Chapter 145: Planning a High-End Newspaper
August 12, Tsim Sha Tsui, inside the Changxing Industrial factory:
Yang Wendong sat in his office, reading Ming Pao with full concentration. His attention was glued to the latest installment of The Return of the Condor Heroes, Jin Yong's novel.
The story had reached one of its climactic moments—Yang Guo dramatically challenging Huo Du, a disciple of the Golden Wheel Monk.
With no TV dramas to watch, a well-written novel could still vividly engage the imagination. Sometimes, the mental pictures conjured by words were even more exciting than live-action.
Knock knock knock—a knock interrupted his thoughts.
Looking up, Yang saw who it was and smiled. "Old Wei, come on in."
"Mr. Yang." Wei Zetao stepped in and greeted him.
"Have a seat." Yang folded up the newspaper and asked, "Do we have the sales figures for the adhesive hooks?"
Just a few days prior, after completing preliminary testing, the hooks had entered trial sales via Zhao Chengguang's distribution network, targeting the Hong Kong market first. The idea was to get initial data, especially since lifestyle habits in Asia were fairly consistent—offering great value for reference.
Wei nodded. "Yes. Over the past seven days, across Zhao's 370 retail outlets, a total of 80,000 adhesive hooks were sold."
"80,000?" Yang did a quick calculation. "That's more than 200 units per store?"
Wei chuckled. "On average, yes. But individual store performance varied. Some poorly located shops only sold a few dozen. Others, in high-traffic areas, sold 500 to 600.
There were even wholesalers who bulk-purchased to resell in places beyond Zhao's network."
"Wholesale resellers, huh? Sharp business instincts," Yang said with a grin. "There are so many people in the Chinese community who just naturally spot opportunities."
Wei continued, "The feedback from retailers is overwhelmingly positive. Basically, if people see the product, they want to buy it—unless they're extremely poor or live in homes where the walls aren't suitable for adhesive hooks.
Shops are already placing follow-up orders. Zhao's pulled another 200,000 units from us. Payment was fast and clean."
"Expected," Yang nodded. "Adhesive hooks are even more practical than Post-its. They solve a real problem immediately, while Post-its are more about planning and organization."
In fact, had adhesive hooks not required higher upfront investment and technical skill, Yang would've launched them before Post-its. In terms of going viral, hooks had far more explosive potential.
But back then, Yang had still been a nobody. Without resources or protection, he wasn't sure he could defend the intellectual property.
Post-its, by contrast, were low-profile enough to quietly build up the business. By the time the media found out, he was already a well-established "Industrial King."
Wei continued, "With Zhao covering the local market, we can focus entirely on production.
I'm planning to push the hooks into Taiwan and Japan next. At first, we'll sell to anyone who wants them. Once the product gains traction in Asia, we can start looking for exclusive distributors."
"Sounds good," Yang nodded. "Let's follow that Asia-first strategy. We'll consider the West once we're fully established here."
Product rollout should logically move from the origin country to neighboring regions, then to distant markets. That's how proper expansion works.
Post-its had flipped that model. Back then, Yang barely managed to handle the Hong Kong market, and foreign expansion was entirely left to fate.
It was 3M that saw the opportunity and pushed the product in the U.S. As a result, current production mainly served American demand, with Europe and Japan just now starting to show interest.
Wei added, "Adhesive hooks are just as practical in those places. I'm confident they'll take off."
Yang asked, "What about the supplier outreach you mentioned before?"
"All set. Over the past month, our procurement and supplier management teams visited 23 reputable plastic factories. Thirteen met our standards.
We've ordered 30 molds and distributed them among those 13 companies. If they all go into production, we'll get about 500,000 to 600,000 hooks per day. Our own factory can do 300,000 daily."
"Almost a million a day? That's more than enough for now," Yang said. "Channel growth is exponential. It'll be slow at first, but we need to prepare for rapid expansion."
Having money really did make things easier. A quick cash injection could boost capacity almost instantly.
Wei nodded. "Once orders increase, we can ask suppliers to scale up. These factories are experienced. Give them orders, and they'll expand production immediately.
We couldn't do that ourselves—it would take too long."
Yang said, "Exactly. Our focus should be on market strategy, R&D, adhesive technology, and batch tracking for production and warehousing. That alone is enough to make your head spin.
Injection molding isn't our strong suit. Let's not burn energy on it. Our equipment should be reserved for testing and early-stage production of new products."
Plastic had too many applications. With more funds, Yang could roll out several new products. Even building one new factory a month wouldn't meet the demand for plastic components.
Leveraging Hong Kong's mature plastics industry for mass production was a no-brainer.
"Got it," Wei replied. Then he added, "By the way, Mr. Yang, we've started getting overseas Rubik's Cube orders—mainly from that client we met in New York.
Lin Youtin has also been testing a direct-sales model at American universities. Last week, we received an order for 35,000 units."
"Good. Just keep an eye on it. Let the Rubik's Cube grow on its own for a while," Yang said. "Once our funds are more abundant and the product gains traction, we can push harder."
Compared to hooks, Post-its, spin mops, or even the future suitcase project, the Rubik's Cube was a long-term play.
It wouldn't blow up overnight. After his initial promotional push, Yang was content to let it grow organically. Occasionally, he'd give it a nudge.
"Understood," Wei said. "Also, regarding the headhunting job you assigned me—we found someone. His name is Qin Zhiye.
He started at Nanyang Siang Pau in Malaysia, then spent ten years at Ta Kung Pao here in Hong Kong. He's been in journalism most of his life and fits all your criteria."
"Oh?" Yang perked up. "Why'd he leave Ta Kung Pao?"
"Apparently there's a faction struggle within the paper. Qin didn't want to get involved—he just wanted to do his job. I didn't dig further since it's a sensitive topic."
"You did the right thing," Yang said. "I'll try to avoid getting entangled in those three factions too."
The so-called "three factions" referred to Left, Center, and Right. In Hong Kong's media world, you couldn't avoid political leanings—but you could stay vague, play both sides.
Even tycoons and celebrities weren't immune to the political divide.
Wei asked, "When should I invite him to the office?"
"In the next few days. I'll be here anyway. Let him pick the time," Yang said.
—
August 15, outside the Changxing Industrial compound:
A middle-aged man in his mid-forties stepped out of a car. A woman accompanied him.
"Mr. Qin, this is the main entrance of Changxing Industrial," the woman explained.
Looking at the crowd outside, Qin Zhiye asked curiously, "Why are there so many people here?"
"They're all job seekers," she said. "Changxing offers some of the best wages and benefits in the area. Their work meals are better than what dockworkers get. Every three months they even hand out gifts.
Add all that up, and it's no wonder people are lining up."
"I see." Qin nodded. "I've heard that Mr. Yang, the Post-it King, started from poverty—and treats his staff really well."
"It's all true," the woman said. "I've worked with many companies, but none treat their regular employees better than Mr. Yang."
Qin smiled. "He sounds like a boss worth working for."
She grinned. "Then let me wish you good luck. Shall we head in?"
"Let's." Qin nodded, then looked around again at the hundred-plus people nearby. Their faces showed hope and nervous anticipation.
In all his years in media, he hadn't seen that expression at other factories—only weariness and resignation.
They took the elevator to the sixth floor and met Wei Zetao, who brought them to Yang Wendong's office.
"Mr. Yang, this is Mr. Qin Zhiye," Wei said, smiling.
Yang stood to greet them. "Mr. Qin, welcome. Please, have a seat."
"Thank you, Mr. Yang." The group settled onto a couch as a secretary served tea.
After some small talk, Wei and the headhunter stepped out, and the interview began.
Yang asked his first question: "Mr. Qin, Hong Kong's newspaper industry has been competitive for decades. What do you think it would take for a new paper to break in and succeed?"
Qin responded, "Mr. Yang, are you aiming for a high-end or general audience?"
"What's the difference?" Yang asked.
Qin explained, "High-end targets professionals in Central and wealthier districts. General circulation targets everyone else—it's the budget-friendly model.
The business models and distribution strategies differ. Most Hong Kong papers choose one path. It's hard to do both.
Alternatively, you could launch two different papers."
Yang considered it. "Let's start with high-end. We can explore general circulation later."
Qin nodded. "If that's the case, I do have one idea—though it would require a larger investment."
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