Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 65

While reviewing the task list I have created earlier, I realize there is another major issue: what to do about the shoemakers’ guild.

The shoemakers’ guild is a gathering of artisans who individually produce shoes. Most shoemakers focus on making fashionable shoes for upper-middle-class and noble clients who walk through the city or attend balls. They also have established supply routes for materials from leather street craftsmen, so there should be no direct business conflict. However, there is a possibility that they might interfere with our shoe manufacturing.

To prevent this, I’m trying to set up a system where the intimidating adventurer clan, led by Jilboa, will come to our workshop’s aid if necessary. I don’t want to antagonize the shoemakers if I can avoid it. Moreover, I don’t want to shut down the small shoe stores run by old men in the third district.

They have two crucial roles to play in my plan to offer affordable shoes for novice adventurers:

The first is for them to be engaged in manufacturing shoes for adventurers. I intend to use a highly specialized production approach for adventurer shoes. Since traditional shoemakers are accustomed to making everything themselves, there will likely be resistance. Therefore, I plan to recruit willing artisans from the third district, who probably work for relatively low wages.

The second role is to continue operating their traditional shoe shops while taking on after-sales service. In envisioning a company for selling shoes to adventurers, I have to acknowledge that the price of the shoes will initially have to be high. If I were to build the business on my own and sell around 100 pairs, I could aim for lower prices. However, if I plan to develop it as an industry, the issue of profit distribution to stakeholders becomes a problem.

Since they have cooperated, they will likely demand their share. In other words, the cost of the shoes will include a form of security fee. Naturally, this will raise the price of the shoes, making them more upscale. This approach would stabilize the business and ensure that stakeholders benefit.

The production of affordable shoes for novice adventurers will probably occur only after high-priced adventurer shoes have saturated the market. Selling low-priced shoes from the onset will undoubtedly face resistance from stakeholders, as they have no reason to reduce their own profits.

Yet, I want to create affordable shoes for novice adventurers. There are likely two methods to achieve this:

1. Establish a market for defective products and second-hand products. This involves selling shoes that have defects, such as scratches on the leather, as discounted items. In the modern world, this approach is often criticized for damaging brand value, but currently, I am the only one aware of this issue.
2. Develop a market for second-hand goods. The shoes I plan to manufacture are expensive and durable, but for users, they are considered consumables. The desire of the Sword Fangs Legion to order 100 pairs immediately reflects this. The idea is to collect damaged shoes, repair them, and sell them at lower prices. I plan to delegate this repair and after-service work to the shoemakers in the third district.

By collecting damaged shoes, I can gather information on where and how they are prone to damage, which will help in improving the shoes. Comparing the two methods, it seems that developing a used goods market is the better approach. Therefore, I decided to pursue this method for negotiations with the shoemakers’ guild.

Even so, it is exhausting. I simply want to sell good, affordable shoes to novice adventurers, but things are becoming more and more complicated.