The reason why Lin Haoran dared to threaten Suzuki Toshifumi in this way is very simple. The current Ito-Yokado does not have much background.

In Hong Kong, the Ito family is just an ordinary small wealthy family, just like the Lin family when Lin Haoran just traveled through time.

In comparison, Lin Haoran’s financial resources are at the top level even in Japan.

Just like three years ago, would Shen Bi of Huifeng Bank look down upon Lin Wanan?

The answer is of course no.

And now, this is how Lin Haoran views the Ito family at this time.

If the opponent this time is Mitsubishi Group, Mitsui Group, Sumitomo Group, Fuji Group, etc., Lin Haoran will not be able to threaten them at all.

To put it bluntly, if Lin Haoran really offends these local bosses, it will be difficult for him to survive here, as he has not yet established a foothold in Japan.

However, in Lin Haoran’s eyes, the current Ito family is not even a local tyrant, and he is not worried at all that the other party will be able to counterattack.

Moreover, the fault lay with the Ito family who targeted him first.

Toshifumi Suzuki tapped his fingers on the desk in front of him, his brows furrowed from time to time. It was obvious that he was struggling fiercely in his heart at this moment.

Lin Haoran waited quietly for Suzuki Toshifumi’s answer. He did not urge him because he knew that this was indeed a very difficult thing for Suzuki Toshifumi.

If he refused, Ito-Yokado would most likely not be able to withstand Lin Haoran’s counterattack and would eventually decline as Lin Haoran said.

But if he agreed, although he could preserve Ito-Yokado’s peace for a while, he would be betraying his principles and loyalty.

“Mr. Lin, can you give me some time to think about it?” Suzuki Toshifumi finally spoke, with a hint of fatigue and helplessness in his voice.

Lin Haoran was not surprised to hear what Suzuki Toshifumi said.

After all, the other party is a nearly 50-year-old workplace veteran. It is almost impossible to convince him so easily with just one sentence.

Lin Haoran smiled and did not intend to end the topic. Instead, he asked a question: “Mr. Suzuki, don’t be in a hurry. Let’s discuss it in depth. Assuming that I did not acquire the Southern Company and 711-Eleven convenience stores still maintained their current development trajectory, how do you think your career would evolve?”

Suzuki Toshifumi pondered for a moment, then answered sincerely: “711-Eleven is undoubtedly a company with great growth potential. It has a unique business model and strong market adaptability. I saw this when I first went to the United States.

However, for me personally, even if 711-Eleven convenience stores can become a leader in the global retail industry in the future, my role and status will probably not change much.

After all, I am only the manager of the 711-Eleven Japan branch, a manager sent here by Ito-Yokado, not a senior executive of the Southern Company. My responsibility is to ensure the smooth operation and continued expansion of this brand in Japan.

Of course, with the success of 711- convenience stores, Ito-Yokado, as a partner, will undoubtedly gain considerable benefits from it, thereby promoting its own growth.

For me personally, the most likely development path is to return to Ito-Yokado headquarters after achieving remarkable success in the 711-Eleven convenience store project, take on a more important senior management position, and continue to contribute to the development of Ito-Yokado.”

Lin Haoran nodded, expressing his appreciation for Suzuki Toshifumi’s honesty and pragmatism.

Now, no one would have thought that if Lin Haoran had not acquired Southern Company, Southern Company would actually go bankrupt a few years later.

Therefore, Toshifumi Suzuki naturally would not have thought that without Lin Haoran’s interference, Ito-Yokado would have the opportunity to acquire the Southern Company and thus take over the 711 brand.

The unpredictable future made Toshifumi Suzuki very clear that if Ito-Yokado did not acquire Southern Company, then the parent company of 711-Eleven convenience stores would ultimately be Southern Company, not Ito-Yokado!

Therefore, no matter how well he runs the 711 Japan branch, Southern Company has nothing to do with him.

“Hasn’t Mr. Suzuki ever thought about becoming a top CEO in the world? Like Jack Welch, Andy Grove, Robert Noyce, or Mr. Akio Morita in Japan?”

Jack Welch is the CEO of General Electric. He implemented the “number one or number two” strategy, making GE one of the world’s largest diversified service companies, and Jack Welch also became a world-renowned professional manager of this era.

As for Andy Grove and Robert Noyce, they are both from Intel and are now world-renowned professional managers. It can be said that everyone in the business world knows them.

Mr. Akio Morita of Japan is the current head of Sony. He is known as the “business saint”. He led Sony’s global expansion and the research and development of many important products, including the Walkman portable player launched in 1979, which made “Made in Japan” synonymous with high-quality electrical appliances.

These people are basically idols of many professional managers and have a huge influence in the business world.

After listening to Lin Haoran’s words, Suzuki Toshifumi smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: “Of course, everyone wants to be that kind of person, but with my current conditions, it is impossible to do it.” After all, Ito Yokado is now just a company in Japan that is not very well-known and not very strong. If even the company is not awesome, how can he be awesome?
What’s more, he is now 49 years old and he doesn’t know how many years he has left in his career.

“What if I can provide you with such an opportunity? Mr. Suzuki, if you are willing to join my team, I am willing to give you the position of CEO of Southern Company, and you only need to push the 711-Eleven convenience store brand to the top of the global convenience store market.

When there are numerous 711- convenience stores on the streets of major cities around the world, you will naturally be among the world’s top professional managers.

If 711-Eleven convenience stores seek rapid development relying solely on the strength of the original Southern Company, it will undoubtedly face many difficulties, after all, their financial resources are not strong.

But now that the Southern Company has come under my control, this dilemma has been easily resolved. As for financial resources, I think Mr. Suzuki should have a certain understanding of me, so there is no need to say more.

After the 711-Eleven Japan branch is successfully delisted, I will increase my investment in the Southern Company. And you, Mr. Suzuki, as the company’s CEO, must have already had a clear idea of ​​how to accelerate the development of 711-Eleven convenience stores.

You and I join hands, and with a strong alliance, 711 convenience stores will soon become the leader in the global convenience store industry. “Lin Haoran continued with a smile.

Lin Haoran’s words were full of temptation.

He believed that unless Suzuki Toshifumi was a fool, he would accept it.

Just relying on the previous intimidation, there is a high probability that he can convince the other party to join his team.

But even if you join, it is impossible to be loyal to him.

Therefore, there must be enough temptation and sincerity to make Suzuki Toshifumi willingly work for him.

Lin Haoran still understood the principle of ‘giving a sweet reward after a beating’.

Although Lin Haoran was talking, he was also observing Suzuki Toshifumi’s expression.

Sure enough, listening to Lin Haoran’s words, Suzuki Toshifumi’s eyes gradually changed, it was a kind of longing and desire for the future.

He was obviously attracted by the blueprint drawn by Lin Haoran, and the temptation of becoming a top global CEO was undoubtedly huge for him.

Moreover, Lin Haoran does have the financial resources.

In contrast, he has been following a company like Ito-Yokado, which is not considered a large enterprise, and one can almost see at a glance how great its achievements are.

Seeing this expression, Lin Haoran already knew that the other party was moved.

As long as you are moved, that’s good.

“Mr. Lin, I want to know why you trust me so much?” After a moment of silence, Suzuki Toshifumi asked.

“When I was researching Southern Company, I paid special attention to the development history of 711-Eleven convenience stores in Japan, and your outstanding contribution to this is irreplaceable.

You have keenly perceived the huge potential of the new convenience store model in Japan and successfully led its development and growth, which fully proves your extraordinary talent in the retail field. Therefore, I have full confidence in you!” Lin Haoran smiled, his eyes full of praise for Suzuki Toshifumi.

Suzuki Toshifumi was slightly stunned, and then raised his doubts: “But, Mr. Lin, Mr. Anton Allison, the original CEO of Southern Company, has been in the company for many years and has a deep understanding of the company’s business. Isn’t he a more suitable candidate?”

Lin Haoran shook his head slightly and explained patiently: “Mr. Anton Allison is undoubtedly an experienced manager with profound insights into company operations. He is a talented person to be able to serve as the CEO of Southern Company.

I had an in-depth discussion with him before, and he mentioned that there is not much room for growth in 711-Eleven convenience stores at present, and believed that the company should explore diversified development paths so that Southern Company can lead Southern Company to become a stronger enterprise in other fields.

But in my opinion, the development potential of 711-711 convenience stores has not been fully tapped and there is still huge room for growth. From my conversation with Mr. Anton, I noticed that his views on the future direction of – convenience stores are different from mine.

I think what 711-Eleven needs is to continue to expand within the convenience store industry. In my opinion, the number of 711-Eleven stores today is still too small, so there is no need to rush into other areas.

This is exactly why we in the Southern Company need you, Mr. Suzuki. Your successful practices in the Japanese market and your unique insights into the convenience store industry are the key to leading 711-Eleven convenience stores to break through the existing framework and move towards global leadership.

Therefore, I firmly believe that you, as the CEO of Southern Company, will be able to lead 711-Eleven to create a more brilliant future and achieve unprecedented achievements. “

Suzuki Toshifumi listened to Lin Haoran’s explanation, and the doubts in his heart gradually dissipated. (End of this chapter)