Manage Hotel Espresso to build "Mass Innovation Space"

On April 9, Xu Guang (second from left) discussed ideas with some young people in the "mass creation space" of the Zhe Fen Hotel, the provincial capital. Photo taken by Chen Tengfei, a reporter from Hebei Daily and Hebei News Network

In order to realize his entrepreneurial dream and let more people have the opportunity to start a business, he integrated coffee culture and entrepreneurial culture into the hotel he founded.

Editor's words

Mass entrepreneurship, mass innovation, grass-roots groups contain great vitality and potential. From now on, this newspaper has launched the "grassroots founder Hero list" column, which tells the entrepreneurial, innovative stories and dreams of ordinary people, with a view to giving confidence, reference and strength to ordinary groups with entrepreneurial dreams, with a view to injecting more positive energy into economic and social development.

□ Hebei Daily, Hebei News Network reporter Yuan Fuchuan

"I hope that people with entrepreneurial dreams can drink and create an entrepreneurial opportunity."

On April 9, stepping into the first "coffee hotel" Zhe Fen Hotel in the provincial capital, a strong smell of coffee came.

Coffee, light meals, board games, books, demonstration halls, the latest movies. The reporter saw that the lobby on the first floor of the "coffee hotel" is not the lobby of The Legacy Hotel, but a coffee hall, with a space of more than 100 square meters elegantly arranged. In the middle of the hall, there is a bar of about 30 square meters, with all kinds of coffee beans, cakes, drinks, etc., surrounded by leisure and negotiation areas with different characteristics, such as open book bar, European-style stove seats, cafeteria and so on.

"you can get a cup of freshly ground coffee for free when staying in the hotel, and you can rest or negotiate business in the coffee hall 24 hours a day. In fact, my goal is to make the coffee hall a 'mass creation space' and a platform for entrepreneurs to exchange entrepreneurial ideas. " Xu Guang, founder of the first "coffee hotel" in the provincial capital and founder of the post-85 generation, said, "I hope people with entrepreneurial dreams can 'drink' an entrepreneurial opportunity." It is understood that before starting a business, Xu Guang went to start-up cafes around the country many times to look for ideas and business opportunities. after repeated screening and consideration, he finally chose the "coffee hotel" start-up project.

"it is the business opportunities I found in the Venture Cafe that made my entrepreneurial dream come true. I also hope that in this way, I can provide more entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial opportunities. When we encounter the right projects, we are also willing to be angel investors." Xu Guang said with a smile that by setting up a circle of friends of founders, holding regular lectures on entrepreneurship salons, inviting investors, industry experts, and personnel of relevant government departments to give lectures and training, and organizing roadshows, let more people with entrepreneurial dreams come here to brainstorm and collide with the spark of entrepreneurship.

"I come to Shijiazhuang on business every week, and after I had a check-in experience at the end of last month, I regarded it as my 'temporary office meeting place'. I like the unique taste of freshly ground coffee here, and of course I would like to 'drink' a business opportunity. " At about 16:00 on April 9th, Mr. Li, a resident of a "coffee hotel" and the sales manager of a building materials company in Beijing, said humorously. He wrote down his entrepreneurial ideas and specific needs on the booth on the east side of the coffee hall, hoping to be contacted by like-minded founders or investors.

Xu Guang told reporters that since its opening on March 29, the daily occupancy rate of the "coffee hotel" has been more than 80%. Guests often share tables to exchange business cards and exchange business ideas, and the WeChat group established by the store has grown to more than 50 people.

"to start a business is to solve problems with tenacity."

In 2008, Xu Guang graduated from Hebei University and went to work for a large real estate company in the provincial capital. Over the past few years, he has gone from the most basic sales clerk and salesman to the company's assistant chairman and pre-project manager. He is a leader in the real estate field of the same age and a successful person in the eyes of friends and relatives.

However, at the peak of his career, Xu Guang suddenly decided to resign and start a business. "ever since I was a child, I have dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur, and now is a good time to start a business at the grass-roots level, so I made up my mind to start a business." Xu Guang said.

After deciding on the business direction of a "coffee hotel" in June last year, Xu Guang resolutely gave up a stable job with a high income and mortgaged his house in exchange for a loan of 1 million yuan. After that, he worked with three college classmates, who jointly contributed more than 2 million yuan to start a business as a partner.

"if all the money adds up, it's not enough to pay the hotel rent of 4 million yuan a year." Xu Guang said that in order to ease the pressure, he repeatedly negotiated with the landlord to change the rent payment method from annual payment to semi-annual payment, and strived for rent-free during the five-month renovation period. However, this still can not solve the huge funding gap, decoration costs alone have a gap of more than 3 million yuan.

"to start a business is to solve problems constantly with a wave of tenacity." Xu Guang knew the flexible way very well, and soon came up with a way to dismantle the rent and sublet some of the bottom merchants and second-floor buildings through active investment, so as to ease the financial pressure.

Find phone calls, online exchanges, field visits, active visits. In more than a week, Xu Guang negotiated with the major chain catering enterprises in the provincial capital one by one, and finally introduced Hongji Cake Exchange in the catering chain. "if you attract large brand stores, you will have an exemplary effect, and other subleases will come naturally." Xu Guang said that before long, four other enterprises, including car rental companies and hot pot restaurants, rented his storefront, with a "sublease income of more than 2 million yuan a year."

"get up early, stay up late, eat instant noodles. During the period of decoration, I stared at the construction every day, and I didn't even go home once for more than a month. " The hard times are Xu Guang's happy memories. He said that the period before the Spring Festival this year was the most difficult, with only a few dozen yuan left in his hand, while the decoration workers were waiting to receive their wages and go home for the Spring Festival. With no place to raise money, he overdrew more than 200,000 yuan with several credit cards.

The arrival of more than 500,000 yuan of furniture is in urgent need of payment, and hundreds of thousands of yuan of sanitary ware are waiting to be paid. Near the opening of business, overworked Xu Guangtu suffered from urolithiasis and was hospitalized for treatment. During his stay in the hospital, he made nearly a thousand phone calls in his address book, talked about his entrepreneurial dreams again and again, and invited potential investment partners to visit the hotel. "fortunately, I raised more than 4 million yuan, and the hotel quickly got back on track. The trial operation effect after the Spring Festival is very good. It is expected that the gross income is nearly 30%, and the cost is recovered in 3 years." Xu Guang said confidently.

Source: Hebei News Network