money player

Chapter 193: Having fun all day long
On the fifth day, just after going to work in the morning, the members of the flower club each held a cup of coffee in their hands and listened to Xian Yaowen, who was standing in front of a mobile blackboard, describing the positioning of "Playboy".

I saw Xian Yaowen holding a piece of chalk in his hand and pointing to the three words Men, Women, and Sexy on the blackboard. The "Y" of Sexy was written with different colors of chalk so that people could understand at a glance that it was a combination of words.

“When a man sees a strange woman, his first reaction is to look at the face, breasts, and buttocks. No matter what he looks at, he focuses on her sexiness and does not think about who the woman is, what she has done, and what greatness she has. If a woman Not sexy enough, and men will lose interest in understanding women unless they have to.”

Xian Yaowen drew two lines under Sexy and smiled in front of everyone: "Men have always been superficial when it comes to women, and I believe the reverse is also true. Apollo and Daphne, Cupid and Psyche, Paris and Helen, Romeo and Juliet, all good love stories have one main feature: both the hero and heroine are good-looking.

There may be exceptions. More than a hundred years ago, a businessman named Theodore Lant might have been from California or Pennsylvania. It didn't matter where he was from, as long as he was from a state far enough away from Mexico.

Lant traveled all the way to Mexico and found a woman named Julia Pastrana. Julia was a beautiful name, but she was extremely ugly. Lant found Julia. Leah proposed to her, took her out of her hellish hometown, and took her around the world.

This story sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? "

Kathy said: "No, I know this story, it is not beautiful at all. Lant formed a circus and performed around the world. Lant's circus slogan read 'The Ugliest Woman in the World', Julie Leah is his money maker.”

Xian Yaowen nodded to Casey, "Kathy, thank you for your speech. Your speech destroyed my speech. You did a good job."

Xian Yaowen's words made everyone smile.

"The pursuit of beautiful things is human nature. If anyone is only interested in ugly things, he is either a pervert or has ulterior motives, just like Theodore Lanter. Our magazines will be sold on newsstands, How do we make our target readers choose us from hundreds of magazines at a glance?”

Xian Yaowen drew another line under Sexy, extending the line to connect to Women, and then wrote the word "Beautiful" under the line.

"I believe that everyone here will give our magazine a rich connotation. We will not care about hunting and fishing that other men's magazines care about. What we want to talk about is jazz."

As he spoke, Xian Yaowen hummed "Begin the Beguine", tapped his feet on the floor, twisted his body, and danced a jazz dance. He stopped after a few beats, and then said: "Cocktail, Picasso, Hemingway, I have one A good plan, we invite a sexy actress or female model to interview Hemingway, talk to him about "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and ask who Renata is based on.

If any of you are wondering who Renata is at this point in your mind, then I have to blame myself for how I managed to get you through the interview. "

Amid the laughter of everyone, Xian Yaowen wrote another word "Prevalent" on the blackboard.

“Each of us must clearly understand the current popular topics and predict the popular topics next month. What our magazine has to do is to create and lead popular topics.

In London, I saw a new form of music called Skiffle, which is not early jazz. The British interpreted it as noise jazz. It is a comprehensive style that combines jazz, blues, and folk, often using homemade or modified instruments.

Noise jazz has relatively low technical requirements, and it can attract girls. A large number of small bands have emerged in London schools. Who knows whether great bands will be born among these small bands, such as Elizabeth, Churchill, Red Fox, and The Beatles. , who knows what the ghost name is..."

Xian Yaowen shrugged and continued: "The world is changing in a superficial direction. Now and in the future, the mark of the times may be a song or a movie. Twenty or thirty years from now, maybe we will look back from the beginning. The song starts. Damn it, Bing Crosby, 'White Christmas' sold so well, a lot of people probably got that song."

There was laughter again, this time it was a roar of laughter. Most of the people present liked Xian Yaowen's speech. They had a premonition that their career in the flower club would be very easy.

"We have to care about music and movies, and we also have to care about sports. The development of passenger railways in the last century led to the rise of sports leagues. Now, airplanes have provided new possibilities. The Red Sox will fly over and let us kick our ass. Simpson, go Remember to throw two bottles for me when watching the game."

In a year when it was politically correct to criticize the Red Sox in New York and various extremist groups were active, anyone who dared to wear a Red Sox uniform on the streets of New York would have his head and body disfigured.

Simpson laughed and said, "Beer or whiskey?"

"Whatever." Xian Yaowen shrugged and continued: "There is very bad news for us. The price of TV sets has dropped to 75 US dollars. This means that the competitors we will face are not only other men's magazines, but also damn TV stations. The good news is that we also know that the stocks of TV manufacturers and TV stations will see a surge."

Xian Yaowen wrote the word "Share" on the blackboard again, "Our magazine will convey information about music and movies to readers, and also teach them how to make cocktails, how to charm women, how to speak, what to wear, etc.

At the same time, we also need to tell them how to buy stocks. Picking up girls is a sport that requires financial support. Women like romance but not money. However, every kind of romance requires money.

Well, it was probably an accident for Simpson. All he had to do was come home from get off work and say to his wife: Honey, my belly has lost another two pounds today. His wife will think that is the most romantic thing in the world. "

"Hahaha!"

The whole room burst into laughter again, and even Simpson, the source of the laughter, couldn't help laughing.

There was no lack of eye contact and verbal communication between some people, and they all expressed their "I Like" emotions towards Xian Yaowen.

As time went by, Xian Yaowen basically set the style of Playboy's high-end men's magazine from music, movies, literature, sports, to high-end fashion, diet, lifestyle, current affairs and other content.

Each issue of the magazine will interview a heavyweight man. For example, in the first issue, Ronald Reagan will focus on the "Fashion President" to spread the content, and try to limit the interview with Reagan to fashion and politics.

What Xian Yaowen and Priscilla Cheng said was not a joke. Regarding Reagan, he planned to cooperate in depth, first to shape his image as a fashionable president, and then to make him the image spokesperson of the "GoodLuck" presidential series.

He has never changed his original intention of "making a magazine to sell products", but "Playboy" will include more products and carry more ambitions. Shirts are just the first step. It will open up magazines, movies, music, and politics. The film "Romancing President Clinton", which has already been titled in my mind, is not just a self-admiring joke.

After a long monologue, Xian Yaowen wrote the word "Man" on the blackboard. After writing, he raised his hand to fan the air in front of his nose, thanking the emergence of the budding feminism, thanking the magazine for being a creative industry, and thanking that there are no public places at the moment. Smoking is not allowed. Regardless of men or women, every member of the flower club smokes. When he was talking, the white fog in the office did not stop, and the sound of matches and Zippo lighters could be heard from time to time.

[Solemn statement: I have no bad intentions. I am just restoring the true appearance of the workplace in the American magazine industry in the 1950s. There are not many practitioners in this industry who do not smoke. In fact, the smoking rate among intellectual workers in those days was very high, and Lin Huiyin was both a smoker and an alcoholic. Well, for example, Lin Huiyin is just because her image contrasts greatly and is more shocking, so Lin Fan begged to let it go. ]
"Men's magazines are naturally for men, so the views expressed in our magazines are mainly male-biased. Only during special periods will they be biased in the direction of women, such as Women's Day on February 28th, Women's Day on March 8th, etc. Women’s Day is also Mother’s Day in May.

Some people may ask, why does a men's magazine need you, you, you..."

Xian Yaowen clicked through the female staff one by one, and then wrote "Playboy" on the blackboard, "A Playboy Lifestyle, a lifestyle of having fun all day long, this is the motto of our magazine."

Walking forward, Xian Yaowen shuttled among the people, "After working all day during the day, he went home and listened to NBC radio programs at night. He didn't go out on weekends, either tidying up the garden or spending time with his Linda (a popular name for female dogs in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s). name), has no social skills, and does not know how to talk nicely. Would such a man be the type that ladies would like?
I think the answer is no, such a man would be very reassuring, but very boring, and if women were given a choice, they would probably rather accompany their dogs. "

He stopped in front of Catherine and asked, "Kathy, what's your dog's name?"

Catherine said with disgust: "I hate dogs." "Wow, what a shame, you should like dogs from now on, sometimes dogs are more useful than men." Xian Yaowen shrugged and continued walking forward, "Human beings are a kind of Very complex animals, always wearing masks on their faces. When facing different people, they will put on different masks, whether they are the same sex, the opposite sex, their lover, their family, or themselves. We don’t need to analyze the details too carefully because the cost is too high. The gain outweighs the loss.

When men face the same sex and the opposite sex, they have two different faces. The man in the eyes of men is different from the man in the eyes of women. The perfect man in the eyes of men and women is also completely different.

There is no doubt that there is gender discrimination in the workplace. It is more difficult for women to get into management positions than for men. Therefore, during the work process, most men need to face a male boss, and when they return home, they have to face another BOSS. They wear masks during the day and wear masks at night. Masks, constantly switching, day after day..."

Xian Yaowen spread his hands, "Few men can persist for a long time. One day, they will reach the critical point, tear off their masks and yell, Casey, what do you want me to do, ah? Smash the wall, throw the cup, hit Everything bad happens to people.”

Catherine blew out a smoke ring and rolled her eyes at Xian Yaowen.

"The year is 1950, and I wish it were 1975 or 1980, and some budding writer wrote this: Playboy has been a cornerstone of American life for as long as I can remember, and every man and boy I know has watched Playboy. Young Master, some men, like my dad, will pretend not to look.

Every boy's dad I know has a little hideout where he hides men's magazines. Dads think no one knows about it, but the kids actually know it all. Every once in a while, we take out dad's magazines and exchange them. . "

Xian Yaowen walked back to the blackboard and faced everyone, "Escape, relax, and enjoy. This is the gift our magazine wants to give to every reader. Wearing a mask is inevitable in life, but you can relax a little."

Playboy, a man who pursues pleasure, and the lifestyle of a perfect man in the eyes of men, this is the core content of our magazine. "

Before Xian Yaowen finished speaking, applause and cheers erupted in the office. His words touched the hearts of many men.

He lit the cigar and took a few puffs quietly. When the noise died down, he sat on a desk and said in a low and magnetic voice: "Let's go back to the topic of sexism in the workplace. I don't care what happens in other places. In society, there is no gender, there is no distinction between men and women, there is no species difference, people, dogs, cats, termites, everything does not matter, everything is based on merit, if you do well, you will be promoted and paid, if you do not do well, you will be fired.

Ladies, no discrimination means no special consideration, benefits and holidays for all depend only on the position, regardless of gender.

In fact, when I set the salary standards for you, I only considered ability and did not consider gender at all. If you find someone who does the same work as you but gets different pay, it can only mean that you are not as good as another person in my eyes, and it has nothing to do with anything else. "

Xian Yaowen clapped his hands, "OK, let's just say this about discrimination. If there is any man who can't bear equal pay for equal work with women, you can submit a resignation letter to me; if there is any woman who feels that she should receive special treatment, she can also submit a resignation letter to me. I am Boss, not PaPa."

After a brief pause to give others time to digest, Xian Yaowen pointed to the two words "Sexy" and "Beautiful" on the blackboard, "We return to the topic of 'how to let our target readers read hundreds of magazines at a glance. Choose us among them?', just like I said about love stories, everyone is only interested in the love stories of good-looking people, and will not be interested in reading a love story between ugly people.

The cover is the face of a magazine. The cover of our magazine must be beautiful and eye-catching. "

As he spoke, he waved, and Yang Leimeng immediately stepped forward and handed him a calendar. He took it and showed the naked picture on the calendar to everyone, "Who can tell me who this person is?"

The picture was not big, so everyone craned their necks to take a quick look.

After a while, Simpson asked tentatively: "Marilyn Monroe?"

"Bingo, that's her." Xian Yaowen snapped his fingers, "Seven photos, no clothes, and the reward is only 7 US dollars. I have to say that Tom Kelly did a good business. Simpson, before you go to visit Ms. Monroe, Contact Tom Kelly and buy the rights to the photos from him. $50 is my bottom line. If he opens his mouth, let me know."

"OK, Boss."

Xian Yaowen photographed the calendar on the blackboard and said loudly: "Everyone, Marilyn Monroe is the first face I chose. She wears or doesn't wear clothes, laughs or cries, jumps or crawls, no matter what, I just want to see her every day." A man who saw it paid 60 cents for our magazine.

On July 7, our magazine will publish its first June issue. My goal is not high. I only need to sell 1 copies of the first issue to be considered a success..."

Before he could finish his words, there was a burst of questioning gasps.

Xian Yaowen smiled, "Everyone, we still need to have ideals. What if we realize them! 63 copies. As long as they are realized, everyone's weekly salary will increase by 10%. For every additional 2 copies in excess, the weekly salary will increase by US$1. Please work on your televisions, your washing machines, your cars, your gardens and God bless you, adjourned.”

63 copies is not an unattainable dream. The population of the United States now exceeds 1.5 million, and the potential customers of "Playboy" are tens of millions. As long as the distribution is in place, even if the content of the magazine is a piece of shit, it can be achieved just by relying on the cover. Sales target, but if the content is not good, you don’t have to expect sales in the next issue.

After the meeting, everyone in the office was busy performing their duties.

Xian Yaowen called Webster and several people who were in charge of printing into the corridor to discuss the issue of paper for the magazine. His requirements for the magazine were to strive for excellence. After discussion, he decided on a cover of copper paper, and the inner pages were made of coated paper and embossed paper. A solution that combines light and paper.

Needless to say, this is almost the highest configuration plan for mass distribution of printed matter, and the higher level can be labeled as a hardcover edition.

By calculation, if "Playboy" is sold at an issue price of 60 cents, excluding the publisher's share, terminal sales profits, labor and space costs, and IRS robbery, a magazine can leave 6.7 cents in the flower club's account. About 10 US dollars in net profit per 6700 copies. With some reasonable tax avoidance methods, this number should be turned into 7000 US dollars, which is a good profit.

Xian Yaowen's inner ultimate goal is 600 million copies. If it can be achieved, the annual net profit from distribution can reach 504 million US dollars. Add in advertising revenue, this number can be multiplied by 2.4, and the profit can be said to be considerable.

Of course, this wonderful number probably has little to do with him. It could be as short as three to five years, or as long as seven or eight years. The flower club will have gone through the process of being listed and being merged. Even if he still retains some shares by then, it should be over. If you lose your controlling stake, you can only be a Taiping shareholder with peace of mind.

The future is bright, but now it is a bit bad. The funds that Xian Yaowen gave Priscilla Cheng in the early stage were enough to cover the flower club's salary this week, but the salary for the next week is a bit short even including his personal money. In addition, it is mailed every day, and the accumulated salary is The bills turned out to be huge, and the flower company and himself were in financial crisis.

Despite this, he didn't take it too seriously. He went to work normally during the day and worked overtime alone after get off work. When Jane came over to clean, he was still making calls outside.

"Lawyer Bufalino, this is Adam Hepburn, calling from the West Village Flower Club in Manhattan. I would like to invite you to become the legal counsel of the Flower Club... Yes, I know that you are the legal counsel of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and need to fly frequently. Go to Washington, I sincerely invite you, let's make an appointment to meet... I'm free in the afternoon the day after tomorrow, OK, I'll wait for you in the office."

After hanging up the phone, Xian Yaowen looked at Jane who had been hanging around him and said with a smile: "Jane, did you do this on purpose? To seduce me?"

……

happy New Year!

(End of this chapter)