Comedian Han Min-kwan reported on becoming a CEO worth billions.

In the 298th episode of KBS2's 'The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears' (directed by Ahn Sang-eun), which aired on 23rd, professional bankrupt Kim Byeong-hyeon had Park Myung-soo rush to his recently opened Yangjae branch hamburger shop for an urgent inspection. Kim Byeong-hyeon revealed last year that he had incurred losses of 200 million won over three years, and after closing his hamburger shop, he mentioned that this was his last challenge as he opened another branch in the Yangjae underground food court.

During lunchtime, countless customers were enjoying various foods, but Kim Byeong-hyeon's shop was notably empty, evoking disappointment. At that moment, Park Myung-soo came to the rescue, rushing in to help Kim Byeong-hyeon. When Park Myung-soo appeared, Kim Byeong-hyeon, moved, began to make hamburgers himself. However, even struggling to cook the patties, Park Myung-soo's concerns began to rise right from the start. As Park Myung-soo lectured, 'You should be out quickly, but it's taking forever,' Jeon Hyun-moo remarked, 'It's also a problem if many customers come,' to which Park Myung-soo replied, 'That's because there have never been many customers.'

After much ado, after tasting the menu, Park Myung-soo commented, 'It's delicious. Better than an expensive hamburger,' adding, 'The taste was good, but the process of getting it was not.' He then asked, 'What's the set price?' Kim Byeong-hyeon hesitated before disclosing, 'It's 11,500 won,' but Kim Sook, who was in the studio, pointed out, 'When I asked last time, the price was all wrong,' and initiated a price verification. Contrary to Kim Byeong-hyeon's statement, the confirmed price of the 'Hawaiian set' was 12,100 won, a price that even the hamburger shop owner was unaware of.

This led to a heated debate among the studio participants, including Jeon Hyun-moo, Kim Sook, Park Myung-soo, and Lee Soon-sil, reminiscent of logs bursting into flames. Park Myung-soo exclaimed, 'I've seen prices in the 900 won range on home shopping, but this is my first time seeing 100 won!' Jeon Hyun-moo stated, '12,100 won makes it seem much more expensive,' while Kim Sook responded, 'What's with the 100 won? You can't find a place that charges 100 won more anywhere.' Eventually, Jeon Hyun-moo exclaimed, 'That's a price that doesn't exist in this world.' Park Myung-soo remarked, 'That's a price I've never seen before,' and pressed Kim Byeong-hyeon, 'How did you come up with that price?' To this, Kim Byeong-hyeon admitted, 'That's wrong,' while quickly lowering his head, saying, 'I didn't know either. I think I thought about it wrong.'

Later, Kim Byeong-hyeon sought ideas from Park Myung-soo, who pointed out, 'I don't think lowering the price will help. Differentiation is necessary. The food is delicious, but I don't think people would come here just for that. The biggest drawback is that it's located at the very end. It would be better at the entrance or in the middle, but it's too far back. It shouldn’t be like this from the start; it must be perfect from the beginning. If it were me, I wouldn't have opened it.' Kim Byeong-hyeon explained, 'So I'm now trying to move the shop by signing a new lease at the entrance.' Initially, I was considering expanding into the vacant space next door,' but Park Myung-soo lamented, 'Then you should have waited until the store was situated right from the start.'

Subsequently, Park Myung-soo requested the sales figures from the shop. Upon checking, the sales from other shops averaged about 120 customers daily. However, Kim Byeong-hyeon's hamburger shop made only 100,000 won per day, merely one-tenth of the neighboring shop's sales. Kim Byeong-hyeon insisted that when they opened, there were 146 customers, but Park Myung-soo countered, 'That's the initial burst. This is serious. The taste is good, so why are sales not increasing? I'd rather handle this myself,' expressing his frustration.

After preparing sample burgers for promotion and finishing the marketing with citizens in the building, the two drew attention by visiting comedian Han Min-kwan, who runs a successful hamburger shop in Sinchon. Han Min-kwan exclaimed, 'What's really disappointing is that as a baseball player, why are you running a hamburger shop?' causing laughter. Han Min-kwan revealed that, 'Our monthly sales are close to 100 million won. We sell at least 150 to 250 items daily,' surprising everyone.

Han Min-kwan stated, 'If we're going to operate a hamburger franchise in South Korea, there are already established players, so we need something different. We aimed to ensure customers can eat heartily without feeling burdened. For a whole year, if you buy one, you get one free.' He added, 'We have facilities for making hamburger patties before we open. Ultimately, we need to cut down on material costs,' highlighting how they address distribution and margins.

Regarding why he started the hamburger business, Han Min-kwan shared, 'I tried it after failing once. I lost it all with gopchang. I started a business without knowing much. I had a shop once in Sinchon, but the monthly rent was 12 million won. I was selling each for 12,000 won, but that was expensive. I forgot it's a college area. During vacation, there were no customers, and during exam periods, there were none too. I cleanly lost 140 million won.' Kim Byeong-hyeon empathized, saying, 'I managed to hold on, but I lost 200 million won in less than three years.' Han Min-kwan reflected, 'I lost 140 million won in two years, so it's similar. Running a business isn't something anyone can do. I definitely should have prepared more.'

Moreover, addressing Kim Byeong-hyeon's statement about aiming for a balance between premium and value, Han Min-kwan critiqued, 'If you want to go premium, go premium; saying mid-range is vague. The taste is mediocre too.' He stressed, 'If you don't change something when business is struggling, it will stay the same. If sales are down, you need to change something, whether people come or not.' He spoke earnestly about the difference between income as a comedian and that from business, saying, 'To be honest, earning money is easier through broadcasting work. Going out and running a business is much harder.'

[Photo] Broadcast capture

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