Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 103 The Orange Dilemma
As soon as the elevator doors slid open on the 12th floor of the Huabei Qiang Electronics Building, He Tingbo, the head of the Chrysanthemum Factory's Maritime Silk Road project, stepped out steadily in his high heels, followed by the market manager pushing an impressive double-layered floor-standing flower basket.

The flower basket, standing a full 1.8 meters tall, was adorned with bright red anthuriums and interspersed with emerald green lucky bamboo. The golden congratulatory couplet, as wide as half an arm, featured the four gilded characters "Peng Cheng Wan Li" (meaning "A Bright Future Ahead"), which shone brightly against the red silk. The inscription "Respectfully presented by Maritime Silk Road Technology" was neatly and prominently displayed at the bottom.

As the market manager of the Maritime Silk Road walked, the branches of the anthurium swayed slightly, prompting Xiao Zhou at the front desk to peek out. It was another double-layered flower basket; wouldn't that make a perfect pair?

In the short 20-meter corridor from the elevator to the front desk, seven or eight floor-standing flower baskets are lined up one after another, with red ribbons and golden ears of grain swaying gently in the airflow of the fresh air system.

These flower baskets contained wishes from parts suppliers for a long-lasting partnership, as well as the sincerity of wholesalers in North China to maintain business. The most eye-catching of all was the double-layered flower basket sent by Lei Jun in his personal capacity.

The golden ears of wheat are dazzling, and the four powerful characters "May wealth flow in from all directions" on the bright red congratulatory couplet, along with Lei Jun's signature in a flamboyant style, exude an air of understated tycoon.

Although it's just an ordinary signature, the name itself is anything but ordinary.

At this time, Lu Shiwa's Android native experience device "Aiyouni," which was being promoted by Jinli, was mired in difficulties, with sales in the first week failing to even reach 10,000 units.

Even though Jinli's distributors tried their best, even pushing the goods to traditional rural markets, it was all in vain.

Lei Jun, who was enjoying a drink with Mr. Zhang on the Pearl River, immediately flew to Lu Shiwa's place upon hearing the news of "Aiyouni's" failure, and invited him to dinner again, making a second visit...

Amidst the clinking of glasses, he learned that Orange Mobile had become quite popular in the rural market, which inadvertently put Aiyou in a difficult position. He then inquired about Orange's current situation with others.
Without hesitation, Lei Jun immediately ordered a flower basket and had it delivered to him as a token of his congratulations.

Chen Mo looked at the flower basket and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

While it's difficult to comment on Lei Jun's products, his tactful and sophisticated emotional intelligence is truly admirable.

In my previous life at Meizu, she only stayed for a few months, but she managed to take away President Zhang's R&D director and core team. Her succubus-like charisma is truly not to be underestimated.

In this lifetime, Lei Jun's progress is equally impressive.

It seems that Lu Shiwa (product design) and Bai Qilin (product development), two "S-level figures" in the mobile phone industry, are about to be gathered at the Pearl River Estuary.

The former has a unique vision in product design and bet on the Android market early on. Although it is slightly lacking in the tuning of mobile phone system UI, it does not affect the overall situation. The latter has top-notch R&D capabilities and can be called the pillar of the hardware field.

What's even more ingenious is that Lei Jun, with his background in the internet industry, teamed up with his old partner Li Wanqiang to specialize in system UI. With each of the three doing their part, they could form a perfect product loop.

People like Lu Laowu and Nietzsche only started making mobile phones because they saw the emerging blue ocean of smartphones, decided to enter the market on a whim, and hastily started by assembling a few hardware engineers.

Lei Jun has experienced all business roles, from programmer to general manager at Xinshan, and from starting his business at Zhuoyue to gracefully stepping down. He has long understood the business essence of "planning before planning".

His investment philosophy of always investing in acquaintances reveals his piecemeal approach to things.

When he arrived at the Pearl River Estuary, he started by befriending old friends in the industry, using dinners and drinks as a medium to gradually extend his reach to top talents in the mobile phone industry.

Even before the wheat product was fully developed, with keen insight and exceptional skills, a sophisticated talent network was built layer by layer, laying the groundwork for the future phenomenal success of Wheat 1.

His plan to invest in Meizu has failed; Mr. Zhang has made it clear that he wants to run a "family business" model.

Lei Jun plans to first recruit talents such as Lu Shiwa (product design) and Bai Qilin (product development) to his team, and then bring in his old internet partner Li Wanqiang (system UI) to take charge.

Each of the three "Industry S-Level Figures" has their own strengths. Even before Lei Jun started making mobile phones, he had already formed a complete talent loop from hardware to systems.

With this "build people first, then build machines" approach, Chen Mo dares to assert that even if affected by his own "butterfly" influence, Wheat Technology in this lifetime will never be buried.

With the top talents that Lei Jun has in his hands, when Xiao Mai makes his debut, he will definitely stir up a storm in the industry!

It was the same in the past life, and it is the same in this life.

When the current World Wheat 1 emerged like a thunderbolt, it sold 790 million units through online channels, capturing 10.8% of the domestic smartphone market and catching traditional mobile phone manufacturers off guard.

It was only at this point that mobile phone manufacturers realized that online channels could no longer be ignored.

It remains to be seen what kind of results Lei Jun's Wheat 1 will achieve in this lifetime.

Chen Mo stood in front of the company's reception desk, glancing occasionally toward the elevator entrance.

As the elevator doors slowly opened, He Tingbo stepped out elegantly in high heels and a sharply tailored suit jacket, and Chen Mo, as the host, immediately went to greet her.

"It's an honor to have Mr. He grace us with his presence!" Chen Mo said with a smile, extending his hand.

He Tingbo returned the handshake firmly, his gaze sweeping over the brand-new office area, a smile of admiration curving his lips: "President Chen, at such a young age, you've managed to develop the company to this scale. You're truly a force to be reckoned with, and your future is limitless!"

"President He, you flatter me!" Chen Mo laughed heartily, his eyes full of respect: "If we're talking about who's truly remarkable, it has to be you, the pioneer of domestic mobile phone chips—the chip queen of Huawei. I've long admired your name!"

He Tingbo was amused by the straightforward praise and waved his hand gently.

Chen Mo turned to the side and gestured, "It's a rare treat for President He to come all this way. Why don't you take a tour of our new office first? The meeting rooms and storage areas are all equipped with smart technology, and there's also a dedicated relaxation area with a cat, so employees can relax when they're tired."

"Oh? There are cats too?" He Tingbo raised an eyebrow, curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Then I'll have to take a good look. Let's go!"

The two smiled at each other and walked side by side toward the office area, their footsteps echoing crisply on the clean floor.

With the assistance of receptionist Xiao Zhou, the marketing manager of Hai Si carefully moved the flower basket to the right side of the first row.

The deep red ribbons hung down, swaying gently in the airflow of the fresh air system alongside the golden tassels on the flower basket presented by Lei Jun. The two clusters of blooming gold and red echoed each other, and the congratulatory couplets were perfectly matched, forming a symmetrical and festive pattern.

Chen Mo was showing President He around the office when they ran into Zhao Tiezhu leading Old Zhang from the stall in the office corridor. The guy had his neck stiff and was deliberately raising his voice to introduce the place.

"See that? These honeycomb workstations, this smart access control, and even the huge bathtub in our CEO Chen's office."

Damn! This kid, what do you mean by a big bathtub? That's clearly a fish tank, a fish tank.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo led He Tingbo to the general manager's office.

The electric dimming film on the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall is emitting a soft halo of light, and He Tingbo's fingertips are tracing the metal frame of the embedded acrylic fish tank.

"Mr. Chen's office layout is interesting, the design exudes a sense of technology, but that fish tank..."

Technological design + Feng Shui layout = abstract eclectic style?
Chen Mo smiled and waved his hand: "President He, you flatter me. It was just my subordinates making things up. It doesn't mean anything special!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than He Tingbo did not delve into the matter further, but instead changed the subject. "President Chen! I'm here today for two reasons: first, to offer my congratulations, and second, to specifically thank Chengzi for her support of the Haisi K3V1."

She picked up a celadon teacup from the coffee table and took a sip: "But it's the final payment due at the end of last month."

Chen Mo across from him tightened his grip on the tea tray slightly, instantly understanding the deeper meaning behind the other person's earlier praise.

"Don't worry, Mr. He! It will be there within three days!"

He suddenly remembered something and straightened his back.

"Mr. He! We just received an order for 3 million OEM 'X' branded phones. 300% of the chips can still be K6V1. We just hope to change the final payment to quarterly payments."

He Tingbo paused in mid-air with his teacup, the number 180 million chips rapidly calculating in his mind, before bursting into hearty laughter.

"President Chen is truly generous! Quarterly settlement is no problem!"

She suddenly softened her tone, her gaze sweeping over the ornamental goldfish in the fish tank: "Hai Si is willing to be Orange's long-term ally, if cash flow is tight..."

"Mr. He, you flatter me!" Chen Mo stood up. "It's just a short-term fund allocation; it will be operational again soon!"

When Chen Mo escorted He Tingbo to the elevator and returned, Xiao Zhou, the receptionist, greeted him crisply.

Watching the girl's "little trick"—hiding shrimp chips behind the stage—Chen Mo recalled how nervous she was during the interview, causing her to spill her water glass. A smile dispelled the worry in her eyes.

"Xiao Zhou! Are you getting used to working at Orange Entertainment compared to the agency?"

"We're used to it! We're used to it! Sister Gong brings us snacks every day!" Xiao Zhou's eyes sparkled. "Yesterday I messed up the visitor registration, and she even taught me how to use the new access control system."

Chen Mo nodded, then glanced at the technician at the end of the corridor who was debugging equipment, and his steps unconsciously became lighter.

Although Orange Technology is currently experiencing a cash flow crisis, the office is gradually coming to life, and the employees at the workstations are calling out "General Manager Chen" to everyone.
A surge of emotion always welled up inside Chen Mo; this was his thriving startup team.
For everyone's trust and for Orange's future, he must fight his way out with all his might.

Chen Mo never imagined that the days when the two of them were huddled in a 20-square-meter workshop soldering chips and making orange-shaped phones by hand would, in the blink of an eye, become a bright 1200-square-meter office and lead a startup team of about 20 people.

But as the business grew, troubles followed, the first of which was the cash flow. He was a straight-laced engineer who had never touched an account book in his previous life. He never imagined that making money was easy but keeping it was difficult.

It would be a lie to say that Orange Technology doesn't make money, but it certainly spends a lot!

Anyone with over 2 million yuan in their account would get cocky.
Chen Mo gritted his teeth and pulled off a big heist:

First, they increased production by 20 Orange 1 units, piling them up like small mountains. Then, they acquired a controlling stake in Far Orange Technology for 800 million, and then invested another 1000 million to add BTD two medium-sized production lines.

Although BTD provided the equipment for the two production lines, Yuan Cheng still had to pay for the initial commissioning costs of the production lines!

Also, Orange just received a huge order for 300 million OEM "X" branded machines, and the 30 complete machines in the warehouse haven't been shipped out yet.

Not to mention, on a whim, he rented an entire floor of office space as Orange's new home, and the renovation costs, which exceeded the budget, kept flowing out like water.

With the suppliers' final payment due date fast approaching, even General Manager He from Hai Si personally came over for a "tea session."

The chip orders and quarterly settlements they discussed in the office today—that wasn't normal business of building rapport; it was clearly someone coming at the last minute to collect a debt!

Orange Technology has expanded too much, but management hasn't kept up, and its finances and supply chain are in complete disarray.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and Orange Technology's management system can't be built overnight either.

For now, Chen Mo can only lead his 20-person startup team to first set up the management framework—like building a house by first erecting load-bearing walls. Even if it's rough, at least it can hold the fort. Then, they can gradually lay bricks, plaster, and decorate.

Orange Technology's corporate account now only has 3000 million yuan in cash. Although wholesalers are receiving 2000 million yuan in payments every day, the company is still burning through 2000 million yuan every day, and the expenses are snowballing.

Yesterday, the branch bank manager called, his tone full of warning: "Mr. Chen! With the little money in your account, at this rate, it'll only last two weeks at most!"

That's an overstatement. Given Orange's current chaotic management, it might collapse within a week.

Chen Mo is really worried!

Before Orange Technology can establish a usable management system, it needs a sufficient amount of funding to back it up.

Chen Mo now faces three paths:
First, they relinquished absolute control of Yuancheng Technology and used the equity to raise funds for cash to put out the fire.

Secondly, we will proactively apply the brakes, slow down the development of Orange 1, and focus on recovering the final payments from wholesalers.

Third, they gritted their teeth and negotiated with the OEM manufacturers of "X" machines to double the delivery time for the remaining 300 million units—in short, they didn't hold onto the OEM products in exchange for their own rapid development.

Of course, there is also the most direct way: to use Orange Technology's shares as collateral for a bank loan. But Chen Mo knows that once he takes this step, it's like handing over half his life to the bank.

The lessons learned from the "buy an airline for 1 yuan" incident are still fresh in our minds. Where is the compassion in the capital market?

A bank might be smiling and offering you an olive branch today, but tomorrow it could be threatening you with a contract and making you jump off a building.

Chen Mo knew all too well that as long as he still held the shares, he still had the confidence to turn the tables. But once he loosened his grip and allowed capital to intervene, he might be devoured without a trace one day.

So even though the company's cash flow is already in dire straits, he insists on not exchanging shares for loans.

Just kidding. Oranges is the empire he built from a tiny 20-square-meter workshop. Who would dare to touch it? They'd have to step over his dead body first.

As Chen Mo walked toward the general manager's office, he bumped into Zhao Tiezhu seeing Lao Zhang out of the "market manager's" office.

Old Zhang, with a thick driving test guide tucked under his arm, grinned so hard his wrinkles looked like walnuts: "You've already taken the theory test three times, and you still want to touch the steering wheel?"

Zhao Tiezhu retorted stubbornly, his index finger slamming against the cover of the book.

"It's all because your lousy book is last year's version; the question bank has been updated a long time ago!"

Chen Mo chuckled and shook his head as he walked into the office.

Just as he sat down, there was a knock on the door—Zhao Tiezhu, without waiting for him to speak, awkwardly scratched his head and shuffled in.
(End of this chapter)