Shoe-cleaner bar, health-refuel station... a bunch of new service institutions emerged in Shanghai streets recently. Particularly aside from taking in a big amount of "4050" generation, they became the common focus of those startups in the society. On this June 1st, the Municipal Bureau of Labor and Social Security developed the latest "mini startup projects" based on the operation system of "4050" projects. Up to now, the municipal labor administration has offered the 1st group of 316 mini startup projects this year, about half of which were just developed. The Municipal Startup Guidance Center will continue to collect new projects in the society.
According to the investigation that the Municipal Startup Guidance Center made last yearend, in the generation that focused on start up their businesses, 47% were middle-aged or young people below 40 years old, 40% had the education background of junior college or above, and only about 30% were "4050" generation in strict sense. Accordingly, the "4050" projects were not only applicable to the laid-offs, but also to all the startups, particularly the youth. Therefore, the labor administration developed the mini startup projects to match the changed situation and serve all the startup groups.
Shoe-cleaners "clean out" big business
Different to the coarse and simple "street vendor" in traditional sense, the current shoe-cleaning business has "gone into" the dedicated "shoe-cleaning bar" and become attractive to a large group of investors. Just a month ago, "Jiatai Shoe Repairing and Cleaning Bar", the 1st shoe-cleaning bar in Shanghai was opened in Fanyu Road. It's running well now. Chen Yingwu, the business manager of this bar told the journist that it was planning to cooperate with a technique school on providing the internship and job opportunities to the students.
All items are "created originally"
In the 30m2 bar, you can see a line of 6 soft chairs at the left hand, with a small platform for putting feet on before each chair respectively. Upon the cabinet by the right wall, there're all kinds of shoe-care items including shoe cream, shoe powder, insole, shoe brush and shoe support. In the bar, there's a "technical room" isolated with the glass plate, which is used for repairing shoes or cobbling.
The journalist paid RMB10 to experience the "new-style show cleaning". He put on the shoes after having his feet in the plastic covers, stepped on the platform for putting feet on, and then shoe-cleaning process began. The "care-man" in standard uniform cleaned the shoes with the soft brush that had detergent on, coated the shoes with a skin of care cream, and then colored the shoes with shoe cream. After the standard "8-shaped" wiping, the shoes looked as shining as just produced. Additionally, the "care-man" placed the shoes in a big oven-alike box for ultraviolet sterilization. Sterilized for 2 minutes, the shoes were taken out for natural cooling. The "care man" sprayed a certain kind of sterilizing deodorizer into the shoes, so the process finished.
The whole process lasted for less than 10 minutes, and all the relevant items and tools were "created originally". The staffs introduced that the experts that Shenbing (the alias of the bar's boss) from Shanghai Leather Research Institution developed all these. The journalist founded that all the care-related items and tools in the bar were trademarked as "Jiatai".
Luxury furnishing-store comes to offer business
The unique "shoe-cleaning culture" won customers for the bar, and produced business opportunities as well. Chen Yingwu told the journalist that a customer nearby wanted to have his luxury leather sofa cleaned and cared 2 weeks ago, but found no one to undertake the business. The bar was very confident in doing it and it really did it well. As the result, "Sudong Furnishings", a luxury furnishing-store nearby came 2 days ago to contract the bar that it should doing care for the luxury leather furnishings in the store on regular basis. The boss of bath club across the street, after having his shoes cleaned in the bar, decided at once that he would "outsource" the shoe-cleaning business in the bath club to the "shoe-cleaning bar".
The owners of "shoe-cleaning bars" know why they can run the business well, and think of much more than money. They said that from this June 1st on, Shanghai administration launched the "mini startup projects" that supported the "small bosses" by offering loan interest subsidy and capital guarantee, and the "shoe-cleaning bars" grew up consequently. Chen Yingwu said that they decided to lower the franchise charge to RMB10K, and planned to employ the laid-offs and disabled people in order to repay the society.
"Health Refuel Station" emerges here and there
In about 7 months, 12 franchise chain stores of "Health Refuel Station" have gone to service throughout all the districts in Shanghai, employing over 60 people of "4050" generation and about 30 ones of "2030" generation. "Why the small 'Health Refuel Station' is welcomed? Because it benefits all the related parties, and meets what is required", General Manager Cui Xiangdong said.
Away from weak lights and annoying smokes, the customers can feel "reassurance" at their 1st step into the Huaihai Road storefront of "Health Refuel Station". Surrounded by the bright and clean environment, the nice music, and the warm smiles of uniformed staffs, the customers will forget all their crowed, noisy and tired experiences. It basically provides the foot-massage services that help improve the health and prevent the illness by stimulating the points and body circulation.
All the staffs, as the "certificated massager" after passing the examinations, are about 40 years old. 42-year-old Shenfang (alias), having worked here for half a year, is an experienced massager. "Massage is not simply pinching or knocking, but based on the specific human medical theories", said she. She also told the journalist that the company had training and examined them for 2 months before they officially worked. "Good work comes only from theoretic fundamentals plus practical exercises". Now Shenfang likes her new job very much.
In these days, the "Health Refuel Station" is seeking for proper technique schools in order to guarantee high quality of technique training courses. "Better and better business we run, more and more storefronts we have, so higher and higher requirements we set to the staffs", Cui Xiangdong told the journalist. Aside from the "4050" generation as usual, the "small bosses" in the young generation are their next goals.
Cui Xiangdong noticed the continuous policies that the administration made last yearend to support the "4050" generation to start up their businesses, and had the plan to build up the chain stores of "Health Refuel Station". Actually, all the stores employing the "4050" generation have benefited from the favorite policies such as free-of-tax and loan interest subsidy. "The enterprises can make money, the laid-offs can get jobs, and the society can be positively influenced. The business benefits so much, so it's warmly welcomed."
Relevant links
Guarantee is not required for individual loan of RMB70K
From this June 1st on, guarantee will be not required for the individual startup loan of RMB70K or less, because the Municipal Specific Fund for Employment Improvement will make guarantee completely. If the loan borrower can pay off the principal and interest within the contracted term, he may apply for the subsidy to the startup loan interest in 3 months after his payoff. The subsidy is proportional to the new jobs that the startup business can offer. Specifically, every new job, if it can be available for more than half a year, deserves the interest subsidy of RMB2000 a year.
Mini startup projects have the following features
They are not big and need the investment as low as RMB50K to 100K each. Typically such kind of business employs 10 or less staffs, so it's very applicable to individual private investment.
In addition to the traditional wholesale and retail business, cultural and sports service, or small restaurant, the projects are focused on the new ones meeting the requirements of startups in different ages and with different education backgrounds, particularly those related to the innovation or high-tech industries.
The labor administration will intensify the cooperative actions with the loan guarantee, expert consultancy and other startup guidance functions, so as to provide the startups with complete and better services.