From the stall business to the national chain of the weekly black Ducks

A few months ago, the national restaurant and snack chain brand Zhouhe and Sky Map Venture signed a cooperation agreement on investment, and received 60 million yuan of capital injection. And it shows that the country's hottest Zhouhe has once again taken a big step forward. In the end How does a wage earner turn a stall business into a chain brand that is ringing today?

I almost lost the small business in the vegetable market.

I think the original "dwelling" in Wuhan Ming New Street Market just help big sister sauce Duck stalls 19-year-old Zhou Peng estimated how not to think, and then more than 10 years later he had his own national chain brand-Zhouhe. In the memory of the week Black Duck bitterness start history, Zhou Peng that is quite filled with emotion.

Used to get up in the middle of the night brine ducks, the amount of the morning after finishing, loaded brine ducks; and then 10, eight ducks go to the hotel one by one, breakfast is no time to eat, when he finished delivery of goods has arrived at noon, buy ducks, ducks, pickled, and then at night six or seven o'clock to the hotel checkout, then it is someone else to eat dinner time, but recall, I have not even eaten a meal, then I feel hungry. And the most difficult, Zhou Peng at noon to buy five cents two bread, and then add six cents a bottle of soda, which is already a reward. In the early days of small business, Zhou Peng's dream is to make money to change this poor state of life.

1995, Zhou Peng first venture is in the elder sister stewed processing workshop next to the stove, open-air cooking sauce ducks, and sister retail walk different sales channels-to the hotel delivery. This is actually imitating a Wenzhou sauce Duck shop owner. In Zhou Peng view, Wenzhou boss Business Super Good, and to the hotel delivery, one day down to sell one hundred or two hundred, compared to the daily sales of more than 10 sauce Salted duck's own business, which is astronomical.

Zhou Peng is very clear, on the color, taste, popularity, make their own sauce duck certainly with "Wenzhou boss" far. At this time he played a small smart, "it was speculation." He took the Wenzhou boss's sauce duck as a sample to the hotel owner, at a low price advantage to supply the hotel. At the beginning of the hotel can sell a few sauce duck every day, then gradually reduce sales, half a month later unexpectedly one also difficult to digest, when the hotel owner found Zhou Peng fraud, cut off with his cooperation, and even refused to pay before the account.

"Cheat means cannot win long business", Zhou Peng realized to a seemingly simple but make many people difficult to really understand the truth. The bad business became worse, and Zhou Peng at once plunged into a crisis of lack of money. For the figure cheap, Zhou Peng in the eldest sister's house rented a not even windows of the broken room.

The worse things are still behind. Penniless Zhou Peng that night to sleep very heavy, woke up in the morning but found that the clothes were caught by thieves outside, the most important thing is to contact business deliberately spend 1800 yuan to buy the BP machine also lost. Fall into the "economic crisis" Zhou Peng again by this, "cornered with friends out of the heart of the robbery".

Loss of business and lose the elder seems this should not buy the BP machine, the father scolded "the black Sheep" to drive his son home, strong Zhou Peng kneeling begged to be counted to stay: "Where fell on where to climb up!" A series of blows let Zhou Peng dark determined: "Do not good sauce ducks die don't go home"!

Frequently run the spice market, to find the fragrance of the boss to ask for incense flavor, the effect of spices, borrowed from the ancient book Word to night, buy hundreds of ducks repeatedly test, "obviously feel that their flavor is very positive, but the duck is not delicious." "Zhou Peng deliberately bought back to Wenzhou boss Sauce Duck, later found that the growth cycle of soil ducks long," resistant to boiling, tasty, meat tight. "Overcome this" technical difficulties, the Zhou Peng Brine duck out of the pot is crystal chocolate color, exposed in the air, oxidation will become black, duck spicy with sweet, unique. Zhou Peng spent months finally finding a taste that was memorable after a meal. This flavor stems from childhood often let Zhou Peng drooling stewed incense, and tasted the father of the fair brought back only one by one pieces of sweet to the heart of candy incense.

How important it is to have enough cash flow

The little business that had been done had to go on, and the Ducks had to pay on credit. At that time, a boss was willing to 16 yuan/only on credit to him raw ducks, each more than 2 yuan for others. To this day, Zhou Peng is still particularly grateful to the boss: "If he is not willing to credit for business to continue, there will be no Zhouhe today." ”

"It's important to do business with cash reflux. Zhou Peng concluded. In the hotel business, the closure of small hotels run accounts, large hotel credit, the phenomenon is very serious, the most let Zhou Peng sad is a very big hotel not only not to pay, but also the door Yaozhang Zhou Peng beat, "He owes me, I will be beaten!" There is such a truth! " Helpless Zhou Peng began to reflect on the hotel business there is a big risk, cash on hand is difficult to return quickly. At the end of 1996, Zhou Peng began to consider: "The hotel business is not my way out, in the vegetable market stall retail more secure." "At that time Zhou Peng gave up a lot of hotel cooperation, and only selected several high credit hotels to continue to supply."

1997, Zhou Peng two elder sister from Sichuan Please come to help, in Wuhan Aviation Road electric industry market friends under the eaves of a metal container with a glass cover to sell sauce duck, glass covers on the "Zhou Kee smell duck" signs. Just opened, a sauce duck sold 22 yuan. That piece is the most deserted area of the market, compared with other stalls of the dazzling variety of products, Zhou Peng booth on a few of the sauce ducks appear to be lonely, can't afford people's appetite. One months down, business the best day to sell 132 dollars, the worst day only sell one, obviously lose money. "Did not earn a penny, really discouraged, there is the idea of retreat." Two months of rent are paid, can only bite the bullet to support another two months. If not just pay two months rent, Zhou Peng was forced to go home.

Squeeze out the best duck to make the first bucket of gold

The next one months, business more difficult to do, the market in a street unexpectedly three competitors. Most stalls business is very deserted, but just came in a call "Ruyi duck" business is unusually hot. Ruyi Duck new opening marketing strategy let Zhou Peng see a. The first day of the opening of the Ruyi ducks and sell ducks, unexpectedly only sell 10 yuan/only, far less than the 20-dollar market average price, waiting to buy the Ducks of the thirty or forty team to drag to their doorstep, more than 2 a day can be the first closing. Anxious and the envy of two elder sister repeatedly persuaded disheartened Zhou Peng: "You go to see, where they find supply can sell 10 yuan a duck?"

Three o'clock in the afternoon, the business does not have any hope of Zhou Peng very reluctantly ran to the market, found that the rest of the Ducks are picked, but these ducks can really cheap, Zhou Peng bargain after 6.6 yuan a price to buy back 62.

The first day, they halogen to sell 10 yuan A, the business is not but wishful duck, but slightly better, one day down can earn a little money. Second sister business is very experienced, she told Zhou Peng, if more than Ruyi ducks early to the vegetable market will be able to get to work families and unwilling to queue some customers. The next day, Zhou Peng and his sister 7:30 to the city stalls began to yell, more than two or three hours before the opening. Second sister This trick is really spirit, this time than the night before and sell a few more. A week later, the Ruyi duck promotions end the price adjusted to 12 yuan/only, while the Zhou Peng Brine duck remains in 10 yuan, the price advantage is obvious.

Reasonable distribution of commodity prices, Zhou Peng this time to find the know-how. He bought the duck generally 5 to 8 dollars a, but the price sold out must be 10 yuan. By price adjustment, the sharp price advantage makes the business suddenly become hot. A few months later, the Ruyi duck became a bad smell duck's defeated, to close the door.

Year-End settlement, Zhou Peng carrying more than 10,000 yuan. By the year 1998, Zhou Peng's business was excellent, because it tasted good, and even then the price could still be sold well. Business is best to sell more than 500 a day, most of the time to sell to three o'clock in the afternoon can be closing, which was unimaginable before. The better business, Zhou Peng then opened a second stall in the Dajiang market, and invited several villagers to help. According to Zhou Peng, he earned 300,000 dollars that year, and for the first time he felt a sense of achievement in business. There were only a few employees in the small workshop.

Small business is at the bottom.

1999, there is a Zhou Peng Zhou Peng unforgettable things. At that time, the price of raw ducks, growth cycle in 240 days of normal raw duck prices to 17~18 block money, halogen after selling 23 yuan. The cost of buying a duck increases, Zhou Peng see a cousin Buy culture time only two or three months of the duck only 6 dollars one. Buy a duck can save more than 10 dollars, accumulation is not a small amount, Zhou Peng really can't withstand temptation, then he continued to hoard more than 10,000 ducks.

During that time, Zhou Peng was obsessed with playing cards and was less involved in business. In the winter of 1999, the sales of soy sauce ducks fell from more than 100 to more than 10 or even a few, behind almost no business. Customers are complaining: "Your ducks are not as good as they used to be." "The beginning of second sister can only be" material does not match good "and a series of reasons to conceal the use of Aberdeen Duck as raw material this" secret. " Finally one day, the elder sister really can not resist, give Zhou Peng reason: "younger brother, with more than 10,000 duck you earn more a hundred thousand of, but lost the business Ah!"

Watching the rush of business is about to be destroyed, the Zhou Peng from the poker game realizes that a fatal mistake has been made. The lesson made him remember: "resolutely do not fake." "Although I almost lost my business when I made up my mind, Zhou Peng knew that it was better to be corrected in time than to lose all business. In order to reverse business, Zhou Peng no longer sell sauce Duck single product, began to operate duck wings, duck neck, duck, chicken wing tips. Business is getting better soon, but the sale of duck products is not as good as before.

Bad luck, 7 days of business lose 500,000

Another important reason for the dismal 2000 business was the impact of the ubiquitous foul-smell ducks. Zhou Peng Initiation of a simple brand protection awareness. So he went to the patent office to apply for a patent, but a long time did not run down, then know that he should go to the Trade and Industry Bureau, registered trademarks!

Stall business straight downhill, production workshop also extremely unstable, within a year he moved three times, and finally spent more than 400,000 in Hankou railway station next to buy a piece of land, the construction of four-storey building. At that time the small workshop already had thirty or forty people scale, the small workshop has the raw food, the cooked food simple division.

New venues, a new beginning, Zhou Peng have a desire to do big. Every time a fellow returned to Kyoto to bring the duck Zhou Peng Brine, is very popular. 2002, Zhou Peng from the capital, ready to open up the big market. 2002 Zhou Peng to the north to slaughter the value of 300,000 yuan ducks. 2003 Spring Festival One, ready to show the Zhou Peng to pull a car kill good ducks to Beijing.

Unfortunately, he caught up with SARS. At that time, the government was very strict in the management of poultry food stores, and the business license could not be approved. One months after the opening of Beijing, people have been dragged exhausted. One months later, the "SARS" thunder, the nominal "Chou-black Duck" sauce Duck shop finally opened. Operating without a license is scary every day, and it's very stressful to meet strangers. Store just open to the seventh day, the occurrence is still happening: store was seized, one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand yuan of equipment was confiscated empty, sauce Duck shop was mandatory closure.

Return the hundreds of thousands of-dollar duck back to Wuhan? He did not want to give up, Zhou Peng back to the frozen duck warehouse to prepare to open the shop again. But the next scene let Zhou Peng despair. The problem is frozen, the Ducks spoil all. Zhou Peng was forced to give up all the frozen goods, more embarrassed is also spent thousands of yuan to clean up the spoiled duck. Entering Beijing, Zhou Peng ended up with a loss of 500,000 yuan.

According to Zhou Peng observation, after a few months to do the brine duck business "to Shuang Yang" and "a long time Ya" have to enter the Beijing market and open shop everywhere. Zhou Peng can only lament his bad luck point, but met "SARS". "Expedition" to eat a defeat, Wuhan rear business because no one management also began to be unsatisfactory, Zhou Peng began to realize the importance of internal management.

300,000 Yuan to buy "franchise shop" lesson

In the 2004, Zhou Peng had the will to Zhouhe again, when he learned that Chongqing has a home to do stewed "baseball chicken" has dozens of stores, the store has a feature: only do direct Battalion, refused to join. Stewed can do so much? Zhou Peng suddenly to the Zhou Black Duck brand has the full confidence.

Opening a franchise store is one of the ways of rapid expansion of enterprises. Zhou Peng See a peer out of 34 franchise stores, "We taste better than they, quality than they are high, and have a lot of relatives want to join." "2006, the confidence of the Zhou Peng in Nanchang opened 11 franchise stores, quickly earn more than 200,000 yuan."

"Fakes all over the sky, the quality of the franchise is difficult to control, although the relative management store." "It was a bitter pill to open a shop blindly. Zhou Peng immediately take action, severely punish the problem store, and spend hundreds of thousands of pieces of the remaining store high price recovery. "Our industry's biggest risk is food safety crisis, do not control the quality of joining", this is Zhou Peng spend 300,000 yuan to buy back the lesson. Later a friend of Ningbo several times the phone is willing to join the Zhouhe 1 million high prices, still be Zhou Peng refused: "I firmly cannot open this hole!" Week Black Duck if do not join also can do better, bigger, that is not better? Although we are very slow to open the shop, but sleep will not be startled. "In Nanchang to join, Zhou Peng night Sleep not sureness." "Based on the last lesson, today Zhouhe's more than 200 stores are in the form of direct shop." "Zhou Peng said.

2005 Zhou Peng Consider the expansion of the thinking: product quality certainly no problem, but the first shortage, the second lack of space. "Open dozens of stores, seventy or eighty square meters of production plant how to do enough?" Until 2008, they found a total of 90 acres of land, now the project has built more than 50,000 square meters. "2005 ~2006 Black Duck just stay in the embryonic state of thinking, become a real business is after 2007." ”

Eradicate the family ills, the small workshops complete the transformation

2006, Zhou Peng set up Hubei Chow Duck Food Co., Ltd. is looking forward to the transformation of modern enterprise. He feels the difficulty of managing 44 people is increasing, "big business, my head is not good, primary school graduate, no diploma, and will not manage, definitely to invite people." 40 people inside most of the family, difficult to manage, this is Zhou Peng most concerned about the problem. "I've heard a lot of family businesses fall out of the majority of the decentralization, the enterprise once the big is eaten away." "There is a period of time, in addition to the initiative to accept the Enterprise management training, Zhou Peng is also looking for a suitable business management candidate, he found a mightier to negotiate with senior manager Zhu Yilong to join the core team."

"Is your brain burnt out?" he asked, "How reliable is it to spend so much money on outsiders to control their own business?" The family is very puzzling. Zhu Yilong just took over the internal management, many people defy, a few relatives management once took a knife into the office threatening Zhu, this group of people's final outcome is expelled. In order to get everyone's understanding, Zhou Peng also the "Sun Wu Military training" in the authorized sun kill the emperor's most beloved concubine fragments repeatedly played to the family to see. "I want to warn you that anyone must be subject to unified management." "After a top-down overhaul, there are now no family members in the company's executive team," he said. "Our family is very diligent, very able to do things, do basic work or very good", Zhou Peng believe that the management ability of Zhu, feel very steadfast in the heart.

2007, Zhouhe began to form a new core team, the management team expanded to five people, the production process is further refined. "Enterprises can no longer stay in the manual workshop-style state, in fact, in 2005 some simple division of labor, but very imperfect." Now the whole process is still being perfected. "Pickling, baking, halogen and other processes need to decompose, in accordance with the standardized operation." "Just like McDonald's Central kitchen, chef has no craft, as long as the standard production of Zhouhe taste." ”

"Now the company is a large part of the funds into the process and equipment transformation," and this piece is for many years engaged in the production of halogen duck Zhou Peng Zhou Peng good at. Factory Each workshop is equipped with production control points, ducks have batches and records, from raw duck processing to cooked food shop, and then to quality control and packaging, each process has dedicated personnel. The preparation of brine and seasoning is also strictly standardized control to ensure the lasting stability of the taste and quality of the Black duck. "It takes 8 hours and 36 steps to get a duck from semi-finished products to finished products," he said. "Zhou Peng said.

The company also according to market research on product relocation, the product from the original table food into duck products mainly snack snacks, consumer groups focused on 15~25岁 women. Then around this group of consumer groups targeted to develop products, brand promotion. "In the future, it is possible to consider developing new products for people outside this group of consumers, not excluding the possibility of setting up new brands under the Chou-hei ducks, or finding the right target for acquisitions; the next 35 years will need to consider the rapid development of large and large-scale industrial integration." "Zhou Peng said.

2008, the company entered the rapid development of the year, the staff size from more than 60 people quickly expand to more than 400 people, stores also from 8 growth to more than 50, sales also exceeded billion. "This is the effect of modern management received," Zhou Peng tasted the sweetness of doing business. Now has more than 200 stores, all over Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Beijing, Shenzhen, they in Wuhan, Shenzhen, Nanchang also established a production base.

Zhou Peng is a very willing to accept new things, the ability to learn beyond everyone's imagination. "Because there is no culture, very eager to knowledge, like a sponge itself without water, others pour some water will easily be absorbed." Books on financing and IPOs should be read and discussed with investors, at the very least to know where to take advantage. ”

"Even trademarks and patents so simple things are not clear, eat the loss of trademark, by the false shop crowding out, this also very exciting to learn." Now we have registered trademarks in seven regions of Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, and the trademarks in European and American countries are also being applied, which is the first step in preparing to go abroad. ”

Zhouhe's corporate culture is "root culture": "We do not want to let ' leaves ' fast growth, open thousands of stores; we should be steadfast to the management team, product quality of these ' root ' culture to raise up, Root deep to ye. "This is Zhou Peng to run the company's experience.

Now stewed industry market is more chaotic, whether product, business model or brand management, is the primary stage, Zhouhe see more opportunities. "I think the week black duck can go from the workshop to the brand, because there is a dream." The beginning may be purely for making money, now the dream is to set the industry benchmark, leading the industry change, although not yet achieved, but we have been trying to go in this direction. Our goal is to be a century old shop. ”