Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 74 Strive to Strive for Ambition
"This place is okay." Chen Fang looked around.

He was living in an empty house with a floor height of 4 meters, a distance between load-bearing columns of 8 meters, and an interior area of about 300 square meters.

Chen Fang figured it out and came up with four small venues. If each venue could accommodate 4 children, four classes could be held at the same time in a single period of time.

There are 5 time periods in a single day, which means 20 classes. Excluding weekend nights, there are 6 classes in 24 nights, plus two days of weekends, a total of 64 classes per week, and a sales ceiling of 640 people.

The theoretical value is 2560 people per month. Roughly estimated, 2000 people per month is achievable.

Based on 40 yuan per class, 8 yuan per month, and now taking into account the fixed expenses of labor, utilities, and rent, the profit is still acceptable.

I walked to the window and saw a road outside, with shops on both sides and residential buildings nearby.

"There are six residential areas here, with a population of about 5 within a radius of one kilometer. There are two primary schools and one junior high school. There are five large supermarkets and two independent farmers' markets," Sun Lexian introduced.

After listening to Sun Lexian's words, Chen Fang calculated that theoretically, the maximum number of people that his gym could accommodate was definitely enough. (For fun, based on the above data, how many students can the gym recruit at most and fully meet the class needs of all students? The premise is that each student has a single class per week.)
"This used to be a gym, but the owner ran away. The landlord emptied out everything. If you rent this place, you can save some trouble."

Chen Fang asked: "How much per square meter?"

"15."

"It's expensive. Go bargain."

"So what is our target price?"

"8-10."

"Start with 7 yuan per square meter, and then give cents and cents."

"You're pretty ruthless." Sun Lexian gave a thumbs up.

"When doing business, don't just think about making money. The first thing is to reduce all fixed expenditure costs. Rent is the core. If the rent is cheap, even if we don't make money for a period of time, we can persist and have more time to solve the problem."

"Because of the previous tenant, the landlord had some requirements for the deposit."

"How much do you deposit and how much do you pay? How do we sign the contract?"

"One year's deposit, one year's rent payment, the contract starts at five years. The rent increases by 5% each year."

"Impossible." Chen Fang flatly refused: "The maximum deposit is 3 and the payment is 3."

"The contract is for three years, and the annual increase starts from the third year. The first two years will remain unchanged, and the third year will increase by 3%."

Sun Lexian was distressed: "Is there anyone who bargains like you?"

"You rented less, so I bargained for my conscience."

"In today's world, you have to keep your money in your own hands. The deposit is for a maximum of six months, and the rent is paid quarterly."

Seeing Sun Lexian in a dilemma, Chen Fang said, "You call the landlord and I'll talk to him."

"Okay, it's your turn to contribute."

Soon, the landlord came. He was a bald middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing glasses and looking quite gentle.

After a brief introduction, Chen Fang got straight to the point: "Uncle, this location and the structure of the house barely meet our requirements, but in terms of rent and other aspects, it is really not suitable."

The landlord was not in a hurry and said slowly: "It was like this before."

"So this guy ran away." Chen Fang pointed at the poster of a muscular man still hanging on the wall, which was fluttering in the wind.

"Business is not going well right now, and this is the second floor. When I came up, the entrance was so remote, narrow and long, it was very inconvenient to enter and exit."

The landlord smiled and said, "You look like you are still studying."

"Yes, my family is a rich second-generation. My father hopes that I will have more social experience, so I started to get involved in the family business in junior high school." Chen Fang said without blushing.

"Uncle, look, I have to redo the floor tiles, walls, and ceiling of this house. You didn't move cleanly and the wires are damaged. All you think about it, it's no better than a bare house." Chen Fang said while pointing to a certain place and pointing out the shortcomings and difficulties.

The landlord's face changed slightly when he faced the facts. He asked, "Then I want to ask, what are your conditions for the rental deposit?"

"The second floor across the street, I just asked, it's 2 yuan per square meter, it's better than here in every way, and there's more space, 10 square meters. In fact, if I'm willing to pay the transfer fee, that place would be more suitable." Chen Fang lied with his eyes open. He had visited the place across the street, but the business was doing well and there was no way they were transferring it. What's more, it's not 500 yuan per square meter, but 10.

But the landlord didn't know. He was stunned for a long time when he heard it, rubbing his hands, not knowing how to respond.

"I don't want to wait. You can start work anytime. I'm in a hurry."

"I'm a high school student. I don't understand your tricks. I'll tell you the truth. I can only offer 7 yuan per square meter here."

"7 yuan? That's too little." The landlord shook his head.

"Then please tell me what you can accept, and let me see if I can accept it." Chen Fang went straight to the point.

The landlord hesitated for a moment and said with difficulty: "12."

"Your place is 300 square meters, so you will have to pay 600 yuan more per month, or 7200 yuan per year. It will be 3 yuan in five years, and the transfer fee across the street is only 6 yuan, not counting the incremental fees. And I have to clean and tidy up the place again, which will cost me at least another 3 yuan. It costs tens of thousands of yuan here and there. What do you think I should choose?" Chen Fang talked a lot, leaving the landlord speechless.

"Then how much do you want?" the landlord had to ask.

Chen Fang changed the subject and said, "I asked the agent, your house has been vacant for three months. There have been no viewings in the past month, right?"

The landlord's face suddenly turned ugly, and his silence meant consent.

"I don't want to be petty. I'll tell you a number. If you find it unacceptable, then there's no need to waste your time. This piece of land is so big, how can there be no room?" Chen Fang did not allow any explanation and simply raised his finger.

"8, how is it?"

The landlord said nothing, his eyes rolling around.

"Let's go to the next one." Chen Fang called to Sun Lexian, who was watching the fun and studying hard.

"Wait, wait, boss, this number is really not acceptable." The landlord looked miserable.

"Okay, 9 yuan. I'll have 3600 yuan more a year, which is equivalent to an extra month and a half of rent." Seeing that the landlord was about to speak, Chen Fang stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "3% deposit and 3% payment. The contract is signed for 3 years, and the increase is 3% in the third year."

The landlord was stunned and shook his head subconsciously, but seeing Chen Fang's determined face, he hesitated again: "This is really not possible, I will lose a lot of money."

"Uncle, let me tell you something you don't want to hear. If you miss me, the next one may not be able to offer 9. If you wait for someone who doesn't know how to do business and can't bargain, you will have to continue looking for tenants sooner or later. Have you calculated how many months this place will be vacant and how much less rent you will get?"

The landlord's mind was spinning, and he quickly said, "Let me think about it."

Chen Fang was not in a hurry and continued to find problems in the house.

"Why is this toilet like this? Do I still need to waterproof it?"

"Why isn't there a fire escape here? Do I need to dig a passage outside the wall?"

The landlord quickly said, "Boss, this is the price."

Sun Lexian admired him in his heart, but heard Chen Fang shaking his head: "No, the maximum I can offer now is 7. This waterproof plus fire escape, as well as fire protection measures inside the house, this is a huge sum of money."

"I have to include it in the rent, otherwise it won't work."

The landlord was dumbfounded and really anxious: "What do you do? Why do you need these?"

"Boss, I'm in the education and training business, and these are all children. Once parents come and see this, who would be willing to pay?"

"The ceiling needs a fire sprinkler, and the exterior wall needs to be broken to make a fire escape. This will cost at least 3 yuan. Your place is too tight."

"Boss, I really don't want to worry about this every day. I'm tired too. So, I'll take the 8 you said the first time."

Chen Fang turned around and walked around the house. After waiting for at least four or five minutes, he came back and sighed, "Okay, I don't have time to look for a house every day. I'll charge 8 yuan per square meter. Bring me the blueprint and I'll calculate the rent based on the area of the house on the blueprint."

"Okay, I'll get it now." The landlord was afraid that Chen Fang would change his mind again, so he went downstairs immediately.

After the landlord left, Sun Lexian gave a thumbs up.

This was a brilliant counterattack, and it really refreshed his perception. "How come your bargaining skills seem to be even better than your basketball skills?"

"Get out of the way, let's get down to business. You will draft the contract and prepare all the necessary documents for the business license. I will arrange for someone to take you there to get the documents, including the Fire Department, Education Bureau, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, and Market Administration Bureau."

"So many?" Sun Lexian was shocked.

"You think that even though no one is in charge of the training license now, once you report it, it will be successful. We don't have the time to deal with others who are doing this."

"Also, hire the renovation team separately, the plasterer, carpenter, plumber, and electrician. Don't hire the same company. This is to control costs."

“Also, go to TB and order cushions and soft covers for all the corners in the house, and find someone to draw a CAD drawing, measure on site, and calculate the actual area.”

"Have the plumbers and electricians run the circuit higher, set up more power outlets, leave monitoring locations, monitor all areas except the toilet, and monitor everything. The hard drive should be large and cover 30 days."

"Find a design company to build a structure similar to the one in the kindergarten. Just lay the flooring. Find the nearest one, preferably one in this city."

"Wait a minute, I can't remember."

"It's okay, I'll write it all down in the text and send it to you later."

"Damn! I was scared to death." Sun Lexian was sweating profusely.

"Also, go buy an app that can clock in and out right away. The kind that has an annual subscription and can clock in with fingerprint or face."

"By the way, how is the recruitment going?" Chen Fang thought of something.

"I received some resumes, but there is no place for interviews."

"Arrange it immediately. The location is here. Just tell them what we are doing."

"There has to be a female full-time student. She has to be younger and good-looking."

"Why? Are you hiring a secretary?"

"You're so stupid. Are all the people who pick up and drop off the kids, including those who ask questions, women? Isn't there a lecherous father?"

Sun Lexian gave another thumbs up.

"One full-time worker is the front desk and salesperson, and the other must have business skills and be able to clearly explain the benefits of physical fitness for children."

"That's about it. We'll meet on QQ tonight. I'm leaving first." Chen Fang looked at the time. It was almost time for the appointment.

Seeing Chen Fang leaving in a hurry, Sun Lexian found it very interesting. This guy's vigorous and decisive attitude really refreshed his perception of him and also strengthened his confidence in partnering with him.

After going downstairs, Chen Fang made a phone call.

"Uncle Wang, where are you?"

"Okay, I'm at this intersection. There's a Lanzhou Ramen restaurant next to it. Yes, it has a big green sign."

Wang Yuan’s SUV arrived quickly, and Chen Fang laughed as he got in the car.

"Look how happy you are. It's been a week and you're still happy?" Wang Yuan smiled. Ever since he knew Chen Fangzhen was chosen, he has been so happy that he brags to everyone about how good his eyesight is. Now the whole team knows that Captain Wang has discovered a professional golfer.

"I can laugh for a year, uncle, I must repay this favor."

"You have a conscience. Tell me, what are you going to do this time?" Wang Yuan laughed.

"It's actually two things. The first one is that I'm running a children's training business, so I might need Uncle Wang's connections to help me get a license."

"License, why do you need that? Call me if you have any problem and I will solve it for you." Wang Yuan didn't care.

"No, I can't owe you a favor like that. I want it to be done quickly, since I'm going to Jinan soon."

After hearing Chen Fang's explanation, Wang Yuan understood and nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange someone to connect with you later. What's the second thing?"

"Secondly, I'd like to trouble you to help me find a place. I want to build a basketball stadium."

"What?" Wang Yuan almost lost control of the car. He stopped the car on the side of the road and asked, "Did I hear it right?"

"No, we really want to build a stadium. I've always had a wish in my heart." Chen Fang was very sincere, and then he told Wang Yuan about his idea of setting up a label.

"You kid, how much benefit have you gotten? You are so generous that you actually want to build a stadium?" Wang Yuan couldn't believe it. People of their age have never had such an idea. In his impression, only wealthy bosses who love playing basketball would have such an idea.

"I can't say, but there is one thing anyway. Besides, I'm not the only one paying for it. We're pooling money to build the stadium." Chen Fang tried to fool him.

"That's a lot. You have to be careful." Wang Yuan thought that this might be the first time Chen Fang got so much money, so he was getting carried away.

"Uncle Wang, this is really true." Chen Fang certainly knew what Wang Yuan thought of it, and he explained: "This plan is my future. In a few years, you will understand my foresight."

Seeing that Wang Yuan still didn't believe him, Chen Fang said, "Uncle, I never do anything that I'm not sure of. Just like when I came to you to ask about baseball, I only dared to ask for it if I had the ability to do so."

Wang Yuan saw that Chen Fang was very determined and knew that he couldn't dispel his idea for the time being, so he asked, "Then why are you bothering me?"

"Just ask around and think about where there is vacant land or a factory. It can be in the suburbs, but preferably in the old city, where transportation is convenient."

"Let me think about this kind of place." Several places emerged in Wang Yuan's mind.

"Nanyang used to be a good place, but now it's dilapidated. The factory you mentioned should be there, and it's in the old city, not far from here," Wang Yuan recalled.

"Can we go now?"

"Come on, I'll show you."

Two hours later, when the sun was already setting in the west, Chen Fang pointed to the factory building in front and said firmly, "It's right here!"

Wang Yuan looked at the surrounding environment: "It's just one intersection away from the main road. There are no residential areas nearby, so it's not noisy. There is also a commercial street outside, so it's very convenient."

“This used to be a grain storage area, but now it has been moved to the countryside.”

"It's been abandoned for many years. Look, it's all broken."

"It's okay. I was going to replace the roof anyway. I was attracted by the area."

"That's right. The terraced grain warehouse can hold two full courts side by side with some space left. The length and width are enough. If it can be converted into a stadium, it will be great." Wang Yuan thought about it and decided that this was the most suitable place among the several places he had found.

"But the place is big, so the cost is higher." Wang Yuan said deliberately.

Chen Fang didn't care: "It can be modified. I'll change half of the field first. A full field is enough. Besides, the open space outside is as big as half a football field. I can also use it!"

He only needs the whole field, and this part needs to be used as a functional area. They are a club, not a field for charging.

Seeing Chen Fang was very excited, Wang Yuan had no choice but to say, "Okay, the property rights are probably still in the Grain Bureau. I have a brother who is a deputy there. I'll invite him to dinner this afternoon and ask him about it."

"The rent can be as cheap as possible. I'll pay for the commission, including the meal. I'll reimburse you. Just give me the invoice." Chen Fang said immediately.

Wang Yuan laughed and agreed immediately.

There are tacit principles that adults follow. Don't think that you should forget about etiquette just because your friendship is so good or deep, because this is also a kind of respect. If you don't take other people's efforts seriously, nothing will happen after a while.

Looking at it this way, Wang Yuan felt that Chen Fang was an adult, and his attitude towards this matter was also changing invisibly.

"Okay, I'll take you home first, and I'll call you if there's any problem."

"Okay, I knew that uncle would treat me well. Haha, it won't be long before uncle comes to Jinan to find me again. I will take you to Shangao to find basketball stars to get autographs. You can ask whoever you point to!" Chen Fang immediately began to promise.

Wang Yuan's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands, saying, "This is really possible. I take it seriously."

"You have to take it seriously, uncle. With my emotional intelligence, am I afraid I can't handle it?"

"That's right, then wait for a year, haha!" Wang Yuan smiled happily.

(End of this chapter)