Reborn in 1999: Starting as a black marketeer

"Boss, the other day you asked me to get to know more about brand chain stores, right? I met a senior person in this field through a friend's introduction."

His name is Phillips. He previously worked as the director of the business department at ZARA. Although his position wasn't very high, his abilities were undoubtedly very strong.

Phillips is a Russian-Spanish man who returned to Moscow for family reasons and is currently looking for a job.

However, as you know, given Russia's economic climate, finding a satisfactory job is difficult, even with an excellent resume.

Anna shrugged, her face full of helplessness.

She had experienced the pain of job hunting firsthand and felt sympathy for the current situation of someone as talented as Phillips.

Perhaps Phillips earned several thousand euros a month when he worked at ZARA, but in a similar job in Moscow, he'd be lucky to earn a few hundred dollars...

Wang Feiyang asked with great interest, "We're a small company, so would people who have worked at large companies be interested in us?"

"Hehe, although our company isn't big, the salary and benefits we offer are absolutely top-notch! And someone like Phillips would probably prefer to come to a company like ours because there's room for him to showcase his talents here. If he went to a big company, he might even face being ostracized," Anna laughed.

That makes sense. Competition in the workplace is fierce, and it's quite difficult for an "outsider" like Phillips to gain a foothold in a large Russian company.

Moreover, his position was awkward and unsatisfying. If he had been a vice president of ZARA or something similar, it would have been much easier. If he had returned to Russia to look for a job, he would have been aiming for a senior management position at a large company, and might have even become a CEO. With power in hand and some shrewdness, he could have easily turned things around.

Or if he's just an ordinary business manager or something, that's fine too. His position is insignificant, and others won't bother to exclude him.

However, the position of business director is a bit awkward. It is not a true senior management position, but it is not a junior position either. It is a position that connects the top and the bottom. To achieve results in this position, you need to gain the recognition of senior management and the support of the employees below!

If you do well, you'll be successful in all aspects of life, and promotion to higher levels will be a breeze.

But if it's not done well, it can easily end up sandwiched in the middle and become a "sandwich cookie"...

"Then let's invite him over for a meeting and a chat. If he's truly talented, I won't hesitate to give him a stage to showcase his abilities, haha." Wang Feiyang laughed heartily.

In the early stages of a business, the right people are the most valuable asset. Employees like Anna can support the current business well, but that doesn't mean they can build a chain of brands!

Although Wang Feiyang has a grasp of the company's overall direction and formulates strategic policies, an experienced senior executive is still needed to help him control the company's daily operations.

No matter how good the plan is, it's all for nothing if it can't be implemented!

…………

The next day, Wang Feiyang met Phillips in his office.

This is a middle-aged man in his late thirties, of medium height, with bright and piercing eyes. Although he is middle-aged, he does not have a potbelly or greasy appearance. He is in good shape and must have been exercising regularly. He is a typical European and American workplace elite.

He wore a well-tailored suit, had slightly curly hair, and spoke in a very organized and logical manner.

After a brief self-introduction, Wang Feiyang asked him with great interest, "Mr. Phillips, you've already reached the position of department director at ZARA, why did you suddenly resign and return to Russia to develop your career? It doesn't make sense from any perspective."

Although Spain is one of the so-called "PIIGS" countries, its economy is definitely much stronger than Russia's. Moreover, working for a giant company like Zara would offer much higher salaries and benefits than in Russia.

It's hard to explain away the "family reasons" alone.

Phillips hesitated for a moment, then said frankly, "Because I'm Russian, reaching the director level at ZARA is my ceiling; there's not much room for advancement. Besides, in the eyes of the native Spaniards, I'm still a foreigner, and I'll always face invisible exclusion. In fact, even if I don't resign, I'll be fired soon, because my deputy is already fully capable of taking over my work, and he's a native Spaniard."

Every country has xenophobic phenomena, and even though Phillips was born and raised in Spain, he was no exception. In the eyes of the Spanish, he was not "one of their own".

Wang Feiyang nodded in understanding, but still pressed on, "Then why don't you go to Western Europe to develop your career? With your resume, it shouldn't be difficult to find a job in places like France, Britain, or Italy."

"Um~ I only speak Spanish and Russian, not English or French..." Phillips replied somewhat embarrassedly.

Wang Feiyang hadn't really thought that was the reason, but thinking about it, it made sense. Phillips, a Russian-Spanish, had to learn both Russian and Spanish, so naturally he didn't have much time or energy to learn other languages.

"Moreover, although Russia has fallen into a trough, I think the country's foundation is still there, and it has a very strong base. It will soon bottom out and rebound, so I think this is a good time to come back. I've also considered starting my own clothing company if I can't find a satisfactory job. However, I don't have much capital on hand, and I have a family to support, so I'm still hesitating."

Phillips spoke quite frankly, which impressed Wang Feiyang.

"Since you've worked at ZARA for many years, you should know this fast fashion chain very well. So, in your opinion, among so many fast fashion brands worldwide, which ones have the most promising prospects and development potential?" Wang Feiyang began his formal test.

"Personally, I believe that ZARA has been the undisputed leader in the fast fashion industry for the past decade. This is not only because of its innovative and diverse styles, but also because of its self-developed production system, which allows it to deliver the latest clothing to stores worldwide in the fastest possible speed!"

No other brand has been able to do this yet.

However, I believe that ZARA's leading position will be challenged ten years from now, and the most powerful challenger may be Uniqlo from Japan.

As for GAP and H&M, I think they were just a flash in the pan. Those brands don't have their own soul and are destined not to last long...

When it came to his field of expertise, Phillips began to speak at length. It was clear that he had a deep understanding of the global apparel industry. He had even studied Uniqlo, a brand that had not yet expanded beyond Japan, and gave it a very high rating!