New Employees With an Annual Salary of 1 Trillion Won - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 109. Niche Strategy (4)

 

After finishing the contract with Trump, I returned to headquarters.

 

The Chairman, who had been quietly waiting all this time, began pouring out questions.

 

“Why did you proceed with such a contract? Acquiring multiple properties for 1.2 billion dollars was well done, but making Trump’s business profitable will be very difficult.”

 

“Making the office towers and hotels profitable is somehow possible. And since it would also benefit us, I made that proposal.”

 

I was someone far from charitable work.

 

I made that proposal because it would benefit me.

 

“What kind of benefit would it bring us?”

 

“Although Trump’s business is struggling right now, it still maintains high recognition within the United States. By using Trump’s business name, we can expand our shared office business and Everbed business much faster.”

 

The name Trump.

 

He was someone who had appeared in global blockbusters, and also had higher recognition than most celebrities in the United States.

 

“So you’re planning to use Trump’s name.”

 

“If I add the real estate owned by Trump Group to the platform I created, I can attract a much more diverse customer base. And I can even do commission business with Trump Group.”

 

“Hmm, now I understand when you put it that way. You can use Trump’s name and real estate while making money through commission business.”

 

It was a perfect win-win structure for both sides.

 

Trump Group can improve their revenue structure and obtain funds to overcome their financial difficulties.

 

We can secure large amounts of real estate at low prices and even do commission business, so there was nothing bad about it.

 

“But are you really confident?”

 

“I can apply the Everbed system to hotels as well. Most hotels rely only on phone calls or on-site visits for reservations. Just by properly establishing an online reservation system, room occupancy rates will noticeably increase.”

 

“Hmm, it would certainly be convenient if reservations were possible through the internet.”

 

It was also perfect for promotional use.

 

Simply with the properties we owned, it was difficult to attract people’s attention.

 

“And it’s also an opportunity to promote Everbed on a large scale. If we advertise that room reservations are possible through Everbed at hotels owned by Trump Group, including Plaza Hotel, we can receive much greater attention.”

 

“Certainly, just unknown condos and apartments are lacking in some areas.”

 

“And starting with Trump Group, partnerships with other hotel groups become possible too. If that happens, we can do much more commission business.”

 

Of course, this was a scenario that was only possible if Trump Hotel succeeded.

 

Hotels were places that used luxury strategies, so they were bound to be reluctant about online reservations.

 

But if Trump Hotel achieved great success, they would have no choice but to join hands with us.

 

“But can you increase room occupancy rates with just online reservations?”

 

“Rather than leaving rooms empty, wouldn’t it be beneficial in many ways to fill them with guests even at discounted prices? So I’m thinking of creating a system that automatically runs price discount events during off-seasons or periods with high vacancy rates.”

 

“Hmm, so that’s why you told President Trump to trust you completely and leave it to you.”

 

Price discount events were something I couldn’t proceed with unilaterally.

 

Since it required the hotel manager’s consent, I had secured a promise from Trump in advance.

 

“I’ve already built all the systems, so I just need to link them with Trump Group. At the earliest, we can start from next week.”

 

“Then I’ll need to transfer the 1.2 billion dollars next week. Wouldn’t they help more actively if we’re holding the money?”

 

“Please proceed with that part as you see fit, Chairman.”

 

The Chairman was even more cunning than me.

 

He was trying to control a bankrupt company with money as a leash.

 

“But is that really all? Of course, I understand too. I know it’s a condition that’s good for us and good for them. But I don’t understand why there’s a need to make such a proposal specifically to Trump Group.”

 

“Actually, I’m not certain about this part either. Clearly, not only Trump Group but Trump himself seemed to have many problems. But strangely, I wanted to join hands with him.”

 

It was a gear structure I’d never seen before.

 

A strange sensation as if discord gathered together to form a single harmony instead.

 

Since Trump was a person I couldn’t understand at all by common sense, I ended up wanting to join hands with him.

 

“You mean he’s a person worth investing in.”

 

“It’s difficult to be certain, but he’s definitely someone I want to observe.”

 

“Since you haven’t caused any loss to the company, we should satisfy that level of curiosity. Now that you say that, I’m becoming curious too.”

 

Chairman Robertson was also genuinely curious about Trump.

 

But since we couldn’t know how he would turn out right now, we had to keep observing.

 

“If I’m going to do the linking work with Trump Group, it seems I won’t be able to make time starting tomorrow.”

 

“I’ll be busy starting tomorrow too. Today I sent Mike General Manager alone, but starting tomorrow I’ll have to go around various campaign sites with him.”

 

It was welcome news to hear.

 

I could now focus solely on work without being disturbed.

 

***

 

The number of employees at Rollbook USA exceeded 100.

 

They were all employees directly hired by Tiger Fund Headquarters, and all were people who had cut their teeth in the IT industry.

 

Thanks to them, I could work much more comfortably.

 

If I just created the basic framework, they were employees who would add flesh and even color it themselves.

 

I was able to finish all the work in less than a week.

 

“Did we decide to start large-scale promotion from today?”

 

“That’s right. It’s both the day we’re first introducing Everbed and the day we’re announcing our collaboration with Trump Group.”

 

“Haha, you really finished all the work in just one week.”

 

The Chairman reappeared after a week.

 

Having diligently traveled around various election sites with the General Manager, there were more wrinkles on his face.

 

“But are you alright? You look very tired.”

 

“You’ll find out soon enough, but politicians are beings that suck the life out of people. After meeting a politician once, all your energy gets drained.”

 

“I’ve heard that the best strategy is to avoid getting involved with politicians as much as possible.”

 

“Those words didn’t come about for no reason. Politicians are living power, so businessmen always have no choice but to bow down.”

 

The Chairman maintained his position while enduring fatigue.

 

He seemed to want to be part of starting the new real estate platform service, so I opened the service without delay.

 

“The Everbed service is now starting.”

 

“I’m curious how the public will accept the new shared accommodation system.”

 

Everbed advertisements ran on all page banners of Rollbook.

 

[Book now and get Trump Hotel rooms for half price!]

 

[Everbed Launch Special – Plaza Hotel Exclusive 50% Discount!]

 

[Official Partnership! Book Trump Hotel rooms at the lowest prices!]

 

[Reservations on Everbed, Stay at Plaza – Limited 7-day discount only!]

 

[Luxury hotels, apartments, vacation homes, villas – meet them all on Everbed!]

 

Different banners were placed on every page.

 

They were plastered with provocative phrases to attract the attention of as many people as possible.

 

And the effect was greater than expected.

 

“Everbed user numbers have started surging.”

 

“Really? How many came in?”

 

“We’ve already surpassed 5,000 people, and the number of users is increasing at an even faster rate.”

 

“Is 5,000 people a lot?”

 

“It’s not a bad number for a first start.”

 

They weren’t just customers doing window shopping either.

 

Actual room reservations started happening, and there were quite a few customers hoping for same-day accommodation.

 

“Plaza Hotel’s vacancy rate is decreasing rapidly. Already over 50 customers have booked rooms for today, and that number is accelerating.”

 

“It seems like famous hotels get attention first because of their reputation.”

 

The Chairman even put on reading glasses to look at the screen.

 

I enlarged the screen as much as possible to explain the current situation to the Chairman in detail.

 

“Not only Plaza Hotel, but other hotels, condos, and apartments are also filling up with reservations quickly. As Twowork visitor numbers also increase together, those hoping for short-term residence at Trump Tower have also greatly increased.”

 

“The 50% discount effect is certainly good.”

 

“At this rate, all Plaza Hotel rooms might soon be fully booked.”

 

The number of visitors had already easily surpassed the ten thousand mark.

 

In less than an hour, it broke through 100,000 people, and Plaza Hotel’s vacancy rate dropped below 10%.

 

“Haha, Plaza Hotel filled up completely in just one hour.”

 

“Even though we offered a 50% discount, it’s definitely more profitable than having empty rooms.”

 

“Of course. Won’t those customers who came in also order room service and eat the breakfast buffet? For the hotel, it’s definitely profitable business.”

 

Especially in a situation with a deficit structure like Plaza Hotel, it was definitely beneficial.

 

You might think that accepting customers at low prices wouldn’t even cover labor costs, but leaving rooms vacant doesn’t mean there are no operating expenses.

 

“It looks like we’ll be able to quickly fill the vacancy rate at Trump Tower as well. It’s a bit different from the shared office building we created, but just being able to find tenant companies through Toowork has had a huge promotional effect.”

 

“Haha, just as you said, Trump Group’s deficit will really improve significantly. You’ve accomplished in one week what couldn’t be done in 10 years.”

 

It was possible because it was a blue ocean.

 

The boundary between offline and online was still clear, and it was an era where just attempting to break down that boundary could attract great attention.

 

While the Chairman and I continued monitoring the situation like that.

 

The Executive Assistant rushed in to announce a visitor.

 

“Chairman! President Trump has come to see you.”

 

“That man must have been staying up watching too. Tell him to come in.”

 

Soon the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard approaching quickly.

 

Then President Trump, larger than a bear, came rushing into the office.

 

“Chairman! How on earth did you do this? It’s more effective than TV or radio advertising!”

 

“Didn’t I tell you to just trust our Deputy Branch Manager? So from now on, when he says he needs materials, send them quickly.”

 

“Mister Lee! Thank you so much!”

 

President Trump, still in an excited state, tried to embrace me.

 

I stepped back slightly and calmed him down with a composed tone.

 

“We need to watch a bit more. Today received great attention because it’s the first day, but we need to work harder to draw sustained interest.”

 

“From now on, I’ve decided to unconditionally trust whatever Mister Lee says. I just gave instructions to my employees that when requests come from Tiger Fund, they should stop whatever they’re doing and handle them as first priority.”

 

His voice was filled with sincerity.

 

Though he appeared confident on the outside, how much mental anguish must he have suffered leading a group on the verge of bankruptcy?

 

“If the current trend continues, we’ll be able to resume various projects that were halted due to lack of funds.”

 

“Hmm, you mean the casino business? If that happens, I’ll consider you my lifelong benefactor.”

 

The reason Trump Corporation was experiencing financial difficulties was because of the casino business.

 

They already owned multiple casinos and were even constructing new ones.

 

Due to reckless expansion, they experienced a cash liquidity shortage, and combined with the hotels’ low occupancy rates, debt continued to pile up.

 

“If the occupancy rate of casino hotels increases, it will have a positive impact on casino sales as well. So I want to focus on raising the occupancy rate first through various events.”

 

“Not just 50% discounts, but even higher discounts are possible. Just fill up all the rooms completely.”

 

“But has the cash liquidity problem been completely resolved?”

 

Tiger Fund had injected 1.2 billion dollars.

 

It was enough money to extinguish fires of considerable scale, but the scale of the fire at Trump Corporation was like a massive wildfire.

 

“Hmm, honestly it’s still difficult.”

 

“If it’s really hard, Tiger Fund will acquire some of Trump Group’s equity shares.”

 

“At what price?”

 

“I understand Trump Group’s market capitalization is around 200 million dollars. We’ll buy 35% of the equity shares for 100 million dollars.”

 

Trump Group’s market capitalization was only 200 million dollars.

 

This was because only part of the Trump empire was publicly listed.

 

Most real estate was held under personal names or separate corporations, and only the casino business was listed on the stock market.

 

“You’re saying you’ll make a 100 million dollar equity investment?”

 

“This might be rude to say, but honestly Trump Group’s stock has more debt than assets, making the valuation itself almost meaningless. It’s evaluated as stock not worth buying with money.”

 

“Hmm, I partially agree with that. Why would you pay 100 million dollars for such stock?”

 

“It’s not simply an equity investment, but to serve as a symbol of partnership.”

 

People’s hearts tend to change easily.

 

Right now they’re holding our hand tightly because they’re in a failing situation.

 

But the moment performance improves and they turn profitable, they’ll surely begrudge the fees they pay us.

 

So we needed a token of promise or a leash.

 

35% of Trump Group’s equity shares could sufficiently serve that role.

 

“You’re saying you’ll make an equity investment as the price for maintaining a cooperative relationship.”

 

“And it’s also to solve Trump Group’s cash liquidity problem. Trump Group needs to be sound for us to benefit as well.”

 

“Of course it’s good for me. If Tiger Fund becomes Trump Group’s major shareholder, the board of directors and employees will try even harder to maintain the cooperative relationship.”

 

I had planted a seed.

 

Of course Tiger Fund would gain its own benefits through this contract.

 

But more than that, I made this contract to observe this person called Trump, who was utterly incomprehensible by common sense.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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