"This year Benihans will also offer high-yielding cereal seeds. And in beef cattle farming, we can provide more nutritious, high-yielding alfalfa. In the future, we will continue to introduce seeds for various high-yielding crops. ”

Link continued: "As for sales, I've accelerated the expansion of Lin's Retail. In addition, I plan to open a retail network similar to the model of Song's noodle shop. Imagine that we, backed by a few banks, lend to low-rent and fair tenants to open convenience stores in their neighborhoods – we can spread our sales network to every corner of the United States! As long as the pollution-free standards are recognized by the public, we don't have to worry about selling our products at all. Because as long as there is a large enough consumer market, retailers will not refuse to sell them. ”

"If you want to have a large enough consumer market, you need to provide enough goods, and the market needs more pollution-free farms," he concluded. Farms and markets are mutually reinforcing. ”

Kempner was struck by Link's idea of a convenience store sales network.

At present, the operation model of Song's noodle shop is very good. Several banks set up a company and then cooperate with the residents of low-rent apartments to open branches, and the banks will have a very stable income. And he has stakes in both development banks. If this plan can be done, he can be regarded as fame and fortune.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then raised his eyelids and said, "I will set up a team to develop a national promotion plan." ”

Link smiled and said, "I'll get Morris on your team." The Benihans Group can also provide a portion of the funds needed for the promotion campaign. On the other hand, I suggest that several banks negotiate together. ”

"It's a great idea. ”

The Pollution-Free Standards Association has no income, and if you want to promote pollution-free standards across the United States, all kinds of advertising, all kinds of publicity and "science popularization" need funds. It is almost impossible to promote pollution-free standards across the United States in a short period of time with that membership fee alone. Therefore, external funding is a must.

The Benihans Group will become the biggest winner after the promotion of pollution-free standards, and it is only natural to support it with money. And if the bank wants to gain something from sales, it also needs to pay.

"But we need to convince the other shareholders of the Texas Development Bank and the Atlanta Development Bank. How many other shareholders of the Texas Development Bank are you going to handle?"

"I'll convince them. "There are several individual shareholders from Texas who have a good relationship with Kempner. "What about the Atlanta Development Bank?"

"I'll let Claire get them. ”

The rest of the shareholders were acquaintances of Link, and they probably wouldn't object to his proposal.

Kempner asked, "May I ask, how is the convenience store you just mentioned positioned and what segment of the consumer group is targeted?"

"Both. However, it is mainly aimed at low-income groups. For example, families whose income is included in the middle class but do not have much money to spare. Of course, all middle-class families are the consumer groups we target. ”

The middle class is the main consumer in society. Therefore, each country should increase the proportion of its middle class population in its own population as much as possible.

Some people say that luxury goods have the highest added value, so doing the business of the rich is the most profitable. But Link felt that the number of groups had to be taken into account. Besides, a lot of luxury goods transactions are actually investments, not real consumption.

Maybe a rich man will buy billions of dollars in luxury cars, jewelry, real estate, and so on in his lifetime. But those things don't actually get consumed. They just changed hands.

Perhaps the most expensive consumables for humans at the moment are private jets and yachts. Even these two are also invested in it. Private jets are fine, and after their life span, they will be retired. And the yachts? Among the luxury yachts in service today, there are several that have a lifespan of decades or even hundreds of years. And it changed hands a few times.

Real consumer goods, such as food, ordinary cars, and household items, are consumed every day. And these things are what everyone needs.

If you look at the top 500 companies in the world, how many of them are selling luxury goods entirely? No more than ten!

Luxury is nothing more than a brand benefit. People crave luxury goods regardless of whether they have money or not, so when a company creates a successful luxury brand, it is enough to increase the fame and unit price of other resistant products by a few notches. Brand effect is the true value of luxury.

What Link wants to do is agriculture. He even has his own luxuries, such as the Four-Year Queen and Fire Cloud, which have now been sold for more than $4,000. But he knows very well that it is not easy to build a luxury brand in the food industry, and it may take more than ten or even decades.

So, in terms of food products that are needed by all, he is more inclined to target the average consumer. For the United States, where only 2 percent of the population is agricultural, the spending power of the poor and the middle class is the same. And the poor in the United States are a bit more.

In most countries, the middle class is expanding. But in fact, middle-class households in many countries only meet a certain income standard, which refers to total income. It does not refer to disposable income.

Although luxury is wanted by everyone, not everyone can afford it.

And the disposable income of many middle-class families is simply not enough for them to maintain a middle-class life. And Link is there a solution for them.

Middle-class families are looking for healthy and cheap food. That's all Link has to do.

As long as he does this, he will be able to save money on food and meet their food consumption plan to support the middle class.

Business, on the other hand, is actually the process of providing solutions to problems for customers.

Link believes that a customer can be a single customer or a consumer group. He chose the latter. The middle class is the most powerful customer group in the United States overall. At least in the food market.

Kempner seemed to see it that way, and he didn't question Link's position on the sales network, saying, "If that's the case, our investment wouldn't be unacceptably large." That would be better for me to convince them. ”

Although Kempner has no opinion, Link still smiled and added: "In terms of promotion, I have a suggestion. ”

"What's an interesting suggestion?"

"I remember the Green Food Farms would form cooperatives. Why don't pollution-free farms do the same? We can give them loans to set up their own small processing plants, and we have large logistics distribution centers in some areas. ”

"It's a really good idea. Kempner said this, but his brow furrowed. He pondered. "But Link, have you thought about it, a small factory usually means low production efficiency. ”

"Kempner. You should be familiar with farm production, real agricultural production does not require much manpower and time. Processing plants, on the other hand, allow them to obtain most of the added value of their production. And we can invest in technologies that improve the productivity of small factories, can't we?"

"Link, I think you have a good idea. Just trying to increase productivity means investing a lot. It is precisely because of this that large factories will have high efficiency. Because they have enough profits to invest in constantly improving automation. And small businesses will only be eliminated in the process of increasing production efficiency. ”

It is true that the bigger the factory, the more productive it is. But small factories are not necessarily uncompetitive. Especially on farms where there is a surplus of labor. Under the premise of mechanized production, many farms actually have a lot of idle time most of the time. For example, housewives. They can enter the factory. And such a small factory cannot be open all year round. That should still appeal to them.

But what Kempner said is not without reason. The "laziness" of American farmers may not be willing to accept such a plan.

But Link had another idea, he said, "What if we venture with those cooperatives? For example, we set up a factory with them." They don't have to pay for it upfront, but they own shares, but if they want to get these shares, they have to sell all the agricultural products to the processing plant, and the two sides will share dividends according to the proportion of shares. Until they have paid their own investment, the factory deducts a percentage of their investment as an investment. ”

"It's the same as your alpaca farming promotion plan, did you take into account that people who invest in the early stage will lose a lot?"

"Haha, if the cooperation plan is appropriate, it will not necessarily be a loss. ”

Link, of course, knew that such an investment would be equivalent to an interest-free loan to a farmer, and it could last for a decade or twenty. However, if he wants to become a food processing giant, he needs an adequate source of raw materials. And now the raw materials for the processing of agricultural products in the United States have also been monopolized by several existing giants. If he wants to quickly grab the source of raw materials, the fastest way is to fight a price war.

If he cooperates with a farmer for processing, he can seize a large source of raw materials in a short period of time without having to fight a price war.

And if there is a price war, his chances of winning are too small. Even if you win by chance, the cost will be significant. Perhaps much higher than the "interest-free loan" he wanted to do.

"And the sniping of those giants?"

"Unless they're willing to raise the price of raw materials a lot, do you think farmers are willing to give up the opportunity to become shareholders in a processing plant?"

"What about the shares in the processing plant, will it be given to the farmer or to the farm?"

"For the farm, of course. The farm changes hands, and the shares, of course, go to the new owner of the farm. Or change the business model, and reassess whether the farm should continue to hold existing shares. ”

"Perhaps, you can make a big deal out of this. ”

By saying this, Kempner implied that he did not intend to participate in the scheme and did not agree to involve the bank in the scheme. He felt that the investment in the program was too large and that the payback period was long. Neither he nor the bank in which he holds shares could accept it.

Link also understood what he meant, and did not force it.

He smiled and said, "But I hope that when you promote it, you can communicate my idea to those farmers." Maybe they'll be more interested. ”

In the processing part, he didn't plan to pinch it completely in his own hands. He believes that as soon as it starts profitable, those foundations consider investing in such projects. But those capitals won't. Because then the investment income will be more stable, which is what the fund needs, not what the capital wants.