Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 55 Building a Team (Part 1)
……

The last day of 2004 in the Gregorian calendar.

"When we talk about internet security, what exactly are we talking about?"

"We seek a concrete answer from the perspective of fund security."

"When a user's bank card is fraudulently used online, they can only report the incident to the police; the bank bears no responsibility whatsoever."

"But today, we promise that if your Alipay account is stolen, please contact us directly and we will provide a full refund!"

"If you dare to pay, I dare to compensate!"

At a press conference this morning, Jack Ma delivered a series of memorable quotes in just half an hour. He started by recounting his firm belief in launching Alipay at last year's Davos Forum, then raised the topic of cybersecurity, directly targeting banks, and made a powerful promise.

eBay's advertising blocking tactics could no longer stop Alibaba's domineering declaration. Less than an hour after the press conference ended, a photo of a square-headed man looking up at the sky and forcefully extending his index finger appeared on the front pages of major portals and forums.

Chen Xuebing didn't know if this scene had happened in his previous life, but he knew that the traffic to his Taobao store was coming.

From 2005 to 2008, the transaction volume increased from 1 billion to 100 billion, a hundredfold increase, marking the beginning of a new era of rapid development for online e-commerce.

Meanwhile, today's Southern Daily published an article on the negative impact of "split share structure" on the capital market. Experts stated that the share reform should be completed in one go to resolve the bear market that has run counter to the economic growth of China during the four years since 2001, and strive to return from the current 1266 points to the peak of 2245 points four years ago.

Recalling the nearly two-year-long euphoria brought about by the 2005 stock market reform, Chen Xuebing felt his blood boil for the first time since his rebirth.

A strong wind is coming.

The good wind carries me to the blue clouds with its power.

How can I be lonely?

……

At 2 p.m., Chen Xuebing got out of the car at the entrance of the construction site.

The pendant on the phone also glowed faintly, indicating that it received the electromagnetic signal earlier than the phone itself.

Two seconds later, the phone lit up. Chen Xuebing answered it, turned on speakerphone, and walked towards the door.

"Here we are! We're at the door! What's the rush?"

"Hurry up, people have been waiting for you for half an hour."

Chen Xuebing hung up the phone, patted his new leather jacket, and carried two shopping bags in his hand, his steps still unhurried.

He just came from the mall.

Yesterday I called my uncle and told him about taking leave to study on my own. I also asked him to ask Tan Hailiang how things were going with the construction site in Pengshui.

Tonight, Yu Chunyin called back and said that Engineer Tan has a brother who can come and help him. He is very skilled, but there are some conditions. He asked Tan to come to the Yuzhong construction site to discuss the matter.

As arranged for the afternoon, Chen Xuebing went out early in the morning to shave his hair short again, and bought a fleece-lined leather jacket, belt, shirt, casual pants and leather shoes, making himself look several years older.

The only thing missing from the standard equipment of an engineering boss is a clutch bag.

Clothes make the man, and a student's attire is definitely not acceptable when going out to conduct business.

However, this outfit did seem a bit deliberate, and he wasn't used to it.

In his previous life, he had never worn his belt so openly. He always dressed casually and rarely wore such cumbersome clothes, or even suits.

Consider this a motivation for myself; once I achieve success, I won't have so many constraints anymore.

As soon as he entered the factory area, someone called out to him.

"Hey! Mr. Chen! What brings you here?"

Zhang Dajiang was sitting on a ladder, drawing lines for the newly erected outer wall and building glazed pillars. As soon as he saw him, he spoke very loudly.

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "Be careful!"

Zhang Dajiang stopped what he was doing, scrambled down the ladder in two steps, rummaged in his bag, handed him a cigarette, and even lit it for him.

Seeing that he must have something to do, Chen Xuebing stopped as well, took the cigarette, and lit it.

"Boss Chen, I heard you quit this construction site?" Zhang Dajiang asked with concern, his voice chuckling.

Chen Xuebing laughed: "I didn't do anything, I just came to help my uncle for a few days."

"Oh no! I meant the next one!" Zhang Dajiang slapped his forehead: "You mean the next one, the big construction site! That one... Luo An! He said he's already booked it! You're really not going to do it?"

"Yeah, he booked it. What, you weren't chosen?" Chen Xuebing exhaled a puff of smoke, feeling that the smoke was a bit choking.

Zhang Dajiang immediately said regretfully, "My class is too small, people won't want it!"

As she spoke, her eyes flickered, and she said indignantly, "Besides, I don't even like him! That son of a bitch is no good, and he talks badly about you behind your back!"

Chen Xuebing smiled but remained silent.

You don't like it? You ran into a wall with Luo An, so you're coming here looking for an opportunity, right?
If Luo An didn't even think much of him, then there was no need to mention him.

There wasn't a single construction team on this site that he liked.

"Brother Zhang, if this place doesn't want me, there are plenty of other places that will. With your skills, you can find work anywhere," Chen Xuebing complimented before preparing to leave.

"Hey? Hey!" Zhang Dajiang quickly grabbed him: "President Chen, I heard you took over that construction site in Luo'an?"

Chen Xuebing couldn't help but chuckle.

You've been putting on airs and asking me questions for ages, but I know everything.

Looking at the three-yuan pack of Chaotianmen cigarettes in his hand, Chen Xuebing felt that Zhang Dajiang, this small-time contractor, wasn't exactly well-off.

Then I thought that although Zhang Dajiang's team was weak, his individual skills were not bad.

So he didn't immediately dismiss his idea, and said, "Brother Zhang, to be honest, you have too many general laborers in your team, and I pay wages on time here. I don't plan to outsource anymore. I'm going to train my own workers. If you're willing, come and be my team leader. I'll give you 1500 a month, guaranteed income. If you want to subcontract work, then forget it."

Each layer of outsourcing represents a layer of profit.

Lacking funds, they had no choice but to outsource, allowing these small contractors to withhold their workers' wages until settlement.

But now that Chen Xuebing has the financial strength to cover the initial payments and receive the progress payments himself, and he also has the ability to manage the business, there's no need for others to make that money.

Moreover, this subcontracting model was the same in his previous life, and he had long wanted to change it, but at that time he did not have the strength to support the team in the long term, and everyone's operating model had become a habit.

If he has the resources, he wants to start over and build his own professional team.

Of course, building a team is not the same as raising ordinary workers. Otherwise, he would have to establish a very large human resources department, which would be an insurmountable obstacle in terms of management. It would also be impossible to recruit workers outside the local area. Moreover, it would be very unfriendly to the labor subcontracting model that became popular in the following years. Many clients had familiar labor companies. Even general contractors would have to help the clients find their connections. It was impossible for them to do all the work themselves.

Therefore, what he needs to support are technicians and skilled workers, up to the level of foreman.

"Boss, what do you mean? Guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood?" Zhang Dajiang was a little surprised. This was the first time he had ever heard of a worker being told that their income was guaranteed regardless of drought or flood.

Although the wages for workers are not low, even exceeding those of white-collar workers who sit in offices if calculated on a daily basis, they have to find work themselves!

After being away from home for half a year, I only had two or three months of work, and it was common for me to go home hungry because I couldn't find work.

The so-called contractors who support workers mostly find their own work when they're not busy, and only call them together when the contractor has work.

Wages are paid on a daily basis, meaning you get paid for the days you work; monthly wages are almost nonexistent.

Chen Xuebing once again pushed the limits of his surprise: "That's right, three-month probation, salary paid monthly, after the probation period you'll sign a contract, and once you sign, you'll be a formal employee of our company, with monthly leave, five social insurances and one housing fund."

Wow!

Contract! Monthly leave! Five social insurances and one housing fund!
These science fiction words suddenly appeared before Zhang Dajiang's eyes, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

This...this means he got a job in a state-owned enterprise, got a permanent position, and a secure job?

1,500 yuan, that's more than the salary in state-owned enterprises!
His cousin works as an electrician in a state-owned enterprise, earning only a few hundred yuan a month!
"Boss, really?"

Chen Xuebing nodded and said seriously, "But you need to receive regular training. You won't be just supervising workers at work; you'll also have to do your own work. As long as you have a serious attitude, you'll get a bonus at the end of the year."

Zhang Dajiang suddenly put his hands on his hips, looked down and left and right, looking somewhat impatient. He wanted to agree immediately, and his mind was searching for something like "If you do not abandon me," but due to limitations and cultural constraints, he couldn't think of anything for a long time.

"Boss, you..."

Chen Xuebing patted his chest to cool him down: "Old Zhang, this is my uncle's construction site. You should finish this one first. There's still time, so take your time to think about it. I'll leave you my phone number before I leave."

Zhang Dajiang calmed down after that.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Boss, I have two other fellow villagers and an apprentice who aren't on this construction site, but their skills are good enough! The salary doesn't need to be so high, do you want to…?"

Chen Xuebing shook his head: "If you want to come here, you have to get rid of the foreman's mindset. Don't always think about making money off others. I can ask you for people, but don't try to force them on me. I know what you workers are thinking."

These leaders bring their fellow villagers out to work. Sometimes when there's no work, they help the big contractors find people. But they'll give the people they bring a tip. For example, if the big contractor pays 50 yuan a day, they'll give the workers 5 or 10 yuan. The exact amount depends on their conscience.

"I..." Zhang Dajiang was also embarrassed by these words, threw his cigarette butt on the ground, and was too embarrassed to speak.

Chen Xuebing's specialty is pulling and tugging, and he smiled again at this moment.

“Okay, I happen to be short-handed. I’ll make an exception this time. As long as the skills are up to par, anyone who can do bricklaying, tiling, plastering, and leveling will be paid 1200. All other conditions are the same as yours. Just one thing: you’re not allowed to skimp on other people’s wages. If you do, you’ll be fired. Of course, people should thank you during holidays, but that’s none of my business.”

Zhang Dajiang's gums were showing from laughing.

"Okay, when can I contact you, boss?"

Having spent most of his time away from home, he could be both shrewd and naive; he believed Chen Xuebing when he said he would sign a contract.

It's just a feeling, a sense that this young man is amazing, able to see through people's thoughts at a glance.

"Let's get through the New Year." Chen Xuebing finished his last puff, handed the cigarette butt to Zhang Dajiang, and swept his fingers across the ground: "It's newly paved cement floor, keep it clean, don't litter your cigarette butts, help me throw this away."

Zhang Dajiang chuckled as he took the cigarette butt, then quickly picked it up from the ground.

Chen Xuebing turned and left.

Looking at his retreating figure, Zhang Dajiang couldn't help but think that this young Chen was someone special.

Hey! Why doesn't President Yu give him the project? Has he gone mad?

(End of this chapter)