allonlinenovel Chapter 676 Business Challenges
Chapter 676 Business Challenges
As Jiang Ciyou and Lu Jingchen's relationship gradually breaks the ice and steadily heats up, the undercurrent of life is quietly surging in the business world, and a raging storm is sweeping towards them.
During this period, Jiang Ciyou has been paying close attention to several investment projects on hand. She came to the office early every day and plunged into the piles of documents and data reports. Her eyes were focused and sharp, trying to gain insight into the ever-changing market from behind those densely packed numbers. However, reality dealt her a heavy blow. An emerging technology project that was once highly anticipated suddenly encountered a technical bottleneck when product development entered a critical stage. The core R&D team conducted repeated experiments but was unable to overcome the difficulties, resulting in a serious lag in the project progress. This not only means that a large amount of funds invested in the early stage may be wasted, but will also affect a series of subsequent business layouts. Once the best time to go public is missed, in the technology field where competition is as fierce as a battlefield, this product will become an outcast in the market and be quickly surpassed by latecomers.
To make matters worse, another traditional manufacturing industry also encountered problems. The price of raw materials soared like a wild horse, and transportation costs doubled due to the turbulence of the international situation. The already meager profit margin was sharply compressed, and even faced the brink of loss. Bad news came frequently from the cooperating factories, workers went on strike, equipment broke down, and problems followed one after another, making Jiang Ci worried and exhausted. She rushed around various project sites and partners all day long, and the phone rang incessantly. Every call was like a death warrant, bringing either new problems or doubts and complaints from partners.
At the same time, the family business where Lu Jingchen works is also stuck in a quagmire. As a core member of the family business, Lu Jingchen shoulders a heavy responsibility. In recent years, with the profound adjustment of the global economic structure and the unpredictable market trend, the traditional luxury goods industry that the family business mainly operates has suffered a heavy blow. The consumption concept of the younger generation of consumers is becoming increasingly diversified, and they highly respect the concept of environmentally friendly and sustainable products. However, the product line of the family business has failed to keep up with this trend change in time, and it appears outdated and unattractive. Under the fierce impact of emerging brands, the market share has been retreating, and sales have been falling off a cliff for several consecutive quarters.
Internal management problems also grew and spread like a cancer. There were many family members, each with their own ulterior motives, fighting overtly and covertly for control of the company. The old management model was out of tune with the new era of business, and the decision-making process was lengthy and cumbersome, causing the company to be extremely slow to respond to market changes. Most of the senior managers were elders in the family, who rose to power by virtue of their seniority. They lacked innovative thinking and the courage to deal with crises. They still stubbornly guarded the past glory and were unwilling to make drastic reforms.
Faced with such a severe business situation, Jiang Ciyou and Lu Jingchen both felt unprecedented pressure. They tried to find a way out from past experience, and the good times they had spent together became the most solid source of strength in their hearts.
One night, the city was already shrouded in darkness, but the lights in Jiang Ciyou's office were still on. She rubbed her sore eyes tiredly, looking at the messy documents on the table, her heart full of helplessness and confusion. At this moment, the phone screen lit up, and Lu Jingchen's caller profile came into view. She took a deep breath and pressed the answer button. Lu Jingchen's slightly hoarse but still gentle voice came from the other end of the phone: "Ciyou, are you still busy? I know you've been worried about the project recently, and so am I. Let's think of a solution together."
Jiang Ciyou felt a sore nose and choked up a little: "Jingchen, I feel so tired. These problems are like a mountain that is pressing down on me and making me breathless. How are you doing?"
"I'm not optimistic either, but we can't just be defeated." Lu Jingchen said firmly, "I just had a whole day of meetings with the team to sort out some problems of family businesses. I think we can learn from each other's ideas. Is it convenient for you to come out now? I'll come to you and we can find a quiet place to have a good chat."
Jiang Ciyou hesitated for a moment, looked at the quiet night outside the window, and finally nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Not long after, Lu Jingchen's car stopped downstairs of Jiang Ciyou's company. He walked into the building quickly and straightened his slightly messy collar in the elevator, trying to make himself look more energetic, not wanting to make Jiang Ciyou worry any more. When he pushed open the office door and saw Jiang Ciyou's haggard face, his heart suddenly tightened. He took a few steps forward and gently embraced her in his arms, saying nothing, but using this hug to convey strength and comfort.
The two of them came to a 24-hour coffee shop. The shop was empty, with only their table of customers. The warm yellow light sprinkled on their bodies, but it could not dispel the haze in their hearts. The waiter served two cups of steaming hot coffee and then quietly left.
Lu Jingchen spoke first: "Ciyou, let's put our respective problems on the table first, and pool our wisdom. We will definitely find a way out. Tell us about your investment project first. What links are you stuck in?"
Jiang Ciyou nodded slightly, picked up the folder on the table, and spread out the information inside one by one: "Look, the technical difficulties of this science and technology project are the most difficult at present. The R&D team has tried various solutions, but none of them worked. Moreover, time is tight. If we can't make a breakthrough in the next two months, the initial investment will be wasted. And this manufacturing project, the cost has soared too much, and the factory has been in constant trouble. I am really overwhelmed now."
Lu Jingchen flipped through the materials carefully, his brows furrowed and his eyes focused. After a moment, he raised his head and said, "I think for the technology project, we can consider introducing an external team of technical experts. I know some top researchers in the industry, and they may have new ideas. As for the cost issue, we have to re-examine the supply chain and find more stable and lower-cost suppliers of raw materials. At the same time, we optimize the transportation routes to see if we can reduce some transportation costs."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Jiang Ciyou's eyes: "That's a solution, but it would take a lot of money to bring in a team of experts, and I'm a bit short on cash right now. And it would take time to find new suppliers and discuss cooperation, and I'm afraid it would be too late."
"I'll figure out the funding issue." Lu Jingchen held Jiang Ciyou's hand and looked at her firmly. "We are one. Your difficulties are my difficulties. I can transfer some emergency funds from the family business to you to solve your urgent problem. As for the suppliers, I will go with you to talk to them, and use our personal connections to speed up the negotiation process."
Jiang Ciyou was touched, and his eyes were slightly red: "Jingchen, thank you. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do. Then tell me about the situation of the family business, and let's see how to solve it together."
Lu Jingchen sighed slightly, leaned back in his chair, and showed a tired look on his face: "The biggest problem of the family business now is product transformation and internal management. The products cannot keep up with the needs of young consumers, and the management is conservative and unwilling to make changes. I want to promote some reform measures, such as increasing investment in the research and development of environmentally friendly materials and launching a light luxury series of products that suit the tastes of young people, but I have been opposed by many family members. They are worried that the reform will affect their vested interests and are unwilling to cooperate at all."
Jiang Ciyou pondered for a moment and said, "I think you have to start with family members. Find a few more open-minded and influential elders and convince them to support your reform plan. Then set up a special innovation project team, led by you personally, and concentrate the decision-making power in this team to bypass those lengthy decision-making processes, so as to improve efficiency. For product research and development, we can refer to some successful transformation brand cases and combine market research data to accurately position the product direction."
Lu Jingchen's eyes lit up and he sat up straight: "Ciyou, this is a good idea! Why didn't I think of it? I will talk to a few uncles tomorrow and seek their support. Then we will study those cases together and develop a detailed product transformation plan."
The two chatted in the cafe, and before they knew it, the sky had turned pale. Although they still looked tired, their eyes were full of fighting spirit and hope.
In the following days, Jiang Ciyou and Lu Jingchen devoted themselves to the battle to solve business problems. They rushed around, interviewed experts, suppliers, and family members, almost without a moment's rest. Lu Jingchen mobilized all his connections in the business world and invited a team of top technical experts for Jiang Ciyou's technology project. After the experts joined the project team, they quickly found a breakthrough in the technical bottleneck with their rich experience and unique insights, and the project development was back on track.
Jiang Ciyou accompanied Lu Jingchen to shuttle between various suppliers. With excellent negotiation skills and keen insight into the market, he successfully selected several high-quality and reasonably priced raw material suppliers, which greatly reduced costs. At the same time, they replanned the transportation routes and reached in-depth cooperation with logistics companies to further optimize the cost structure.
On the family business side, Lu Jingchen followed Jiang Ciyou's advice and defeated several key family elders one by one, convincing them to support the reform. The established innovation project team quickly started to operate and efficiently promoted the product transformation plan. The market research team worked overtime to collect and analyze a large amount of data, providing precise direction for the development of new products. The design team was also inspired to design a series of light luxury products that were eye-catching, combining elements such as environmental protection and fashion.
After several months of hard work, Jiang Ciyou's investment project gradually turned losses into profits, and the prospects are bright. Lu Jingchen's family business has also successfully achieved product transformation, regained its foothold in the market, and sales have steadily recovered. Together, they have made a way out of the stormy waves of business, and their feelings have become deeper and deeper in this test of sharing hardships, just like real gold tempered by fire, shining brightly.