Gu Qingqing, who had been exposed to business people since childhood, was still a freshman after all, and a bit thin-skinned.
She was earning good side money, and suddenly wanting to inquire about the boss's business secrets made her feel a little embarrassed.
For a moment, she didn't know how to start.
Tan Jincheng was not in a hurry.
He had met this girl several times through photo shoots and had gained some understanding of her age and personality.
Tan Jincheng had seen her ID card; born on June 15, 1987, she was already a freshman before turning 18, indicating she started school quite early.
When they first met, she was graceful and straightforward, not pretentious at all.
Her initial refusal to accept the down jacket today also showed a certain persistence.
It was clear that her upbringing must be good, and her family didn't seem to be short on money.
As for why she was working part-time to earn extra money, Gu Qingqing had openly said when they first met that her family was strict, and she wanted to earn some pocket money herself.
Tan Jincheng could actually understand this, as parents these days were generally stricter.
Tan Jincheng's own family conditions were not bad.
While his parents doted on him during his school days, they wouldn't give him a lot of money either.
Gu Qingqing remained silent, and Tan Jincheng wasn't anxious.
The girl's embarrassed expression probably meant she had something difficult on her mind.
Tan Jincheng, with his 38-year-old soul, looked at Gu Qingqing at this moment as he would his own sister in his previous life.
"Um, Boss Tan, your car is new, isn't it?"
After a while, Gu Qingqing finally mustered up the courage to ask.
"That's right, I just picked it up a few days ago."
"Um, are Taobao shops that profitable? I heard from my senior that Boss Tan's Taobao shop only opened a few months ago."
So that was it.
He immediately understood why Gu Qingqing was embarrassed to speak.
Tan Jincheng smiled,
"You want to ask about how to open a Taobao shop, right?"
Gu Qingqing nodded repeatedly,
"Yes, yes. Boss Tan, could you tell me? I know it's a bit presumptuous, so if you can't, then never mind."
"There's nothing that can't be said. Why don't you tell me your thoughts first?"
True to a Yiwu native who could trade chicken feathers for sugar, her mind was indeed sharp.
With just a car, she had seized an opportunity.
Although his money wasn't earned through the Taobao shop, this was indeed a very good business project for the future.
"It's like this, we have a lot of small commodities back home, right? My idea is, if opening a Taobao shop isn't too much trouble, I plan to source goods from my hometown, get some small accessories to sell, so I won't have to rely on my parents for university and can earn my own pocket money."
Since she had already spoken, Gu Qingqing's thoughts flowed much more smoothly, and she concisely described her ideas and plans.
After listening to Gu Qingqing, Tan Jincheng smiled,
"Haha, interesting. You have some brains, but not much, probably because you're too young."
Tan Jincheng knew about the Yiwu small commodities market.
Gu Qingqing probably wanted to profit by wholesaling in large quantities and then selling retail.
Small accessories had high profits; Tan Jincheng was also aware of this.
There was a time when small accessory chain stores were everywhere, opening in city suburbs and small towns, with considerably high profit margins.
In later generations, there were many renovated small accessory stores in shopping malls, some even becoming branded, such as those "liangpin" (quality products) ones that even went public.
However, this category of products was not suitable for online shopping, especially current online shopping.
The average transaction value was too small, express delivery too expensive; it seemed like a huge profit but was actually unprofitable, and even less profitable than setting up a stall.
"It's a good idea, but it's not suitable for you, especially since you're still a student,"
Tan Jincheng smiled.
Subsequently, Tan Jincheng pointed out all the drawbacks, and Gu Qingqing quickly understood that opening an online shop was not something she could manage.
Indeed, aside from the small average transaction value, frequent express deliveries would also take up a lot of her time, preventing her from concentrating on her studies.
"I was still thinking of spending a few hundred yuan to get some goods from my hometown, then opening an online shop to slowly sell them and earn some pocket money. It seems that won't work,"
Gu Qingqing said with a wry smile.
"Running an online shop isn't impossible, but not with this product category. If you can convince your parents to help you, having them manage it wouldn't be out of the question, just change the product."
"Besides, you misunderstood something else. My money wasn't earned from this online shop; the online shop is just a side venture."
Gu Qingqing looked at Tan Jincheng with some curiosity and asked,
"Does Boss Tan have another business?"
"Of course. If you observe my online shop carefully, you'll know that its monthly sales couldn't possibly afford a car."
"So that's how it is. What kind of business does Boss Tan do?"
"I do import and export foreign trade business. The website is just for handling excess foreign trade orders."
For a Taobao shop to earn enough for a car in a few months isn't impossible, but it's clearly not now, nor through Tan Jincheng's small-scale approach; it would require considerable investment to achieve such a profit margin.
"Oh, so you're in foreign trade. I know about that. It seems I misunderstood. Never mind, I'll just be a diligent student. Boss Tan, if you have more clothes to photograph in the future, please remember me. I can earn some pocket money."
"No problem. By the way, you're an English major, aren't you?"
"Yes, why?"
"If your English is good enough, besides being a clothing model, if there's any translation work needed in the future, I can give it to you. Our company isn't very big right now and can't afford a full-time translator."
Gu Qingqing's eyes lit up,
"That's great, that's great! Not only can I earn money, but I can also gain some work experience."
"Don't get too excited too soon. You're only a freshman. I don't think you have the ability to do translation work well right now. Focus on your studies first,"
Tan Jincheng said with a chuckle.
Getting so happy just from a "pie in the sky," college students are really naive.
"I understand. Learning is still the main priority right now. But if there's translation work, Boss Tan, you could let me try. I can do it for free or for less money; I just want to gain some experience and broaden my horizons."
"Alright, I'll let you know if an opportunity arises later."
After thinking for a moment, Tan Jincheng added,
"Let's add each other on QQ. If I need anything, I'll leave you a message there."
"Okay, no problem. Thank you, Boss Tan,"
Gu Qingqing said happily.
After the two exchanged QQ numbers, Tan Jincheng then remembered that he hadn't paid her for today's photo shoot.
So he pulled out two one-hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and handed them to Gu Qingqing, saying,
"This is your payment for today's photo shoot. We probably won't have any shooting plans before the New Year. I'll look for you again if we need anything after the New Year."
Currently, the company's sample inventory was quite extensive, covering all four seasons, which was enough to prepare for next year's Canton Fair.
Some of these samples had already undergone small-batch trial production and were being sold and displayed on Taobao and international websites.
Gu Qingqing gracefully accepted the money and said,
"Thank you, Boss Tan."
Hehe, 200 yuan secured.
"You're welcome, you earned it," Tan Jincheng smiled.
Tan Jincheng wasn't against students working part-time.
In his previous life, he would also encourage his sister to gain experience at companies.
However, Tan Jincheng didn't really recommend university students taking on jobs like waitressing or handing out flyers.
This kind of work, purely for the sake of earning money, wasn't truly necessary.
It was better to spend time on studies, unless one was truly short on money.
(End of Chapter)
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