Still, I knew when it was time to go, and go I did. I jumped over the pond to make my name and my own fortune, intent on returning home triumphant to toss my success right in Dad’s smug face.
Today is a large step in that victory and what I should be focusing on. Not the past, but the future and the opportunities it holds.
“Sir?”
As I leave the freshness of the morning outside for my air-conditioned office, I turn to see my secretary, Helen, standing in the doorway. A professional and very competent woman, I honestly couldn’t imagine the business success I’ve had here in the States without her assistance. American business etiquette can be very . . . confusing. Though I occasionally use the slight cultural differences to my advantage. My father might have been a difficult man to grow up under, but if there’s one thing he taught me, it’s how to use power to benefit myself.
“Yes, Helen?”
“It’s time for the meeting.” She’s holding out a stack of bound presentation files, the framework for my pitch to the board.
“Thank you, Helen. Wish me luck.” I don’t need luck. Fortune favors hard work and preparation, but the American saying amuses me.
I sit down in the boardroom for our weekly meeting. I have a flash of Father’s face talking down to me. Once, it hurt me deeply. Now, I use it.
It fuels me, motivates me for what I’m about to do, and in my lap my fist clenches. I’ve been banging away at my computer for weeks on this seed of an idea.
I know I can do it.
I’ll see you soon, Father.
Up at the front of the room, Daniel Stryker, who all but thinks he’s going to be the new HQ2 Regional President, is pitching his idea.
“So just as HQ1 is strategically positioned for the best coverage of the West Coast, setting up HQ2 in my proposed site allows us better connections throughout the East Coast and even into Europe with the localized shipping hub. And with the current business friendly administration in the State House, I just can’t see why we’d pass up striking when the iron’s hot, so to speak.”
His last little joke, a not-particularly-clever dad joke twist on his last name, earns a chuckle, and around the table, there’s polite applause as Daniel tries not to look too smug. He’s failing spectacularly at it, might as well be waving like the bloody queen as he sits back down.
At the head of the table, Allan Fox, Chairman and CEO of the company, beams. “Very interesting, indeed. Thank you, Daniel.”
I can read the room and know that this decision is already half-made before I even begin my presentation. But I believe in what I’m proposing, for more reasons than I’ll discuss today. Still, it’s time for me to shine.
Allan meets my eyes, and I swear there’s the smallest hint of pity there, but he perseveres. “Colton, I believe you’re up next.”
I stand up, reaching into my pocket and pulling out the thumb drive I’ve copied my presentation to before slipping it into the USB slot on the laptop connected to the screen behind me. The bound packets Helen worked so hard to put together work their way around the table simultaneously, and as my fellow board members open the cover and see the first notes of my plan, in front of them and behind me, a murmur begins to work its way through the room.
“Gentlemen, if I may?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow and hushing the room. Allan nods, and I begin. “The facts are in. Despite the comfort and ease of staying local, the world is more interconnected than ever. And while the Internet has allowed us to shrink the world exponentially from what it used to be, we need to grow beyond the comfort of American backyards. We are a global organization, and acting as such will only serve to grow our market share. But to effectively do so, we need to look at the big picture. We need a more local presence overseas.”
I click to the first slide, which is a simple listing of time zones. “Case in point. No offense, you all work hard, but it’s sometimes damned difficult to try and work with a European customer when they’re just finishing up their day as we’re finishing our morning coffee . . . or tea.”
My self-referencing joke earns a small smirk from Allan, who nods. I click to the next slide, running through my ideas quickly, how an international HQ2 would give Fox better impact in foreign markets, how it’ll connect us to our customers better, make us more efficient, and more.
“And perhaps I’m being a bit biased here, but I believe that the London area would position us best for this opportunity,” I continue. “With the ability to draw on the Commonwealth’s business connections . . . well, that’s fifty-three nations and roughly two and a half billion potential customers we just plugged into.”
The last sentence drops, and silence reigns over the entire boardroom.
“Colton, that’s a remarkable idea, but how many of these countries are financially relevant to our pursuits?” Jim Roberts, one of the board members who’s just slightly younger than Jesus, asks. Hence his less than politically polite terminology.
“Jim, they all have something to offer,” I promise him. “Either as customers or as potential suppliers of materials, goods, or even information. We already ship approximately twenty-five percent of our large-scale sales to our European customers, and if we had a local presence, that could be exponentially larger. The key is a London HQ2. And if we pass them up, we’re giving up, well . . . a lot of money.”
And now I’m speaking their language. Nerves and change are one thing, a hold back to progress. But bottom-line financials can overcome a lot of resistance. The board members’ faces look significantly more interested now.
Daniel, who’s been quiet this whole time, speaks up. “And just how do you know that we can find a headquarters in London that won’t break the bank? It’s not exactly a city known for inexpensive real estate.”
I flash him a respectful smile, one brow jumping up before I school myself. Daniel is a worthy adversary in this situation, both of us wanting what’s best for both Fox and ourselves.
“To an outsider, maybe. I do have rather useful resources there, however. I even have a couple of locations in mind that would be more than suitable for Fox HQ2.” It’s as much as I’m willing to divulge just yet, though I can see the interest flare in Daniel’s eyes. He’d love to scrutinize the sites I have in mind, no doubt about that.
“And I assume you’d want to be the president of this venture?” Allan ventures.
I chuckle lightly, looking him in the eye. “Well, I would certainly toss my hat in the ring on that. At least I can properly say that I know how to use a roundabout. Though I’m sure you’d make the decision based on many factors.” It’s a kindness of formality because we all know I’d be the best fit for a leadership position in London.
There are murmurs around the room and conversation quickly breaks out. “I know that globalization wasn’t exactly what you’d expected with this HQ2 proposal. But this is an idea we should consider carefully, along with the remaining locations. As Daniel pointed out, London can be expensive, and we don’t want to lose our bollocks in a bad deal.”
I lean forward, placing my hands on the table and meeting each pair of eyes around the table. “This has the potential to revolutionize Fox Industries, so I challenge us all to think big, think toward the future, and be brave.”