money player

Lexington Avenue, outside the JWT headquarters office building.

Sin Yiu-man sat in the car, his gaze searching for a different kind of charm among those dressed in sharp suits.

Suddenly, he saw a woman in her thirties who perfectly matched the characteristics Christina had described. Comparing the features one by one, she was about seven or eight parts similar, and he guessed that she was Charlotte Montgomery.

He opened the car door and approached the woman. "Ms. Montgomery?"

"Yeah, it's me. Who are you?"

“I’m Adam Hepburn. Give me five minutes. I want to talk to you about something important.” Sin Yiu-man pointed to the other side of the street. “Let’s go over there and talk.”

Montgomery glanced across the street; they were still in public, so there was no need to worry about being kidnapped. She nodded. "OK."

Once across the street, Sin Yiu-man immediately said, "Without interrupting your work hours, I'll get straight to the point. I'm the founder of an advertising company in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as the founder of Flower Society and Juliet Brand Management. Three days ago, I established Ogilvy Advertising in New York with a start-up capital of US$50."

Ogilvy's hiring philosophy was that there was no distinction between men and women, only ability or inability. If you were capable, high salary, bonuses, partnerships, and everything else were negotiable. If you weren't, you were out.

Men at your level can earn $2 a year, while you only earn $1.2, the difference being due to your gender.

"If you come to Ogilvy, I'll fill the gaps in your resume; the position will be Vice President of Client Services."

“Well, Mr. Hepburn, I understand what you mean. My answer is that I’m not interested,” Montgomery said calmly.

Sin Yiu-man said with a faint smile, "JWT is the largest advertising company in the United States. Standing on this platform, you can easily handle big clients, but I believe that even if you work at JWT until you can no longer work, you will never become a partner."

Your male colleagues will never treat you as an equal, never. All they'll ever think about is how to have sex with you, and then they'll take your client proposals and your authorship.

Montgomery said angrily, "Mr. Hepburn, please take back what you said."

“Sorry, I won’t take it back.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “I’m just stating the facts, aren’t I? I can’t give you JWT’s platform in a short time, but I can give you a fair platform, a platform that only considers ability, and I’ll also give you a guarantee contract.”

If your abilities are not fully utilized because of the Ogilvy platform, you are free to leave at any time. I will personally compensate you with $10. With this money, you can almost build your own platform.

In addition, if you have been with the company for a full year and have not been kicked out, you can take the initiative to talk to me about becoming a partner. The first time, I will give you no less than 2% of the shares. The second time, you still need to take the initiative to bring it up. When you feel that you are qualified to receive more shares, bring it up again.

You have to actively fight for your interests, but with me, if you deserve it, I will give it to you.

Montgomery paused for a moment, then asked, "Who is the Account Director?"

"After we finish talking, I need to go find Jack Tinker of Benton and Powers Corporation."

"He is an extremely capable account manager."

“I’m determined to have him.” Sin Yiu-man glanced at his watch deliberately. “I have many businesses all over the world. Ogilvy is just a small, insignificant business. Oh, I seem to have forgotten to introduce Tongqu. That’s right, Tongqu is also my company.”

A few months ago, Jessica was just an ordinary college student at Columbia University. Because her ex-boyfriend was a friend I valued highly, I arranged for her to work part-time at Children's Fun, with a starting salary of $70.

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “She is now the CEO and co-founder of Tongqu, earning an annual salary of $5, with project bonuses and shares. The most troublesome thing is the tax return next April, which is a huge sum of money to pay out. Nobody wants to do that, right?”
Sorry, I digress. Ogilvy is just a small, insignificant business of mine. I only need to focus on choosing the general manager; everything else should be left to him. But I have ambitions for Ogilvy.

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the JWT sign across the street, “Beat it and become number one in America. And the reason I personally came to talk to you is to show you respect, a respect that will last throughout your career.”

OK, I've already laid out my cards. You have two days to think it over. You can talk to me anytime within those two days. After two days, someone else will be talking to you.

Have a wonderful day, goodbye.

As soon as he finished speaking, Sin Yiu-man turned and left. Tse Ting-wan immediately handed Montgomery a business card of Cheng Wai-han, with Cheng Wai-han's name crossed out and "Adam" written next to it.

Montgomery stood there, watching Sin Yiu-man leave, then stared at the business card, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Sin Yiu-man went home for the second time, washed up and changed his clothes, and then went to the apartment not far away. He went up to the attic, knocked on a door, and met Mary Wells, another talent introduced by Christina, the wife of Bert Wells, a business manager at Dabbs.

"Mrs. Wells, hello, I'm Adam."

“Hello, Mr. Hepburn. Christina has already called me. You can call me Mary.” Mary Wells smiled and opened the door wide. “Please come in.”

The buildings in Greenwich Village are mostly old-fashioned brownstone apartments built at the end of the last century. They are four to five stories high, with wooden floors, high ceilings, and fireplaces. If the houses have not been renovated, they are quite comfortable to live in.

However, most rental properties undergo cheap renovations, with large apartments being converted into partitioned rooms, shared bathrooms on different floors, and heating pipes and wiring altered without permission. Coupled with the lack of attention to detail from tenants, these apartments become breeding grounds for rats and cockroaches, and leaks and moldy wooden floors are common occurrences.

If given a choice, Sin Yiu-man would not want to enter such a room. Moreover, in the current social climate in the United States, the home is regarded as the husband's private territory, and the wife is the protector of the home. The entry of a strange man into the home is easily seen as a provocation to the husband. Society generally believes that married women should not be alone in a room with men other than their husbands, so as not to cause gossip.

Salespeople are generally not allowed to enter a home and can only talk to the person at the door. Repairmen usually only come when the husband is home. Typically, only "non-threatening" men such as fathers, brothers, pastors, and doctors are allowed to enter a home at will.

"I'm very sorry, but I have an appointment with someone for coffee in Carter. Since it's only around the same time, I need to get there early. If it's convenient, let's go over and have a chat."

"Of course, I'll change my clothes and come over right away."

"OK, I'll go over and wait for you."

A few minutes later, Sin Yiu-man sat at a table outside the Carter's shop, waiting for Mary Wells to arrive.

He carried memories of Mary Wells from a previous life; she seemed destined to become the highest-ranking woman in the American advertising industry, and because of her position in advertising, she was selected as a member of the "Americans' Biggest Choices Committee" in the early 1970s.

The committee was a bipartisan working group proposed during Nixon's presidency, but it was actually dominated by Republicans. At the time, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, a Republican member of Congress, resigned from his post to take control of the committee.

The committee was initially proposed to be named "America in the Third Century," referring to the fact that the United States would begin its third century as an independent nation in 1976. The committee's main task was to develop strategic directions for the future development of the United States, divided into six areas.

It can be said that the general framework of the United States' development direction for the next fifty years was already revealed in the report released by the committee in 1976. The study of American politics and economy cannot be separated from the committee and its report.

The committee had very few female members; if he remembered correctly, there were only two: Mary Wells and Beth Myerson, Miss America 1945.

In 1946, during Beth Myerson's year-long speaking tour as Miss America, she discovered that places such as hotels and country clubs displayed "No Jews" signs.

This experience prompted her to give a speech on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League entitled "You Can't Be Beautiful and Hateful," and she became an open opponent of anti-Semitism and racism.

Because of the positive image she cultivated in the early days of her Jewish career, the Jewish Foundation provided her with substantial financial and networking support when she entered politics in the 1960s. However, it turned out she was an incompetent leader, and the Jewish Foundation wasted its money.

When he joined the Jewish Foundation, he was confronted by other elders who launched an audit of Beth Myerson and others' past debts from the 1980s. They ousted several old men with solid evidence and, to cover up the scandal, silenced a number of people.

Beth Myerson can be said to be the starting point for his gaining influence at the Jewish Foundation. I have a deep memory of her, and I am also impressed by the people who came into contact with her, including Mary Wells.

Unfortunately, he hadn't studied Mary Wells's background in depth at the time and didn't know much about her resume. However, since Christina commented that her copywriting was of a very high standard and was included in the recommended list, it must be quite good.

After all, Charlotte Montgomery is on the list. In this era, it was extremely rare for a woman to earn $1.2. Even if you include those who earned it through family connections, you still can't find many. Her true worth was at least $1.2 multiplied by 4 or 5.

Although Charlotte Montgomery's true skill level should be very high, he will not pay her a salary commensurate with her level because the realities of society prevent her abilities from being fully utilized, and he will not pay for unfulfilled potential, regardless of the reason.

During the recollection, a cup appeared on the table, and someone was pouring coffee from a coffee pot. On the handle of the pot was the hand of an Asian person.

He looked up and saw Yang Leimeng.

"I pay you a salary to come here and make coffee?"

“It’s my coffee time now, and I’d be happy to take a little time to pour you a cup of coffee,” Yang Leimeng replied with a smile.

"I appreciate your flattery. I'll promote you to manager when the time is right."

Upon hearing this, Yang Leimeng chuckled and said, "Boss, are you using the strategy of 'quenching thirst with plums' or 'satisfying hunger with painted cakes'?"

"Call it whatever you want, as long as you eat it, it's a good plan."

What if I don't want to eat it?

"Then you missed out on a rare delicacy." Sin Yiu-man picked up his coffee cup and chuckled, "I've finished flattering you, you can go now, I have an appointment."

"You haven't paid for your coffee yet."

"Put it on your tab."

"You owe me one." Yang Leimeng pouted and left.

A short while later, Mary Wells arrived.

After ordering her a coffee, Xian Yaowen got straight to the point, "Christina said your copywriting skills are quite good. I happen to have started an advertising company, and I'd like to invite you to join us. Skip the secretary stage and start directly as a copywriter."

"After I joined the company, my direct supervisor was Ava?"

Mary Wells moved to New York from Youngstown earlier this year with her new husband, Bert Wells. She has been unemployed and has been taking on some part-time copywriting work at Darby's through Bert Wells. She is very interested in copywriting but cannot find a company willing to hire her.

Looking at the resumes of all female advertising professionals, they almost all start as typing secretaries. It's difficult for them to work as copywriters or other "proper" positions right after joining the company. They work as secretaries for a year or two, until their male colleagues assess their abilities, before they have a chance to talk about other things.

This process was unacceptable to Mary Wells, who was a newlywed wife, and Bert Wells was just a manager who couldn't afford to give her a copywriting position, so she had to remain unemployed.

Now that someone is directly hiring her as a copywriter, she can't pretend to be reserved anymore. If she misses this opportunity, she may never have another chance to work at this store.

"It's unlikely. I don't discriminate against female employees, but I won't show favoritism either. Copywriters need to participate in client proposals. If they can't handle male superiors, how can they deal with male clients who are prejudiced against women?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “You know that this is the majority of clients, and the company can’t refuse to provide services to them. So, as a female copywriter, you can only adapt to the environment.”

"I think I can adapt."

“Great, welcome to Ogilvy. My starting salary is $55 a week. After three months, you will have the opportunity for a salary reassessment. If all goes well, your salary will increase after three months. The next assessment can only be done at the end of the year, or if you make a significant contribution to the company.”

"Thank you, I will do my best."

Sin Yiu-man and Mary Wells shook hands. "The tacos and stuffed peppers here are quite good, and the extra-large margaritas will satisfy your cravings. You can have lunch here before you leave, and I'll pay for it."

"Thank you so much."

"Goodbye."

After saying goodbye to Mary Wells, Sin Yiu-man greeted the staff at the counter and then left to go home.

When Mary Wells saw that Sin Yiu-man left directly, she instantly realized that his explanation for not going inside was just an excuse, and she felt a sense of goodwill towards his sense of propriety.

When he got home, Xian Yaowen saw Wang Xiamin busy at the stove. He went up to her and hugged her from behind. "What are you making?"

"There's peas and pork ribs stewing in the pot, and this is what I'm holding." Wang Xiamin picked up a zucchini and showed it to Xian Yaowen.

"Italy melon, do you know how to cook it?"

"I've had Italian melon stir-fried with meat at a restaurant, and I can tell how it's made just by tasting it."

"Oh, what else did you buy?"

"I ate one Jersey persimmon, and it tastes better than the ones at home. It would definitely be delicious stir-fried with eggs."

"It's hot, no need to stir-fry, just mix it with sugar."

"Ah."

After lingering for a while, Sin Yiu-man went into the armory, put on a record, and relaxed as he drew the structural diagram of the FN-Minimi on a piece of paper.

This gun was introduced by FN in the early 1970s and is not very famous, but it has a very famous adopted son, the M249 squad automatic weapon.

Part of the Armadillo Squad's armed forces were to transition to specializing in conventional combat, with the squad's firepower primarily concentrated in the machine gun group. Therefore, a reliable squad automatic weapon was needed. He considered all the squad automatic weapons he knew and narrowed it down to the PRD light machine gun and the FN-Minimi.

Since the Soviet Union had already equipped itself with PRDs, and in order to avoid ideological and patent issues, the FN-Minimi was ultimately selected.

He didn't have much experience with machine guns, but he was still able to draw a rough structural sketch. He pointed out the direction of research and development, leaving the detailed structural sketches and research and development to the gunsmiths.

Real firearms development is difficult, but it becomes very simple once you have the right answers. The requirements are clear, and the performance indicators such as caliber, range, rate of fire, weight, and recoil control are clear. The automatic principle is clear, the materials and processes are clear, the ergonomics are clear, and the requirements for ammunition compatibility and reliability are clear. In other words, time-consuming work is skipped, and the "development" of a gun does not take much time.

Drawing didn't take much time either. He had already completed about 80-90% of the work in the previous fragmented time. This time, he finished drawing in about ten minutes and picked up a Thompson from the gun rack to play with.

This gun was "borrowed" from a gun shop for fun. If I were to buy it, I would have to wait for the FBI's background check. Otherwise, it would take anywhere from six months to a year from applying to buy the gun to receiving it.

He disassembled the gun, carefully wiped it, and prepared to re-oil it. This gun was a bit expensive, costing $225, plus a $200 stamp duty. Moreover, in a few years, there would be no legal way to buy the automatic version, so he needed to keep it as a precious keepsake.

While cleaning his gun, he pondered where to get a Tiger II tank. It was still relatively early, and there was a chance to collect many heavy weapons. He planned to collect as many weapons as possible, from bombers to tanks, armored vehicles, cruisers, submarines, and aircraft carriers. He wanted them all, and they had to be mobile.

To achieve this goal, he needs to free up at least $1 million in spare cash within five years; otherwise, many weapons will be out of stock and he won't be able to buy them even if he has the money later.

Having $1 million in spare cash is no easy feat; earning it penny by penny is difficult, so robbing is a more feasible option.

Where to steal it?

How do I snag one?
Is it possible to stand on the moral high ground and rob in the name of justice?

These are the three questions he urgently needs to answer in the next stage, but he has no clue how to answer them yet.

Although he still had many ways to make money in his mind, most of them were either impossible to quickly convert into cash or very unprofitable. He wouldn't be a spendthrift for a personal hobby. Compared to collecting, building a conglomerate would excite him more.

His clear goals and the ambition to surpass his father filled him with excitement.

"Sir, dinner is ready." There was a knock on the door.

"coming."

The four of them sat around the table and enjoyed a relaxing lunch.

In the afternoon, he took a nap while holding Wang Xiamin. When he woke up, Xian Yaowen began to study materials on Freud and Jack Tinker.

New York is big, but the advertising industry is small. There are only so many high-quality advertising clients, and every advertising agency wants to win them over. But clients aren't stupid. It's their instinct to offer attractive prices and manipulate advertising agencies, and to deliberately incite competition among them. Even the most foolish people won't actively research their competitors, but they'll passively receive information about them.

Moreover, the advertising industry offers numerous opportunities for gatherings, including the Advertising Age's Best Ads of the Year awards, the New York Times Advertising Review Awards, the Clio Awards, the Kenyon Awards, the Art Directors Club Awards, the Association of Advertising Agencies Annual Meeting, New York Advertising Week, the National Radio Advertisers Conference, and the Advertising Age Annual Summit. As an elite, one's reputation will spread throughout the entire advertising industry.

Christina's job meant she was familiar with people in the advertising industry, and she got Jack Tinker's information from her that morning.

Jack Tinker is known as the psychologist of the advertising industry. He is well-versed in Freud and is skilled in Freudian selling. To win him over, you must conquer his area of ​​expertise.

There's no other way; this is the predicament of a snake trying to swallow an elephant. You can't just throw money around recklessly, or it'll be difficult to handle later. Small companies poaching top talent from large companies can only rely heavily on their personal charisma. (End of Chapter)