522: Chapter 522 Minor Injuries Don't Keep You Off the Front Lines

Chen Cheng turned his head, unable to hold back a laugh, "You brat, you did that on purpose, right?"

Meng Yanchen shrugged.

Chen Cheng shook his head with a smile, "It's rare to see General Manager Meng cracking jokes."

Evidently, Meng Yanchen knew something about the relationship between Chen Cheng and Qiao Jingjing.

Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow and continued, "As long as you think it's appropriate, that's fine."

"In any case, Boss Qiao is unlikely to give you a discount on the endorsement fee."

"Boss Qiao is busy making money to pay me back her ransom."

"Speaking of endorsements, I actually think we can prepare to capitalize on the Winter Olympics hype for the second half of next year. Find one or two popular athletes and sign them for one to two years."

"Long-term endorsements should still come from the entertainment industry."

Meng Yanchen frowned, "Betting on champions?"

Chen Cheng nodded.

Meng Yanchen: "The question is, who do we bet on?"

"Xiao Su, Xiao Gu!"

Chen Cheng smiled as he said this, "Of course, who to sign, whether to sign one or two, that's for you to decide after running the numbers."

Meng Yanchen nodded, having won a round, "Alright," he turned to look at Jiang Han sitting in the back row, "General Manager Jiang, General Manager Jian, find some time later to evaluate this matter."

"Get the work done in advance."

Jiang Han nodded with a smile, "Understood, Chairman Meng."

Hearing this form of address, a smile curled at the corners of Chen Cheng's mouth.

Meng Yanchen coming to Yian could be considered a promotion.

If he returned to Guokun, he would at most go to the Meng Family's private preserve, Yanshan Investment, to be a CEO.

Moreover, Yanshan Investment, while called an investment firm, is actually just a department within the Guokun Group specifically responsible for external investments, with limited scale.

But Yian is different. Although it has effectively delisted, it is still a unicorn that was listed overseas, an industry giant worth over 20 billion.

So from the very beginning, Chen Cheng had calculated that the Meng Family would let Meng Yanchen come to Yian.

The position Chen Cheng can give Meng Yanchen is one that Meng Huaijin cannot give right now.

By coming to Yian, Chen Cheng made him Chairman directly.

Chen Cheng also agreed to let the Meng Family invest in Yian, so there was even less reason to refuse.

Chen Cheng thought about the subsequent work for Yian.

He continued, "We can start considering preparations for franchising."

"However, regarding franchising, I have three points."

"First, we will not do pure franchising; we won't engage in 'cutting leeks'."

"We will do joint operations, where interests are aligned with the franchisees and risks are shared."

"Second, we will only open franchising in county towns and county-level cities; the top 100 counties in the east are not included in this."

"The top 100 counties and other prefecture-level cities will stick primarily to self-operated stores, while third and fourth-tier prefecture-level cities can have partial franchising."

"Third, for the selection of franchisees, we can prioritize internal veteran employees."

"We also encourage them to do so."

"If internal veteran employees are willing to return to their hometowns to start a business, the company can provide some support."

"For example, longer payment terms, or a certain percentage of loans during the initial setup phase. Specifically, your management team should come up with a plan you approve of, and just execute it."

There were no fools present; everyone understood Chen Cheng's intention.

Turning franchisees into true partners—this is the rhythm of long-term deep cultivation in the coffee industry.

Instead of rapidly scaling up, inflating revenue, and then selling the company to exit.

Encouraging internal employees to start businesses has another benefit.

It allows some store managers who are already very familiar with store operations to have further room for advancement.

It opens up an alternative career advancement path for employees.

Besides, when opening stores, using experienced hands is always better than giving them to inexperienced novices.

These points were all things Chen Cheng thought of just now while reviewing and troubleshooting Yian on the plane.

Meng Yanchen nodded faintly, "Alright, let General Manager Jiang and the others come up with an internal plan. Once the board of directors is established, report it to the board."

Chen Cheng frowned, "Speaking of the board of directors."

"Create an employee stock ownership plan, to be officially implemented after the company becomes profitable in two years."

"The employee stock ownership group will be given one board seat."

"Before the employee stock ownership plan, select a middle-to-senior management staff member to participate in all company business decisions as an employee representative."

Meng Yanchen frowned; the CEO must occupy a board seat.

A CEO who is not a director is nothing...

They simply cannot manage the entire company.

Then let a non-shareholding employee serve as a director.

Then the non-shareholding side within the company would have two seats on the board.

This is not necessarily a good thing for the power structure of the entire company.

Chen Cheng continued, "On the board, you and General Manager Jiang will each occupy a seat. Andy and Han Su will occupy two seats as minority shareholders."

"I have already talked with Ouyang and Zhao Hui; they will occupy two non-independent director seats in the form of consultants."

"With this, the seven-member board of directors is established."

Chen Cheng saying it like this was actually just giving notice.

Zhencheng holds 90% of the shares; board appointments are actually things he decides on his own.

"In the subsequent development of overseas business, we may need some financing, and we will introduce two more seats, forming a nine-member board."

Meng Yanchen frowned, wanting to say something but stopping.

Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow and knew what he was thinking, "Worried about the teacher's health?"

Meng Yanchen nodded.

Chen Cheng smiled, "Don't worry, it hasn't reached the point where he can't think."

Jiang Han, Jian Yifan, and Dong Xin, who were sitting in the car together, all had a brand new understanding of the relationship between the two.

It's just that Meng Yanchen himself doesn't know that Chen Cheng is still his brother-in-law.

Ah, that's not right either; this brat also likes Xu Qin.

Tricky~

Chen Cheng restrained his smile and asked another question, "Currently, what is the real-time store count?"

"4,058; a batch has already been closed recently."

Chen Cheng praised him, "Good efficiency."

Before officially taking over, Yian already had 4,300 directly operated stores.

In other words, Meng Yanchen closed over 200 inefficient stores in just over a month.

In terms of efficiency, this is indeed quite good.

A faint smile curled at the corners of Meng Yanchen's mouth, and he didn't speak.

Jiang Han took over the conversation, "Chairman Chen, have you been to the capital before?"

"Six years ago, I came once to discuss financing with someone."

"However, I came in a rush and left in a rush."

As he said this, Chen Cheng smiled, "Come to think of it, it's been many years since I parted with the Imperial Capital."

Jiang Han: "Then you can take a good look this time."

"The scenery all over the capital is worth seeing."

"..."

Along the way, Jiang Han occasionally introduced which landmark building was which, or where the headquarters of large group companies were located.

He completely acted as a tour guide.

More than half an hour later, the motorcade arrived at the building where Yian is located.

The group went straight into the elevator and went upstairs.

Two vice presidents were waiting in the elevator hall where the main reception desk is located.

Without Chen Cheng needing to explain, Meng Yanchen was very clear that Chen Cheng does not like to make a big show.

The current situation suited Boss Chen's desire to be low-key perfectly.

Jiang Han continued to act as his guide, leading Chen Cheng on a tour of the various departments of Yian.

The employees were a bit confused, not knowing who had arrived, as the new Chairman was accompanying them and the CEO was acting as a guide.

Passing by the Marketing Department, Chen Cheng was a bit disappointed not to see Qiao Xichen.

Watching Jiang Han introduce the Marketing Department, he frowned and asked Jiang Han, "Why don't I see that General Manager Lu, who is heavily pregnant but still hasn't left the front line?"

Jian Yifan spoke up and replied, "Oh~ it's like this, Chairman Chen."

"During the Marketing Department meeting this morning, General Manager Lu's water broke. The employees of the Marketing Department immediately called 120 and sent her to the maternity hospital."

Jian Yifan said, raising his hand to check his watch, "She should have given birth by now."