Page 2 of The Mogul: Leonard

“Most of the issues are not all the issues,” I point out.

Joel nods, but he doesn’t lose his grin. “True, but they’re minor inconveniences compared to the previous companies’ results. They addressed the major concern about breaking down under high temperatures, and everything else basically just solved itself when they removed this issue.”

It’s a good start, I have to admit it. It’s been a while since Joel started to talk about the new material used for hard disks that solves the problem of the size of the disk and the quantity of data you can store on it. It would allow us to build devices so small we can devise a new level of security cameras for use in the smallest spaces. And a lot more. That’s just the tip of the iceberg this technology unlocks.

“What do you think?” I ask Benjamin, the financial advisor who has followed me since the first days of this adventure.

He was a bored forty-year-old working as a consultant for big companies and in search of new challenges. I stumbled into one of his conferences by mistake, and I found his ideas refreshing. I met him at the end of his session and blatantly laid out my idea for the company I was trying to build, adding that I didn’t have money to pay him.

He laughed for a good five minutes over my lack of filters and then agreed to tutor me. In the beginning, he did it just out of curiosity. He thought I was a crazy dude who believed he would be the next Bill Gates. He stayed because I showed him I wasn’t just a dreamer; I had a clear vision and a real path to follow.

“This company reached the pinnacle of success. You can decide to stay on this level and work to keep competitors at bay, or you can decide to take a step forward and expand, reaching a new pinnacle.” He never gives me a solution; he guides me toward an informed decision.

“The plan is to expand. I don’t want this to become a stagnant company that becomes obsolete in a few years.” The resoluteness of my tone doesn’t leave room for arguments.

Benjamin nods and smiles. He agrees with me. I glance toward Oliver, and he is scowling at our financial advisor. My heart sinks a bit.

Oliver is not just the head of the developers’ team. He is the co-founder of the company. We attended the same college, and while I dropped out, he got his degree. We stayed friends and shared the same dream about what we wanted to achieve. It was a natural progression to founding Walton Tech. He never wanted a political role in the company; he just wanted to develop the product. This is why only my last name is on the sign on the front door.

“Oliver, what are your concerns?” I go straight to the heart of the problem.

He scoffs for the second time this morning, and I have to bite my tongue not to point it out.

“You are going to put a perfectly healthy company at risk to buy a startup that’s playing with new technologies nobody trusts just because you’re bored?” He blurts it out like he was trying really hard not to tell the truth but failed.

We all stare at him dumbfounded. Where is this coming from? I can understand being careful, but this is just plain obstruction. I struggle to find the words to not cuss him out, and Benjamin comes to my rescue.

“There are ways to keep the two companies separate, so if one goes down, it doesn’t drag the other with it. You don’t have to worry about losing this company,” he explains.

We all look at Oliver, trying to figure out why he is so against this acquisition.

“Yeah, sure. In the meantime, we’re going to adapt the software to a new technology we don’t know will work in five years because nobody has tested it for that long. And if it fails, then what? I put all the team efforts into something we have to trash?” he bites out.

“We are not going to change our existing product to sell the new one. We’re buying a research team to build something new, not to replace the product we have,” Joel blurts out like he is explaining it to a five-year-old.

Oliver is not stupid; he knows what our plans are, and this is why his fight is a bit concerning. It doesn’t make sense.

“Yes, but my team has to write the software around that hardware,” he counters.

“Are you worried about the workload you’ll have to add to your team? We’re going to give you new engineers. You don’t have to worry about that.” I point out the obvious.

He knows perfectly well this kind of job requires double the people we have right now and that I won’t leave him stranded with double the work. I’ve never denied him new people when he needed them.

“Yes, whatever. You’ve already decided,” he mutters under his breath.

Joel looks at me in disbelief. Trish, who stayed out of this part of the discussion, stares at Oliver with a raised judging eyebrow, while Benjamin looks at me with a worried expression.

I shake my head slightly, trying to tell him I will deal with Oliver in private and convince him.

“Let’s take a step back. We’re talking about problems before we’ve actually bought the startup. Can we just figure out now if it’s a good investment first?” I try to bring this meeting back to a more civil tone.

I sigh in relief when Joel starts to ask Oliver some technical questions, and he answers in a civil manner. I glance at Benjamin, who gives me a small, reassuring smile.

This will be a headache for later.

After what seemed like an eternity, we are finally ready to leave this room with a clearer plan as to what our next steps are.

“May I talk to you for a few minutes?” Trish asks me when the others have left the room.

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