8: Chapter 8 Rules for Renting a Storefront

The two strolled down the street, and Zhang Menglu excitedly pointed at a shop, shouting,

"This one is right by the road, and there’s a storefront for rent."

Chen Hao pointed at the landscape with high spirits.

"Observe carefully. The narrower the sidewalk, the faster people walk, and the faster the shops close down. Almost all the shops here have no business. Walking along, I saw several places posting 'Prime Shop For Sublease.' If you rent one, you'll definitely lose money."

After walking a stretch, they spotted a shop under renovation.

Chen Hao immediately stated,

"See this shop? It has steps at the entrance. Every step means a 20% loss in customer flow. This shop under renovation has five steps. I can only wish the owner great prosperity."

After walking a bit more, Chen Hao pointed at an entire street.

"A street over 10 meters long must be divided into Yin and Yang Streets. The rent on both sides is similar, but the business is vastly different."

"Look, the shops on this row on the Yang Street are thriving. Look across the street—it's all shops for sublease."

"No matter what business you do, you must choose the Yang Street, or you'll lose everything down to your underwear."

Zhang Menglu was full of emotion.

"Wow, there are so many details to consider. I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me."

After walking a while longer, Chen Hao suddenly pointed at a shop.

"Look at this shop. It's sandwiched between two large buildings. The storefront is less than 2.5 meters wide. The door curtain is narrow, but the depth is long. The first floor is small, and the second floor is large. This kind of shop is called a 'Coffin Shop.' I wouldn't rent it even if you paid me."

They continued strolling and wandering until they reached Chuhe Hanjie, a very famous pedestrian street in Jiangcheng.

Chen Hao explained as they wandered,

"Golden Corner, Silver Edge, Trash Waist—never take a shop in a dead corner."

"A storefront at a street intersection corner is the 'Golden Corner,' a prime location. Wealth flows from all four directions, and energy gathers from all eight; it will absolutely never lack customer flow."

"The shops on either side of the Golden Corner are the 'Silver Edge' shops, the next best locations. Shops in the middle-back section of the entire street, far from the intersection, are called the 'Trash Waist.' If you rent a Trash Waist, even a mountain of gold and silver won't cover your losses."

Chuhe Hanjie has many large shopping malls, and the two entered one by chance.

As they rode the escalator upstairs, Zhang Menglu linked her arm through Chen Hao’s and asked,

"What about the mall? Can I rent space in a mall?"

Chen Hao immediately refused.

"You had better not rent in a mall, because malls have too many rules and too many brands. Even in a mall with great business, if you rent there, you can only survive, not truly live."

While browsing the mall, the two acted like an intimate couple, wandering everywhere. Chen Hao even bought her a few brand-name clothes, which looked great on her, making her very happy.

"Thank you."

In her excitement, she even kissed Chen Hao on the cheek.

A sales associate whispered privately,

"Sir, your girlfriend is truly beautiful."

Chen Hao smiled but said nothing.

After leaving the mall, as dusk approached, the two ambled back.

"Don't rent in a newly developed residential area. When choosing a shop near a residential area, you must check the occupancy rate. Only rent if the rate exceeds 60%, and you must visit once in the morning and once in the evening before signing the lease."

"You need to see how many lights are on upstairs; otherwise, you won't even know how you went bankrupt."

Just as they were about to walk back to the night market, Chen Hao remarked,

"As for underground commercial streets or 'Never-Night Cities,' try not to rent them. If you do, chances are it's a ghost town."

"Look, it's dinner time, and there are barely any customers. Energy doesn't gather here from all directions. If you rent there, you’ll lose your underwear."

After touring all afternoon, Zhang Menglu felt she had learned so much. Linking her arm through Chen Hao’s, she praised him effusively.

"Wow, you know so much! I think you’d be better suited to sell houses or become a real estate agent."

"I will."

Chen Hao replied.

"In a few days, after your new shop opens and your customer base stabilizes, I'll go work as an agent for a month."

Zhang Menglu was stunned.

"You're really going to sell houses?"

Chen Hao whispered as they walked.

"I'm not going to sell; I'm going to buy. I need to infiltrate the sales team first to know which residential projects offer better value. That way, the house I buy won't be a loss."

"Moreover, with my ability, if I don't make one month's salary plus bonuses, commission, and the internal employee discount to buy a house at a 50% discount with full payment, then I, Chen Hao, am incompetent."

"Wow, you're so capable! Once you buy a house, can I be your tenant?"

"Of course, you can."

The two entered the night market, chatting and laughing.

Just as they started setting up their stall for business, they saw several other stalls already displaying signs for a 'Sock Ripping Challenge.'

"They're copying us!"

Zhang Menglu was furious. The marketing model she had just learned yesterday was copied today. She was counting on paying off her loan; this wouldn't do.

She was about to go up and argue angrily, but Chen Hao stopped her.

"Commercial competition is normal. Business models are fixed; as long as you aren't stupid, you can learn it easily."

Zhang Menglu’s face darkened.

"I just started getting somewhere, and they are all using this marketing model. What if I stop making money?"

She was so anxious she was almost crying, but Chen Hao ignored her, pulling her along as he spoke.

"It's fine. They can only learn the surface; they can't grasp the essence."

"Doing business relies not on being static; on the contrary, you must learn to be flexible. I'll change it slightly for you, and I guarantee your sales will still crush all of them."

"Tell me quickly! What are we going to do?"

Chen Hao patted her on the rear.

"Go get the stockings quickly and set up for opening. If we wait any longer, we won't even catch the tail end of the action."

"Oh."

She scurried off toward the shop.

Chen Hao turned his head toward a one-yuan store, darted in, and bought a stack of red envelopes, some paper, and a pen.

He first went to the empty stocking stall, cut the writing paper into small pieces, and wrote various words on them.

When Zhang Menglu pushed the cart over with all the stockings, she asked curiously,

"What are you writing?"

"Writing 'Surprise.'"

Zhang Menglu was responsible for setting up the stockings, and Chen Hao was in charge of planning. The setup was quickly finished, and the stall opened.

The brand-new sign read: Buy Stockings, Get a Surprise!

The word 'Surprise' was especially conspicuous!

While Zhang Menglu was setting up the area, Chen Hao specifically instructed her to leave one wall free for pasting red envelopes.

As people started arriving, there was a steady flow, but not a single customer patronized them.

Zhang Menglu grew impatient, anxiety clearly visible on her face.

Chen Hao, however, remained unhurried. Seeing a Female Customer walking by, Chen Hao immediately seized the opportunity.

"Miss, buying stockings? Our shop has a promotion today: Buy stockings and get a surprise. Want to try?"

The customer asked doubtfully,

"What surprise?"

Chen Hao casually pointed.

"See the wall full of red envelopes? If you buy one pair of stockings, you can draw a red envelope, which contains various surprises."

"Are there cash prizes in the red envelopes?"

"Of course!"

Chen Hao replied decisively.

"There are cash envelopes for one yuan, five yuan, ten yuan, and the largest prize is one thousand yuan!"

"Really? What kind of trick is this?"