I am a master in India

Chapter 51 Big Business

"Mr. Smith?"

"Ron, it's great to hear your voice again."

"That's surprising. You're back in England now?"

"Yes, I tried to call you, but something seemed to go wrong. I ended up calling Victoria Station directly, and luckily they knew your name as soon as I said it."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. I moved. I should have told you sooner."

"It's okay, Ron. I just wanted to ask if you still offer guiding services?"

"Of course, I started my own company. A travel information company, and it's my career now."

"That's great. I have a group of students planning to go on a study tour to India, and Mumbai is our first stop. This is unofficial, and I'm a little worried without the school's unified arrangements."

"Leave it to me! Mr. Smith, I will give them the best and safest trip to Mumbai!"

This is really great news. Ron is planning to expand the company's business scope, such as hosting foreign tour groups.

This kind of business makes much more money than individual travelers at the train station, and he has the final say on all arrangements for the tour group's activities.

They were nothing like the individual tourists who always asked Ron to take them to buy hemp or find women.

The advantages of tour groups can be summed up in one sentence: more people, less work, and greater profits.

"By the way, Mr. Smith. By the way, how many students do you have?"

"Twenty or so people, maybe more. I'll recommend you to them. What's the situation in Bombay like now?"

“It’s great! The monsoon has just passed and the temperature is just right. The next few months will be the best time to visit Mumbai.”

"Very good. Give me your company's contact information and I'll fax it to you later."

"No problem, I'm always here!"

After hanging up the phone, Ron snapped his fingers excitedly.

More than twenty students, this is a big order.

No, he had to book a price with the hotel and restaurant in advance. Since he was planning to run a tour group business, all the fees could be paid directly to him.

The charges are calculated per person and after a unified collection, the Mumbai Tourism Information Company will book hotels and restaurants.

Tourists no longer participate in the entire process and all follow the tour group. Ron provides all itinerary arrangements.

It may sound similar to the previous process, but there is a fundamental difference.

The biggest difference is that Ron has bargaining power. He no longer takes a commission from the hotel, but makes a profit from the difference.

The commission comes from the transaction between the tourist and the hotel, and the difference is the profit generated between the money the tourist gives him and the money he pays to the hotel.

Undoubtedly, the latter option has much more room for maneuver, after all, the dominant power is in Ron's hands.

Okay, that's how we'll do it from now on. Individual travelers will still get a commission, and tour groups will make the difference.

"Niya, I'll be back later today. I have some big business."

"Okay, Baba, be safe."

...

As Ron had said, the rainy season in Mumbai had passed. Although the air was still a little humid, it was undoubtedly much cooler.

Victoria Station was once again filled with foreigners, more numerous and busier than before.

When Ron arrived at the platform, the company's reception hall was packed with people.

Business was surprisingly good. After a closer look, I saw that everyone was holding a copy of Lonely Planet.

He squeezed over to greet Mary and the others, "When did this start?"

"All day long! Everyone came to us like it was an appointment."

"I told them that traveling in India is inseparable from Lonely Planet, and lo and behold, they must have read that guidebook."

"God, you need more people. Lena and I are running ourselves ragged."

Mary took a pen and summarized the customer's needs, while taking the time to complain to Ron.

As for Lena, she was serving coffee to foreigners who looked like fat sheep.

"You already have three helpers, don't you?" "Not even close. I think we need at least three more."

Mary and her friends were not the only ones busy receiving tourists here. Ron had hired three more young people a week ago.

They are all graduates from several universities in Mumbai. They have little work experience, but they are fluent in English.

Even though Ron's company was small and its reputation was negligible, it was still very easy for him to recruit a few college students from fake schools.

India has a huge population, especially Mumbai, with over 13 million people. You can imagine the employment pressure.

Unfortunately, due to economic policies, there were almost no foreign-funded enterprises in India. University graduates seeking employment either had to take the civil service exam or work for the few private companies.

The manufacturing industry can absorb a lot of labor, but it is better not to mention India's manufacturing industry.

Most of Mumbai's private enterprises are service-oriented companies, and the demand for labor is not strong.

In a situation where there were more wolves than meat, Ron easily recruited serious college graduates with just a few formal contracts.

Those young people didn't have any expectations for Ron's company in the first place. This was purely a helpless choice under employment pressure.

But on their first day at work, they were amazed by the office environment at the reception desk of Victoria Railway Station.

It was so clean and upscale, just like the office they imagined it would be.

The most important thing is that they work with foreigners, which is really prestigious.

The chain of contempt exists everywhere, especially in India, where the caste system reinforces it. Most university graduates are from the Vaisya caste and above, who look down on their own people but flock to foreigners.

Speaking English to foreigners is much more effective than speaking Hindi to the locals.

They are very satisfied with the job. The boss is of high caste, the people they talk to are foreigners, the office environment is great, and even being a receptionist is not bad.

Seeing Ron patrolling here, the young people worked harder, fearing that their boss would not see their performance.

"I promise you, Mary, I will continue to recruit people."

"You'd better hurry up. Lena and I won't be here for another week at most."

"So urgent?"

"You are too greedy. We have never done this kind of work before. This time we are making an exception."

"Well, you will miss out on a high-paying job opportunity worth 10,000 rupees."

"Don't give me that," Mary rolled her eyes at him.

"Where are you going?" Ron simply leaned against the front desk and started chatting with her.

"Bollywood!" At some point, Lena stuffed a cup of coffee into his hand.

"I thought you were joking before." Ron shrugged.

“I heard it’s very interesting there, especially for foreigners, and there are a lot of opportunities.”

"Just let me know if you need anything."

"It's true." Lena came over with a smile.

"what?"

"Are you free tonight? Let's talk about big business."

"Oh I guess I have all day tomorrow free."

"That's great, it's part of our paycheck."

Ron was stunned. Could this be a paid service?
Ron received the fax sent by Smith.

This study tour was organized by a student group. They planned to come to India to collect materials, focusing on attractions such as temples and caves.

The team will be led by a teacher who has been to India once and has some experience.

Of course, since it is an unofficial activity, the student group will pay the teacher a certain amount of compensation.

After reading the fax, Ron had an idea in his mind. Most of these students must come from well-off families, otherwise few ordinary people could afford such a self-funded study tour.

This is great, this is the best fat sheep in the eyes of the travel company. They will take a plane to land at Mumbai Airport, and Ron needs to make some preparations in advance.

Speaking of which, the renovation of the airport has already started, and it’s time for him to go and take a look.

　I'm currently working on the manuscript, and will update it soon when it's released!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)