Chapter 5 — The Creator Cannot Be Erased

I gathered all the machine case orders that were intended to be divided among three suppliers and put them all into a single factory. The condition is that they must return the mold to us first, and give us an additional forty-five days of debt. The next morning, Thieu Lam and I waited in front of the factory gate for two hours. Finally, the boss agreed. On the way back, Thieu Lam asked me:

"General Manager Trinh, aren't you afraid that after forty-five days we still have no money?"

"So what to do?"

"Let's at least get through today first."

Trung Quang... Exists day by day like that. In the fourth year, the home appliance line had just been launched for two months when the return rate suddenly increased to eight percent. In the fifth year, a core engine supplier was acquired by a foreign enterprise, terminating the exclusive supply contract with us ahead of time. For the sixth year, the largest online sales channel changed its regulations, causing the quarter's sales forecast to drop by a third. In the seventh year, goods were backlogged in warehouses abroad, and more than thirty thousand machines were stuck at the port. The daily container storage fee alone costs more than one hundred thousand yuan. Every time a crisis occurs, Chu Dinh Son pours more money. When to lend. When to increase capital. Sometimes it helps the company apply for an additional credit limit from the bank. But before the money reaches your account... You must decide who to pay first. Stop the chain. Retain any customers. It's always me. The number of shares in my hand also gradually narrows after each round of capital raising. Thirty-two percent. Twenty-four percent. Eighteen percent. Coming before the listing submission date... I only have twelve percent left. Every time he signed, Chu Dinh Son told me:

"The most important thing is that the company must survive."

Still believe that. The seventh year of the overseas warehouse crisis was the closest Trung Quang came to the brink of bankruptcy. The Board of Directors decided to temporarily suspend two production lines, keeping all cash flow for foreign business. The day the notice to stop the line was issued... There are more than three hundred workers in the factory. No one knows how long it will take to stop. Each machine turns off one by one. Unfinished products lie still on the conveyor belt. The team leaders led the workers out of the factory. On the way, many people still looked back. Ten o'clock at night. The entire floor only had emergency lights left. I sit next to the production line, reordering each order that needs refunds, restocking, liquidation sales, and pushing back delivery deadlines. Write a full sheet. Change to the second sheet again. The second sheet was full. Continue with the third sheet. One o'clock in the morning. The security guard came and asked me if I needed to turn off the lights. I'm just saying:

"Wait a moment."

That night... Chu Dinh Son was running everywhere looking for capital. The finance department is negotiating with the bank to extend the loan. Chu Khai Minh has not yet stepped foot into the company. On a production line that has stopped working... I'm alone. I sat there... Until morning. The next day, we cut out the two losing markets. All goods that can still be brought into the country are unpacked for re-inspection. At the same time, renegotiate payment terms with three distributors. Two months later... The production line is back in operation. When the first machine rolled off conveyor belt, a worker recorded a video and sent it to me. In the video... No one said a word. The camera glides across the lens. The Trung Quang logo on the top of the machine suddenly lit up. Just that one moment... Made me believe that all the concessions over the years were worth it. As long as the company still exists... Who is standing in the spotlight... It doesn't seem to matter anymore. Only later did I understand. If a person doesn't mention her name for a long time... Others will automatically assume... That past never belonged to her. 4. The kettle fell from the sky. On Chu Khai Minh's return to the country, the company was preparing the first round of regulation adjustments during the listing guidance phase. A week before that, Chu Dinh Son told me that his son was going to the company to train.

"It will follow you first."

"Khai Minh understands the capital market and has also worked as a brand consultant. She just taught him that for a while, it could compensate for the company's weakness in this area."

I don't object. Chu Khai Minh majored in marketing communications in college, then continued on to business school. He worked for two years at an overseas consulting company, mainly participating in brand upgrading projects for the consumer goods industry. That experience wasn't bad at all. Trung Quang has always focused on products and overlooked the media. Through many rounds of capital raising, investors commented that our documents were more like a product guide than a business introduction, lacking the market's imagination. In the first executive meeting, Chu Khai Minh almost did not interrupt. He listened attentively to each department's report. At the end of the session, only one question was asked.

"Why does sixty percent of Trung Quang's revenue come from household appliances, but foreign media always emphasizes the commercial sanitary equipment segment?"

The brand manager replied:

"Because that is the field that built Trung Quang."

Zhou Kaiming shook his head.

"The starting place and the future are two different things."

He turned the computer screen towards everyone. On the screen was the brand positioning diagram he had just completed. Household products. Commercial products. Robot coordination system. International business segment. The four fields are placed in four different corners. Existing problems are clearly marked.