In order to make money, Zhao Ye was preparing to launch the Imagine Printing Shop chain plan.

Although the Imagine typewriter is very popular in China, its high price still deters many people.

Don't ordinary people have a need to print documents?

have!

And there are many!

In the era before the rise of information-based office work, the consumption of office paper was extremely high.

Imagine's print shop chain plan should be quite feasible.

Today, the *Capital Evening News* published an advertisement for Wujiang Company: "Breaking News!!! Wujiang Company is offering a free Imagine typewriter training course, with guaranteed job placement upon graduation and a monthly salary of over 100 yuan! (Note: A registration fee of 5 yuan is required to join the training course, and an assessment must be passed. The registration fee is non-refundable. Serious inquiries only!)"

This advertisement caused quite a stir.

Currently, the average person's income is only a few dozen yuan, so a monthly salary of 100 yuan is tempting for many.

There are many young people in the capital without formal jobs, and many businesses are poorly managed and on the verge of bankruptcy, with wages not being paid for a long time.

Therefore, there are a lot of people who have nothing to do.

The reason Wujiang Company charges an registration fee is simply to prevent unqualified individuals from participating.

Five yuan was not a small amount at the time.

Even so, many people still go to Wujiang Company wanting to join the Imagine typewriter training course.

"It is said that the Imagine typewriter is a high-tech product with a retail price of several yuan. As long as you join the training course and learn this skill, even if Wujiang Company does not guarantee job placement, we can easily find a job in other companies."

"Yeah, I just don't know how difficult the registration and assessment will be. If I don't pass the assessment, it's like I've wasted 5 yuan, and it hurts a little to think about it."

"It shouldn't be too difficult. I heard that as long as you can read and know a little bit of simple English, you can pass the test."

"..."

The crowd gathered, their emotions a mix of tension, worry, excitement, and more.

Wujiang Company has two employees, one to collect money and the other to register it, and they are very efficient.

Wujiang Company has made arrangements with nearby schools, and all registered applicants will be assessed at Zhongguancun No. 1 Primary School this Sunday.

As evening fell and the sun set, the fiery red sunset painted the sky crimson, and the sycamore trees outside the building seemed to be draped in a golden robe.

Zhao Ye looked down at the gradually dispersing crowd from his vantage point, then walked to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed the person in charge of the Imagine typewriter training course.

"How many people have signed up?" Zhao Ye asked.

"Four hundred and twenty-eight people!"

"So many!" Zhao Ye frowned. This was only the first day; even more people would come to sign up later.

Zhao Ye started the Imagine typewriter training course with the aim of opening a chain of printing shops. However, he had too many students and didn't have enough shops to provide jobs.

"Once the number of applicants reaches 10,000, we will no longer accept applications."

"Okay, boss!"

Even if all 10,000 people pass the registration and assessment, Zhao Ye can still arrange jobs for them after they graduate.

Opening a print shop is very simple. You don't need fancy decorations; a simple renovation is enough. The storefront doesn't need to be large; a dozen square meters is sufficient.

The number of printing shops in a city depends on the city's population size and distribution.

For example, the capital city had a population of 9.23 million according to the third census in 1982.

Assuming an average of one printing shop for every 30,000 people, more than 300 printing shops would need to be opened.

Large cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou have huge populations; these first-tier cities alone can solve the resettlement problem for about 2,000 people.

If we include second-tier cities, third- and fourth-tier cities, and towns, there is enough space to accommodate tens of thousands of students.

The workload is quite heavy, but Zhao Ye has a solution. After the trainees graduate, they can choose the locations themselves. For example, the company will only assign trainees to a specific district in a certain city, and the trainees will choose the exact location. The better the business of the store, the higher the trainees' commission will be. Presumably, they will all pay great attention to the location of the printing shop, so the company won't have to worry about it.

Rent a storefront, do some simple renovations, and bring in the equipment to start operating quickly.

Right now, the most urgent task is to solve the problem of printing consumables. It's best to keep the profits within the family and produce them ourselves, as the printing shop is quite large and printing consumables will be a huge expense.

As for printing consumables, they are mainly paper and ink.

Zhao Ye's plan is to directly invest in a paper mill and an ink factory.

They didn't want to acquire directly, but the current environment didn't allow it. However, in 1984, China had already begun experimenting with the shareholding system.

Currently, many paper mills and ink factories are on the verge of bankruptcy. These factories may well accept investment from Wujiang Company and be transformed into joint-stock companies.

The following morning, Zhao Ye announced the establishment of the Wujiang Investment Department within the company.

Lu Maoshi, a middle-aged man in his forties with extensive experience in modern management, was appointed as the head of Wujiang Investment Department.

Zhao Ye invested in paper mills and ink factories to develop these businesses, so he needed a highly skilled manager.

Lu Maoshi first worked on Wall Street for three years, then at Toyota for four years, and then at General Electric for six years, learning under Jack Welch and becoming familiar with modern management and financial methods—a truly high-level talent. If it weren't for the difficulty Chinese people face in getting promoted in American companies, Lu Maoshi wouldn't have jumped ship to Wujiang Group.

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