2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 77: Great Potential (Please continue reading)

Willow branches sway, blossoms drift, and the village path is fragrant; wine flags flutter in the warm breeze, and youths frolic wildly.

Tan Jincheng leaned against the car window. This was the entrance to Ningbo University. Watching the students coming and going, each one in their prime, with bright smiles on their faces, he inexplicably thought of this line of poetry.

From my grandparents' generation to my parents' generation, and even to my own, I've learned that education truly can change one's destiny.

Just then, a tall girl with long, flowing hair, wearing a short white down jacket and blue skinny jeans, walked gracefully towards where Tan Jincheng had parked his car.

"Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry, a classmate needed to talk to me about something and I was held up." Gu Qingqing said apologetically, smoothing her hair.

Tan Jincheng looked Gu Qingqing up and down and said with a smile, "Last time you waited for me, this time I'll wait for you, we're even."

To be honest, this girl is quite pretty, with delicate features. She seems to be wearing light makeup today. Although her outfit isn't particularly outstanding, it really shows off her figure.

Just as the internet says, a good figure makes even a snakeskin bag look good.

"Let's go find a quiet place and finish the price list and promotional materials."

I came to see her today for this; Tan Jincheng could do these things himself, but it would take him a lot of time.

"Yes, I brought my laptop too." Gu Qingqing patted the laptop bag slung across her shoulder.

Tan Jincheng glanced at the laptop bag; damn it, she's a rich girl. These days, laptops aren't cheap, and they're generally over 8000 yuan. Especially since Gu Qingqing's laptop bag has the Think brand written on it.

I don't know when Think was acquired by Tan Jincheng, but I didn't see it in the news when I searched online before, so this should be an IBM model. Although I can't tell what model it is, this thing can be considered a high-end product nowadays.

It's not that poor people don't work hard, but that rich kids are too self-disciplined; she uses a computer worth tens of thousands of yuan, yet she still thinks about doing part-time jobs to earn pocket money!
During the Chinese New Year holiday, they chatted online from time to time, and their relationship became much closer than before. Gu Qingqing sat in the passenger seat with a smile and asked, "Where are we going?"

Tan Jincheng thought for a moment and replied, "You decide. I'm not as familiar with this area as you are."

"How about we go to that Starbucks again? This time it's on me."

"Okay, let's go there."

Starbucks it is, there doesn't seem to be a better place to go. In this day and age, setting up a computer at Starbucks is considered low-class, so it's not worth mentioning.

Tan Jincheng still remembered the location; after several twists and turns, he arrived.

It was Saturday, but because the two of them arrived early, Starbucks was almost empty, with only a handful of customers.

"I promised to treat you today, so you can't take it from me." Gu Qingqing emphasized this before entering the room.

"I won't fight you for it. You should have received lucky money during the New Year, but I didn't. You're definitely richer than me now."

Tan Jincheng could also see that Gu Qingqing didn't want to owe anyone a favor; work is work, and earning money is not shameful, but she shouldn't spend a boy's money casually in private.

The idea of ​​a fairy-like girl spending a boy's money without question exists in every era, not just in later generations.

"Still Mocha?"

"Okay, Mocha, give me the computer, I'll go find a seat; also, don't buy me a cake, I don't like that stuff."

Gu Qingqing smiled and said, "I understand." Then she handed the laptop bag to Tan Jincheng, who had also brought his laptop today. They found a four-seater by the window and Tan Jincheng opened his laptop bag.

Turn on the computer, insert the USB drive, and wait for the data to be copied. Then, use the USB drive to import the data to Gu Qingqing's computer later.

In 2005, USB flash drives were already quite common, with the largest capacity reaching 1GB, and they weren't expensive; the one Tan Jincheng had was a 512MB one, from the brand Netac.

Later, Tan Jincheng planned to open another import and export company specializing in electronic products. During this time, he also studied the relevant knowledge intensively. He was still doing import and export business, but he avoided the track of Jinpeng Trading.

Avoiding direct competition between the two companies is good for both himself and Zhang Xupeng.

Take the USB flash drive as an example. Its structure and components are not complicated. It mainly consists of a USB plug, a USB mass storage device controller, and a flash memory chip. Once you get these three right, you can easily make a USB flash drive.

This business can continue for several more years, mainly because there are too many brands of this thing, and it's heavily counterfeited. It breaks down very easily, almost like a consumable. Anyone who lived through the PC era has bought a ton of USB drives.

Take Tan Jincheng himself as an example. In his previous life, he had bought countless USB flash drives, ranging in price from tens to hundreds of yuan, and they were either lost or broken.

The data from USB flash drives also shows that the electronics market has great potential.

However, the PC market still dominates the computer industry. Electronic products, including peripherals, all revolve around PCs. Therefore, to succeed in the electronics business, one must follow the established path.

Even if you know that the future belongs to the mobile internet, doing business in this area now will only result in a disastrous failure.

Being half a step ahead makes you a pioneer; being a full step ahead makes you a martyr.

"What are you thinking about?"

Just as Tan Jincheng was deep in thought, Gu Qingqing gracefully approached carrying two cups of coffee.

"I wasn't thinking about anything. Which cup is mine?" Tan Jincheng said, trying to calm himself down.

"Same, any cup is fine."

At this point, the data on the USB drive had been imported. Tan Jincheng gestured to Gu Qingqing, who was sitting opposite him, to import the data from the USB drive.

Cheng Yongjun helped us get a booth at the Canton Fair, which cost a lot of money. We can't let the money go to waste, so we can't be as casual about participating in the exhibition this time as we were last time. We have to make all the necessary preparations.

To this end, Jinpeng Trading has also recruited two new salespersons, with a base salary plus commission. The base salary is not high, and the commission depends on their individual abilities. They will go to Guangzhou together.

For some reason, ever since working part-time became the norm, it seems that salespeople and clerks are always very easy to recruit, no matter the time period.

The price list, including exhibition gifts such as customized shopping bags and business card holders, as well as promotional materials such as flyers, catalogs, and brochures, and basically contract templates, all need to be prepared in advance.

This also involves some commonly used English vocabulary. The materials that Tan Jincheng used for testing proved that Gu Qingqing already had the ability to handle this, so this part of the work was assigned to her.

"Just do as instructed. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me."

After a brief explanation, Tan Jincheng started working. That's how it is with bosses of small companies; they can't be all-rounders, but they certainly know a lot. Tan Jincheng was forced to learn some simple design skills.

Spend money where you should, save money where you should; you can't hire someone to do everything.

(End of this chapter)