#台湾人 ##创业故事##学渣逆袭##台湾人在大陆##人物故事#
This is the 3,728th real story we have told
My name is Uncle Maji, a Taiwanese who lives in the mainland today.
Since I was a child, my academic performance was not good, and I didn't talk much, and compared to my older brothers and sisters, I was a scumbag. I sometimes wonder why the same parents, they are so smart, so capable, and I have the complete opposite? When I think about it, I feel a little inferior.
At the age of 28, I left Taiwan and came to Shanghai on my own, embarking on the road of entrepreneurship. Because of credulity, the first store lost all its money and was saddled with a debt of six or seven hundred thousand.
When I was at a low point in my life, I met a noble man who was also Taiwanese and worked as a restaurant in the mainland. He was very optimistic about my entrepreneurship and directly gave me funds to start my business again.
It is precisely because of the help of noble people that my career is thriving, and I have established 6 major brands and opened more than 70 branches at the peak. However, due to changes in the general environment, many stores were closed, and only 6 stores remained. Now, I'm setting sail again.
After so many years of hard work and experience, I finally understand that the ups and downs in life are normal, everything is an experience, and there is nothing to be afraid of. In life, there is never only one way to study. As long as you find the love in your heart, keep working hard, and continue to polish, you can also usher in the summer of life.
(Three older siblings)
I was born in Taiwan in 1982 and my ancestral home is Chongqing. I have older brothers and sisters in the family, and I am the third in line, and I am also the youngest.
In terms of learning, my brother can learn anything, my sister doesn't need to learn, and I can't learn anything. I prefer watching "Slam Dunk", "Doraemon" and playing electric rather than studying.
The bad grades made me feel inferior. Fortunately, their parents are open-minded, and they never feel that there is only one way to go in life.
They say you can try whatever you want as long as you like.
Therefore, I was not too stressed about my studies and was free to choose my major. In high school, I was admitted to Renaissance Artist, majoring in advertising graphic design. That's the only thing I'm interested in.
However, it took me 6 years of the original three-year course, and 4 years of high school alone. At first, it was because I couldn't keep up with the pace of learning, and I took a leave of absence in the middle and stayed in the grade. Even though it was so bumpy, I didn't give up, persevered, and finally graduated.
After graduating, I thought it would be better if I didn't have to study my homework, but it turned out that the road ahead was still difficult and it was difficult to find a job. In order to get a chance, I even said to my boss: "I think I'm stupid, I can go without a salary for three months, just let me follow along." ”
I am grateful to the boss who gave me that job. I've been doing it for over a year, and I'm doing a great job. Facts have proved that as long as you are willing to study and practice hard, there is nothing you can't learn.
(I was in the early days of my business)
I did a good job, but I didn't resist my friend's "temptation" and left the company and went to a friend's new company.
I thought it would last longer to do things with my friends, but I didn't expect to be fired after a long time. It wasn't until the moment I was expelled that I realized that I had been fooled by an acquaintance. Disheartened, I thought about starting my own business. But what? I thought about it for a long time.
When I was very young, my parents opened factories in the mainland, and I would stay with them for a period of time every year, and gradually became familiar with this area.
I found that the competition in mainland catering was not fierce at that time, and even the market for some special dishes was blank. For example, the hot pot set meal, which is very popular in Taiwan, is not seen in the mainland at all. So, on a whim, I wanted to bring this form to the mainland.
When I told my family about the idea, they were a little surprised. Grandma and Grandpa were supportive, but their usually enlightened parents showed concern and opposition.
Maybe it's because I don't usually speak up much at home, and I don't study well, so I give my family the impression that it's a bit unreliable. They will naturally think: starting a business, does this child have this ability? Will it be just a momentary impulse, if it is a momentary anger, it is better not to toss.
(After the success of the business, my grandmother came to Nanjing to see me)
But I was resolute. No matter what my family said, I didn't waver and give up. Later, they also saw my determination, and in the end they did not object, and even supported me materially and spiritually.
In 2010, at the age of 28, I left Taiwan without hesitation and came to Shanghai, where I opened my first "Lao Ye Pot" in a new shopping mall next to a subway station in Jiuting Town, Shanghai.
There is a wall between the mall and the subway, and my store happens to be next to this wall, which is a bit strange from the outside of the store, giving people the feeling that "the inside of this wall has been under renovation", so the customer flow is so bad that they cry. Actually, I found out about this problem before signing the lease, but the landlord said that the wall would be demolished in two months, and I believed him.
But in fact, it wasn't until two years later, when my store closed, that wall was still there. I have to say, I was cheated again. After two years of strong support, business is getting worse and worse, and the economy is becoming more and more stretched. In the beginning, I was able to borrow money to pay rent and salary, but in the end, I couldn't borrow money, so I had to close the shop and leave.
Roughly calculated, I lost six or seven hundred thousand yuan in this business. That's a lot of money for a fledgling young man!
(2016, Nanjing store)
Walking through the streets of Shanghai, looking at the bustling crowds, I don't know where to go. I was full of thoughts, "Why did I fail?" and came to the conclusion that because I have no experience, I believe what others say. In a "hindered" location like this, you should never believe in verbal promises such as demolition or renovation. When opening a restaurant, the location is very important. If you choose the wrong location, you will lose everything.
When my family found out about my situation, they weren't surprised. In their opinion, where is it so easy to succeed in entrepreneurship? Not to mention that he is still a hairy boy with poor academic performance.
They said, "Go back to Taiwan, you can start over, anyway, home will always be your harbor." The elder brother said, "You should have played in Shanghai, and now that the money is spent, it's time to go home." ”
I shook my head. No, I don't believe in evil, can't I do something in Maji? I am optimistic about catering, optimistic about my old pot, I believe that I can do it. I'm just going to come out and show you!
(Me and the old pot clerks)
I silently made up my mind: I won't give up until I succeed.
It must be said that in the process of starting my business, there were noble people along the way. Some of them were former customers, and some of them were older me, and they all supported and helped me.
For a while, I used to eat at a restaurant that made duck meat, and I gradually got to know the owner. One day he asked me, "Are you Taiwanese?" and I replied, "Yes." He said, "Me too." "It turns out that we are fellow countrymen, and he is 17 years older than me.
He knew about my small restaurant, and after coming to taste it in person, he thought it was very good, and said: "Your old man's pot is fine, the taste is very good, but it was delayed by the venue." You can relocate and start over. ”
Later, he directly offered to inject money into me and support me to open the store again. It was because of the encouragement and help of my friends that I had the opportunity to start again.
(Old Cooker)
The new Lao Ye pot shop opened near Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang. This time, I did my research, chatted with different diners, understood their preferences and needs, and took the time to carefully observe the flow of people before finally settling on a location. After the new store was selected, every detail of the decoration design and food service was done to the extreme.
We have also innovated and made an original pot set meal, one person, one pot, one set meal. You don't need to gather a group of people to eat hot pot.
With perfect preparation, I made money in the first month of opening! After that, my business became more and more smooth, and with the surplus funds, I reinvested in opening a second and third store.
And the senior who funded and supported me directly closed his own store, turned to work with me, and became a shareholder of our brand.
(Headquarters Member)
However, even though I was doing well in the mainland, after returning to Taiwan, when I talked about work, the eyes of my relatives and friends still showed "you are probably bragging".
It wasn't until I opened the fourth store that I had the ability to give red envelopes to the elders, and the piercing eyes were gone. In 2015, I led my team to Nanjing to continue to expand my entrepreneurial territory.
After several years of hard work, I have grown from one person to more than 100 employees, from one store to eight stores. Later, in addition to Lao Ye Pot, I also founded Wuzao Dou Drink, Quedao Mountain, and Tan Jia Zhuang Stir-fried Fire Pot, and successively opened more than 70 branches across the country, including more than 20 self-operated stores, which can be regarded as a success.
In the process of starting a business, my design major also came in handy. From the design of the logo to the menu, the interior furnishings, the billboards, etc., I can provide great aesthetic advice and eye-catching solutions.
The appropriate, comfortable design has played a role in attracting people, and the performance is booming. I gradually felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness that I had never felt before. Work is fulfilling and fun, and I look forward to starting a new journey every day.
(Uncle Meat Team Member)
Everything seemed to be going well, and just as my food kingdom was about to take hold, the pandemic hit. In the first year, it was okay to hold on, but in 2021, the business of the store took a sharp turn, and all brands except for the old pot were closed due to the environmental impact, and the old pot also decreased rapidly, and in the end, a total of more than 60 stores were closed, and only 6 remained.
At that time, I was at a loss. Can I still do it? Can I still hold on? Will the restaurant industry usher in spring?
Truth be told, this feeling of apprehension has never been felt before. Even when I started my first business in Shanghai, I lost all my savings, and I didn't experience it when I opened my address book and borrowed money from friends one by one. It was the only time I felt shaken inside. Maybe I have to give up? But I don't want to. I want to do it anyway.
(Trying to Fitness)
In such a big way, all I can do is adjust my mentality. Fortunately, shareholders are not upset by the sharp drop in performance. As always, everyone does what they can and accepts everything that cannot be changed. There was no time or place, but we had someone to work with, and in the end we survived.
In 2023, the epidemic eased slightly, things began to take a turn, the flow of people recovered, and we slowly opened new branches, and established Uncle Meat and Huang Dalong Hot Fried, and now there are a total of 11 stores.
As my performance tends to stabilize and improve, I also have the leisure to do what I want to do, but it is still related to food. For example, now I visit the store from time to time.
Whether it's the restaurant industry or any other business, there is no end to learning. On the one hand, I can learn the strengths of my peers, see more ways to eat, and on the other hand, I can also taste the food, so why not?
When I posted the video of the store visit on the Internet, I not only helped the store to promote it, but also got the opportunity to communicate with netizens.
(Me and my customers)
I need it very much and enjoy talking to everyone. People take food as the sky, and netizens' suggestions and ideas on food can often remind me, which is a particularly good opportunity for communication and learning.
Now, I have settled in Nanjing, and my family from Taiwan sometimes comes to visit me. I will take them to my shop to try the food, and by the way, I will give them advice, and I will also take them to visit Nanjing.
The family members were full of praise for Nanjing, and felt that the changes in the mainland were really changing with each passing day. In the future, I will always stay in the mainland and continue to go back to my hometown in Taiwan every year to visit my family.
Although separated by the strait, I have always felt that the two sides of the strait are one family. In fact, I have always been committed to using food as a bridge between the two sides of the strait, so that everyone can connect more closely!
(Welcome to pay attention to "Uncle Maji Taipei")
[Dictation: Uncle Maji]
[Editor: An Painter]
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