Happy Friday one and all. The sun is shining, although don’t expect it to last long, and I managed to sleep fairly well. I’ve been trying to come up with a name for a character and can’t quite find the right one to suit him. As a result I’ve had dreams where Greg Davies from TaskMaster sets me a set bizarre tasks in order to find the character name. Mostly scavenger hunts for some reason. It is very strange. But hopefully once I figure out the name the dreams will stop. but for now it is time for a writing prompt. Are you ready? Excellent. Let’s go.
I think there might be something in this that I could tweak and add to a different story I’ve had simmering for a while. Actually there are a couple where this might prove a good addition. Regardless, its a keeper for me.
Friday, April 9th: The profit margin was slim.
The profit margin was slim. While the startup costs were minimal, things would be tight until the project got off the ground. Once in motion and gathering clientele, the passage would be smoother. Each of those small profits made from each sale would add up. It was at heart a numbers game.
At first the profit would be small and to grow their base they would need to use every free marketing tool they could get. He realized he was not above begging friends and family to tell those they knew, utilizing word of mouth to get started. He knew it was a good product and he would not sacrifice quality.
He would watch their budget and every extra penny would be hoarded. Once there were enough pennies gathered he would start phasing in the elements of his actual marketing plan. He specifically designed it to be stepped based on actual profits rather than a real world time line. He knew it drove his partners crazy.
They wanted exact dates. They wanted something they could mark on their calendar. He smiled to himself as he watched the busy activity on the factory floor. He told them the only way they would be able to give them actual dates was if they were willing to personally pay for each step of the marketing, guaranteeing the funds for that step were there regardless of profit.
They may have groused behind his back, sneering and calling him ‘The Accountant” when they thought he wasn’t listening, but they had no intention of committing more of their money to this venture until they saw the actual profits come in. It was only the fact that it required such minimal cost to start in the first place that they even agreed. They weren’t going to give a dime extra until it was proven profitable.
They accepted his steps and their lack of calendar dates. There was some grumbling and he knew that later down the line there would be issues as each one of them wanted to take whatever profit they could and not think long term about the business. That too he had taken care of. The contracts spelled out exactly what they were entitled to and when. They were iron clad and each one of them had signed it. He suspected they would have protested more had they actually bothered to read the entire thing, or had someone explain the details. The contract specified that they couldn’t just dip into the company till whenever they wanted, although he was certain they each believed that they could.
‘Once there is an official company till,’ he amended. At the moment it was a few spare coins rolling around together in the bottom of a bank account. ‘And they aren’t listed as signatories.’
They were family and so he felt obligated to bring them into the venture. In fact he knew his life would be a misery if they weren’t allowed the option of choosing to join him. He expected them to step away. None of his three siblings were exactly known for their long term planning and foresight. Because they said yes, he hemmed them in to responsible company behavior as best he could with legal contracts. He may have loved his siblings and felt responsibility towards them, but he didn’t trust them. Not a solitary inch.
Gazing over the factory floor he wondered how much of a problem that was going to be in the future. Right now they were content to remain silent partners for the most part, their grousing done away from the office. He knew that once the money started coming in, that would change.
Ten til Midnight 