#124 Map, bed sheets, colleague gathering, mystery product, macroeconomics (13/10/2024)

Hello everyone, welcome to this week's journal. I have a few things to talk about this week.

First, the first map-themed bed sheet is already in production. All previous issues should have been resolved, and if all goes well, it should be released by the end of this month! Hope everything goes smoothly!

Secondly, regarding our small colleague gathering this week. One day after closing time, I called all the full-time and part-time colleagues from the three stores, telling them we'd have a meeting and training session at the company that evening. Actually, I had a little surprise in mind: we had hot pot together at the company. Sometimes doing business isn't just about how to make money; having a happy evening like this is quite nice. If there's a chance, we should organize more of these gatherings in the future. Whether business is good or bad, we should get together sometimes.

One of the biggest takeaways from that hot pot dinner was from a colleague who told me, "You really shouldn't post random things on Facebook all the time, like a map or a bed sheet." Back in June, I couldn't help but post it publicly on Facebook, which caused many customers to say they would wait or ask when it would be available. But the truth is, I didn't release a schedule, which made things a bit difficult for my colleagues.

I completely understand, which is why I now avoid saying things like that on Facebook. It's definitely better to only post about products after you've confirmed the release schedule.

Therefore, all I can say right now is that there will be a mystery product coming soon before the end of the year. It has been in preparation for quite some time and I believe it will be launched by the end of the year. Details will not be disclosed.

Because I've only been in business for a short time, I haven't been aware of the impact of the macroeconomy on my business. I don't speak about things I don't understand, because I can't comment on things I don't know. But as I've been in business for a while longer, although I can't give specific figures, like drinking water, only I know whether it's hot or cold. I've gradually started to feel it, to sense which days are going well and which are going badly, and then I've slowly begun to see the relationship with the macroeconomy. Undeniably, the Hong Kong market is currently entering a period of consolidation. Whether you admit it or not, like it or not, the macroeconomy is indeed not good right now, and therefore retail and food and beverage are really suffering.

Slowly, slowly, I started to feel it; it really does have an impact. My colleague said that when the Hang Seng Index rises for a few days, business is better, and then when it falls back down, business immediately drops. I wondered if the reaction was that quick, but that's what he said anyway... But it also seems to be true.

Then I saw that the wave of closures still seems to be going on. Actually, we've been talking about closures for over a year now, and I know there are still many people holding on. Personally, I think sometimes you can't just stubbornly hold on; you have to let go and come back with experience in the future. It sounds like I'm just telling myself "I'm done," but it's really true.