The project was mainly handled by the contractor, and she just had to keep an eye on the progress and materials, which didn’t take much time. Her own store was about to be completed, and she was busy with decoration, purchasing, hiring, and finding sources of goods.
She could make some money from the project this time, and the three shops would do wholesale business by the end of the year, and based on her experience, she could make several times more. Money was no longer a problem. Life was no longer stressful.
But now she seems to be addicted to making money. She has already become one of the first to get rich, but she still doesn’t want to stop making money. No matter how much money the old man leaves Shen Haiyang in the future, her career is the result of her own hard work. It is the source of her confidence and self-confidence.
Before the shop was completed, she was going to go south again. This time, she wanted a lot of goods, and she couldn’t do it alone. In the evening, she went to Qin Mu’s house with her. When Han Jun saw that she came to his house in person, he guessed that she was going south.
“To be honest, I want to take a leave of absence. It’s boring every day; I might as well run around outside.”
“Really? I’m planning to do a hardware business; men are more sensitive in this field. And the goods going back and forth will be very heavy. If you are really interested, I won’t ask someone else to be responsible.”
Han Jun thought about it in silence, then nodded. He had considered the decision to take a leave of absence for a long time. Seeing that Li Xia’s family was living so well while his family of four was still squeezed into a small house of dozens of square meters with a pile of debts that he didn’t know when to pay off, the thought of making money kept coming up.
“I’ll learn more about this business first, and then I’ll work hard for you.”
“We will head south tomorrow night. Once we get there, you can go around and learn more about it. Then we can look for a suitable source of goods based on our needs.”
“Okay, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night.”
The three of them set out on this trip with Li Xia and her assistants, Han Jun and Xiao Liu. They dressed simply, arrived at the forefront of reform, and opened up smoothly.
When she got off the train, she ran into an acquaintance. It was Murong Danling and Zhang Qiuhua who got off from a few carriages away. The two glanced at each other without saying a word and then went their separate ways after leaving the train station.
Li Xia’s main purpose of this trip was to find a suitable supplier, which was not something that could be done in a short time. The three of them found a cheap guesthouse and booked two rooms. After washing up, they split up and went to the industrial zone.
This time, she mainly visited clothing factories, visiting each one and selecting the hot items she thought of. In the 1980s, clothing was still based on style and price. People did not pay attention to brand, workmanship, fabrics, etc., which were ranked after price and style.
She is selecting the most suitable clothes for this era. Currently, they only make adult clothes. She is selecting autumn clothes and winter clothes and planning the purchase order. Coming out of the clothing factory, Xiao Liu is amazed when she holds the purchase order.
“Sister, I think you can open a clothing factory.”
Li Xia’s business volume is indeed increasing, and she has more and more small business owners developing offline. But if she wants to open a clothing factory, where should she position it?
High-end clothing, designers, pattern making, etc. require a lot of investment, and there has not been much market for high-end clothing in recent years. Low-end clothing has been OK in recent years, but it will be very difficult in a few years. You can only do OEM for orders, and you can only wait for death if you can’t get orders.
Can she run a garment factory? After thinking about it for a few days, she decided to give it a try. At the beginning, she took the low-end development route. There was a textile enterprise in her province, and the fabrics could be purchased nearby. The wages of workers are also very low nowadays, and there is no problem finding female workers. She won by price, made some money in the next few years, and then seized the opportunity to transform after a few years.
This is an era of rapid change. If you do something unchanged, you will soon be eliminated. After realizing this, she no longer plans to do anything that will last a long time. Anyway, you have to keep up with the times. Falling behind a little bit may be a disaster.
Not to mention her small investment; even if the electronics factory invested by her father-in-law did not seize the opportunity to transform and develop, the golden age of black and white televisions would be over.
Run a garment factory to accumulate funds, and then expand into other fields when the time is right. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If one industry encounters a crisis, there are other industries to support it, so all will not fall at once.
With the intention of opening a clothing factory, she paid close attention to matters in this regard and judged whether the time was right. In the evening, while having dinner at a restaurant, she heard someone talking about jeans, and after listening for a while, she realized that the other person was a pattern designer.
Jeans were not popular at that time, but they would soon become popular and a favorite among young people. Li Xia looked at the sample from a distance, then walked up to the other party and started a conversation.
“Do you sell this version?”
The woman was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, “Sell it.” Afraid that Li Xia didn’t understand, she told her about the origin of jeans and how popular they were in the West.
“This kind of pants will definitely be popular among young people. As a product favored by the main consumers, it will definitely make money.”
Li Xia nodded. She certainly knew how popular jeans would be in the future. The model in the woman’s hand was good, just suitable for young people’s aesthetics. They sat down and talked in depth. The other party was eager to sell, and finally Li Xia bought three pairs of jeans without spending much money.
During the conversation, Li Xia learned that the lady surnamed Min was a fashion designer, and she immediately exchanged contact information with her. After buying three pairs of jeans, she began to think carefully about how to operate them.
In which year did jeans become popular? It seems that her investment vision is a bit ahead of her time. However, she didn’t plan to make a living now after buying it, but just picked up a bargain to prepare for the future.
The popular ones nowadays are Decca straight-leg pants. The fitted Decca material has straight and ironed trouser seams, which are dignified and formal. The ordinary and cheap ones are the simplest wide straight-leg pants. Most people wear this kind of pants, and she has the most of them every time she purchases them.
“Sister, are these jeans really going to be popular? Now that you’ve bought the pattern, what are you going to do next?”
It is definitely popular, but nowadays, denim fabrics are all imported, and the price is definitely higher than ordinary clothes. There is definitely no market for it now.
“Don’t worry, it will be useful later.”
Without the impact of imported goods in the past few years, not many people can accept this fashionable thing. If you rashly bet your life on it, you may lose everything. The timing must be just right. Being too early or too late may lead to failure.
“What did you say, sister?”
“Nothing.”
She had never seen denim in many clothing factories before, so she went to look for it. It turned out that there was only one Hong Kong company producing this kind of pants on the market. And it was not targeting ordinary people.
The retail price is around 100 yuan, which is equivalent to more than two months’ salary for an ordinary worker. Fuck, at this price, selling it now is simply courting death. The timing is not right; this thing has to wait.
“Oh my god, these jeans are too expensive!”
Xiao Liu was amazed at the trousers, rubbing them carefully, and she really didn’t understand why they were so expensive. Li Xia also shook her head silently, thinking that these trousers were obviously hard-wearing and dirt-resistant trousers worn by working people in Western countries, so how did they become a luxury item in their country?
“Sister, this thing will definitely not sell in the north.”
Li Xia put down her jeans and nodded silently. “Let’s go and take a look at that cotton clothing factory.”
Today, the degree of reform and opening up in the north is really different from that of the frontier. Most people are very satisfied with having a stable job, and very few are doing business. With that level of consumption, no matter what you sell, you have to win by price.
This stage is not yet the peak season of October, so this time she compared the prices of three stores. No, she compared the prices of all stores. After comparing, selecting, and bargaining, she began to place orders.
This time, the purchase volume is large, and she uses the two-month off-season to decide on the clothing for the entire winter and the New Year. The price can be lowered, and the quality will be better than in the peak season. As for the styles that others are considering, she believes in her own vision as a person who has experienced them.
After the clothes were ordered, the factory began to speed up production, and she began to buy accessories. From scarves and hats to hairpins and rubber bands, she placed large orders for the styles she liked.
Han Jun also found a suitable manufacturer for hardware accessories, and he selected the goods that were most needed locally. Li Xia also placed large orders, which frightened Han Jun so much that he wanted to stop her.
“Sister-in-law, with so many goods, if you can’t sell them all at once, you’ll be stuck with a lot of money. By then, you won’t be able to recover the money, and it will be piled up.”
“I know what’s going on; don’t worry.”
The biggest advantage of hardware is that it is not afraid of spoilage or expiration. Now that prices are rising, if you have a backlog of these things, the price may double in a year. She can put them in the warehouse and sell them slowly; anyway, it is a sure profit. Moreover, her father-in-law’s factory needs a lot of them. These are all of good quality. How can there be a large backlog if she sells the first batch of goods first?
All goods are negotiated with the manufacturer for a 70% down payment, and the remaining balance is to be paid in March of the following year. Although it cannot be refunded, she must pay the balance regardless of whether she has a backlog or makes money due, but she is confident in her vision.
