They returned to the villa that evening, came to the dining table, and sat down.
Luo Bisheng opened a new notebook and rested his pen on the paper, waiting.
Wang Xiaoliang grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and tossed one over.
"Let's talk management first."
Luo Bisheng unscrewed the cap and took a swig. "Go ahead."
Wang Xiaoliang leaned back in his chair.
A framework surfaced in his mind-something he had learned bit by bit from Zhou Qiang and Huang Xueli when they had partnered up to open supermarkets. Nothing complicated, but practical.
"Costs fall into two categories." He held up two fingers. "Rent, utilities, property management fees-those are fixed. The same amount every month. Consumables, linen cleaning, stocking snacks and drinks-those fluctuate with occupancy. The two sets of accounts have to be kept separate. Pull them up at the end of the month, and you'll see at a glance where you spent too much."
Luo Bisheng's pen raced across the page.
"Division of responsibilities. You're the manager, so day-to-day operations are all yours. You train the people you hire, arrange the shifts, and handle customer complaints. We discuss major decisions together-supplier negotiations, equipment purchases, external relations. Don't make those calls alone. Otherwise, I won't interfere with running the place."
He paused.
"But I want to see the accounts every month."
"Understood."
"Your salary."
Luo Bisheng's pen stopped.
"How does ten thousand a month sound?"
"Too much." Luo Bisheng shook his head. "We haven't even opened yet. Better to tie it to performance."
"How does Bugbug pay its managers, then?"
"A base salary of six thousand. The bonuses and profit sharing are the key."
"All right. Use Bugbug's system for the bonuses and profit sharing."
"Okay." Luo Bisheng started scribbling again. He was already very familiar with how