Chapter 60: Mobilization Assembly

At ten o'clock in the morning, all thirty-plus employees of the company gathered in a large conference room. Although it was a Sunday, management had scheduled a mandatory overtime session, and not a single one of the thirty-two staff members was absent.

Looking out at the group, Zhou Xuan felt a surge of excitement. Starting today, his business would expand nationwide, even if it was just for a modest internet cafe management system.

Wei Lian, acting as the company’s general manager, presided over the meeting. Sitting at the head of the table on the left, he surveyed the room and said, "Today is Sunday, but due to major company decisions that need to be announced, we have had to call for an urgent meeting. I appreciate your understanding. Seeing everyone here, punctual and alert, makes the leadership team and me very pleased. I believe that with our collective efforts, the company’s future will become increasingly brilliant."

"Now, I would like to invite our Chairman, Mr. Zhou, to address you," Wei Lian said, handing the microphone to Zhou Xuan and starting a round of applause.

*Clap, clap, clap...*

After the enthusiastic applause subsided, Zhou Xuan cleared his throat and spoke with measured confidence: "To all our employees, first of all, I want to thank you for your hard work over the past month. Your dedication has yielded fruitful results in our promotional efforts in Rongcheng. As of February 28th, the company has sold 206 units of the 'Huanyu Internet Cafe Management System,' generating a total revenue of 618,000 yuan. Of course, on the 10th of this month, commissions for the sales staff will be distributed along with your base salaries; I’m sure you are all eager for that. For those in finance and training who were not directly involved in sales, do not worry—you will each receive a bonus of 500 yuan this month."

As soon as Zhou Xuan finished, the room erupted in cheers. The employees were stunned by the news. Based on the figures, some members of the sales team had earned commissions ranging from three to four thousand yuan, while even those with lower sales had made one to two thousand. Combined with their 200-yuan base salary, the average monthly income was hitting approximately 2,500 yuan.

In 1998, when the average monthly wage in S Province was only five or six hundred yuan, this pay scale was among the best in the region. Even for those working in the city, earning a thousand yuan was considered quite good. The fact that Huanyu Software’s promoters were averaging an astonishing 2,500 yuan, and that even the support staff were clearing over a thousand with their bonuses, was truly remarkable.

The applause lasted for over half a minute before Zhou Xuan gestured for silence.

"Starting tomorrow," Zhou Xuan continued, "the company will launch the nationwide promotion of the Huanyu Internet Cafe Management System. Our current sales staff will be divided into teams and sent across the country. Our goal is to capture the majority of the internet cafe management system market within six months. Now, I will ask Zhou Changxing to explain the deployment plan."

Having led the promotions department for over half a month, Zhou Changxing had developed a polished speaking style.

He spoke loudly and confidently: "The national rollout will be divided into seven groups targeting major cities: Shanghai, Yudu, the Capital, Zhuzhou, Zhongzhou, Xijing, and Shencheng. Each group will consist of four people. We will adopt a policy of local recruitment to staff our teams, providing them with training before they begin sales. I will head to Shanghai to lead the expansion in the Yangtze River Delta and oversee the distribution of all software serial numbers. Promotion in the remaining prefecture-level cities in this province will be handled by General Manager Wei Lian. Within each four-person team, we will promote the top performer to Area Manager, with the others serving as Deputy Manager, Training Specialist, and Finance Specialist."

"To incentivize everyone to push the system nationwide, the company has decided that for every unit sold, the sales staff will receive a 200-yuan commission. Training Specialists, Finance Specialists, and Deputy Managers will receive 50 yuan per unit sold in their area, and the Area Manager will receive 100 yuan. Of course, there will be more; monthly bonuses based on actual sales performance will also be issued. I hope you all work hard to create a bright future for this company."

When Zhou Changxing finished, the room broke into a thunderous, sustained round of applause. It was clear that as the national expansion began, most of the thirty-plus people present would be sent out as the core leadership for their respective regions, marking their transition into the company’s middle management with promising prospects ahead.

Following this, Zhou Xuan, Wei Lian, and Zhou Changxing held the company’s first leadership meeting for middle management and above. The meeting included the six Area Managers, the heads of the Training, Finance, Recruitment, Operations (for hao123), and Software departments—a total of fourteen people.

During the meeting, Zhou Xuan detailed the company’s next steps and outlined the development goals for 1998:

First, the nationwide expansion of the Huanyu Internet Cafe Management System, aiming to dominate the market within half a year.

Second, the promotion of the hao123 website navigation portal. As the management system is installed, we will lock the hao123 icon onto the browsers of hundreds of thousands of internet cafe computers nationwide. By the end of the year, we aim to capture the entire market share for navigation sites—which is easy, as hao123 currently has no competitors.

Third, the establishment of the Huanyu Internet Cafe chain. Zhou Xuan believed this was essential. Not only were internet cafes a highly profitable industry, but entering the market early would allow them to set standards and avoid tragedies like the Lan Jisu fire in 2002. Furthermore, the chain could expand alongside the Lantian Group, much like the supermarket chain he planned to launch. Zhou Xuan intended to open at least one hundred high-end internet cafes this year, with an investment of nearly 100 million yuan.

Fourth, the expansion of the Huanyu Software development department. He aimed to build a team of at least one hundred people capable of independently developing large and medium-sized software by year-end. They would focus on maintaining the cafe system, developing a supermarket point-of-sale system, and managing the company’s web presence.

As for instant messaging software, Zhou Xuan decided to handle the development himself, planning to establish a separate company for its operation at the end of the year. He knew well the importance of not putting all his eggs in one basket.

At the meeting, noting the severe shortage of talent, Zhou Xuan instructed Wei Lian to accelerate recruitment, particularly for software developers—including specialists in embedded systems, microcontrollers, and low-level development. Additionally, as the company grew, there would be a need for legal staff and management experts experienced in chain operations for cafes and supermarkets.

The meeting concluded at one o'clock in the afternoon. After lunch, Wei Lian and the others returned to organizing the national rollout, while Zhou Xuan went back to his hotel to rest.