The setting for Vince Maston was his corner office at Maston Holdings on the 23rd floor, and it was peaceful and productive while he sat behind a large oak desk with the afternoon sun streaming into the room from behind.
There was a balance of activity within the office space as analyst were typing up forecasts for their retail sectors and business analysts were looking over contracts, and the lights were on and printers were working hard to supply opportunities to the company.
To Vince's left was Gavin Lindman. Gavin was flipping through papers which covered with graphs, forecasts, and other documentation. Gavin was adjusting his collar for the third time in five minutes.
"Gavin," said Vince, without taking his eyes off his report, "How's the quarterly forecasts for Dongle look after this quarter?"
"Stable," replied Gavin, "In three more states they are gaining traction with their search engine, and the 12% investment should start to yield dividends in the next six months."
Vince responded with another "Good," and continued to look at his reports. "And what about the energy storage company?" Vince asked.
"They are still in the prototyping phase," Gavin said. "They have used approximately half of the funding to get this far."
"Not surprising," Vince replied. "R&D costs money."
Gavin cleared his throat again as he began discussing the final update. "Regarding Carl Holler…"
Vince's interest piqued at the mention of Carl Holler. "What's going on with Carl? How is he?"
Gavin took longer than anticipated to respond.
"Gavin?" Vince inquired when he noticed how long it was taking Gavin to reply.
Gavin ultimately answered, "He's still working, Vince."
The ambiguous answer caused Vince to sit up straight. "What happened?"
There was silence followed by a long exhale.
"I don't know that he is going to be successful in any of his pursuits," Gavin admitted. "He is extremely enthusiastic about everything that he does. However, he and his associates have taken some older cell phones and disassembled them; modified some of the circuitry; and argued with one another about design. There is nothing that I would consider a prototype. There is not even a decent user interface (UI). At this point, I cannot support them."
Vince leaned back on his chair and steepled his hands together. His expression was neutral. Inside, Vince found humor in the situation.
If only you knew, he thought.If only you'd seen how many people doubted Steve Jobs before the first iPhone.
When he gently tapped his fingers on the desk, Vince calmly explained to Gavin, "Touch screen phones are not just toys, but are also the future of mobile devices. As time goes by, the simple keypad will eventually disappear, while communication, banking and entertainment will all take place through mobile phones." He then lightly tapped his fingers on the desk.
Although Gavin appeared unconvinced, he respected Vince enough not to argue with him. "If that's what you believe, I'll rely on your instincts."
Vince smiled - after all, it had been that same sense of trust between them that had created Maston Holdings, which was created when two young men took chances by investing in things they knew nothing about and always made money. Vince had the ability to dream big, while Gavin was able to be disciplined and focused.
Together, the two of them had created a very successful business.
After spending hours going over financial statements, forecasts, and projects, the sun had gone down and all the lights in Harborview were out except for the warm illumination from Vince's office desk.
Vince's phone vibrated.
Lance Dawson.
He answered. "Lance?"
"Where the hell are you?" Lance sounded breathless. "I'm at the arena—someone had to keep things going... after you left."
"I'm at Maston Holdings," Vince replied. "What's going on?"
"I'm faxing you some documents now," Lance said. "It's a list of potential broadcasters who might take IRW after RedTV."
Vince's eyes sharpened. "Did anyone respond?"
"No. It'll take time. Maybe a few days. Maybe a week."
"Alright. Send the documents."
Within minutes, the fax machine in Vince's office buzzed to life. Sheets of paper slid out one by one.
Gavin walked closer as Vince grabbed the stack, skimming through the names with narrowed eyes.
Some names jumped out.
Names that mirrored companies from his previous world.
He didn't smile, but his pulse quickened. Interesting.
"I want a full and complete background check done on each of the broadcasters on these pages, Gavin." Vince handed Gavin the papers and continued. "The financial stability of each company, their growth potential, and the amount of instability among their shareholders, among other things."
Gavin sat in shock. "You want me to do all this now?"
"Yes, now," Vince replied.
Gavin swallowed hard. "Uh, ok... but why the sudden interest in all of this?"
Vince didn't answer right away.
Vince looked out the window at the sparkling city below as the street lights slowly turned on. Harborview is the business heart of the area, filled with potential and life.
Vince asked, "What do we have available in terms of capital?"
Gavin was caught off guard. "Capital? For what, exactly?"
"How much?" Vince pressed Gavin on.
"Liquid capital? About $40 million," Gavin replied after clearing his throat.
Vince nodded his head slowly. "That's good for starters. Very good."
Gavin was confused and stared at Vince. "Why are you asking about capital? What are you planning to do?"
Vince calmly replied while still looking straight at Gavin, "I need For you to identify any broadcasters that might need money, or that have shareholders wanting out."
Gavin's jaw dropped. "Wait… Vince-are you thinking of-"
"Yes, Gavin. We are going to get into the television business."
AN: This is shorter chapter. Next one will start with the show. Which TV company do you think should be involved?