Liu Xin, Chairman of Little Potato, is now a member of China Chain Store Management Association and China Cuisine Association. The national chain has reached 107 stores throughout the ten provinces and regions (Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jiangsu, Shaanxi), two cities (Beijing, Tianjin), a special zone (Shenzhen), the chain now has more than 3,000 employees. The slogan of Little Potato Catering Co., Ltd. is: to be the McDonald's of China. "Small potato" pickles series loved by the majority of consumers, has become a local flavor characteristics of food, was awarded by the Domestic Trade Bureau, "China's famous dishes" title. "Small potato" trademark this intangible asset 98 years by the Beijing Asia intangible assets appraisal firm assessed the value of 156.73 million yuan.
How can a small laid-off worker make "small potatoes" bigger and become a billionaire?
Small potatoes were born
In 1989, Shenyang City Fuel Company 24-year-old stevedore Liu Xin "unfortunately" laid off. He has become a family in order to make ends meet, welded a "backward donkey", in the market to sell vegetables, sell fish, transport clothing. Two years later, he saved 7,000 yuan, and his wife, Jin Xiuyi began to do business in the clothing business, and soon switched to the fruit business, but after a few months of tossing and turning, and did not earn money. As Liu Xin is "cooking", Jin Xiuyi also learned to do small pickles with her mother from childhood, and finally, they discussed the decision to open a small restaurant. In this way, Mr. and Mrs. Liu Xin poured out everything they had and opened a cold noodle shop on Taiyuan Street. But less than a year, they not only put the investment of 7,000 yuan all lost in, but also owed a lot of foreign debt.
In order to pay off the debt, Liu Xin had to go back to his old job, and pedaled on a tricycle, selling vegetables, fish, watermelons everywhere ...... But Liu Xin did not give up the idea of reopening the hotel, he has been thinking: others can do, why would I lose? In the delivery of vegetables, he began to painstakingly and all kinds of hotel owners to get close to the set of business. In the gradual learning and accumulation, Liu Xin found a law: where there are business characteristics of the hotel, business is very good, and business is not good store, most of the characteristics, no own main product features! He decided to return to Taiyuan Street restaurant. Liu Xin looked favorably on the Taiyuan Street 11 house. This is a boss in Heilongjiang opened the restaurant, he was anxious to return home. Liu Xin used his parents left him to live in the house as collateral, the restaurant down. After that, he borrowed and scraped together 3,000 yuan, hired a few people, painted the walls, purchased four tables, the name of this small cold noodle store Lin Yuan snack store opened, it is affordable, clean, warm attracted customers from all directions.
One day, Liu Xin was walking on Taiyuan Street when he heard two people walking in front of him say, "Go to Lin Yuan to eat small potatoes." Liu Xin opened a cold noodle store, but they said to eat small potatoes, which gave Liu Xin a great inspiration. He knew that his "small potatoes" were very popular. The next day, Liu Xin changed the name of Lin Yuan Cold Noodle Shop to "Little Potato" Soy Sauce Restaurant. Small potatoes are a specialty of the Northeast region, which are much smaller than normal potatoes, while the fragrance and nutritional value of potatoes are much higher than large potatoes. Because of this variety of production, there are many people planting, careful Liu Xin discernment, immediately aimed at it. Liu Xin traveled around to study, collect folk cooking small potatoes technology, rough and fine, carefully thought out, then the use of a variety of medicinal herbs to prepare their own research stewed small potatoes juice, and add into the soy sauce, pork, cilantro and other stewed. The "small potatoes" dish has both the characteristics of the Northeast big bowl dishes, taste and absolutely delicious in the Northeast big bowl dishes.
A big bowl of "small potatoes" costs 10 yuan, plus two large rolls for 2 yuan, enough for two people to eat a meal. The dish was a hit when it was first introduced, and was warmly welcomed by the people, often appearing guests standing outside the store waiting for the table dining scene. Later, Liu Xin to small potatoes as a leading pickles, selection of people's daily life often eat vegetables as the main material, highlighting the color and taste thick, salt and aroma of the characteristics of the mouth, the use of sauce, stew, mix, fry and other cooking methods, produced five categories of 150 varieties of small potatoes pickles series of varieties of dishes. "Small potatoes" fascinated all the customers, there is such a mantra: "delicious to eat enough, Shenyang small potatoes." For a time, small potatoes food popular in Shenyang, business is booming. Less than two years, Liu Xin earned more than a million assets.
Small potato big brand
In 1995, due to the planting of small potato profit is too small, and small potato survival rate is lower than the general large potatoes, some farmers have reversed to start planting large potatoes, Liu Xin's hotel all of a sudden lack of supplies, facing the danger of closure.
Then, friends and family advised Liu Xin: "You have earned a lot of money, simply close the store and go home to live a good life." But Liu Xin does not think so, from the fight dry on the "small potatoes" from the day, he has a dream: to make the small potatoes, let it to the country, to the world ...... Liu Xin decided to invest in their own planting of small potatoes. His idea attracted the opposition of everyone, including his wife. They think he did that too risky, in case of planting failure, will be hard earned family all lost in. But Liu Xin iron heart, he brought 1 million, came to Tieling and other places to invest in planting small potatoes, the first planting failed, lost nearly 50 million.
But Liu Xin did not stop there, he temporarily gave up planting, and the relevant scientific research departments to work closely with the scientific research of small potato planting methods. Six months later, Liu Xin invested more than 100 million yuan in Shenyang, Tieling and other places to support the planting and development of small potatoes. Subsequently nearly half a year, Liu Xin stayed in the ground every day to observe the growth of small potatoes. The sky is the limit, this time it worked. Small potatoes grow like bamboo shoots, local farmers and Liu Xin realized a win-win situation. Liu Xin rely on "small potatoes" soon earned big money, two years down the line, he has accumulated a strong capital. 1996, Liu Xin spent 6 million yuan to buy the south end of Taiyuan Street, one to four-story building, invested 4 million yuan to purchase equipment and decoration, so that a unique "Shenyang small potatoes food "plaque hanging in the south end of Taiyuan Street, Shenyang City, become a striking landscape. However, "small potatoes" is famous, the ghosts came.
At one time, the city appeared more than a dozen "small potatoes", in order to ensure their legitimate rights and interests and consumer rights and interests are not infringed upon, Liu Xin decided to create their own painstaking efforts to apply for national trademark registration of the food store. 1997, the country's first case of the name of the catering registered trademark certificate, with the People's Republic of China **** and State Trademark Administration of the trademark seal, flew from Beijing to Liu Xin side, for the small potatoes pickled vegetables food city added endless splendor and a thousand times the value of the July 1997, Shenyang City, small potatoes catering company limited was formally established. In order to make the "small potatoes" brand enduring, Liu Xin from the selection of materials, with science, processing and other aspects of strict quality control, but also [FS:PAGE] often personally go down to visit. It is relying on such a good faith, "small potatoes" gradually fame revitalization, not only in Shenyang's business is getting red-hot, day in and day out, people outside the province have gathered in Shenyang, want to learn "small potatoes" production technology. Liu Xin and opened a few branches in the northeast, each business is booming.
Do China's "McDonald's" with the increasingly fierce competition in the market, Liu Xin decided to learn from the modern operation of chain stores, so that the flavor of small potatoes to the country. Liu new to open a chain of stores in the country the idea of a proposed, was met with a piece of opposition, followed by Liu new for many years, the master advised Liu new: "small potato series is the Northeast cuisine, the South is not accustomed to eating, and now more than enough hotels around the world, we are still good to play the market in the Northeast, do not go out and take risks." Liu Xin's wife also advised him: "We have worked so hard for so many years, the enjoyment of life, do not go out again, in case of loss can do?" But Liu Xin determined to go to Guannei to open up virgin land, the introduction of small potatoes. Liu Xin brought 1 million, leading a few "elite soldiers" first came to Shandong.
Liu Xin bought a hotel in Jinan City, a busy area, after more than a month of decoration, equipment, "small potatoes" finally debuted in Shandong. Although before this Liu Xin has done a lot of local publicity, but the local residents simply do not recognize the "small potatoes", the opening day, the restaurant in front of the cold and quiet, a day down, turnover is less than 200 yuan. Liu Xin did not get discouraged, in order to open up the market in Quancheng, he categorically played: "Shenyang small potatoes settled in Shandong, please people in Quancheng free tasting three days," the sign, a free tasting sign hung out, attracted a lot of people to come to "taste", this taste on Taste the hall of fame. After three days, many people in Shandong specifically pay to eat small potatoes in the store. "Shenyang small potatoes" delicious news soon spread in Jinan, some curious Shandong people have traveled to taste Shenyang's "small potatoes". For a time, "small potatoes" and hot springs. After the success of the store in Shandong, just two years, Liu Xin used his shrewd mind and strong work ethic, and opened a few outlets outside the province, and each red-hot, a time to find Liu Xin asked for cooperation with many investors.
From 1999, Shenyang City, small potato catering company limited in Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Shenzhen, Jiangsu and other places of the branch has opened for business, and now in the country has developed 131 chain stores. North to Heilongjiang, south to Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, people can taste the authentic Shenyang small potatoes food. However, Liu Xin is not satisfied with the results achieved, he began to higher goals. In the Shenyang small potatoes chain group franchise owners meeting, Liu Xin put forward "to do China's catering industry McDonald's" slogan, it seems that he has made up his mind to the development of this private enterprise by the husband and wife store converted into a joint-stock cooperative system of operation, the transformation of the transformation of the skin and bones.