Chapter 207 Local Customs
Boss Liu's catering and vegetable farming business posed little conflict of interest with Lin Ruoyan's proposed real estate project, and perhaps even complemented it. Therefore, the two had already reached a certain consensus from the moment they met. Since Lin Ruoyan had a good relationship with the state-owned enterprise and was financially well-positioned to "board a ship" to expand overseas, Boss Liu also wanted to seize the opportunity to join the big ship.
Chinese people love vegetables. If large domestic companies, especially those involved in infrastructure construction, could all order their ingredients from Boss Liu, their business would be quite stable. Furthermore, Boss Liu, in his fifties, didn't have big ambitions. He wanted to have the younger generation take charge while he started his own business, not coveting the reputation of a leader in a business or guild.
Lin Ruoyan gets along well with Boss Liu, and they both get what they need. She is also very grateful to this senior in the business world for being willing to teach and guide her. If there are any good things in the future, she will naturally think of Boss Liu.
Boss Liu also reminded: "When you open a business locally, you need to employ a higher proportion of local employees. Although the local area does not have the economic strength of developed countries, the cultural atmosphere is inherited from there. You should leave work on time and not get off work overtime no matter how much money you are paid. Remember this."
Let me give you a simple example, which is another reason why I don't rent an office building. Local offices are cheaper because the property management and general service staff are all locals. They start work at 8:30 a.m., which is considered early, and leave at 5:30 p.m., not to mention Saturdays and Sundays. If you want to work overtime in the building, you'll likely find the elevator, hallway doors, and even the public restroom doors locked. The office building is closed. In a legitimate workplace, you're supposed to work from 9 to 5, so how can you expect to work overtime?
Lin Ruoyan was shocked: "It's just like Europe! It's far less diligent than the people back home, ah."
Boss Liu also sighed, "Yeah, there's no other office building like this in China. We're all on duty 24 hours a day. Even if we lock the main door, there are definitely security guards on night shift. The elevators and toilets are always open. The customs here are different. When the time comes, no one is on duty in the building, including the security guards. They lock the door and go home."
I also want to remind you that all convenience stores, including beauty salons, are like this too. They are basically closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and they are open from 9 to 5 on weekdays, so don't even think about what you'll do after work."
"Ah, so I have to skip work to get my hair done? And use my lunch break to buy things?"
"Haha, most shops have lunch breaks," Boss Liu said with a smile. "So when we men come here, we need to bring clippers as well as razors. We do our own hair, and when we're off work, we go shopping at the grocery stores run by our compatriots. Forget about the local supermarkets; you can't rely on them."
Now Lin Ruoyan could understand why so many people from Enzhou came here to do business. The locals would go home at a certain time and close their shops, but our people were the only ones who opened their shops from morning till night, with no weekends. They lived in the shops and never closed when they woke up. How could business be bad? Even lazy people in China would be considered hardworking here.
"Dress modestly, and don't show off your wealth. Cheaper local N-brand phones sell well, so you should also switch to local phones and numbers." Boss Liu took out four phones and said, "My assistant and I have our numbers pre-stored on these. Check each other's numbers and add each other as friends. Don't panic if there are any problems. Money can solve them."
Lu Wei suddenly asked, "Where is the local operator from?"
"The telecommunications infrastructure was built by Chinese people. Don't be fooled by the foreign names; they're actually base stations for a major domestic company. Feel free to use them." Boss Liu, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed that Lu Wei's temperament was different from that of an ordinary female assistant. Her presence revealed no flaws; perhaps she was a bodyguard. However, he kept his eyes peeled, and Lin Ruoyan had already arranged for the male bodyguards she had hired in advance.
With the help of Boss Liu, Lin Ruoyan went to visit the local representative of the state-owned enterprise, which made it much easier to conduct business in the capital.
During this period, Lu Wei took a few hours off and went to the embassy, saying that a former comrade of hers had been transferred here to be in charge of security work, so she came to take a look and ask for some information.
Lin Ruoyan readily agreed. When Lu Wei returned, she brought good news: the embassy had heard that Lin Ruoyan was going to collaborate with that large state-owned enterprise on housing construction and related industrial chains, and had invited her to a dinner at the embassy the next day.
The guests invited to this dinner were representatives from various companies that already have some projects in the local area. It was said to be a social gathering, but in fact it was also a way for everyone to communicate with each other so that in case of any disputes or problems that everyone noticed, they could communicate in a timely manner.
When working on overseas projects, money isn't the most important thing; local stability is. People in different fields have different perspectives, so if you notice any signs of trouble, you need to act quickly and prepare.
Even if the current Bolivian government maintains a friendly stance toward China, since it came to power through a coup, we cannot rule out the possibility of other unforeseen events, leading to further unrest. North America is irritated by disobedience in its own backyard, and its standard approach is to resort to tactics that prevent them from achieving their goals and only make life difficult for everyone else.
Lin Ruoyan, who hadn't yet started a business in the local area, wouldn't have had the opportunity to attend such a gathering. However, since she'd been invited, she prepared carefully. She'd brought a stack of specially prepared brochures about the Lin Group. These included information about her brother's industrial system, as well as her own businesses in real estate, medical equipment, film and television, and internet technology.
When meeting someone, she would hand out business cards and brochures. If they were interested, she would chat for a while. Of course, her business cards were not just her own, but also contained the contact information of several major sector leaders in China.
Others saw her as a little girl and initially thought she was someone's assistant, but they didn't expect her to be so successful in business. She actually developed a luxury housing project in Beijing with a sales volume of 5.5 billion yuan.
No wonder she was invited here for dinner today. Mr. Yuan and Mr. Liu seemed so familiar with her, they must be very capable managers. The young are truly formidable.
After a round of conversation, it became clear that the majority of the employees were from large state-owned enterprises, and they all came with important tasks. There were fewer private company owners like Lin Ruoyan, and among them, Boss Liu was clearly the leader. Although Boss Liu wanted to retire early, he had no choice but to come early. His business was to supply vegetables and food, which was essential for everyone. The embassy even bought vegetables from him, so his prestige was naturally high.
After participating in this event, Lin Ruoyan received a stack of business cards. She went back and sorted them out, and asked Boss Liu for advice if there were any that she didn't understand.
Boss Liu said, "You should follow Mr. Yuan to Province B as soon as possible. The project camp there has been built."
"So soon?" Lin Ruoyan had last chatted with Mr. Yuan and had heard him say he was still negotiating the contract, nothing finalized. Unexpectedly, the campsite was already built. Was this Mr. Yuan's sincere expression of his commitment to collaborating with the local community? Should she also prepare her company and staff well in advance to gain Mr. Yuan's attention?
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