Chapter 2291
It will naturally not be an easy task to find a suitable place to open an academy in an unfamiliar place like Guangzhou. Even with the help of Fu Ruifeng, Zhang Jinbao does not expect to be able to find a suitable place with all the conditions soon. Very desirable property. And the actual situation is indeed like this. I looked at several places this day, and there are all kinds of problems. There is no target that can make Zhang Jinbao happy.
Zhang Jinbao had to admit that his choices were limited to a large extent by the prices of these properties. In places with better conditions, the housing prices were ridiculously high, making it impossible for him to afford them. The cheaper places are either far away from Guangzhou city or require large-scale renovations, and there are still a lot of hidden costs.
Gan Wei also saw that Zhang Jinbao's budget was limited. If it were anyone else, he would suggest that Zhang Jinbao lower his requirements and choose a house with slightly inferior conditions. However, Zhang Jinbao had some special requirements for the scale and structure of the academy. It was not for living alone and any house could be used. Therefore, Gan Wei could not provide him with many goals.
"Master Zhang, I'm not complaining, but you have so many requirements for a house. To be honest, there are probably not many places in Guangzhou that can satisfy you. At most, in a day or two, the conditions inside and outside Guangzhou will That’s quite a house,” Gan Wei kindly reminded him when he said goodbye to Zhang Jinbao at the end of the day.
Zhang Jinbao expressed his gratitude to Gan Wei, but he was not in a hurry. He knew that he still had a way out. Li Nai had told him before that if he could not find a suitable place in Guangzhou, he could consider using the property under the Li family's name. . Although he hasn't done any on-site inspection yet, he thought that Li Nai had done an on-site inspection at Qiongxi Academy before, and they had communicated many times regarding the site selection requirements for the branch. Presumably, the real estate that Li Nai actively recommended would have the same conditions. It is more suitable for the requirements of opening a branch.
Of course, Zhang Jinbao would not let Gan Wei's work go in vain. Before leaving, he rewarded the other party with two ingots of broken silver. Gan Wei left with a smile and a lot of gratitude.
Zhang Jinbao returned to his residence, only to find a guest visiting him. The visitor was a middle-aged man in his thirties, who looked quite capable. Zhang Jinbao was guessing whether the other party was from the Guangdong Office, but the man had already introduced his identity: "This is Guo Huan, the person in charge of the local branch of Haihan Bank. I'm here uninvited. I hope Dean Zhang can forgive me!"
Zhang Jinbao was a little confused when he heard that the other party was actually from the bank. He didn't understand why the other party would take the initiative to visit him. However, he knew that Haihan Bank was actually a state-owned bank with great strength, and the people who could hold senior positions in it were almost all apprentices taught by senior officials of Haihan, and their status might be more popular with senior officials than ordinary officials. of trust.
Zhang Jinbao did not dare to neglect, and invited Guo Huan to sit down in the study. He was served hot tea, and then he asked tactfully the purpose of his visit.
Guo Huan did not try to hide it, and asked straight to the point: "I heard that President Zhang came to Guangzhou this time to inspect the place and open a branch here in Guangzhou?"
"Shopkeeper Guo is well-informed... Indeed, I plan to open a branch in Guangzhou, but this matter is still in the preparatory stage." Zhang Jinbao didn't know where Guo Huan got the information from, but since the other party was a semi-official person, Since he is one of his own, there is no need to conceal the purpose of this trip.
Guo Huan smiled and said: "Dean Zhang may be curious about where I got the news from. In fact, to be honest, it's not surprising at all. My brother-in-law works under Mayor Zhang of Danzhou, so I have no idea about Qiongxi Academy." I also understand the current situation. I came to visit Dean Zhang today mainly to find out whether there is sufficient funds for opening the Guangzhou branch. If there is anything I can do to help, please don't be polite. .”
After Zhang Jinbao heard his explanation, he understood the whole story and realized that Guo Huan was here to promote loan business.
Although Zhang Jinbao was short of money, he had not considered borrowing money from the bank before because borrowing money required collateral, and the most valuable thing he had was Qiongxi Academy. Zhang Jinbao believed that using this as collateral to borrow money to open a branch hospital, if something went wrong in the middle, both ends might be lost. This risk was too great, so he excluded the loan from the plan from the beginning. In addition, it is seeking to cooperate with Furifeng, hoping to reduce the start-up phase expenses through such means.
But I didn't expect that the people at this bank were quite proactive. They actually came to seek cooperation after receiving the news. The news was transmitted from Danzhou to Guangzhou very efficiently. Zhang Jinbao guessed that it was transmitted by telegram, which allowed Guo Huan to take action so quickly.
"That's really a big deal, Shopkeeper Guo!" Although Zhang Jinbao had some opinions on this matter in his heart, he didn't show it at all on the surface. He was still smiling, but he didn't mention whether he wanted to borrow money from the bank.
Guo Huan continued: "Dean Zhang, to open an academy in Guangzhou, the initial cost is quite high. If you find an outsider to cooperate, you will only have to exchange part of the academy's operating rights, which may affect the academy's future. Stable. Instead of this, it is better to borrow money from Haihan Bank, and you can get a large amount of funds by paying very low interest, and the repayment time can be extended to ten or eight years according to the operating conditions of the academy. , the academy is still in your hands from beginning to end, and there will be no hidden dangers in the future due to the current funding gap. ”
I have to say that Zhang Jinbao was still slightly moved after listening to Guo Huan's words. The cooperative school-running plan he discussed with Li Nai will of course require Furifeng to bear part of the initial start-up costs. Whether it is direct payment or the real estate needed for the academy, the discount will be counted as Furifeng's shares. In return, in addition to offering some professional subjects required by Fulifeng in the Guangzhou branch and cultivating talents for it, Fulifeng can of course also participate in the daily operations of the college.
Zhang Jinbao is not 100% sure whether this type of cooperation will affect the ownership and daily operations of the academy. If Li Nai or Furui Feng intends to enter the cultural and educational industry, then this cooperation project with Qiongxi Academy is probably an excellent entry point. Maybe in the future, they will spend another sum of money to bring the Guangzhou branch to Furui College. It is also possible to have a good name.
Of course, risks and benefits coexist during the implementation of this project. Lin Nai will not ask for collateral from Jonesey College, and the funds or real estate he has invested do not need to be repaid by Jonesy College. Based on this calculation, Zhang Jinbao can save at least tens of thousands of start-up capital, and this amount of money is very likely to be equivalent to the total income of the branch in the first few years of operation.
Zhang Jinbao pondered: "Then I wonder how much credit shopkeeper Guo can give me if I want to borrow money from the bank?"
Guo Huandao: "For people like Dean Zhang who have assets in China, the amount is definitely easy to negotiate. It just depends on how much you need to borrow!"
Seeing that he spoke easily, Zhang Jinbao immediately asked tentatively: "Can I borrow one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand?" "I can borrow more." Guo Huan responded with certainty: "Dean Zhang, you Don't underestimate your credit. A very important reason why Fulifeng is willing to cooperate with you is because of the good reputation you and Qiongxi Academy have. Of course, this is also the reason why I took the initiative to visit you. ”
Zhang Jinbao said: "But credit cannot be spent directly as money! If you want to borrow money from a bank and you can't prove it, then you have to use other things as collateral, right?"
Guo Huan nodded and said: "This is the bank's rule. I believe Dean Zhang can understand it."
Zhang Jinbao said: "But apart from Qiongxi Academy, I don't have any valuable property, but if I want to mortgage Qiongxi Academy, to be honest, I really don't dare to take this risk."
Guo Huan said: "Dean Zhang, as long as you continue to operate Qiongxi Academy, you don't have to worry about any risks. As I said just now, the interest can be kept to the lowest for you, and the money can be paid back slowly. No need Urgent. After ten or eight years, you may have opened several branches. Qiongxi Academy has already been worth a hundred times, so what does it mean to borrow money?”
Zhang Jinbao would definitely be lying if he said that he was not moved. Guo Huan's suggestion was actually very tempting. Of course, he also hoped that Qiongxi Academy would be in his hands from beginning to end and that he would have the final say, but in his heart he still There are some concerns.
Zhang Jinbao said: "Shopkeeper Guo, please forgive me, if I borrow this money from the bank in the name of Qiongxi Academy, will it be of any benefit to you personally? What I mean is... benefits other than money."
Zhang Jinbao saw Guo Huan working so hard to promote this matter, and he always felt that the other party had some agenda, and it was not just to get a commission from this business. Since there was no third person present, he simply asked his doubts. If this question cannot be answered, he will always feel that it is inappropriate to borrow money from the bank.
Guo Huan was silent for a while after hearing this, as if he was weighing how to respond to this question. Zhang Jinbao did not rush him, but quietly waited for the other party's answer.
Guo Huan finally said: "I heard that Qiongxi Academy also offers a financial discipline that has only emerged in recent years. Then Dean Zhang must know something about the operation of banks. If banks want to make profits, they have to borrow money. Just go out. There is no need to explain the principle below, right?”
Zhang Jinbao nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Guo Huan's words. The operation of Haihan Bank is actually very similar to that of banks in the past. They all make profits by lending money and earning interest. This principle is basically known to everyone.
Guo Huan continued: "The users of Haihan Bank are of course mainly Chinese businessmen, but when they come to Guangzhou to engage in trading activities, they rarely make large investments here. At most, they only deposit, deposit and withdraw money to settle payments. , and this will not generate much profit for the bank. If the money in the vault cannot be borrowed, the bank is operating at a loss. If it keeps losing money, it is because of poor management. Then this should be the main reason.”
When Zhang Jinbao heard this, he already roughly understood Guo Huan's situation. To put it bluntly, the branch opened by Haihan Bank in Guangzhou usually didn't get much loan business, so the bank couldn't make a profit, and Guo Huan, as the person in charge, was naturally to blame. The most effective way for him to change this situation is of course to contact customers to get loans from banks. Compared with local Ming merchants, it is obviously easier to persuade businessmen from Haihan.
But there is a premise, which is to first confirm that the target has the intention to invest in Guangzhou and conduct long-term operations. In fact, there are quite a few Haihan businessmen who have this intention. The number of people who buy houses and open shops in Guangzhou increases every year. But the problem is that most of the businessmen who cross the sea to do business in Guangzhou are strong and do not need to borrow money to operate, so it is not easy for Guo Huan to find a suitable partner.
However, this time he learned in advance through his own news channels that Zhang Jinbao planned to come to Guangzhou to open an academy, and he keenly felt that this might be a potential customer. In this era, academies were already in the business of high investment and low output, and Qiongxi Academy was said to have proactively contacted Fulifeng to seek cooperation. This was obviously a sign of lack of money.
A big project, lack of money, and coming from Haihan. The combination of these factors made Guo Huan a perfect target. So he specially arranged in advance for people to watch Furifeng's dock on the bank of the Pearl River, waiting for Zhang Jinbao's arrival. After confirming Zhang Jinbao's residence, Guo Huan took the initiative to visit him.
Zhang Jinbao said: "But even if I borrow money from Shopkeeper Guo, the amount is limited after all, and I'm afraid it won't be enough to change the operating conditions of the Guangzhou branch."
Guo Huan said: "The second thing is how much Dean Zhang borrows. The main thing is to have a good example, so that we can promote the bank's loan business to more people. Qiongxi Academy has always had a good reputation in the country. In the future, we will introduce it to other people." The businessman introduced it and didn’t need to explain much. As long as the sign of the academy was displayed, everyone would naturally know that this method of borrowing was reliable. ”
Guo Huan also vaguely praised Qiongxi Academy in his words, which made Zhang Jinbao feel comfortable. If Haihan Bank can be regarded as an example for Haihan businessmen to operate overseas, it will also be good for the academy. An excellent promotional channel. And Zhang Jinbao also understands that the sooner you participate in this kind of thing, the greater the profit. When the Guangzhou branch's business gradually improves in the future, there may be no room for bargaining with Guo Huan.
Zhang Jinbao thought for a moment before responding: "What shopkeeper Guo said is indeed reasonable, but I have discussed with Furifeng a plan to jointly run a school. Now if we borrow money from the bank, wouldn't it be equivalent to borrowing money from Fu Ruifeng?" Ruifeng kicked him away? This is unreasonable, and it’s hard for me to explain to the other party.”
(End of chapter)