League of Legends: Reborn in Season 3, Tuning the Entire League

Chapter 91 He gave too much!

Regardless of whether we can actually open five offline stores this year, we've already got our hands on the PPT flip pen; let's just draw up this big picture first.

Of course, for the heads of the three snack companies, agreeing to the agreement wouldn't mean them losing anything. The products are meant to be sold anyway; the only difference is which distributor, supermarket, or even small retail store will sell them to consumers.

Building a snack chain brand can be simple, but it can also be difficult. Without strong brand building and market competitiveness, it's safe to say that every snack chain store that opens will fail.

Because extremely low selling prices mean that your profits will not be very high. If you can't increase the number of customers entering the store, your operating costs will increase significantly. Once the cash flow is in trouble, it goes without saying what that means for an investor.

However, in the eyes of the three, this young CEO Jiang did not seem to have such worries. With hundreds of thousands of fans accumulated from live streaming, plus the thriving e-sports team he was running, his popularity among young people was exceptionally stable, so the traffic during the initial brand building phase would not be too bad.

With a guaranteed flow of customers into the store, other issues such as supply chain, personnel management, and operating costs are not really a problem. If he needs money, someone will bring him money to his door.

To be honest, they were just wondering if Jiang Ming was trying to attract investment.

But thinking about it, it's not a big deal. The three companies just provided hundreds of thousands of yuan in sponsorship fees, which is more than enough for the initial setup of the store.

Upon realizing this, the way the three of them looked at Jiang Ming changed instantly.

I initially thought it was just luck, like other online streamers who happened to catch the wave of the times and were fortunate enough to run into Tencent's vigorous promotion of the e-sports professional league. Now it seems that the person is really capable.

It's just supplying goods at the lowest price. If they could really achieve the same sales volume as Youchen in the other party's online store, they would be more than happy to do so.

You should know that every year, if you want to get on the shelves of those large supermarkets, your own company has to pay a lot of money at its own expense. Before they came, they knew that JM's previous online store not only provided a free sales platform, but also settled the payment for goods very quickly.

"Then it's decided. After I report it to my supervisor, if it's confirmed, a colleague from the sales department will come to discuss the details."

"As for the other snack companies that Mr. Jiang mentioned, I can only do my best to help them!"

The representatives from Three Squirrels and Daliyuan slowly stood up, their faces bearing just the right amount of smiles, their words revealing a hint of caution and reserve. They both knew that the operating model of snack chain stores was quite complex, and that the supply price had to be pushed down as low as possible. However, they currently lacked actual sales data to support their claims, and whether this cooperation could be finalized ultimately depended on the decisions of the company's leadership.

Therefore, they did not make any absolute statements.

Just as the person in charge was about to take a step, he suddenly realized that the person in charge of Panpan was still sitting steadily on the sofa, showing no intention of getting up.

The two exchanged a glance and instantly understood that the other party had something else to discuss privately. So, they tactfully said goodbye. The person in charge of Three Squirrels smiled and said, "Then, Mr. Jiang, we'll take our leave first. You two can continue your conversation."

"Haha, I'm really sorry, please take care."

Jiang Ming responded with a smile, his tone tinged with apology. Lin Jingyi, standing beside him, also stood up, a professional smile on her face, and together with Jiang Ming, escorted the two to the base entrance.

Once the friends who were discussing sponsorship matters just a moment ago left, the room instantly fell silent.

A few minutes later, Jiang Ming returned to his office.

The person in charge of Panpan also spoke up at the same time, "Mr. Jiang, there's another collaboration we're looking for. I wonder if the NXG team or you are interested?"

"Please tell me."

Jiang Ming was a little curious. Why was Panpan mentioning the club and himself at the same time? He wondered what Panpan was planning to do.
"I did some research before I came here, and I know that you, Mr. Jiang, are currently a registered professional player in the LPL, which means you will be playing as a professional player, right?"

"That's right, what's the problem?" Faced with a sponsor who had given over 100,000 yuan in sponsorship fees, Jiang Ming did not choose to hide anything as long as it did not involve the club's fundamental issues.

After receiving a definite answer, the man's face lit up with joy, and he shared his thoughts.

"We would like to establish another level of cooperation with you personally, Mr. Jiang."

It turns out that they wanted to buy an extra exposure on top of the sponsorship, namely, to sponsor Jiang Ming's status as a professional player and increase the exposure of Panpan's new product when Jiang Ming made his first appearance.

Panpan knew perfectly well that sponsoring e-sports teams was no different from hiring celebrities for endorsements. The only difference was that the market targeting of the sponsors was now more precise, and the advertising costs were not as high as those for celebrities.

But there's one thing that the two executives who just came together overlooked: NXG eSports Club actually has "stars" now.

Jiang Ming, the owner of the NXG team, is ranked number one in the Chinese League of Legends server!

In terms of advertising effectiveness, even with NXG's combined efforts, it's believed that it's not as effective as when the team owner personally participates in matches.

It was with this thought in mind that the man chose to sit for a little longer.

Now, listening to their response, it's clear they really are prepared to play in the match.

That makes sense. In competitive games that highly value individual heroism, nothing is more eye-catching than Jiang Ming, the boss, possessing overwhelming "strength."

"An additional 100,000 in sponsorship!"

"We only ask that Panpan's brand be in a suitable position when President Jiang makes his first appearance."

Jiang Ming: "..."

Dude, do you think I can refuse or what?
Ten thousand yuan for an advertising slot for my first appearance... I... can only say that you guys gave me way too much.

"Happy cooperation!"

Without any hesitation, and without trying to find out if the other party would offer a higher price, they did not haggle over every little detail.

Jiang Ming stood up for the second time and extended his right hand.

……

Jiang Ming is not the kind of person who would lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of petty gains.

Perhaps if we go through a few more rounds of negotiations with the other side, the sponsorship fee might increase by another ten or twenty thousand, but it's not necessary!

Although he secured his first personal sponsorship through various connections, it's undeniable that it was already under the name of esports player NXG-JM. With this first example, his players will be more likely to seek out commercial collaborations in the future.

There's also a more straightforward reason: he needs money, he needs more money, the more start-up capital the better.

Esports and League of Legends are the foundation and cannot be touched. They will be my main focus for the next few years. However, I can't just rely on them. Now that I've joined, the speed at which capital enters the LPL and the esports scene will only be faster. If I don't want to be kicked out, having the school's support alone is not enough. It would be best if I became a member of the capital group myself.

At least outside of the club, one must have something to offer that is presentable.

Furthermore, esports will only ever be a traffic generator in the future; to gain economic benefits, it must learn to leverage its added value for further development.

His snack chain brand was his first step in monetizing esports traffic!
Despite the fact that snack chain offline stores burn through cash, have low profits, and slow capital recovery, it doesn't change the fact that it's a goose that lays golden eggs.

Let me explain it with a very simple statistic.

By the end of 2024, the market value of the snack chain brand "Snack Busy" alone reached more than 20 billion yuan, with nearly 6,000 offline stores.

The real money for these snack chain brands has never come from the meager profits from offline sales. Their real profits come from the brand value generated after brand building and market success; in layman's terms, they earn franchise fees from downstream customers.

Franchise fees for a single store can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan; the more stores you have, the faster you can make money.

Of course, once the development reaches a certain level, the approach can be changed to a five-zero policy: zero franchise fee, zero management fee, zero training fee, zero service fee, and zero profit from decoration. This, along with various subsidies and services, can be used to continue expansion, allowing companies to focus on earning profits from the price difference between goods and suppliers, logistics and warehousing revenue, and even brand value-added revenue generated after becoming a top player in the supply chain.

Therefore, Jiang Ming not only needs to enter the scene, but he also needs to do so as quickly as possible.

He's already thought of a name for the snack shop: "JM Food Time"!
In the early days of NXG's establishment, JM sacrificed his personal brand effect to promote the club's development. Now, NXG's growth rate has far exceeded expectations. With the help of Wang Gongzi's Weibo post, several commercial sponsorships have been brought in. It is time to separate the personal and club finances.

To re-establish JM's name for herself.

Ultimately, NXG eSports Club is also, in effect, a business entity.

However, all of the above are things for a long time to come. Right now, the first store has not yet been established, and it will take a lot of effort just to find suppliers and establish initial cooperation.

Fortunately, I used the popularity of live streaming and instructional videos to open an online store for my first pot of gold, which allowed me to establish cooperative relationships with many suppliers. The only question is how long it will take to finalize everything.

This is why the first step in monetizing esports is to choose a snack chain brand with slow capital recovery and results. There are related resources to utilize, unlike some other things where you know how to do it, but if you lack the necessary skills and try to force your way in, you will only end up getting hurt.

Developing esports to attract young people is the main focus, while expanding the business empire through attention economy is the hidden mission. Only after gaining control of resources and a voice can one truly dominate the development of an industry.

"The next opponent is IG. It's a good opportunity to go on stage and take advantage of the sponsor's demands and the traffic brought by the sponsorship. I can also try to hook up with Young Master Wang and see if I can get some resources out of him... cough cough, it should be resource exchange."

Jiang Ming was making plans in his mind.

"The cost of a snack store is too high. In Nanjing, a first-tier city, rent and decoration alone are a considerable expense. Add to that equipment purchases, initial inventory, staff salaries, and operating capital, and even if we take a conservative estimate, the initial investment for a single store is over 100,000 yuan."

"One family!"

"Start with my alma mater, make good use of my status as a college entrepreneur, and start a pilot program in the university town. After laying the groundwork for brand building with NXG, we will expand further."

Well, now I'll have to go to the teacher again and sing a long sigh to hide my tears.

"We can take our time with the stores; the most urgent task is to expand our workforce."

In his excitement, Jiang Ming almost forgot the most important thing: as the club's affairs continued to expand, the online store and some telecom operator matters were almost draining Lin Xuejie dry, not to mention the end-of-month financial accounting work...

emmm!
This is no different from the modern-day Jiang Zemin.

First, we need to free up the senior student. Such a capable person shouldn't be wasted on accounting calculations and handling club miscellaneous matters. Her true place is the future general manager of the JM brand.

Even if you don't have enough experience now, no one, including yourself, is born with this knowledge. As long as you keep growing step by step, you will be able to handle it one day.

Of course, finance is my senior's main job. Staff for specific tasks such as payroll and cashiering can be recruited from senior accounting students who are close to employment, and my senior will be in charge of management.

The remaining tasks, such as club business cooperation, expansion of snack chain stores, and recruitment of relevant personnel, can be handed over to the other party. As for the club team, if they want to ensure that their competitive level is not affected while they are busy, they need to add at least one executive coach.

Responsible for data collection and analysis, and daily training management of the team.

Oh right, and there's also the youth training manager. The team needs someone with real talent to be in charge of developing its talent.

Jiang Ming's first consideration was to find talent with a sports management background. It didn't matter whether they knew much about LOL or not; the key was that they had professional sports management knowledge and skills. Of course, it would be even better if they happened to know LOL.

After clarifying his thoughts, Jiang Ming, being an ultimate action-oriented person, immediately sent a message to Lin Jingyi:
"We're drafting two job postings tonight. One is for a youth training team manager for an esports club, with preference given to those majoring in sports management. The other is for an executive coach for the first team, who requires relevant experience in the esports or gaming industry."

"Oh, right, we also need to hire an accountant and a team leader!"

Lin Jingyi: "(￢_￢), Boss Jiang, is this your way of discarding me after I've served my purpose, and firing me?"

Jiang Ming: "..."

"My dear Manager Lin, can you stop joking? It's just that the club's finances are better now, so we're planning to promote you and give you a raise while also reducing your burden. If you don't want it, I'll take it back, which will help reduce the club's costs."

"Yes, yes, I want it!"

"(#^.^#) That's more like it. Leave the recruitment to me. I guarantee I'll get it done within three days."

Jiang Ming continued typing: "Next week I will focus on the team's competition, so I will leave everything at the school and the snack store location selection to you."

Lin Jingyi: "Loyalty!"

(End of this chapter)