April 26th, Tuesday.
In his office, Pei Qian was attempting to create a simple mind map on his computer.
The content of the mind map was straightforward—it included all of Tenda Group’s potentially profitable departments, as well as some auxiliary and administrative departments.
The relationships between these departments were extremely complex, and their natures varied greatly.
Some earned a lot of money, some earned little, and some didn’t earn any.
Some departments had obvious hierarchical or interactive relationships, while the connections between others weren’t as close.
The relationships between profitable departments and administrative departments also seemed to differ.
A mind map, in simpler terms, involves writing key information in small boxes and connecting them with various lines to indicate the relationships between them.
Pei Qian decided to use different colors and different lines to represent the status of each department and the relationships between them.
Red boxes represented departments that were already profitable.
Blue boxes indicated departments that weren’t yet profitable but were in relatively optimistic situations.
Black lines represented connections that had already formed between two departments. For example, Slackin’ Takeout was providing fitness meals for the Shared Gym, and ROF Computer Assembly and Headwind Logistics were essentially conjoined twins;
The other type was red lines, representing potential connections between departments that hadn’t yet occurred.
Pei Qian’s idea was simple: to sort out his thoughts through this mind map while also predicting possible department interactions in advance.
However, after an initial organization, Pei Qian quickly discovered that the situation didn’t seem optimistic.
Looking at the diagram, red was everywhere, with only a few departments like Slackin’ Takeout, Headwind Logistics, and the TPDb website still maintaining the blue color of non-profitability.
Moreover, the workload was much larger than he had imagined!
The various black lines were intricate and complex. After sorting through them, he realized that the connections between certain departments were far more complicated than he had previously imagined.
Not to mention OTTO Technology, which was like a bug in the system, having connections with almost all existing departments…
The dense black lines, representing relationships between departments that had already occurred and were beyond salvation, turned the entire chart into something resembling a web. Combined with the small explanatory notes, it looked extremely headache-inducing.
Pei Qian tried drawing red lines between departments with little connection, predicting possible special relationships between them, but he collapsed after drawing just a few lines.
Because it seemed that all departments had theoretical possibilities for interaction!
Pei Qian could only try to envision the worst-case scenario after two departments interacted and mark it with a red line.
If the connections were ambiguous or dubious, he wouldn’t mark them, because there were already too many lines. Continuing to draw without filtering would only confuse his vision.
Looking at this departmental relationship chart that he had spent two hours initially sorting out, Pei Qian leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands.
“How did things develop into this state…”
“Has my company unknowingly reached such a terrible situation?”
“Now I can’t even fully understand the complex relationships between these departments under my command.”
If there were only three to five departments, their relationships would be simple and could be quickly sorted out.
But now there were more than a dozen departments, and who knew which two might interact in some inexplicable way?
And Pei Qian couldn’t possibly require department heads to report everything to him for decisions—if he did, he wouldn’t have any time for rest or entertainment, and would spend all day dealing with these trivial matters.
In the current situation, he could only focus on the big issues and let go of the small ones, keeping a close eye on a few key departments.
“Looking at the bright side, the situation is not too bad. I already made a loss in the last cycle, and I’ve gradually figured out the trick to losing money, so things should get smoother and smoother.”
“The loss managers should have entered various departments yesterday, and next Saturday I’ll gather them together to conduct a thorough assessment of all departments.”
“Using the intelligence gathered by the loss managers from various departments, I can improve this chart further. At the very least, I can preliminarily understand and issue warnings for all departments, which is much better control of risks compared to before…”
“There’s too much content in this chart, and being anxious won’t help. I’ll improve it gradually.”
Pei Qian carefully saved and backed up the chart so he could check it at any time, constantly reflect, and prevent potential dangers.
He couldn’t help but sigh—creating losses seemed to be becoming more and more of a technical job…
Just as he closed the mind map and was preparing to watch a show to relax, there was a knock on the door outside.
After receiving permission to “come in,” Lin Canrong cautiously pushed the door open and entered.
Pei Qian was somewhat surprised.
Why was Chef Lin here?
Lin Canrong was the manager of Mingyun Private Kitchen. Whether he was working at Slackin’ Internet Café before or later transferred to Mingyun Private Kitchen, he had always worked diligently at his post and had never been to Tenda’s headquarters.
When he had something to report to Mr. Pei, he would typically call or wait until Mr. Pei came to Mingyun Private Kitchen to eat.
What was going on today that brought him to the office?
“Is there something happening at Mingyun Private Kitchen?” Pei Qian found himself somewhat expectant.
When most profitable departments came to report, Pei Qian would resist.
Because these departments often came to ask Mr. Pei how to spend money, which was very annoying.
But Mingyun Private Kitchen was different.
Because up to now, Mingyun Private Kitchen had no room for improvement!
It was fully booked every day, with seats reserved until next month. Although it made money every month, with fixed seating capacity, the income had long been fixed with no possibility of increase.
So Pei Qian thought that Manager Lin’s visit might be because Mingyun Private Kitchen was experiencing some problems, perhaps its profitability was declining?
How exciting!
Lin Canrong seemed somewhat conflicted. After a brief hesitation, he spoke: “Mr. Pei, it seems you’ve made Slackin’ Takeout independent, encouraging them to open branch stores and expand, and even established a specialized ‘Food Research Lab’ to develop new dishes?”
The Slackin’ Takeout matter had been arranged two weeks ago. Pei Qian’s consideration was to allow Slackin’ Takeout to open more branches and lose more money, so he encouraged its expansion.
Two weeks had passed, and it should be progressing vigorously now.
Lin Canrong had previously been the manager of Slackin’ Takeout and was Rui Yuchen’s former superior, so naturally, he knew about the situation at Slackin’ Takeout.
But… Lin Canrong now manages Mingyun Private Kitchen, so what did it mean that he made a special trip regarding Slackin’ Takeout?
Pei Qian nodded in confusion: “That’s right, so what about it?”
Lin Canrong’s expression seemed to carry some emotion: “Mr. Pei, this isn’t fair!”
“I know that Slackin’ Takeout is an important player in the group’s industry, and temporary losses are for occupying the market and cultivating customer consumption habits, all for greater profits… I have no objection to this expansion of Slackin’ Takeout. But…”
Lin Canrong paused halfway through his sentence, and Pei Qian’s mouth twitched slightly.
What do you mean temporary losses are for occupying the market and cultivating customer consumption habits, all for greater profits?
Don’t over-interpret!
Lin Canrong continued: “But Mingyun Private Kitchen is just as important! Why can Slackin’ Takeout, which has been losing money, quickly open so many branch stores, while Mingyun Private Kitchen, which has been profitable with consistently insufficient seating, has absolutely no plans to open branches?”
“The quality of Mingfu Family Banquet is not as good as Mingyun Private Kitchen, but it has also earned quite a bit of money so far, which is enough to show that the consumption demands of high-end diners have not been fully met, and there’s still profit potential here!”
“Moreover, I believe that Mingyun Private Kitchen should also establish a Food Research Lab!”
“Slackin’ Takeout needs to think about how to better satisfy the tastes of the general public, but Mingyun Private Kitchen also needs to think about how to satisfy the tastes of high-end diners!”
“So… I have two requests this time.”
“First, make good use of the ‘Nameless Restaurant’ brand, plan a location, and open a branch store while ensuring quality.”
“Second, establish a Food Research Lab as well, dedicated to providing better dishes for diners.”
Pei Qian remained silent.
He had gotten excited for nothing.
So he came to propose a money-making plan!
Manager Lin, if this is what you’re asking for, I definitely can’t agree…
Your analysis is too accurate.
Mingfu Family Banquet can make money, and Mingyun Private Kitchen requires reservations, which all indicate that the consumption demands of high-end diners have not been fully met.
But Slackin’ Takeout can expand because it doesn’t make money!
Mingyun Private Kitchen is already making so much money with this one store, and you want me to open another one and continue to profit?
Please give me less burden, I beg you!
Pei Qian was also troubled. Since Mingyun Private Kitchen became popular, he could only eat there at pre-booked times.
He could only go to the largest private room once a week and book the entire place once a month on the 20th.
But Pei Qian would rather wait for a seat than open another store to make more money.
Now he wants to open a branch? Dreaming too much, impossible!
The Food Research Lab was also not acceptable.
Slackin’ Takeout catered to popular tastes, with relatively affordable ingredients, and most people didn’t pursue fancy dishes, so establishing a Food Research Lab would bring minimal improvements.
But Mingyun Private Kitchen catered to high-end diners, and if those skilled chefs were allowed to set up a Food Research Lab to research mystical dishes like “fried air,” it would become even more famous and get out of control!
Therefore, Pei Qian strongly resisted these two requests and couldn’t agree.
Of course, Lin Canrong’s suggestion that Mingyun Private Kitchen should also open a Food Research Lab was reasonable, making it difficult to bluntly refuse. He could only think of a way to decline politely.
After thinking for a moment, he said: “By opening a branch, do you mean that you think Mingyun Private Kitchen has already reached its peak?”
Lin Canrong was stunned and didn’t know how to respond for a moment.
To say it had reached its peak?
If he thought so, that would be arrogant and self-satisfied, because this industry could never reach its peak.
But to say it hadn’t reached its peak?
Lin Canrong felt that the service at Mingyun Private Kitchen was already better than most high-end restaurants, and while there might be room for improvement, going further would offer a very low cost-performance ratio.
After careful consideration, Lin Canrong said: “It’s not at its peak, but opening a branch and establishing a Food Research Lab are also directions towards pursuing excellence, right?”
Pei Qian: “…”
It seemed to make sense.
No, he couldn’t be persuaded! Being persuaded would mean making even more money!
Pei Qian cleared his throat twice: “You can freely allocate the money earned by Mingyun Private Kitchen, but you cannot open a branch.”
“As for the Food Research Lab… with Mingyun Private Kitchen’s current scale, it can’t be established. The chefs have to cook for customers every day, so where would they find extra energy for research?”
“Your primary goal must be to ensure the dining experience of customers. Affecting the chefs’ energy and reducing dish quality for the sake of researching new dishes is putting the cart before the horse. Don’t be too ambitious.”
“At most, you can use the research results from Slackin’ Takeout’s Food Research Lab.”
Pei Qian had now learned a very good way of refusing.
For questions where reasons for refusal could be found, he provided those reasons, even if they were somewhat far-fetched.
For those for whom no reasons could be found, he enforced his decision.
Nowadays, everyone’s level of mental supplementation is so high that even if Mr. Pei made an unreasonable request, everyone would think there was a deeper meaning, and if things went wrong, they would only think their understanding was insufficient.
It was an unexpected gain left after being misinterpreted so many times…
Sure enough, Lin Canrong’s expression changed, and it seemed he had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, he swallowed them all and simply said: “Yes, Mr. Pei.”