Business tactics in the modern era were so dirty; the business wars of the seventies would probably be even dirtier.
What if they hired someone with ulterior motives? The losses would outweigh the gains.
Lin Xiangmin pressed his lips together. "I was indeed being shortsighted."
Perhaps because business was too good, the owners of the other two shops had both come by today, even asking where he sourced his fabric.
He hadn't told them, of course, and the two had left resentfully.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiangmin brought it up tentatively.
Although he hadn't known Jiang Shiyue for long, she gave him the feeling that she was someone he could rely on.
After listening, Jiang Shiyue stroked her chin, a foxy smile on her face. "Actually, we can sell the fabric to them. Ten yuan per bolt. For every bolt sold, you can get a one-yuan commission."
After all, when she bought fabric from the mall, one bolt was only twenty cents.
Even with a one-yuan commission for Lin Xiangmin, she would still make several yuan per bolt. It could be said to be extremely profitable.
As for Lin Xiangmin, he subconsciously looked up when he heard Jiang Shiyue's words. "Won't you lose money that way?"
Jiang Shiyue's lips curled. "If I were going to lose money, I wouldn't be giving you a commission."
She was a businesswoman, not a philanthropist.
After a pause, she continued, "And besides the fabric, you can also sell the designs."
"A business like ours is bound to get more and more popular. The other two shops definitely won't be able to sit still. They'll probably follow the trend and make our designs."
"Instead of letting them get the designs from customers, we might as well sell the designs to them and earn a little extra in design fees."
Lin Xiangmin couldn't help but admire Jiang Shiyue's mind; she had just mentioned things he had never even considered.
But what Jiang Shiyue said was true. Given the current volume of orders, it wouldn't be long before the other two shops started making the exact same styles.
Since that was the case, they might as well sell the designs. They could make money from it anyway.
With this thought, Lin Xiangmin immediately accepted Jiang Shiyue's suggestion. "Then how should we charge the design fee?"
Jiang Shiyue thought for a moment. "Fifteen yuan for one set of clothes."
After speaking, her eyes darted around, and a wide smile spread across her face. "If they don't pay the design fee, we can hire people to go to their shops and cause a scene. Make so much trouble that they won't have a moment's peace. I'm not afraid they won't pay."
In any case, there were plenty of gossips in this era. For just making a fuss and running their mouths, they could even get paid. She believed many people would jump at the chance.
Lin Xiangmin had wanted to ask if fifteen yuan was too expensive, but since Jiang Shiyue was the designer, it was naturally her call. He could only nod in agreement.
Thinking about how Lin Xiangmin had just mentioned hiring workers, she did a quick calculation in her head. A set of clothes from her mall cost only a few cents or one to two yuan.
Hiring a worker would probably cost ten to twenty yuan a month, maybe more. The key was that the quality couldn't be guaranteed. It was much more cost-effective to just buy directly from the mall.
Most importantly, it would also save a lot of time.
With good-looking styles and time saved, they would surely attract more customers, and business would naturally be better.
With this in mind, Jiang Shiyue tapped on the sewing machine and met Lin Xiangmin's bewildered gaze. "I was just thinking, from now on, you can have the customers who pre-order come pick up their clothes the next day. As long as you give me the designs, I can provide the clothes. This way, you won't have to work so hard, and the customers can get their items sooner."
Lin Xiangmin's eyes widened. One had to know that at his speed, he could make two sets at most in a single day.
And Jiang Shiyue was saying that pre-order customers could get their clothes the very next day? Wasn't that just nonsense!
Jiang Shiyue gave Lin Xiangmin a reassuring look. "It's absolutely possible."
Since they were going to sell fabric and designs, they had to compete on speed.
With her Golden Finger, this was no problem at all.
She knew that to an old tailor, her words sounded somewhat overconfident, but Jiang Shiyue couldn't be bothered to explain. The key was that it was impossible to explain clearly anyway.
"Alternatively, you can give me the measurements for the clothes due tomorrow, and I'll bring them to you around this time tomorrow."
Lin Xiangmin licked his lips. Seeing how serious Jiang Shiyue was, his worries lessened. "Alright, let's do as you say."
After a pause, he continued, "If you can really make them, for the clothes you bring over, we'll still split it eighty-twenty. After all, I won't have put in any effort, and my conscience wouldn't be clear taking that money."
Jiang Shiyue hadn't expected Lin Xiangmin to bring up the profit-sharing issue on his own. She didn't refuse. "Alright, then I won't be polite with you."
Hearing this, Lin Xiangmin immediately found the order slips. "There are three sets due tomorrow, but I'm working on one of them now. I'll write down the measurements for the remaining two for you."
He wrote the sizes on a piece of paper and then tore it off for Jiang Shiyue.
He then tallied up the number of pre-orders and stood up to count out one hundred yuan from a drawer.
He didn't hand it to Jiang Shiyue right away, but instead beckoned to her. "Little Yue, come here for a moment."
There was a curtain to the side, and behind it was a bed where he usually slept when he didn't go home.
But it wasn't just a bed; the area was also piled with some fabric, serving as a small storeroom.
Only after Jiang Shiyue lifted the curtain and entered did Lin Xiangmin hand the money to her. "This is the pre-order money from the last two days up to now. The deposit for each pre-order is ten yuan, so it's ninety yuan in total. You should count it."
Good heavens, ninety yuan!
In just one day, the commission from pre-orders alone was ninety yuan.
If she were to provide all the clothes, wouldn't she make a killing?
Jiang Shiyue waved her hand and took the money from Lin Xiangmin. "Uncle Lin, I trust your character. There's no need to count."
"By the way, I brought some different styles for you today. They're all in the box outside."
Since there were still customers outside, it wasn't a good idea for her to take the clothes out directly. People would immediately know something was up.
Lin Xiangmin was a perceptive man and immediately understood Jiang Shiyue's meaning. "Then wait a moment, I'll go get the box."
Two minutes later, Lin Xiangmin came in carrying the box.
Jiang Shiyue took it, entered the code, and then took out all the prepared clothes from inside.
As she took them out, she said, "I've prepared many styles this time, for men, women, the elderly, and children. You can make a sign and put it at the entrance later."
It would also serve as a form of advertisement.
Looking at the clothes Jiang Shiyue was taking out, Lin Xiangmin was so shocked his eyeballs were about to fall out.
Heavens above, it was a good thing he hadn't rejected Jiang Shiyue yesterday.
If he had, where would he even go to cry?
With these clothes, and he wasn't just boasting, as long as people saw them, there would be absolutely no worry about selling them.
"Don't worry, I'll go make a sign right away!"