Chapter 54

Li Mu's parents had a very traditional view of running a business, operating in a way similar to Li Mu's aunt. They would go to other places to find goods, return to their hometown to find a store, rent and renovate it, and then go back to other places to restock. In the following years, they would have to go to other places to restock several times a year.

Going to the south to restock was not easy. Generally, small business owners, in order to save costs, would take the hard seats on the train, which usually took at least ten to twenty hours. Upon arrival, they would rush to restock, often selecting goods from various wholesale outlets. Once they felt they had enough, they would take what they could carry and send the rest by logistics, then immediately return with a large amount of goods.

Aunt had once complained that each trip to restock was like going to war, and she would lose a couple of pounds each time.

However, the model Li Mu proposed surprised his parents. Could there be such an effortless way to run a store?

Faced with their surprise, Li Mu carefully explained the operation model of a franchise brand store.

After listening to Li Mu, his parents took a few minutes to digest the information before finally understanding the cooperation model between the headquarters and the franchisees.

The headquarters would handle everything except sales, including product design, transportation, advertising, and promotion. They would do everything possible to support the franchisees, aiming to improve sales efficiency and achieve a win-win situation.

Although there were many unscrupulous brands that had cheated many franchisees, Li Mu knew that many well-known clothing brands in the future had remained strong for years or even decades.

Metersbonwe was one of them, and joining now could catch the wave before its rapid growth. Next year should be the year of Metersbonwe's takeoff.

After hearing Li Mu's description, his father asked suspiciously, "How much would it cost to open such a store?"

"Several hundred thousand yuan," Li Mu said casually.

His parents were shocked by the amount.

The income Li Mu reported to the family was 80,000 yuan from selling songs and 180,000 yuan from selling cheats, totaling 260,000 yuan. The Li family had no savings, and this was almost all they had.

Li Mu, fearing that his parents might back out, revealed part of the truth: "To be honest, I've already rented the store, and the headquarters has come to inspect it. If everything goes well, we should get the results in a few days."

"You child..." Mother looked anxious, "Why didn't you discuss this with us beforehand!"

Li Mu smiled, "Discussing it wouldn't have helped; you two definitely wouldn't have agreed. But now, if you don't agree, I'll have to report to Yanjing at the end of August, and I won't have the energy to manage the store. So, about 100,000 yuan will be wasted."

According to historical development, Li Mu's parents would be laid off by the end of the year. Therefore, the state-owned enterprise jobs they were desperately defending were almost worthless. This is why Li Mu had set this trap for them during a family gathering, forcing them to give up their jobs and accept the new idea of opening a franchise store.

Finally understanding the operation model of the franchise store and hearing that Li Mu had already started the process, his parents immediately compromised to the large sum of money.

Father spoke first, "Since that's the case, I'll follow your arrangement. When should we apply for early retirement?"

Li Mu looked at his parents seriously, "The sooner, the better. It's best to apply tomorrow, then take a long leave and wait for the official notice."

"Is it that urgent?" The parents exchanged a glance, and Father asked, "Now that we're free, what should we do?"

"Go for training," Li Mu said. "Once the notice comes, two to three people need to go to Wenzhou, Zhejiang for training. I think both of you should go to understand the specific operation process."

Li Mu continued, "We also need to hire a store manager who is both trustworthy and capable. The manager will be responsible for all daily operations, which is a significant role. The sales staff are young, so the manager shouldn't be too old either."

Mother asked, "How much should we pay such a person?"

"For someone with experience, at least 1,500 yuan a month," Li Mu said. "This person is crucial. If they do a good job, 2,000 yuan a month is not too much."

"My goodness!" Mother exclaimed, "That's almost as much as both of us combined!"

Li Mu nodded, "You have to consider the responsibility of this position. The manager will be in charge of a store that costs several hundred thousand yuan, a sales team of six to eight people, and a monthly turnover of at least 200,000 yuan. If the manager is capable, increasing the turnover by tens of thousands of yuan a month is not impossible."

Li Mu, having experienced this era, knew the differences between franchise stores. Even with the same brand, entering one store might leave you with no intention to buy, while entering another might result in buying one or two items due to the enthusiastic and patient sales staff. A good store manager plays a decisive role in sales.

Hearing about a monthly turnover of 200,000 yuan, Father asked in amazement, "What is the discount for restocking from the franchise store?"

"About 50% off."

"Then the gross profit is 100,000 yuan a month?" Father was even more surprised.

Li Mu said indifferently, "100,000 yuan in gross profit is on the low side. With a few thousand yuan in rent, plus utilities and taxes, fixed expenses are over 10,000 yuan. Employee salaries are at least 40,000 to 50,000 yuan a month. With a turnover of 200,000 yuan, the net profit is less than 30,000 yuan a month."

The estimate of 30,000 yuan in net profit a month had thoroughly shocked his parents, but to Li Mu, a turnover of 200,000 yuan a month was not a big deal.

Metersbonwe's development was much stronger than brands like Benetton, Semir, Yishion, and Jeanswest. In the previous life, when the family's Metersbonwe store opened during the winter, it was so popular that even the fitting rooms had queues. This extreme popularity lasted for almost half a year before slightly cooling down. Even then, the store was always crowded on weekends.

Thus, a monthly turnover of 300,000 yuan was not a problem.

Mother suddenly suggested, "Xiao Mu, how about asking your aunt to be the store manager? She has years of experience in the clothing business and is a family member, so we can trust her."

Li Mu immediately frowned and said without hesitation, "Absolutely not! My aunt is very jealous, and we can't entrust our business to her!"

Father also agreed, "I'm not saying bad things about Yunlan, but she is indeed too narrow-minded. Moreover, as Xiao Mu said, the most important thing for a store manager is management and coordination skills. Do you think Yunlan has that ability? With her narrow-mindedness, her subordinates might quit before she can manage them properly."

Li Mu gave his father a thumbs up, "Dad is right. Aunt is out of the question."

Father then said, "There's no suitable person in the Li family. They all live in the countryside and haven't had much education."

Mother sighed, "We can't think of anyone suitable in the Xiao family either. Xiao Mu said this person needs to go to Wenzhou for training, so we need to find someone in advance. If we find someone unreliable at the last minute, what will we do if they quit after the training?"

Thinking about this, Li Mu also felt at a loss.

"I think your sister-in-law is a good choice."

Father was silent for a long time before saying this.

Mother's eyes lit up.

"Your sister-in-law is indeed a good person. My parents have praised her countless times and never complained. She has managed her husband, children, and in-laws very well. Yunshe doesn't earn much, so she finds work outside and never wants to be idle. My mother always feels sorry for her, even when my father subsidizes their household expenses, she still doesn't want to be idle."

Li Mu recalled his sister-in-law, who was indeed a good person, very filial to his grandparents, and an extremely rare good daughter-in-law. However, he didn't know how capable she was in terms of work.

When Li Mu expressed his doubts, Mother said excitedly, "When the Wan family supermarket opened, your sister-in-law applied as a salesperson. In just three months, she became a team leader, earning 500 to 600 yuan a month, 150 yuan more than the average salesperson."

Li Mu nodded. His sister-in-law was trustworthy, diligent, and reliable, and had a good relationship with his mother. Although being a team leader in a supermarket didn't prove much, it did show that she was better than most salespeople. With training from headquarters, he believed she could handle the job.

His brother's family was not well-off, and if his sister-in-law could take on the role of store manager, it would be a significant improvement for their family of three.

Li Mu slapped his thigh, "Alright, once the headquarters approves, Mom can talk to my sister-in-law."

——

PS: Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I wish everyone a happy New Year in advance. The book will not be on hiatus during the New Year, so I hope everyone continues to support it. Thank you.