue outside the stock exchange, all people there to open accounts and buy stocks.

Everyone wore an excited expression, as if stocks were a money-printing machine.

Suning did not queue up.

He knew that the stock market in 92 did offer opportunities, but the risks were also extremely high.

The "stock subscription certificate" incident in May and the "8.10" incident in August are both bloody lessons.

I will naturally enter the stock market, after all, it is the best source of funds.

The five million my dad gave me seems like a lot, but it really won't last long.

I need to use the stock market to liquidate the funds in my own space in order to continue developing.

After leaving the exchange, Suning visited several industrial zones.

Chegongmiao, Bagualing, Shekou... factories are being built everywhere, and workers are being recruited everywhere.

The walls were plastered with job postings: "Urgently seeking electronic assemblers, meals and accommodation provided, starting salary 300 RMB per month."

"Looking for sewing workers. Piece-rate pay, the more you work, the more you earn."

"Security guards needed, veterans preferred"...

Suning went into an electronics factory, saying they wanted to discuss cooperation.

He was greeted by a workshop director surnamed Li, who was in his thirties.

"Director Li, what products does your factory mainly produce?" Su Ning asked.

"We make everything," Director Li said. "Radios, tape recorders, calculators... whatever the customers want, we make it. Our factory is small, with a little over a hundred people, and we mainly do OEM manufacturing for orders."

“How’s the profit?”

"It's alright," Director Li said. "A worker can make fifty radios a day, and he can earn fifty cents per radio, which is twenty-five yuan a day. One hundred workers would make two thousand five hundred, or seventy-five thousand a month. After deducting wages, rent, and utilities, we can save twenty or thirty thousand."

"Then why don't you create your own brand?" Suning asked. "The profit margin for OEM manufacturing is too thin."

Director Li laughed, “Young man, you make it sound so easy. Building a brand costs money! You need design, mold making, advertising, and sales channels... Where would we small factories get that kind of capital? We're lucky if we can even get OEM orders.”

“If I had the capital, I would like to cooperate with you,” Suning said. “I would provide the capital, and you would provide the labor, and we would create a brand together.”

Director Li sized Su Ning up and down. "You? How much money do you have?"

"Several hundred thousand," Su Ning said. "It depends on the project."

"Several hundred thousand..." Director Li pondered, "That's enough to get started. But you have to think it through, building a brand is risky. If it doesn't sell, hundreds of thousands will go down the drain."

“I know,” Su Ning said. “That’s why I want to do some market research first. Director Li, what kind of electronic products do you think are most in demand in the Shenzhen market right now?”

Director Li thought for a moment, “If we’re talking about what we need most… it should be pagers. Pagers are incredibly popular right now, but they’re too expensive. Imported ones cost four or five thousand, and even domestic ones cost two or three thousand. If you could make a pager for just over a thousand, it would definitely sell like hotcakes.”

"Over a thousand yuan?" Suning raised an eyebrow. "Is that enough to cover the cost?"

“That’s enough,” Director Li said. “I’ve calculated that if we use domestically produced parts and manufacture them ourselves, the cost of one pager is about seven or eight hundred. If we sell it for 1,500, we can make a profit of 700 per pager. If we sell 1,000 a month, that’s a profit of 700,000.”

Suning quickly made a mental calculation.

The five million his father lent him should be enough to start a pager factory.

But as Director Li said, the key is to have a sales channel.

"Director Li, if I invest in opening a factory, would you be willing to help me?" Su Ning asked.

"Me?" Director Li was stunned. "I'm just a workshop foreman, nothing special..."

“You have experience,” Su Ning said. “You understand production, management, and workers. I need someone like you. I’ll double your current salary, plus a year-end bonus. How about it?”

Director Li was tempted. His current monthly salary was 800 yuan, and double that would be 1,600 yuan, which was definitely a high salary in 1992.

"You...are you serious?"

“Really,” Su Ning said. “I’ll be looking at a few more places in the next couple of days. If you’re willing, we can discuss it in detail next week.”

"Okay!" Director Li nodded vigorously. "I'll wait for your news!"

After leaving the electronics factory, Suning went to several other places.

He visited the clothing wholesale market, the small commodities market, the building materials market...

The conclusion was that in Shenzhen in 1992, the three most profitable industries were electronics, clothing, and building materials.

The electronics industry is technologically advanced but also highly profitable, making it suitable for long-term development.

The apparel industry has low barriers to entry and fierce competition, but high demand, making it suitable for making quick money.

The building materials industry is catching up with the real estate boom and has huge potential, but it requires a lot of capital.

Suning has five million in hand, which is not a small amount, but it's not a large amount either.

He had to choose the most reliable entry point.

Back at the hotel that evening, Suning began writing the business plan.

He ultimately decided to start with pagers.

There are three reasons:

First, the market demand is clear.

Pagers are a necessity; everyone wants one.

Second, the technical threshold is moderate.

It doesn't require very advanced technology; it mainly involves assembly and debugging.

Third, funding needs are controllable.

Five million is enough to start a small factory. Let's get started first and see what happens.

He plans to proceed in three steps: First, register a company, rent a factory, buy equipment, and recruit workers.

The estimated investment is two million.

The second step is to import core components from Hong Kong, procure other components domestically, and assemble them for production.

The estimated investment is one million.

The third step is to establish sales channels.

We started by selling in Shenzhen, then expanded to the Pearl River Delta, and finally distributed the products to the rest of the country.

The estimated investment is two million.

If successful, the investment should be recouped within a year, and profits should be made within two years.

Of course, this is just an ideal situation.

There will definitely be various problems in reality...

Technical problems, quality problems, sales problems, management problems...

But Suning is not afraid.

After all, he has the advantage of being a time traveler, knowing the development trends of the next twenty years.

I also know that pagers were popular for a few years before being replaced by mobile phones.

Therefore, it is necessary to complete the initial capital accumulation before the pager market becomes saturated, and then transform into making mobile phones or other electronic products.

This is Suning's plan.

It was already late at night when I finished writing the proposal.

Suning stood by the window of her hotel room, looking at the night view of Shenzhen.

Although it couldn't compare to the prosperity that followed, you could already see the lights of thousands of homes, the buildings that were rising, and the vibrant life of the city.

I know, Xiao Ran and Liu Yuan should be arriving in Shenzhen soon.

Where are they now?
Are you also in some small hotel, planning your future?

Han Ling and Sun Yumei will also come to Shenzhen next year after they graduate.

Then, these people will meet again in this city and start a new story.

Suning smiled.

Shenzhen, here I come.

This place is full of both gold and traps.

This is a place where you can become rich overnight, or you can go bankrupt overnight.

This place, brimming with endless possibilities, will be where you write your own chapter.

I'll also be here, waiting to see how Xiao Ran and Han Ling's story unfolds.

……

On the third day, Su Ning went to her father's company in Shenzhen.

The company is located in an office building in Luohu District, renting an entire floor.

Su Dahai is in the building materials business, mainly importing decoration materials from Hong Kong and selling them to local construction and decoration companies in Shenzhen.

The receptionist didn't recognize Suning and politely asked, "Sir, who are you looking for?"

“I’m looking for General Manager Su,” Su Ning said. “I’m his son.”

The receptionist was taken aback and quickly called the general manager's office, "Mr. Su, your son is here... Okay, okay, I'll let him in."

After hanging up the phone, the receptionist became even more respectful. "Mr. Su, Mr. Su is waiting for you in his office. This way, please."

Suning followed her through the office area.

The company is quite large, with twenty or thirty employees, all of whom are busy.

The telephones rang incessantly, and the fax machines whirred, creating a bustling scene.

The general manager's office is at the very back.

The receptionist knocked on the door. "Mr. Su, your son is here."

"Come in."

Su Ning pushed open the door and saw her father sitting behind a large desk looking at documents.

Su Dahai looked up at his son, put down the documents, and said, "Sit down."

Suning sat down in the chair opposite the desk.

"When did you arrive in Shenzhen?" Su Dahai asked.

"Three days ago."

"Why didn't you come directly to the company? Where are you staying?"

"I'll stay in a hotel," Su Ning said. "I want to explore Shenzhen on my own first and get a feel for the city."

Su Dahai nodded. "After traveling around for a few days, what are your impressions?"

“There are many opportunities, but the competition is also fierce,” Su Ning said. “Shenzhen is like a huge construction site right now, with construction everywhere. But most people are doing trade, and there aren’t many people actually doing real business.”

"Oh?" Su Dahai became interested. "Continue."

“I looked at the electronics market in Huaqiangbei, the stock exchange in Luohu, and several industrial zones,” Su Ning said. “Right now, the hottest sectors in Shenzhen are stocks, electronics, and building materials. Stocks are too risky, so I don’t plan to touch them. You’re already in the building materials business, so if I were to get involved, I would be competing with you. That’s why I chose electronics.”

"Electronic products?" Su Dahai raised an eyebrow. "What are you planning to do?"

“A pager,” Suning said with certainty.

Su Dahai was silent for a few seconds, then got up and walked to the window. "Pagers are very popular now, but do you know how difficult it is to make one? Technology, funding, sales channels... What makes you think you, a recent graduate, can succeed?"

"I'm young and daring," Su Ning said, "and I also have a plan."

He took a document out of his briefcase and placed it on the table. "Dad, this is the plan I wrote. Please take a look."

Su Dahai turned around and picked up the project proposal to look through it.

...(End of chapter)