How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 176 Can someone like me change others?
"As for why there are strict requirements for decoration standards, it involves brand image and the principle of advertising brainwashing. When you travel to another place and find a store with a familiar sign style on the street, will you feel a sense of familiarity?"
Our primary target group is students, who are the most likely to be on the go, so a unified style is essential. Moreover, we plan to go public in the future, so our external image is very important. At the very least, we need to maintain a consistent style and keep things clean and tidy.

"And if you have the energy, you can even train a group of professional store managers to train franchisees in their business. Ideally, you should have a branch in each hub city to specifically address service issues," Wang Yao said, pointing to the next page.

"This model is an integrated self-operated franchise model, aiming to ensure that franchisees only need to put up the money and collect the money each month, while we handle everything else, saving franchisees decision-making risks and costs."

"Furthermore, I suggest that our first step should be to open a self-operated store near each of the 2700 universities nationwide. The stores should be relatively large, around 150 to 200 square meters, and ideally, we should own the property ourselves. That is, we should find landlords who are franchisees, not renters, to prevent rental competition from causing operational problems for the franchisees," Wang Yao said.

Zhang Hongchao rubbed his hands together; Wang Yao's train of thought was too disjointed, almost impossible to follow.

The areas around universities are prime locations. If this were a first-tier city like Shanghai, franchisees who own their own properties would be worth at least tens of millions. Would they even bother with his small business?
“I know you might not have a clear idea just by talking about it. Here’s the thing: there are about 80 universities in Shanghai right now. I’ll try to recruit all the franchisees for you within three months. This area happens to be a university town, so I’ll set up a flagship store of about 300 square meters here. Then you’ll see what a model effect looks like.” Wang Yao didn’t elaborate further.

"Mr. Wang is going to personally run the franchise stores?" Zhang Hongchao was taken aback.

He never even dared to dream of a 300-square-meter Mixue store. Could it even make money?
"Why not do a business that makes money?" Wang Yao smiled.

His thinking is still limited to the concept of small-scale, specialized, and low-cost operation. Wang Yao needs to broaden his horizons.

After signing the shareholding agreement with a heavy heart, Zhang Hongchao returned to Yuzhou to prepare for the construction of the central factory. He really had no idea about the flagship store that Wang Yao had mentioned, but he was indeed looking forward to it very much.

Do we deserve such a big store?

Because of filming, and because Xingdian has been trending on social media several times recently, the town's daily visitor traffic has increased from 2000 to over 10,000, a far cry from the deserted state it was two months ago. It has finally become a normal commercial district.

Furthermore, with Wang Yao's plan to open up the business to more merchants, the customer traffic will increase even further as more shops open up. After all, there are so many universities in the surrounding area, with hundreds of thousands of college students eagerly awaiting business. Once the Mixue flagship store opens, it will be able to quickly capture the market by offering attractive one-day store managers and low-priced products.

Wang Yao plans to create a special column for voting on the "Campus Belle" program, recommending and hiring campus beauties from various universities to serve as store managers. When there are enough beauties, he can also hold a national campus beauties selection event based on store sales.

People are tired of watching TV talent shows, so we can organize some grassroots talent shows to give college students some fun.

When asked about the one-day store manager, Wang Yao checked the newly established 'Model Rights Protection Channel' of the [Women's Support Association] and found that in less than a week, they had already received 21 messages seeking help, 13 of which were from models on Meishe.com.

Each new report and request for help receives support from thousands of women on the MS platform, increasing the visibility of the topic of women's safety.

Each successful investigation will bring a new round of lawsuits to Meishe.com, giving the victims who have been watching from the sidelines a little more confidence to come forward.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the domestic version of MS only has 2 million registered users, but its daily active users are already close to 1 million, boasting extremely high activity levels. Even the CPM price of its ads is 5 to 10 yuan higher than that of similar microblogs.

No rush, let the wind blow a little longer. Meishe's shareholders should also experience what it's like to be embroiled in lawsuits.

"Mr. Yao, you wanted to see me?" Ma Ruo knocked on the door and came in.

Recently, due to the suspension of the show "If You Are the One," numerous revelations have surfaced that Ma Ruo's "gold digger" persona was deliberately manipulated by the production team through malicious editing, which has brought her renewed attention. She has also recently received several offers for cameo roles in film and television.

"Let's talk about the follow-up developments," Wang Yao said, gesturing for her to sit down.

After trending on social media for buying dirt on her on "If You Are the One," Ma Ruo considered working behind the scenes. After some reflection, she realized that while being a big star is great, the complexity and difficulty of the entertainment industry are not suitable for someone with her personality. Someone could easily set a trap for her and ruin her reputation, plunging her into the abyss.

What was once arrogance has turned into caution. I only hope to make a smooth transition, but I still want to earn more money.

Since following Wang Yao, I've earned nearly a million yuan through online auctions and commissions. I've already paid off the money I used to buy the BMW. Recently, I've been thinking about whether I should also invest in an online store to start a small business.

"I have a direction, listen to it," Wang Yao said after a moment's thought.
"I've always managed your Weibo account. In handling private messages, I've found that many people actually agree with your statement that women should be more materialistic. In fact, this is an easy sector to monetize."

If you're willing to bear the pressure of being labeled a "materialistic woman," we can leverage this persona to attract people with similar values, most of whom will undoubtedly be women.
These women share some similarities with you: they are self-reliant, hardworking, insecure, and therefore need to earn money; they yearn for marriage but have even more faith in themselves.

"Wow, Mr. Yao, you're like a mind reader! But you don't need to be so subtle. I admit I'm vain. You said it yourself, it's not a bad thing if it doesn't affect other people's vanity." Ma Ruo exclaimed frankly, exposing her completely in just a few words.

"Yes, vanity itself is not a problem, but what causes vanity is an excessive need for external things to fill the void of inferiority, which can distort a person. Life is a journey of self-cultivation, and we must gradually overcome and fight against these negative states, whether they are innate or acquired, to make ourselves healthy."

"So I think you can lead a group of people like you to solve this problem, and then discover your own value in the process," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

Ma Ruo stared at him blankly, feeling a strange sense of emotion. She had grown up in an environment that condemned vanity, but all she wanted was to dress beautifully and live happily.

This was the first time someone had helped her analyze the meaning and value of vanity itself, and it felt as if something had been shattered in an instant.

"Everyone has their dark side, which they try to hide in various ways. This is a human flaw, and it's difficult to change, but not impossible. The first step is to confront it."
"I remember you used to work as a sales clerk in a luxury goods store, right?" Wang Yao asked.

"Yes, but their professionalism isn't quite there, and they don't earn much money either," Ma Ruo nodded.

“My idea is that you should maintain the persona of ‘wealth is a woman’s fallback,’ express your views through Weibo and TV shows, accumulate and convert a group of fans, and then start a business together,” Wang Yao said.

"Start a business? Great! I've actually been thinking about investing in something lately," Ma Ruoyi said with delight.

Is Mr. Wang finally going to make me rich?

She and Qu Shou met Wang Yao around the same time. Now Qu Shou is one of the top female philanthropists in China, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't envious. "Have you ever heard of secondhand luxury goods?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

“No, but I know all about counterfeit luxury goods!” Ma Ru grinned.

"You know a bit about luxury goods. East Asia is heavily influenced by Western consumerism, and women are the main consumers of luxury goods. However, most women don't have the financial means to buy them directly, so they choose to take out loans or be kept by sugar daddies, thus falling into a quagmire."
"My idea is to select a group of fans and provide them with channels to buy secondhand luxury goods. Basically, the buyback discount for circulated items is 2-30%, and we sell them at 3%, which is about 6% profit. Moreover, most people will resell them after buying them, and we will buy them back and resell them again. There is still a large profit margin in the process of buying and selling," Wang Yao explained.

Ma Ruo was stunned, feeling as if her mind had gone blank.

Huh? Is that even possible? So, for example, if you buy back a bag that costs 10,000 yuan, and sell it for 5000 yuan, you can make a profit of 2000 yuan?
And it can be recycled and resold?
She couldn't keep track of the accounts, but she had sold luxury goods and been obsessed with them, so she was considered part of that target audience. Last month, she couldn't resist buying two bags worth tens of thousands of yuan. But to be honest, once you've owned something, the allure isn't as strong anymore.

But for most girls who have never owned luxury goods, if they could get their favorite luxury items at a discount, even if they were second-hand, they would still get the same sense of satisfaction.

If you don't tell, how can an ordinary person tell?
Spending half the money to enjoy 200% of the vanity, she knew better than anyone the attraction this thing held for girls like her.

Especially for small items, such as scarves, shawls, and small bags that normally cost five or six thousand yuan, if they are discounted to one or two thousand yuan, they may have better liquidity.

Ma Ruo swallowed hard. "President Yao, this seems like a big business opportunity."

Luxury goods represent class status and vanity. Anyone who buys them will inevitably show them off. Ma Ruo was first shocked when a girl in her dormitory bought an LV bag worth more than 20,000 yuan. She knew all too well the envy, jealousy and competitive mentality that would arise if someone around her bought a luxury item.

"That's right, but what we actually want to do is not just sell luxury goods, but to help more girls like you who are blinded by the trap of consumerism to demystify luxury goods."
"Once you've had it, you won't think it's anything special. But if you haven't had it, it becomes your nightmare. It's like you're driving a BMW now, even if it's just a 3 Series. But you also occasionally drive the company's Porsche. Do you still think the BMW is anything special?" Wang Yao chuckled.

After thinking about it seriously for a moment, Ma Ruo shook her head. "It seems that's really true. Once you get it, you realize it's not all that great. Thinking back to how I was obsessed with this thing before, I really was like a fanatic."
I remember an older man wanted to be my sugar daddy, and the gift he gave me was a car. I actually considered saying yes, but in the end, I just couldn't accept his age and the fact that he already had a family. How could this have happened?

"Therefore, the cause we undertake must be altruistic. We want to help more girls like you back then. We can achieve what we want through our own efforts and struggles; we don't necessarily have to rely on men."
First, we need to demystify luxury goods for most girls who have a romanticized, idealized view of them. Then, we need to attract and discover capable, powerful, and financially secure women within that group.
"Forming a group where everyone shares resources and participates in investments to profit is what makes entrepreneurship; it has certain barriers to entry." Wang Yao smiled.
"Just like you need to verify your funds to buy a high-end property, you need to pay a membership fee to join a chamber of commerce. You need to pay an annual fee of 99 yuan to join. There is a limit of 9.9 people. Members have the right to receive 40% commission on the products sold through her channels. In other words, they can get a 40% commission on the products sold through her. They also have limited investment rights in new projects in the future."

Ma Ruo did the math and his pupils instantly contracted. If it really worked, the membership fees alone would amount to 1000 million a year.
"We can temporarily name it [Yingluo Club] and focus on the second-hand luxury goods business. For now, we will only deal with local businesses in Shanghai and Shanghai, and conduct transactions and exchanges in person. I have already connected with JD.com and Vancl's logistics so that we can sell directly through e-commerce."

Furthermore, I plan to acquire a professional platform specializing in second-hand luxury goods, and then provide you with authentication services.

However, remember, our goal isn't to make money, but to help more girls demystify secondhand luxury goods and return to normal values. Therefore, we need to screen our consumers.

With more resources, connections, and capital, investing in women's service industries such as medical aesthetics and skincare products can provide more job opportunities for women, allowing everyone to progress together and become self-reliant – that's true independence for women.
"You're a public figure with millions of followers now, and your influence might change many people's lives," Wang Yao said meaningfully.

As the economy develops upward, the economic growth driven by materialism is unstoppable, because consumerism is the driving force of the times, and there will always be people in this industry. Moreover, Ma Ruo's persona perfectly matches the demographic profile of this industry.

Now that the timing, location, and people are all in place, Wang Yao naturally has no reason not to do it. After all, it's better for him to make money than for others to do it.

Perhaps many confused girls will give up exploiting men and choose to be independent and self-reliant because of Ma Ruo, which would be a good deed.

Moreover, it can create a female-centric economic cycle where women earn money from other women and then work for other women.

After listening to the entire chain of interests and business cycle, Ma Ruo, with her limited knowledge, seemed to suddenly realize what it meant to have "everyone has their own unique talents".

Since God has given me this opportunity, it seems that I am here to save my sisters from their predicament!

Instantly, a powerful sense of responsibility and mission filled her completely.

"President Yao, can someone like me change others?" Ma Ruo's eyes were a little red.

“A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. As long as you know you are doing good, even if you can’t change others, you’ve at least changed yourself. That’s the cultivation of life.” Wang Yao said with a warm smile.

A chain called morality was put on Ma Ruo.

With Ma Ruo's persona and target audience, coupled with Zhou Yougen's secrets to cultivating socialites, it's estimated that before long, the [Yingluo Club] will produce a number of outstanding talents, giving the circle of the wealthy and second-generation rich a small shock.

Finally, Wang Yao gave Ma Ruo a contract to jointly establish a new multinational company, "Yingluo Club," with Ma Ruo holding 5% of the shares and serving as the legal representative, and "Yingluo Club" holding 95% of the shares, together with the overseas investment company "Weigu."

Ma Ruo returned full of fighting spirit, immersed in her grand ideal of becoming a savior of women, oblivious to the world around her.

Everyone has their own value and mission. In the entertainment industry, there's a mystical saying that the first big hit role you play in your life might be the script for your life.

The character Ma Ruo first portrayed may be coming true.

But things have two sides. If Ma Ruo pursues the "female-centric economy," he can pursue the "male-centric economy" after the Feng Jiao incident has passed, because the public currently feels great sympathy for her plight.

Unlike Qu Shou, who paid the price for love, Feng Jiao is the real victim. Her followers on various platforms have increased by over a million, and the comments section is full of sympathy and support. More than 70% of her fans are male.

Wang Yao planned to have her take on the persona of Tong Jincheng to help his brothers who were about to be eroded by the "simp economy."

(End of this chapter)