Chapter 147 A New Journey
In August, Lin Yu's patent application was successfully granted and stood out in the internal review of the Municipal Intellectual Property Office, winning a recommendation for the China Patent Award.
While it remains to be seen who will win the award, it is undoubtedly fantastic news for a startup.
This not only makes their optimization plan more competitive and legally supported in the bidding process, but also means that the company can access higher-quality cooperation resources and expand into broader fields.
At the end of the month, Lin Yu rented a reasonably priced office space in an office building near Central. Her small company was finally moving out of Qi Sheng's villa and having its own independent office space.
As Jiang Chuan happened to be away on a business trip, the task of helping Lin Yu move inevitably fell to Qi Sheng.
He hired movers and worked alongside Lin Yu to inventory office supplies, organize documents, and pack materials. After all the supplies were loaded onto the truck, he personally drove Lin Yu and his team to the new location.
After he had mostly put his belongings away, he suddenly received a call saying that there was an urgent matter to be dealt with at the firm, and he rushed back without even having time to eat.
After seeing Qi Sheng off, Lin Yu had a quick lunch with his team members, and then convened a quarterly meeting.
The meeting reviewed the work plan for the coming year in detail, broke down the overall goals layer by layer, and discussed and confirmed the specific implementation steps.
After in-depth communication, the team reached a basic consensus that the next step is to focus on establishing deeper partnerships with existing clients.
No longer limited to previous technical training and partial system optimization, but to introducing the fully automated control system from the patent into the future benchmark projects of these enterprises.
It fundamentally helps clients reduce labor costs, significantly improves the level of fully automated production in their factories, and enables a qualitative breakthrough in the value of cooperation.
After the meeting, Lin Yu had just compiled the cooperation framework that the team had finalized into an electronic document when his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the unfamiliar number flashing on the screen, she assumed it was a potential new business partner and casually swiped to answer.
"President Lin, do you remember me? I'm Lü Feng!" The voice on the other end of the line sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard it before.
Lin Yu held his phone for two seconds, then realized that the other party was Manager Lü from Green Company, with whom he had crossed paths two years ago.
But she was still puzzled. How did he get her contact information? And why would he suddenly contact her?
She suppressed her doubts and asked in a calm tone, "Manager Lü? Are you still with Green Company?"
“I stopped working there a long time ago…” Lu Feng’s laughter came through the receiver, carrying a rare hint of heartiness. “I heard about your recent situation from Attorney Jiang, and there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
"Don't be so formal, just call me Lin Yu."
When the two first met, she was just a team leader at Green Realm Technology. Even now, with her own small company, she has never thought of putting on airs. "Just tell me what you need, no need to be polite."
Although Lin Yu was hit hard by Lü Feng back then, he knew there was a reason for it. The two became acquainted through their fight, and this incident actually led to a friendship between them.
Moreover, Lü Feng always felt grateful that it was Lin Yu and Greenview Technology's legal team who took the initiative to promote a settlement, which allowed the earlier dispute to be resolved smoothly. He always kept this favor in his heart.
"Then I won't beat around the bush." Lü Feng chuckled on the other end of the phone, his tone becoming more candid.
"I resigned from Green shortly after that incident. The company I work for now still mainly makes control cabinets."
"In the past two years, our R&D department has invested a lot of money in hardware optimization of the controller. The current product performance is more competitive than most controllers on the market."
"Moreover, in order to expand the market in the early stages, we kept the price very low. I figured that our hardware products could complement Mr. Lin's technical solutions, and there might be opportunities for in-depth cooperation."
These words instantly perked Lin Yu up, and he got up and walked to the window. "I run a consulting firm, and currently our main business is software development. How exactly do you want to collaborate with me?"
"I heard that your patent application has been granted and you're even aiming for an excellence award?" Manager Lü, clearly having done his homework, said with a smile, "Have you considered using this opportunity to expand the company's business scope?"
Lin Yu didn't rush to express his opinion, but instead tentatively asked, "Could you tell me your thoughts first? I'd like to hear your specific plans."
"As far as I know, your company's main business is currently divided into two directions: one is to provide technical training for enterprise operation personnel, and the other is to help old factories optimize their control systems."
Manager Lü paused for a moment, then analyzed objectively, "These two directions are not inherently problematic; they are very pragmatic, but their limitations are also quite obvious."
“The old factory buildings have only so much space, and it will be increasingly difficult to expand to new customers in the future. The profit margin for technical training is also limited, and it is difficult to make a big breakthrough.”
He then changed the subject and offered his suggestion: "If you want to increase profitability and expand your business, why not try a different approach and directly partner with new factory projects to develop comprehensive control systems for them?"
"Using your patents, we can connect the entire industry chain, from the initial supply of server racks to the mid-term software algorithm import, and then to the later after-sales maintenance, all in one package."
"In this way, the partners will rely on you from the start of the project to its completion, which will naturally increase the stickiness of the cooperation and make your company more competitive."
Lin Yu gazed at the tree-lined street outside the window, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the windowsill, quickly figuring out Manager Lü's intentions.
The other party clearly wanted to leverage her patented technology to enhance their bidding competitiveness and thereby acquire more clients. Understanding this, she calmly countered, "If your company is interested in collaborating, what is your core differentiating advantage?"
"As you probably know, I have Mr. Zhang's company behind me, and both new project development and old project renovation are going smoothly. There is no need to worry about the current resources."
After becoming the company's boss, Lin Yu's mindset has undergone a qualitative change.
In the past, she always carried a certain degree of caution and restraint when facing her superiors, but now she has completely seen through the core logic of workplace relationships: the equality of interests is far more important than the difference in status.
Whether it was the olive branch extended by General Manager Zhang before, or the call from Manager Lü with her needs now, she has become increasingly aware that the initiative of those in positions of power is never out of goodwill in offering opportunities, but because they possess something that the other party needs.
She knew very well that they needed each other right now.
Manager Lü needs her patented technology to create a competitive barrier, while she also needs the other party's channels to expand the market. In essence, the two are equal partners, and there is no question of one depending on the other.
This shift in mindset allowed her to completely break free from her past role of passively following rules in the workplace and become a leader who exchanges benefits for core values.
She finally understood that people are like steps; although there are differences in height, each step has its irreplaceable significance.
The same applies to the workplace. Simply lowering your stance will never earn you genuine recognition. Only by possessing irreplaceable value can you have the confidence to engage in equal dialogue.
“Our company is currently a long-term and stable supplier for three large state-owned enterprises in Shanghai. As far as I know, this is exactly the area that Mr. Zhang has not yet covered.”
"Moreover, these companies all have new projects under construction recently, which are exactly what you need to pair with your optimization algorithm and a highly adaptable controller."
"Based on the simulation report in your patent, we have made preliminary calculations."
"When the new solution is paired with our controller, it can improve system reliability by 20 percentage points. It is estimated that it can save a medium-sized enterprise millions of yuan annually in electricity costs and equipment maintenance."
"Several million?"
"Yes." Sensing Lin Yu's softened attitude, Manager Lü's voice couldn't hide his excitement. "Actually, starting with established state-owned enterprises to broaden channels is more practical."
"As you know, many companies have faced significant financial pressure in the past two years due to the impact of the pandemic. Although cooperating with state-owned enterprises has a longer payment cycle, there is absolutely no need to worry about bad debts later on."
"So how exactly do we proceed?" Lin Yu wasn't swayed by the other party's enthusiasm and pressed for further details.
"If your company decides to reach a strategic cooperation agreement with us, I will arrange a video conference between you and the technical leaders of these state-owned enterprises this week."
"You will be responsible for explaining the core advantages of the technology, while we will simultaneously work on the controller adaptation, and try to finalize the initial cooperation intentions first," Manager Lü explained the plan clearly.
"Once the bidding process is over, the three parties will create a working group and draft a detailed schedule. Sample testing and software debugging will proceed simultaneously, and we will strive to produce a complete prototype test report within a month."
"The timing is fine," Lin Yu nodded.
"So how will the subsequent project acceptance and profit sharing be arranged?" Finally, the most crucial question was asked.
"We'll be in charge of coordinating the acceptance process. As for the profit sharing, I won't beat around the bush," Lü Feng said with a smile.
"We'll account for key projects separately. Your company will be responsible for the core technology and will take 60%, while we'll be responsible for distribution channels and hardware supply and will take 40%. What do you think?"
He spoke frankly, and his plan was direct and clear, showing that he came prepared and did not leave much room for negotiation between the two sides.
Lin Yu remained silent for a few seconds, quickly calculating in his mind. Lü Feng's channels could directly connect with major clients, saving the company time and manpower costs in market development.
The acceptance process is led by the other party, allowing the team to focus on technical work. The profit sharing is also dominated by technical personnel, which aligns with industry logic and is indeed an attractive cooperation model.
However, she did not agree immediately. It involved the company's long-term development, and to avoid overlooking potential problems, she needed to discuss it internally before making a decision.
"Manager Lü, I believe in your sincerity in cooperating, and this plan seems reasonable at first glance."
"But this is, after all, a strategic cooperation at the company level. I need to communicate the details with the team and also inform Mr. Zhang to ensure that it is implemented smoothly."
"I will give you a definite answer by the day after tomorrow at the latest, is that alright with you?"
"Of course, no problem!" Lu Feng's voice held a hint of relaxed laughter. "I'll be waiting for your good news."
After hanging up with Lü Feng, Lin Yu looked at the project information that popped up on WeChat and couldn't help but feel emotional. The successful implementation of the patent had opened up a new market for the company.
Lu Feng's sudden intervention was like adding a crucial piece to this business game that was not yet fully formed, instantly making the previously somewhat vague future landscape clear.
In the afternoon, Lin Yu convened another meeting with the team.
On the one hand, we continued to advance the agenda of the morning quarterly meeting, and on the other hand, we also shared our communication with Manager Lü, leading everyone in an in-depth discussion on the possibility of cooperation.
After several rounds of review, a cooperation plan with Lvfeng Company was basically finalized.
Mr. Zhang had no objections whatsoever. This new direction was perfectly compatible with the existing business, and it could also create new profit growth points for him, ensuring that the year-end dividend would only increase, not decrease. It was a win-win situation, so why not take it?
To give himself more confidence in the collaboration, Lin Yu decided to present two preliminary technical solutions before giving Manager Lü a formal reply.
After get off work, she stayed in the office alone to revise the PPT and refine the technical details until her father, Lin Jianguo, called.
On the other end of the phone, the father's voice was unusually serious. "I've thought about it for several days and decided to accept your suggestion and go to Shanghai to join your team."
"However... I still have your grandmother to take care of at home, so I can only stay in Shanghai for about four months a year."
Hearing this, Lin Yu's voice revealed barely suppressed joy. He first finalized the specific time to come to Shanghai with his father, and then went over the recent business expansion plan with him in detail.
Lin Jianguo listened attentively, his tone filled with unprecedented satisfaction, and for the first time, he even took the initiative to acknowledge her talent and hard work.
Before hanging up the phone, he promised Lin Yu that once he arrived in Shanghai, he would personally participate in the design phase of the subsequent project and ensure the technical aspects were handled properly for her.
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