Chapter 216: I’m not afraid of competition—the bad stuff won’t sell anyway.

Chapter 216: I’m not afraid of competition—the bad stuff won’t sell anyway.

Xiao Lu’s transfer came through quickly. The bosses likely knew Su Taotao was short-staffed, so they didn’t hesitate to let him go.

So Xiao Lu—now Assistant Lu—on the first day of his transfer, headed straight to Dong Shengping’s office to check in.

Even Ping An gave him a second glance.

After he arrived, Su Taotao breathed easier, handing off as much work as she could to him.

Besides handing out candy to Old Gao, Su Taotao immediately had him apply for a phone line installation. They were sharing a line with the canteen, which wasn’t ideal, especially with business picking up.

He also helped Auntie Zhong kick off the hiring process.

Xia Zhiqiu whipped up the budget sheet and handed it over to Su Taotao.

As Xia Zhiqiu mentioned, the cash on hand would barely cover payroll by the end of the month, so they needed to drum up more income fast.

Su Taotao hit up a few sister units, asking if they could receive the goods earlier. With orders piling up, the warehouse was packed, and shipping would take some time. Shipping early could avoid any hiccups that might cause them to miss the holiday season.

Truth be told, Su Taotao didn’t want to hit up the bosses for cash, so she changed her approach, trying to get some advance payment to keep things running smoothly.

Su Taotao had a knack for reading people.

Or perhaps, in those days, most people didn’t have so many convoluted thoughts.

Xiao Lu, with his endless schemes, was a rare breed.

Several sister units agreed on the spot and even offered upfront payments.

Back then, goods were hard to come by, and everyone was eager to secure good products in advance.

Moreover, most food packaging at the time was quite plain. Wrapping things in oil paper was the norm.

Normally, this wasn’t a big deal, but when Su Taotao’s products were placed side by side with others, the difference was stark.

The packaging looked great, and the taste lived up to it—it was a clear winner.

After a leader brought some coconut candy home for their family to try, they instantly wanted to order this coconut candy as a holiday gift. It was unique, delicious, and would really impress people. They asked Su Taotao if she could still take orders.

Since the recruitment process wasn’t fully settled, Su Taotao couldn’t assess the exact production capacity and didn’t dare to promise anything outright. She took their info and said she’d reach out to them directly.

The leaders from the sister units gave Su Taotao several contacts on the spot.

They even specifically requested that if possible, priority should be given to their family members. They’d been bugged about it for days, and fortunately, Su Taotao called them about this today.

And just like that, potential customers emerged.

This was actually Su Taotao’s original intention when starting the factory—to build a brand, establish a reputation, cultivate repeat customers, and become a time-honored name.

What Su Taotao didn’t know was that this leader, in their excitement, couldn’t help but call other sister unit leaders to boast.

Coincidentally, these other sister units weren’t on Su Taotao’s "friendly" list.

In the following days, Su Taotao was flooded with calls until her voice gave out. She had to explain repeatedly that their current production capacity was indeed stretched thin, but if they could manage it, they would contact them as soon as possible.

Old Gao also called Su Taotao, thanking her profusely and asking if he could place an order. He wanted to give the workers some more benefits, and his relatives, after trying the candy at his home, also wanted to use it as a welfare benefit for their unit.

At the same time, Su Taotao received a call from the Qinglian County Supply and Marketing Cooperative expressing their interest in placing an order.

Customers referred by Director Chen also called to place orders.

Su Taotao expected the product to do well, but she never imagined it would be this huge.

The repurchase and referral rates were nearly 100%.

With no competitors in the market, good products practically sold themselves.

Even Su Taotao, who’d seen her share of 21st-century business dramas, was caught off guard.

Business was a breeze these days!

As Su Taotao was figuring out how to boost production and market the brand, the Vice Dean called.

He asked if she could come to the base the next morning to discuss something in person.

Su Taotao also wanted to update him on her progress.

With her driver’s license, it was easy to drive over, so she went straight there.

As soon as Su Taotao walked into the Vice Dean’s office, before she could even take a sip of water, he cut to the chase: "Little Su, my office phone’s been ringing nonstop with calls from leaders at sister units..."

Su Taotao cleared her dry, scratchy throat: "Leader, mind if I grab some water first? My phone and throat are fried from all the calls."

With that, she grabbed her water bottle and chugged.

The Vice Dean’s glasses nearly slipped off—was she a camel?

After drinking, Su Taotao caught her breath and said, "Leader, you see the factory’s current capacity. We’re swamped with orders.

I know it’s a good product, but I didn’t expect it to be this in-demand—like one daughter and a hundred suitors."

The Vice Dean: "..." Is that even the right phrase?

"What if the base backs you fully to expand production?"

Su Taotao said, "Director Zhong’s already hiring, but the family member area’s labor pool is small. Even if we hire everyone, how much can we really boost productivity?"

The Vice Dean got straight to the point: "Director Su, you’re hands down the youngest, most driven, and most impressive director I’ve seen in decades."

Su Taotao blinked—wasn’t this praise a little much? Coming from such a no-nonsense old-timer, it felt off.

The Vice Dean seemed to know what Su Taotao was thinking: "You think just because supplies are short, any food product can sell like this? Do you know how many affiliated food factories the base has seen go under?"

Su Taotao shook her head: "I don’t know or care how others’ products are selling or how they run their factories. I believe in what I’m making.

But like I’ve said, this product’s not technically complex.

Once fructose factories in coconut regions taste it, they’ll copy it fast. I just got the jump on them, which is why we’re blowing up now."

The Vice Dean nodded: "You’re right. What’s your next play?"

Su Taotao said, "Did the Vice Dean not read my proposal? I know at least a few ways to make coconut candy, and I can make candies from other tropical fruits too.

Originally, I planned to skip the local market and export coconut candy to non-coconut regions to build the brand early. Without raw materials, they can’t make similar products, which extends the product’s life."

The Vice Dean asked, "And now? Still on that plan?"

Su Taotao shook her head: "No, since it’s passed the market test, I’m not worried about competition. The worse product won’t sell."

Su Taotao leaned in closer and made a money gesture: "Vice Dean, level with me. How much funding can you approve? How much land can you allocate? I need to figure out how big a factory to build and how much market share to grab."

The Vice Dean: "..." Wasn’t that his line? Something felt backwards.