Everything else is meaningless. When he heard Liu Fu planned to make him a section chief, Li Si felt his blood rush to his head, and he didn't hear anything else after that. The thought of himself, a small-time hoodlum, having the chance to become an official made him deliriously happy.
After Liu Fu and Liu Jian had both left, Li Si was still a little dazed and grabbed Li Wu beside him, asking, "Fifth Brother, I didn't mishear, did I? Boss Liu really intends to make me an official?"
Li Si couldn't understand the difference between a private enterprise and a state-owned enterprise. His "section chief" was a completely different concept from a section chief in a government agency. Li Wu also didn't know the difference, saying, "Nonsense, what Master said can't be false. But Xiao Si, you must keep Master's instructions in mind. If you mess it up, not only Master, but I won't spare you either."
Li Si quickly nodded. When he got home and told the story, the whole family was alarmed. Even his uncle, who valued the factory more than anything, was silent. When his uncle first heard that someone was buying the Sanbao Winery, he almost jumped up and cursed. The winery was as important as his life. But now that he heard that Li Si could be a section chief after the factory was acquired, he had no objections. The factory was important, but it couldn't compare to family.
He had worked in the factory for decades and was still a small worker when he retired. But his nephew had the opportunity to be a section chief, how could he object, and why would he object?
In just a few days, Li Si had persuaded the factory workers. Even the few dissenting old workers were taken care of once Li Si's uncle stepped in. As long as someone bought the distillery, they would earn money if it started operating, unlike now where they didn't even have living expenses. They were terrified of being poor. The factory wasn't theirs anyway; if the country wanted to sell it, let it sell. As long as someone was willing to pay them wages, that was all that mattered.
After waiting for half a month, Chen Sheng finally sent word.
When Liu Fu returned from Chen Sheng's house, he was beaming with excitement, and he said to his anxious son and wife, "It's done, the matter is settled."
Liu Jian asked, "Dad, what did Uncle Chen say? Did he say how much money they want?"
Liu Fu smiled and said, "What's the rush? The conditions we mentioned, the municipal government has agreed to them all and promised a five-year tax exemption. As for the price, the city will soon set up a special negotiation team, with the mayor as the team leader and your Uncle Chen as the deputy county magistrate, and your Uncle Chen will be responsible for the specific matters. According to your Uncle Chen, the city's initial opinion is to transfer the entire factory to us for 800,000. In my opinion, there is still room to lower the price. If we push it a bit, 500,000 is also possible."
Upon hearing the price of 500,000, Liu Jian was almost scared to death. The equipment in the Sanbao Distillery alone must be more than a million, not to mention the eighty acres of land, three workshop buildings, and an office building. This isn't buying, it's practically robbing.
Liu Jian chuckled wryly a few times: He couldn't exactly tell his dad that the price was too low and they should add more. If he did that, he'd either be sent to a mental hospital by his dad or dragged to the city hospital by his mom for a CT scan to see if something was wrong with his brain. Alright, he shouldn't worry about these things anymore. No matter how much money it is, as long as this deal goes through, he can just wait to be a rich second generation.
Sanbao Winery was finally acquired by Liu Fu for 600,000 yuan, which, to be honest, was a dirt-cheap price. Logically, there should have been a group of people objecting or some leaders questioning whether there were any shady dealings in this acquisition. But the reality was that the workers were spreading the word and extremely excited, and the municipal government was also happy to get rid of a burden. It was truly a case of "I'm good, you're good, everyone's good!"
After the initial joy, the family of three felt a little lost. They had no experience and didn't know how to proceed.
Silence was broken by Liu Jian: "Dad, we bought the winery. Does that mean I don't have to go to school? I'll be very busy in the future and I can help."
Liu Fu didn't hesitate at all: "No, there's no discussion about that. I know you want to be the factory director, but you lack the age, experience, and expertise. It looks like we didn't spend much money this time, but you need to know that I secretly put in at least 200,000 yuan. Such a big factory isn't for you to practice on."
Liu Jian was stunned and said, "Dad, this was my idea. Besides, we agreed that I would acquire the Sanbao Winery back then, you're not going to kick me out, are you?"
Mother Liu, standing beside them, said displeasedly, "What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't your father doing this for your own good? Just focus on your studies. The factory will be yours when you graduate. Could you even run the factory if we made you manager now?"
Liu Jian was devastated. He really didn't want to go to school and had hoped to use this opportunity to leave, but he hadn't expected that the two old folks had already excluded him.
Liu Fu, seeing Liu Jian's sorrowful and indignant expression, laughed heartily, "Alright, stop clowning around. I know you don't want to go to school, but there's no discussing it. Besides, how many days have you actually been going to class lately? Have your mother and I even bothered you about it? Jian, I know you think the factory is small and that you're capable enough to manage it, but society won't allow it or accept it! Your age is the biggest problem. If I handed the winery over to you now, not to mention anyone else, even your Uncle Chen probably wouldn't trust you, let alone the workers. The Sanbao Winery has changed so many leaders in recent days and still hasn't been fixed. If you really brought the factory back from the brink of death, what would people say about you? Our family would have a hard time moving an inch in Panshi in the future."
As Liu Jian listened, his expression became increasingly serious. He hadn't considered these situations at all. He had originally thought that once the distillery became his family's property, he could do whatever he wanted, but he forgot that from now on, Sanbao Distillery would be under the spotlight and his age would be the biggest problem.
Liu Jian thought for a moment and said, "Dad, what are you planning to do with the factory? You can at least offer some suggestions!"
Liu Fu nodded and said, "Yes, there are indeed some things we need to discuss."
Liu Fu said, "I will personally take on the role of factory director, and your mother will be the brewery's accountant, in charge of the finances. Li Si, as promised before, will be the head of the security department. Li Si's uncle, Li Cai, I want to invite him back to be the director of the production workshop. His skills and experience are what the brewery needs most right now, and he can also help to stabilize people's hearts. I want Xiao Wu to be the head of the purchasing department. There aren't many people I can trust. Apart from him, I'm really worried that others will tamper with the raw material procurement process. That's the initial plan, see if you have any questions?"
Liu Jian thought for a moment, everything that needed to be arranged had been arranged, except for himself, and said, "Dad, there's no one in sales, right? Can I be the head of the sales department?"
Liu Fu thought about it, there really wasn't a suitable person for sales, so he nodded.
Liu Jian added, "Dad, we have a lot of relatives. See if any of them are capable and let them come to the factory to gain some experience. Without our own people, I don't feel comfortable doing things!"
Liu Fu hesitated and said, "Let's wait, I'll think about it. There are too many family members, and it will be difficult to manage them later."
Liu Fu didn't have a direct understanding of sales. In his eyes, it was the most leisurely department, so he let Liu Jian do it, acting as a small leader to gain some experience. Seeing the situation, if he didn't give him a position, Liu Jian definitely wouldn't do it. It wasn't until later that Liu Fu realized that sales were the most important thing in the entire factory. Only then did he truly see Liu Jian's talent, realize what a talented son he had, and truly begin to let go and allow Liu Jian to do what he wanted to do.
Only Liu Jian, who had been influenced by television and the internet in the 21st century, knew that the most important aspect of any factory or product was sales, not production.
If you have an experienced sales manager, even if you produce mineral water, he can sell it at the price of a beverage. But with an incompetent sales manager, even if you produce televisions, he will sell them at the price of bicycles.
Liu Jian considered himself, while not exactly a sales elite or a working emperor, to be much better than some newcomers who knew nothing about sales, after being bombarded with so much information.
From the start, Liu Jian had his sights set on the sales manager position. Even if the factory director, Liu Fu, asked him to do it, he wouldn't. He knew his own limitations. His advantage as a reborn person lay in understanding future developments and various experiences after being bombarded with information. As for actual management, this reborn version of himself wasn't much better than Liu Fu. So instead of that, he'd rather do what he was familiar with. No matter what, he had served as a sales manager back then. This was his old profession.
After the factory leadership team was determined, Liu Fu called the main leaders of the winery together for a meeting to discuss the winery's next plan.
But after everyone talked for a long time, there wasn't a single good idea. Liu Jian, who had been observing, couldn't help but sigh, "This is just a makeshift team, there's no talent here."
Looking at the smoky and stifling meeting room, Liu Jian coughed a few times. After everyone's attention was focused on him, he opened his mouth and said, "Factory Director, I have a few opinions. I'll briefly state them as a starting point for discussion, and everyone can listen."
According to Liu Fu's rules, everyone at the winery had to call him Factory Director during work hours, and Liu Jian was no exception. The others didn't take this to heart; Li Wu had just been calling him "Master" all the time. When Liu Jian opened his mouth and called him Factory Director, everyone was stunned by Liu Jian's address.
Liu Fu was very happy to hear Liu Jian call him Factory Director instead of Dad. The reason he made this requirement was because the leaders in the factory were basically all relatives. It was difficult for him to manage when everyone was calling him "Dad" or "Master" all day long. While others hadn't yet understood his intention, how could Liu Jian not know what he was getting at?
Liu Fu smiled and said, "Alright, let's hear what Section Chief Liu thinks." As soon as he said this, everyone quieted down, and it finally felt like a meeting.
Liu Jian said, "First of all, we need to re-establish rules and regulations. The factory has been abandoned for many years, and the workers have become lazy. I'm afraid they won't be used to it when the factory reopens. It is very necessary to have clear rules and regulations to restrain the workers' behavior. For example, what time to go to work and what time to leave work every day, and only work clothes can be worn during working hours. This needs to be supervised by the security department. For example, if the regulation is to start work at eight o'clock, the security department will close the factory gate at eight o'clock, and those who are late must register at the gatehouse. Anyone who leaves the factory before the end of work must also register. This is counted once a month. If the cumulative late arrival and early departure exceeds three times, the salary for that month will be deducted. If there is perfect attendance, a perfect attendance bonus will be issued. We will fire those who have been found more than ten times. The regulations may be a bit strict, but we are now a private enterprise and cannot be the same as before, coming and going as you please. I believe that if we explain it to the workers, everyone can understand it. Of course, this is just my suggestion. Let's discuss the specific regulations together."
As soon as Liu Jian finished speaking, there was a lot of discussion in the conference room, but no one said anything against it. Because Liu Jian had already made it clear in one sentence that this is a private factory. If you listen to me, I will give you a salary; if you don't listen, you will be fired. It is no longer the era of holding onto the Communist Party's communal pot.
After the meeting room quieted down, Liu Jian said, "The second thing is that the product needs a new name and a new trademark. The name 'Sanbao Winery' has been passed down for many years, and we can't change it casually, but the name 'Panshi Yuanjiang' must be changed, and immediately. The 'Panshi Yuanjiang' brand has been abandoned by the market. It can be said that any wine produced with this name will absolutely not sell. It has become synonymous with fake wine, especially in the surrounding counties and cities, where there are no sales at all. Even if the wine we produce can reach the original quality, no one will believe it. Therefore, before resuming production, we must come up with a new wine name, register a new trademark, and then find a printing factory to print the trademark. These are all preparations that must be made before the winery officially resumes production."
When everyone heard that the name of the wine was going to be changed, they were initially in chaos, and no one could accept it. But after Liu Jian explained, no one could voice any opposition. Even the very conservative Li Cai couldn't speak up, and he was more attached to the Sanbao Winery than to the "Panshi Yuanjiang" brand. This suggestion was also accepted by everyone.
Liu Jian took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Thirdly, we must accurately position ourselves in the market. If we continue to target the low-end market as before, without paying attention to quality, brand, or packaging, and produce ordinary liquor, relying on output and low prices to occupy the market, then we have no advantage at all and cannot lead Sanbao Winery back to glory. This is because all the liquor factories on the market are doing this now, with high output and low profits. We must reposition ourselves, targeting the mid- to high-end market. Not only must the quality of the wine be good, but we must also pay attention to packaging, specially customize exquisite wine bottles that are even better than gift box packaging, leaving a deep impression. If we do this, our output will not be large, but the quality will be good, the profit will be high, and the reputation will be great. Not only can we establish a new liquor brand and win back our original lost customers, but we may also enter the national market, and our winery will have the opportunity to become the pride of the entire Panshi City again."
In the end, Liu Jian stood up excitedly, waving his arms. The people in the meeting room were also stirred up by what he said, as if a scene appeared before them, a scene of success.
This time, Liu Fu also stood up excitedly and paced back and forth, saying, "What other suggestions do you have? Keep talking, say it all in one breath."