Red Star News intern reporter｜Tang Jian reporter｜Lan Jing Song Xinze

Red Star News intern reporter｜Tang Jian reporter｜Blue Jing Song Xinze

Chief Editor｜Ren Zhijiang Editor｜Pan Li

Recently, debt 46 million catering entrepreneurs to sell barbecued sausages to pay off debts triggered concern. November 16, the person Tang Jian told Red Star News reporter, he was a Qingdao well-known catering enterprise Tang family old courtyard founder. The founder of the catering enterprise Tang's old courtyard, due to investment failure in 2005, accidentally plunged into the debt vortex, the name of the catering business was then dragged down, his wife also had no choice but to leave with the children.2017, in order to live, his mother to help perfume the sausage, Tang Jian himself took to the streets to sell the roasted sausage. In the process of contact with customers, he learned that the customer is most concerned about the grilled sausage meat from where to buy? Which part of the meat on the pig is used? With years of experience in catering, he decisively seized these two points, from the large supermarkets to buy pork leg meat to make grilled sausage, and publicize the purchase invoice, in order to win the trust of consumers and welcome.

Tang Jian's friend Mr. Cui told Red Star News reporter, in 2000, Tang Jian in Qingdao City to do catering business boom, and then he invested in the greening project "trapped", the money hole is getting bigger and bigger, "at first we were afraid that he could not think of it, in 2015, he went to the top of Laoshan to live for a while. Laoshan above to live for a period of time, they also think things through. Later he began to sell grilled sausages, 2020 I suggested that he try a live broadcast, develop online business. At that time he was very excited and told me that the first live broadcast sold more than 100 orders."

Mr. Xu, the head of product development for Tang Jian's team, told Red Star News that Tang Jian was indeed 46 million in debt due to a failed investment in a greening project. Mr. Xu said, "I have been working as a head chef in Tang Jian's hotel since 2011, and because of his business failure, I went to another job halfway through the year, and in 2020 I went back to Tang Jian's team to take charge of the research and development of sausage products. Last year in Qingdao, one of our grilled sausage stores could sell 1,500 to 2,000 units a day."

Tang Jian told Red Star News, "It's been on the hot search for the past two days, and some creditors have called me, hoping I'll take care of my health and do a good job in the grilled sausage business."

Tang Jian plans to build the grilled sausage business into a brand, and then set up a company to repay the debt in equity, which will be faster. He expects to pay off the debt in two or three years.

↑Picture according to Tang Jian's short video platform personal account screenshot

The following is the conversation between Red Star News and Tang Jian:

Why did you embark on the path of grilled sausage?

"Grilled sausages are popular, and consumers are willing to pay for high quality."

Red Star News: why did you get into debt of 46 million dollars in the first place?

Tang Jian: 1997 I stepped into the catering industry, founded the Qingdao Tangjia old courtyard, Langyuan bar, in the case of Tangjia old courtyard, Zibo store, Qingdao store and so on together, the most brilliant when there are 300 employees. But in 2005, I invested in a greening project, which inadvertently failed, dragging down my own catering business and plunging myself into a spiral of debt. I remember, as of December 31, 2014, all my debts add up to 46 million, including banks, suppliers, family and friends, etc **** more than 70 creditors.

At the beginning of their own fear, sometimes ten days are afraid to answer the phone, but also had a week to eat a handful of noodles. Forced by the pressure of debt, his wife also had no choice but to divorce me and leave with the children. The most difficult time, the car needs gas, and I only have more than 20 dollars left on me.

Red Star News: why did you want to live in the mountains?

Tang Jian: at that time he was very fearful, helpless, helpless, and wanted to escape. 2015 with a tent sleeping bag to the Laoshan Mountain above to live for a period of time, and even thought of jumping off a cliff to end his life. Later, he also figured out that he should take responsibility and pay off the debt.

Later I went down the mountain to face the creditors, admit the mistake, make things clear, creditors are expressed understanding, do not call debt collection, give me time and space. In the past few years, the vast majority of creditors did not call again to force me. Only on New Year's holidays, I took the initiative to send messages to creditors to express their greetings, but also to explain their situation.

Red Star News: How did you get on the road to baking sausages?

Tang Jian: 2016 I help friends planning catering, as a catering consultant, but then also did not succeed.October 2017, I really have no confidence, feel that nothing can be done, very desperate. There is no way, in order to live, my mother to help enema sausage, I muster up the courage to take to the streets to sell grilled sausages, from 10 am to 10 pm.

In the process, I realized that, in fact, grilled sausage is very popular in the market, but there is a pain point, consumers are very worried about what kind of meat the grilled sausage is made of. The two questions most customers asked over and over again at the time - where did you buy the meat? What part of the pig did you use? And I took out the seriousness of my previous restaurant business to make the kielbasa. At first, I bought meat from a nearby market pork stall, but after falling for it a few times, I chose to go to a large supermarket to buy meat, and posted invoices of purchases, which customers could see, and felt assured that there was almost no questioning of the price, and that consumers were willing to pay for high quality.

In 2020, with a friend's investment, I opened stores and a small factory, with suppliers, seasoning recipes and other quality control aspects under my control. Today, I have opened five grilled sausage stores.

Tang Jian interacted with netizens in the live broadcast

Why did you open a live broadcast of grilled sausages?

"Live broadcast is an amplifier, business may be amplified a hundred times"

Red Star News: why open live broadcast?

Tang Jian: 2020, one day the store came to a girl to buy grilled sausage, and she talked about her own experience when chatting with her, and she took a video and posted it online. A lot of people also came to my store to buy grilled sausage to show their support, in the friend suggested, I did in August 2020 live broadcast. Then I insisted on live broadcasting while grilling sausages, and the store's business is getting better and better.

Red Star News: How much do you sell in a day?

Tang Jian: Consumers' comments on our grilled sausages are relatively good, and the repurchase rate is also high. Offline, it can sell up to 3,000 yuan for 12 hours of business a day. Online, a live broadcast can sell up to 50,000 to 60,000 or even 200,000 yuan. We sell a grilled sausage for 18 yuan, excluding transportation, packaging and other costs, the gross profit is 30%. In the past, we did too much business, resulting in a lot of losses, and now I focus on doing grilled sausage, and it's enough to do this thing through.

Today my business is focused on the online live part, I intend to continue to develop live e-commerce, through the live broadcast to amplify the traditional grilled sausage business. In fact, the live broadcast is an amplifier, now I have amplified the grilled sausage business to 10 times 20 times, and there is the possibility of amplification to 100 times 200 times.

Red Star News: Have you considered opening up franchising?

Tang Jian: Our grilled sausage business will not consider franchising, in terms of merchandise, we have to grill a sausage for 25-30 minutes, and the average customer will not wait. If you bake more, no guests to come, 50 minutes after the sausage is dry; if you bake less, a lot of people all of a sudden, customers will not wait, they will leave.

In addition, looking for me to join most of the fans, see me do this business may also want to do, but they are not familiar with the sausage business, I do not want them to enter in unfamiliar territory, basically discourage them, there are 3,000 or 4,000 private letters expressed the hope of joining, I advise them not to touch easily, I really do not want to cut leeks.

Red Star News: How long is your longest live broadcast?

Tang Jian: the longest live 13 hours, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., in the grilled sausage on the platform did not come down, the whole person sweating. The flow was very large, that one live down I sold 190,000, then saw the hope, the mood is very excited, joy, do not feel tired.

What is the plan to pay off the debt?

"Make into a brand to set up a company, and then equity to pay off the debt"

Red Star News: what is your plan to pay off the debt now?

Tang Jian: After the business took off, the creditors also told me to cheer up and move up. Especially in these two hot days, they also called me, hoping that I take good care of my health and do a good job of the grilled sausage business. I plan to make the grilled sausage business into a brand, set up a company, and then pay off the debt by way of equity. Because it may take seven or eight years to pay off the debt simply by selling roasted sausages. And if you pay off the debt by way of equity, plus you and your team do business a little more solidly, you should be able to pay off the debt in two or three years.

Red Star News: Some people call you "the second Luo Yonghao", do you agree?

Tang Jian: compared with Mr. Luo Yonghao, I'm far from it, I'm far from it in all aspects, for example, his resources are much better than mine. But there is one thing, to be able to go to face the debt, to be able to personally go to do the live broadcast to pay off the debt, this aspect I am close to him.