- Lots of names. What needs to be done?
Scott looked up from his papers and looked at the boy expectantly.
"Mr. Potter, all these people are engineers, programmers, and enthusiastic inventors who could go into business. I need to find the right people among those with the same last name and learn as much about them as possible so I can attract them to collaborate and invest in their businesses."
"I get it, kid," Mr. Potter chuckled under his breath and grinned. "I don't know where you got those names, but I'll do my part. I'll find whoever I can who fits the criteria you listed. In six months, you'll have complete information and dirt on most of the people on the list. But don't count on anything particularly nasty-that's a lot of money, and I won't take on that."
"Mr. Potter, it's enough for me that you confirm the existence of these people, obtain their contact information, and figure out how to hook them and coerce them into cooperation. Nothing more."
"Well, kid," Scott stood up and picked up his jacket, draping it over his left arm, bent at the elbow, "you're pretty serious for your age. I promised Gerald I'd help you, so don't worry-the data will be right there on your desk. Bye, kid!"
Scott left the office, and Richard spent some time trying to compose himself after the visitor's departure. Mr. Potter proved difficult to deal with, speaking to Richie as if he were a child, as if he were in charge and doing him a favor by his presence. Yet it was clear the man took his task seriously.
"Potter," Richie thought after he was alone. "Something familiar... I've heard that name somewhere before, in a past life, I think... Hmm... No, I don't remember. Although it's a fairly common surname in England, so there's nothing strange about it. Something's spinning in my head: either in the past, which for me has become present, there was a famous actor with that surname, or some other celebrity."
***
The investments would undoubtedly yield profits in the future. But Richard wanted to make a quick buck. He needed cash he could spend on himself.
The transmigrator had not yet begun investing money in stocks, so he could use part of the sum or all of his available capital to make money.
Richie began to think about different ways to make money and realized that the ideal option would be to produce something small and inexpensive that could be sold at a significant markup.
After much deliberation, it dawned on Richard: clippy! A cheap little thing that would be in demand. It might be a hyped product that might only last a year on the market, but there was still a good chance of making money.
Richie immediately sketched out various fasteners that looked like elastic plastic strips with a hole-shaped fastener on one end and a circle with a little pimple on the other, with funny faces painted on top.
Richie walked to the office in the morning and called Dan Silver.
Mr. Silver entered his young boss's office expecting trouble. His face reflected the sadness of a man forced to work under a child.
"Good morning, sir," Dan said.
- Mr. Silver, please sit down.
Dan sat down on the visitor's chair and prepared himself for whatever he thought would happen.
- So, Mr. Silver, we need to patent this.
Richie handed the man a folder with the drawn clippies.
- A product made of flexible, durable plastic called a "clippy".
"Uh..." Dan said, not being prepared for this. "But I'm in the investment business."
"Exactly, Mr. Silver. Exactly," Richard said, a smile radiating from a gaping tooth. "That's why you're here. This is our 'innovative' product. Your task is to patent it. Then we need to find suppliers who can produce a large quantity of these Squeezies inexpensively and efficiently. Next, we need to contact major corporations and offer them advertising in the form of Squeezies with their product name. Be sure to write to the manufacturers of Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Sprite. Don't forget Nestlé and other major companies. Ask for one dollar for each Squeezie with their brand name.
With every word the child uttered, Mr. Silver's eyes widened further. The man was astonished that a boy of that age could come up with a new product. He was even more amazed that if the advertising idea worked, the product would pay for itself even before it hit the market. So even if just one corporation agreed, it would be a break-even venture.
"Sir," Dan said respectfully, "that's an excellent idea. But I dare say that any new product needs advertising."
"Good thing you thought about that," Richie grinned, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I've thought about that. We need to negotiate large-scale supplies of Clippys with major retail chains: Asda, Debenhams, Kingfisher, Tesco, and children's stores like Mothercare. I plan to supply each chain with at least a million products. By my calculations, about two hundred million Clippys should saturate the British market. And these chains will then handle advertising our products."