OBS Chapter 567 Good News
Chapter 567 Good News
Three days after the celebration, Li Xiangyang was inspecting the equipment installation in the new factory when Ma Laosan rushed over.
"Xiangyang, big news!" Old Ma exclaimed, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. "The boss from Hong Kong is coming to inspect our business!"
"Which boss?" Li Xiangyang stopped what he was doing.
"It's that Mr. Lin who signed the contract with us before," Ma Laosan lowered his voice. "He said he wants to come and see our production capacity in person, and if he's satisfied, he'll double the order!"
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Li Xiangyang's eyes. Orders from Hong Kong had always been their biggest source of income; if they could double that, the revenue would be quite substantial.
When are you coming?
"Early next month," Ma Laosan rubbed his hands together. "Xiangyang, this is a huge opportunity. That Hong Kong boss is worldly-wise; we need to prepare properly."
Li Xiangyang nodded, agreeing that they definitely needed to prepare properly. The success of their business in Hong Kong wasn't just about money; more importantly, it opened doors to international markets.
For the next two weeks, Li Xiangyang spent almost every day at the factory. He personally oversaw every step, from debugging new equipment and training workers to optimizing production processes.
Seeing her husband leave early and return late every day, Li Xiaoyun said with heartache, "Xiangyang, your body won't be able to take this."
"It's alright, this period is crucial." Li Xiangyang put his arm around his wife. "Once this busy period is over, I'll take you and Chenchen to the provincial capital for a visit."
"Really?" Li Xiaoyun's eyes lit up.
"Of course it is." Li Xiangyang kissed his wife on the forehead. "You keep your word."
Two weeks later, Mr. Lin arrived as promised.
After accompanying Lin Zhihua on a tour of the old and new factories, the port city boss looked visibly surprised.
"Mr. Li, to be honest, before I came here I thought factories in the mainland were quite backward," Lin Zhihua said, pointing to the operating production line. "I didn't expect your equipment to be so advanced, and your management so standardized."
"Mr. Lin, you flatter me," Li Xiangyang said modestly. "We still have a lot to learn."
"Mr. Li is too modest," Lin Zhihua said earnestly.
That evening, Li Xiangyang hosted a welcome dinner for Lin Zhihua at the best restaurant in the county.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Zhihua started talking.
"Mr. Li, to be honest, I've been doing business in Hong Kong for over twenty years, and I've seen all kinds of factories," Lin Zhihua raised his glass, "but factories with your potential are truly rare."
"What suggestions does Mr. Lin have?" Li Xiangyang also raised his glass.
“I do have a suggestion,” Lin Zhihua said, taking a sip of his drink. “Have you considered exporting?”
A thought struck Li Xiangyang: "The exit?"
“Yes, for export.” Lin Zhihua put down his wine glass. “Your product quality fully meets international standards, so why not go global?”
"Well...we really don't have any experience," Li Xiangyang said honestly.
“Experience can be learned,” Lin Zhihua said with a smile. “I can help you contact overseas clients, of course, I’ll charge a referral fee.”
Old Ma's eyes lit up: "Boss Lin, are you telling the truth?"
“Of course it’s true.” Lin Zhihua said earnestly, “Doing business is all about mutual benefit and win-win.”
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "Mr. Lin, if we can truly export, we'd be willing to make you our exclusive agent."
"That's wonderful!" Lin Zhihua clapped his hands and exclaimed, "President Li is indeed a straightforward person!"
The next morning, Li Xiangyang was woken up by a phone call from Ma Laosan.
"Xiangyang, Boss Lin is going back to Hong Kong. He said he wants to discuss some details further." Ma Laosan's voice was filled with excitement. "This is a huge opportunity!"
Li Xiangyang rushed to the county guesthouse, where Lin Zhihua was packing his luggage.
“Mr. Li, I thought about this all night.” Lin Zhihua stopped what he was doing. “I have high hopes for your product; the quality is fine. But your current packaging is too outdated. Overseas customers won’t even glance at it.”
Li Xiangyang's heart sank; packaging was indeed their weakness.
"And there's one more crucial point," Lin Zhihua lowered his voice, "cash flow. Export businesses have long payment terms, ranging from a few months to half a year before payment is received. Do you have the capacity for that?"
The room fell silent for a moment. Although Li Xiangyang had accumulated a considerable amount of capital over the years, it was still insufficient to support large-scale exports.
"Mr. Lin, if we solve these problems, can you guarantee the order?" Li Xiangyang asked.
“Orders aren’t the problem,” Lin Zhihua stood up. “The key is whether you can keep up with the pace.”
After seeing Lin Zhihua off, Li Xiangyang fell into deep thought. The export business was very tempting, but the risks were also considerable.
That afternoon, Li Xiangyang convened a meeting with Ma Qingfu and Ma Laosan.
"Xiangyang, I think this is a bit risky," Ma Qingfu frowned. "Our business is already quite large; if we expand this much further, what if something goes wrong..."
“Fatty’s right,” Ma Laosan said, also somewhat worried. “Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.”
Li Xiangyang paced around the room a few times: "I think this is an opportunity. You have to be bold to do business; you can't achieve anything great if you're timid and hesitant."
"So what do you plan to do?" Ma Qingfu asked.
“Let’s take it one step at a time.” Li Xiangyang stopped in his tracks. “Let’s solve the packaging problem first, then we can talk about funding.”
The next day, Li Xiangyang took Ma Qingfu to the provincial capital.
Their first stop was the largest packaging and printing factory in the provincial capital.
“Mr. Li, your requirements are indeed quite high.” Factory manager Wang looked at the samples Li Xiangyang brought. “International standard packaging will at least triple the cost.”
“Cost isn’t the issue; quality is key,” Li Xiangyang stated firmly. “If we’re going to do it, we’ll do it the best.”
Master Wang nodded: "Alright, we'll make a few samples first, and you can see the results."
Leaving the packaging plant, Ma Qingfu felt a pang of regret: "Xiangyang, with such high packaging costs, the profit margin is so thin."
“Fatty, you have to think big,” Li Xiangyang patted his old partner on the shoulder. “Prices are much higher overseas than domestically, what’s a little packaging cost?”
A week later, samples of the new packaging were produced.
The exquisite color printing and English labeling definitely make it look several levels higher.
Li Xiangyang immediately sent a fax to Lin Zhihua, who quickly replied: the packaging meets the requirements and samples can be prepared and sent to Gangcheng.
For the next month, Li Xiangyang devoted almost all his energy to sample production.
From raw material selection to process improvement, every step is strictly controlled. Li Xiaoyun felt both distressed and worried as she watched her husband work overtime until late at night every day.
"Xiangyang, can your body handle pushing yourself like this?" Li Xiaoyun brought her husband a bowl of hot porridge.
"Xiaoyun, this is a turning point for our family." Li Xiangyang took the bowl. "If we succeed this time, Chenchen won't have to work as hard as we do in the future."
Just then, the phone rang.
"Mr. Li, great news!" Lin Zhihua's excited voice came through the microphone, "We've tried the samples, and the quality is perfect! The customer is very satisfied!"