Chapter 08

Budding Businessman

In February, 2001, Gordie is asked by his sister Dani to see if he can help an old friend of hers from school, Marcella Barrington, find a new job around the View Port / Carmel area. Her parents aren’t well and she’d like to move closer to them in View Port. She’s a well-regarded business manager with an MBA and a good work record in Berana, the capital city. However, there’s not much demand for MBAs outside of the capital city. Gordie passes her resume around all of the local businesses, but no one needs anyone of her qualifications.

His plans require him to hire a business manager and he’d been thinking of a less qualified person, but he’s happy to hire her if she’ll take the job. Right now he only needs an office manager. However, if she’s prepared to start as the manager of the first office he’ll hire her because it will have her in place and handy when the business expands enough to use all of her skills. She can then hire a replacement office manager when she takes over as the corporate manager. He arranges an interview with her. The interview is arranged for a Saturday morning. He sends a vehicle with driver to collect her from her current work place on the Friday afternoon, and the driver will return her to her home on Sunday night. She’ll have the rest of the weekend visiting with her parents. He also pays her for Saturday morning.

Before the interview he sends her his draft business plan, the results of a market survey, and comparisons with similar operations in other countries. She has two weeks to study them before the interview. All of their contacts have been by mail or phone calls through Dani. Neither of them wants her current boss to know she’s looking about, so they don’t want any new or strange contacts going through her work office. She and Dani often speak on the phone, so her calls aren’t suspicious.

Marcella is very impressed with the draft business plan. Gordie had hired a good firm to conduct the market survey so its results are easy to verify, so are the comparisons with other businesses. The draft plan is obviously done by someone not used to doing them, but it’s very well thought out and put together. There’s little she can do to improve on it, but she can fine tune it quite a bit to present it better. The only concern is the initial growth figures because they seem very excessive at first, but they’re well backed up in the attached details.

The pay being offered is a little above what she currently gets and much more than what’s required for what she’ll be doing for the first few years. She can tell the man behind the project, Gordon Mannheim, is planning for the long term and intends for her to expand the job with the business. She also recognises part of the extra salary is for taking the risks with this new venture. He’s an unknown entering what’s a wide open field of business in this country with no local evidence the business will do well. A lot of risks; but, in her estimate, low risks. She, like Mr Mannheim, expects the business to flourish because they both see a large demand for the service. All she knows about her prospective new boss is he’s Dani’s brother and Dani thinks highly of him. She’s just made him her heir. Dani also says he’s almost qualified as a doctor.

The interview is for late July, just after Gordie passes the Manhood Rites. He’s legally an adult, and now he’s able to enter into legally binding contracts.

Marcella arrives at the Clan Residence at 9:00 a.m., and she’s shown into one of the official clan offices for the interview. Gordie has hired it for the morning as he’s making an effort to keep the clan distanced from his private ventures. He knows his father and grandfather, but this is his venture and he wants full control of it. He doesn’t want their help at all. While he knows he can get financing from the clan Gordie wants to have this business totally segregated from all of the other clan businesses and operations.

She’s very surprised to be greeted by a young boy. Gordie leads her to the discussion corner with lounge chairs and he offers her refreshments. She accepts a cup of hot chocolate plus a selection of very delicious biscuits. She doesn’t know it, but Gordie spent a few hours cooking them last night. He went to great pains to get them right. They’re three of his clan’s most ancient recipes, but they’re difficult ones to get right. He spent the last week making trial batches, to the great enjoyment of the other members of the residence because they took much delight in disposing of the trial batches he made. Even the failures were delicious and enjoyed by people of all ages. Some biscuits even turned up being eaten by well-liked dignitaries at Highcliff while they visited the King.

After a few minutes of small talk to allow her time to get settled Gordie asks, “First, are the employment terms acceptable?” She nods yes, because they’re perfect and better than she’d hoped to get when moving out this way. “No doubt you’ve some ideas about improving the business plan. I know, from your letters, you’re happy with the content and it also shows everything is well supported. I’ll leave the final presentation formatting up to you because you’re much more experienced at that than I am.” She smiles her agreement. “The big issue is going to be the approach to the banks. Neither of us has a business track record and the only two financial organisations I’ve an inside track with aren’t acceptable for that very reason.” She nods again as she’s beginning to like this young man because he’s thought the matter through and he’s anticipated most of her comments. He places some papers on the table beside them, “Here’s the legal evidence proving I’m able to enter into valid contracts as a legal adult. I’m sure you’ll want to check them. Is there anything else you wish to discuss that I haven’t anticipated?”

Munching another delicious biscuit she picks up and examines the paperwork. Nodding when she puts it back down. She looks at him, “I’m surprised you’re so young. However, it’s clear you know what you’re about. Much more so than some people four times your age. It’s going to be hard to convince the banks to take you seriously. The biggest problem is going to be to get them to accept the growth figures, two hundred and fifty percent per annum is big.”

He slowly nods agreement before he pulls out some folders and discs. He hands them over while he says, “Here’s some plans with amended growth figures. Amended down. Choose which you think they’re most likely to accept as reasonable.”

She nods again, “I think one hundred percent per annum growth for the first five years will be best. Now I’ve met you I want time to think over the job offer. If I accept the job the contract will do perfectly as is. What worries me is I have to burn my bridges to accept this. If it doesn’t float I’m dead in the water! I feel it’ll work, if we can get the senior funding. My concern is the financing.” He nods agreement. “In either case, I’ll work on this over the weekend and prepare a final business plan for you to use. I’ll give you an answer by Monday lunchtime.”

They stand up, shake hands, and she leaves, taking the new drafts with her. He also gives her the remaining cookies to take with her.

Research

Returning home she gives the cookies to her mother. After lunch they sit down to have coffee and cookies. After tasting the first one Mrs Barrington asks, “Marcella, where did you get these cookies?”

“Left overs from my job interview this morning. My prospective boss told me to take them. Why, is there something wrong with them?”

Her mother says, “No, nothing wrong. I’d love it if you can get hold of the recipe for these for me. I haven’t tasted these cookies for many years. I know they happen to be a closely kept clan secret. They’re only made for special occasions, and then the rules are only their maker can offer them to you to take away.”

Marcella sits up, “What’s that, mother? The person who offers them to you to take away has to have made them?” Her mother nods yes. “But he’s only a boy, about nine or ten years old!”

Her father sits up while saying, “A ten year old boy’s offering you a job?” She nods yes. He gives his wife a serious look, stands, walks over, and helps himself to a cookie. Eating it he gives a big smile, then he sits down while saying “If he can organise a business as well as he can make these cookies, I’d take the job.”

A laughing Marcella says, “Yes, he can! His draft business plan is almost perfect for presentation. Much better than ones I’ve seen done by business executives four times his age. However, this is really a case of ‘all of the eggs in one basket’ and in a ‘sink or swim’ situation. I have to quit my job to take a run at this. If we don’t get the senior financing we’re dead.”

Her mother looks up, “You think about it and do what you think is best. But this boy is not your average boy, not if he can cook these biscuits this well. They’re a very difficult recipe; that, I know.”

Marcella is very worried about this. It’s a once in a lifetime chance, but the financing is very risky. She decides to speak to Dani-girl; after all, she must know her brother well because she’s made him her heir so she should be able advise her on the situation.

After getting Dani on the phone Marcella says, “Dani, I’ve a job offer from your brother, Gordie. It’s a very good offer. However, I’m worried if we can get the business off the ground. Getting the initial loan is the only real problem. Neither of us has a good enough business or financial track record to get a half million dollar loan.”

In a serious voice Dani replies, “Cell, please accept I’ve a very clear understanding of Gordie’s strengths and weaknesses. Any comments I make aren’t tinged by any bias, despite, like my sisters, I have an almost mystical belief in him being able to do anything he puts his mind to do. Everything he’s set his mind to do, he’s done. If an obstruction occurs it may delay him; but he’ll find a way around it, over it, or through it. He’s the classic irresistible force. There are things I could tell you, but I’m not allowed to.” She takes a deep breath, “This job may be risky to start with, it may be hard work, but it’ll work and be profitable. Gordie has never failed at anything. He’s nine, nearly ten, years old, and he’s just about to qualify as a medical doctor. He’s worked his way through all of the medical technician levels and he’s now finishing the doctor crossover course. Many older people doing the same courses are well behind him and some have dropped out. You work out the risks for yourself. But if it were me I’d take the job. Sure, it may be lean for a while with some early problems with regards to the financing, but it’ll pay off. He’s not your average boy his age, he’s a certified high genius, take that into account.”

She thanks Dani for her input. Marcella grew up in View Port, but she never met or heard about Gordie except through Dani, so Marcella doesn’t know him at all. Which is natural considering their age differences. That afternoon she looks up some old school friends who stayed around. All have heard of him, and most have something good to say about Gordie.

One friend whose husband is in the construction industry says, “Marcella, I don’t know if it’s true. But the gossip is young Gordie was responsible for organising the construction of the Happy Reunion Hospital in Kotel. The story is he convinced some people to donate the sixty-eight million dollars to build the hospital. I’ve not been able to confirm that, but all of the money came from private donations. It wasn’t on any government or Tribal Council construction project lists. Yet it just popped up, and it needed to be done very quickly and by only local workers to keep the money in the region. Gordie was part of the official opening by the Queen. She, and several of those who know where the money came from, smiled at him whenever they talked of the huge efforts of people in raising the funds to make the hospital possible.” They both wonder about the implications of this, and they can’t think of any other reason for him to be at the ceremony if he wasn’t involved in some important way.

Another friend gives her some gossip about him saving several girls from a wild animal attack some years ago.

Mid-morning Sunday she’s in the town square when she sees him leading a young girl of about seven years old into the playground. She has a vacant look on her face, but she smiles when the playground equipment comes into focus for her. Gordie stops to kneel in front of her and talk to her in a serious manner, she nods yes. Smiling, she enters the playground. He stands at the gate, watching her. There’s a lot of children in the playground, and two adults from the orphanage across the road are there as well.

A short time later a young girl falls over near him. He’s quick to help her up and he brushes her off. Examining her skinned knee he pulls out a first aid kit and he treats her knee. One of the orphanage adults watches from across the way as she smiles at them. With a smile the girl goes back to playing.

Marcella walks over to talk to him, they chat about minor matters for some time. She asks him, “Gordie, are you rich?”

He looks up, “Not yet, but I will be after you help to make me rich.” She laughs. “At the moment I’ve about eighty thousand dollars in the bank. Rewards from some bank robbers I stopped in Carmel some years back.” She stares at him, “I taught some bank robbers with guns that little boys with knives are just as dangerous as security guards with guns. One fellow found out you can’t draw a pistol while your hand is pinned to your coat by a finger knife. And another learnt how hard it is to stand with finger knives in both of your thighs. None thought a kid could be a problem to them, how wrong they were!”

As Dani said, he’s no ordinary boy.

The girl he brought to the playground approaches with the two four year old girls she’d been playing with. She slowly asks, “Gor-dee, can weee have some ice-cream, pleease?” The two younger girls give him hopeful looks.

He looks over at the supervisor from the orphanage then motions his head at the ice-cream parlour. She nods. He squats down to say, “Yes, you may, come along. Care to join us, Marcella?” She agrees.

They walk over to the road. He stops and he stares straight ahead. The girl carefully looks both ways then tugs on his hand. It’s safe to go so he leads them across the road. Inside he has them all sit down and order ice-creams to eat-in. Leaving them at the table he walks back outside. He stands there looking at the playground with his arm held up. One by one the children stop what they’re doing to watch him. He waits until the only car moving in the square has left. His hand makes a fast circle above his head then he points at the ice-cream parlour.

The children give a joyous shout and race for the parlour. The two orphanage supervisors are holding the gate open. A tidal wave of children surges across the road and into the parlour. Gordie follows the last one in, then he rings the bell beside the door twice. The children start ordering ice-creams, and the staff are very busy supplying the orders.

Marcella knows Gordie has just agreed to buy ice-creams for all in the store from either of the first two lists. That’s what ringing the bell means. He sits down at their table just when the owner sets down their orders. Gordie hands him a credit card, the man smiles and accepts it. After all of the children have been served he brings over an itemised list and credit slip for signature. Gordie signs the slip and puts his card away. It all has an air of ‘been here and done that before.’

When they’re leaving Marcella says, “Gordie, I’m very concerned about getting the money to make this work. I’ve one more question. How committed are you to getting this project operational?”

He smiles at her, “Totally! I intend to get this up and running, one way or another. I want this more than the medical degree which I’ve wanted for some years and I’ve nearly finished.”

She gives a slow nod. She thinks over how committed he must be, and how that will pay off in the long run. The sort of commitment that puts a ten year old boy through the training to become a doctor is very heavy, and he’s applying the same commitment to this. She says, “I’ll drop the signed contract around this afternoon, can you have my copy countersigned and given to the driver when he collects me?” He nods yes while they shake hands on the deal.

Bank Games

Four weeks later Marcella has finished work in Berana and moved to View Port. For the moment she’s living with her parents. Over the last ten days she’s visited all eight of the major banks in Berant and two locally represented International banks. They’ve all spoken well of the business plan, but have concerns about loaning half a million dollars to two greenhorns in their first major operation. Things are looking very bad. No money, no business. The banks don’t know exactly who Mr G. Mannheim is, beyond the fact he doesn’t appear in any of the lists of business executives or rich people living in Berant.