Chapter 3 — The Creator Cannot Be Erased

2. First investment Nine years ago... Also at a meeting table like this, Chu Dinh Son pushed an investment agreement in front of me. The table that year was not as long as it is now. The surface of the table had a piece of paint peeled off, and the right table leg was still supported by two folded pieces of cardboard. Outside the window is an old factory area waiting to be demolished. Every time the wind blows, the corrugated iron roof makes squeaking sounds. I was twenty-six years old then. There is only 113,000 yuan left in the account. Among them... 80,000 yuan is the money prepared to pay the engine supplier. 20,000 yuan is used to pay next month's salary. With 13,000 yuan remaining, even office and warehouse rent is not enough. The first model machine was placed close to the corner of the wall. The case is made from three different colored plastics. The connection of the water tank also has a round of transparent tape attached. Every time you start it for about ten minutes, water will slowly leak out at the bottom of the machine. Within a month... I met with seventeen investors. Someone asked me:

"What's the point of a girl doing hardware?"

Someone smiled faintly:

"There's nothing technological about industrial cleaning equipment. Just find a processing factory and put a brand on it."

Another person, after listening to the plan, only asked one question:

"Do you want to give up this product and come to our company to be a professional manager?"

The final investor initially agreed to invest 2 million yuan. But exactly one day before signing the contract... His assistant called.

"The project has too much risk and cannot be approved internally."

After hanging up... I sat for a long time in front of the warehouse door. Old Han, the company's engineer, stood behind the rolling door and asked.

"General Manager Trinh, will you still install the machine tomorrow?"

There are 27 unfinished machines in the warehouse. If you do not pay for the goods... The engine factory will not deliver the remaining components. If the line stops... The first batch of goods must be delivered to customers for trial after three months and will forever be behind schedule. I only replied with one word. But actually at that time... I didn't even know where to make money tomorrow. Chu Dinh Son arrived the next afternoon. The person we knew was a supplier from the old company where I used to work. He just said:

"There's a boss in the traditional manufacturing industry who wants to meet you."

"But don't get your hopes up too much."

When entering the warehouse, Chu Dinh Son did not bring his assistant. He walked around the prototype machine twice. Then squat down and reach out to touch the puddle on the floor.

"Is there a water leak?"

"The leak-proof structure is not good, we are fixing it."

"How much to sell?"

"After mass production, the household version is expected to cost 2,600 yuan, the commercial version 12,000 yuan."

"Based on what do you believe there will be buyers?"

I showed him videos of customers testing the product. In the video, the machine makes a very loud noise and is quite clumsy when changing direction. But after the mall closes, it can complete a job that would require two cleaning staff in just forty minutes. Chu Dinh Son did not listen to me talk about the market size, nor did he ask whether the company could be listed in five years. He only asked me three questions.

"How much does a machine cost in components?"

"Which part is most easily damaged?"

"If I could only keep one feature, Ms Which features will be kept?

For the first two questions, I use the data table to answer. To the last sentence, I replied:

"Clean close to the edge of the wall."

He was a bit surprised.

"Isn't that the automatic route planning function?"

"No matter how perfect the automatic routing function is, if there is still a ring of dust left close to the wall, customers will always think that the machine has not been cleaned."

Chu Dinh Son looked at me for a few seconds. Then, he told old Han to start the machine. The model machine had just run two meters when the right brush got stuck. Old Han immediately sat down and took it off. I stood next to him, my face hot. That was the only time I wanted to kick that machine. However, Chu Dinh Son took off his coat, squatted down next to old Han and observed for a while.

"Is it the brush or the floor?"

"The cement floor here is not flat, and the structure of the brush is not stable enough."

"Can it be fixed?"

"How long will it take?"

"Twenty-one days."

"How much money is needed?"

"The first phase requires three million yuan."

He stood up, brushing the dust off his pants.

"Three million is not enough."

I thought he was going to refuse. Unexpectedly, he said:

"If you make hardware without enough cash on hand to last at least six months, the company will collapse if the first batch of goods is returned. Please redo the estimate and bring it to me tomorrow."

The next day, I brought the estimate of 5.8 million yuan to your company. After reading, he marked a few items with question marks.

"Why is the cost of making molds so low?"

"Why is there no warranty reserve fund?"

"Is the cost of expanding this distribution channel calculated according to the most ideal scenario?"

I sat and recalculated until nine o'clock at night. The final figure was 7.2 million yuan. Chu Dinh Son invested 5 million yuan in exchange for 40% of the company's shares. He lent the remaining 2.2 million yuan to the company in his personal name, without interest for three years. Before signing the contract, he only added one condition.

"Products and operations are under her full responsibility. But finances must be managed by someone."

"Aren't you going to appoint someone to manage the product department?"

He replied very frankly:

"I don't understand."

"Just because I spend money doesn't mean I understand everything. If you understand better than me, the one who decides should be you."

That moment, for the first time, I believed that this company could really exist. The day the money was transferred to the account was past the bank's working hours. I sat in front of the Internet Banking screen and clicked refresh more than ten times. When 5 million yuan appeared in the company account, the first thing I did was transfer 800,000 yuan to the engine supplier. Then pay the entire salary owed to the employee. Finally, I called Chu Dinh Son. He said he was eating dinner and would talk about it tomorrow. But I still held the phone and said the words I had hidden in my heart.

"General Manager Chu, this kindness... I will never forget it for the rest of my life."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment.

"Let's run the company well."

"That's more meaningful than always being grateful to me."

For many years afterward, I always thought that statement meant he didn't need anything from me in return. Only today did I understand. He simply extended the deadline to repay that debt... much longer than I had thought.