#068 New Products, Scale, Jobs, and Personalities for Winter (17/09/2023)

Image: Wearing a name tag, I wonder if you've ever done this kind of journal entry while reading this one?

Hello everyone! Welcome back to this week's episode. Weekly Journal. Well, this week, the samples for the new winter products have been completed. Since winter is coming, we also need to clear out space in the warehouse. I will explain the details in this week's journal.

1. Winter product sample

Back in July, I was preparing a winter quilt, and it involved many new attempts. This week, I finally finished a near-complete sample. Learning from experience, I considered and prepared this quilt much more carefully this time. Unlike the previous Re Quilt 2 product, which, although well-made and loved by buyers, had too much time spent on various minor features that customers might not even use, this product's time and features are genuinely helpful to users, and they will benefit from daily use. Furthermore, learning from the previous experience, this time the actual product was completed at the end of September, well before winter, ensuring it won't miss the seasonal transition. I wrote in my journal about six months ago that I would improve on these two points, and I definitely will, so this time I have.

2. Warehousing and handling of goods

Because winter is coming, I really cleaned out a lot of places at the factory this week. I collected all the unwanted trash, gave some samples to colleagues, or took them home. There were also some used items that I'm arranging to donate to community organizations to low-income families or people in need. All this moving and cleaning really takes a toll, but it's necessary. I didn't clean last year, so I really had to this year. After cleaning everything out on Friday, it felt so good.

3. Packaging and tagging

Because my colleague who was in charge of packaging had a family emergency and was hospitalized, he couldn't come to work for a while, which led to a shortage of staff at the company. So for the past few weeks, I've been in charge of packaging. Like the cover photo for this week's journal, wearing a brand logo, I wonder if you've ever done that before? Sometimes in a small company like this, everything is handled by just a few people, so you have to do everything. But it's actually quite fun, you can do anything, and these kinds of opportunities don't come around often.

4. Our Scale

Many people may misunderstand us, thinking we're a similar size to other bedding brands. However, a visit to our company reveals a different story. The staff you see in the store, the ones you contact via email, the ones who arrange delivery, and the ones testing new products are all part of our team. Many competitors, whether international or local, have different roles and teams. But our smaller size has its advantages—it fosters a closer and warmer atmosphere (it seems so). In terms of positioning, I strive to rival companies several times larger with more staff and resources, ensuring our customers don't perceive us as unprofessional or significantly smaller. Despite our limited resources, we can't afford to lose! For example, while our store's decor isn't top-notch, it's not bad either; it's passable. I hope we can achieve a good balance in all these aspects.

Here's a picture showing everyone the positions in my company:

5. Job and personality

I didn't originally intend to write this part. But on Saturday night, when I was working alone at the company until around 10 p.m., I thought I'd take a break and write it as bonus content.

Perhaps it's an open secret, but I studied for a double bachelor's degree in Politics and Law at the University of Hong Kong. While studying, I always thought that all the hard work would be worthwhile because good grades would allow me to get into a top law firm with a better income, making my future life a little easier. I was also fortunate to graduate with excellent grades and find a decent law firm before graduation, where I could work at Landmark in Central. I thought my previous efforts would finally pay off, but sometimes life is like that. I planned to graduate and take a break, but I decided to take a different path. My previous university grades didn't help me, and in the end, my life wasn't made easier by my previous hard work or excellence in my studies.

In the past, while others went out to play, I spent my time studying. When I was working hard, I also thought that if I worked hard today, I would find a good job in the future, because the income would be better, and I could enjoy life. Moreover, I wouldn't have to worry too much about money, and I could make the lives of the people around me more comfortable and relaxed.

Of course, all of this is wishful thinking, and because of my own choices, it hasn't become reality. At least for now, I'm optimistic about the future. I believe that a truly capable and intelligent person, no matter what position they are in, may need time, but they will find their own way to succeed.

Furthermore, even after experiencing all of the above, I am grateful to my parents for raising me, which made me not a playful person. Others like to play, but I don't understand them. On the contrary, I like to work, I like to work. This may not be understood by others, as if I am very strange, but it is really me. So, for example, at 11 pm on a Saturday, I am still working alone at the company. This personality makes life a little easier.

Looking out from the company: Kuiyong Village is directly opposite, and Huajing Villa is in the upper left corner.