Podcast 9 - Novel - Beware The Abandoned- Chapter 14 - Success

One reader of “BEWARE THE ABANDONED”, in her Amazon review, wrote, “I just finished this thriller book, BEWARE THE ABANDONED, I could not stop reading it. Last night, I finished it and went to bed at 4 a.m. What a great book. You really have done your research, and it is almost scary how much you know and how you planned his escape. PLEASE, PLEASE, I need a second book. We now need to know how John C. is going to carry on". 

I am just a storyteller. Far be it from me to cause sleepless nights and stress in anyone's life. If you become impatient, waiting for me to narrate and post the next chapters of “BEWARE THE ABANDONED”, you can easily obtain an e-book version of the book in a few minutes from amazon.com. I have started a sequel to “Beware the Abandoned”. However, it will be several months before it is completed.

BEWARE THE ABANDONED is the first of my novels to be narrated. It is a story about John Cross. He was an abandoned child fighting for survival on the mean streets of Los Angeles, when The Sanctuary (a capitalist, non-religious sect) selected him to be trained to accumulate great wealth. The Sanctuary searches the world's slums for the brightest and most creative abandoned children.

John's financial success allows the sect to search for more abandoned children to grow their wealth. How John Cross realized his wealth is of little concern to the Sanctuary. What is critical to them, is keeping their moneymaker ahead of his pursuers - the mob and the FBI.

The murders in Paris, Las Vegas and Delaware were removals of obstacles in the path to wealth. Will his latest romantic interest also become an obstacle? The FBI and the mob are closing in fast on his hideaway in a small beach town on the Delaware Coast.

The novel that will next be narrated is DUEL. This action packed novel is set in Washington, Canada, and the Caribbean. DUEL explores a confrontation between the People's Republic of China and the United States.

The third novel to be narrated  will be USING DROUGHT USA.  It is an action packed/thriller set in Washington, California, and Canada. In an election year, the President is engineering an invasion of Canada to channel water from the Great Lakes, to the parched South West United States. The president is sure the 80,000,000 Americans in the water deprived states will reward him with their votes.

 For information on the author, Ian Duncan MacDonald, visit his website www.informus.ca. Here, you will also learn about his six investment books. The last two being "New York Stock Exchange's 106 Best High Dividend Stocks" and its companion book "Canadian High Dividend Investing - 215 Stocks Analyzed and Scored". You are also invited to listen to his 150 + "SAFE DIVIDEND INVESTING"  podcasts. 

Transcript

CHAPTER 14

SUCCESS

After signing the sales agreement on Friday, they agreed that the official transfer of ownership would take place on the following Tuesday. This was the golf course’s quietest day.  To prepare for a smoother ownership transition on the Tuesday, John requested an immediate introduction to the club’s four department heads. He was sure that they would want to know the sale was completed. John wanted them to stop worrying about their future employment. 

The banker, eager to end the bank’s responsibility for the golf club, thought such an introduction was a great idea. He said he would arrange it for later that afternoon.

Just before four o’clock, John and the bank manager drove out to the golf club in separate cars. They met with the four managers, in the same meeting room, where John had reviewed the club’s financial records. The banker introduced John as the new owner.  After saying some nice things about the managers and John, he exited the meeting.  He had done his duty. The golf club was now someone else’s burden. 

The first thing John did was to tell the managers that he needed their help in implementing all the changes that he envisioned would benefit the club’s sales and profits. The four managers exchanged worried glances.  Changes suggested employment risk. 

To them, the new owner looked too young.  He was at least ten years younger than they were. They wondered how he could have accumulated enough business experience to even recognize the mess they were in. As they sat there, showing their best poker faces, what was going through their minds was, could they work with him or should they start an immediate job search?

John stared at the four of them. He wondered if they could enthusiastically accept the changes he planned to make and if they were smart enough to recognize the benefits that he envisioned. 

The human resource files that he had read described the job functions of the four managers. The Golf Course Superintendent oversaw the grounds and all building maintenance.  The Golf Pro's responsibilities were the pro shop, gym, change rooms, tennis court, driving range, golf carts and tournaments.  The Food and Beverage Manager's were the banquet room, bars, kitchen, dining room and the snack bar.  The Office Manager 's were accounting, the computer systems and record keeping.

John asked if there were any questions.  The managers stared at each other but remained mute. They all had questions, lots of questions, even dangerous questions, if misinterpreted, could get them fired.   

To get them talking, John asked them who had responsibility for marketing and sales.  The four managers, again, looked at each other.  The Office Manager knew it was not his responsibility. He replied that the pro shop, and the restaurants were the money makers. The golf pro responded by saying the deceased previous owner was the only one active in sales and marketing.  John had hoped to hear them say that they were all responsible for sales. 

Their response gave him his chance to present proposed changes. “This golf course is in real trouble. It has had no organized sales effort, for a year. This has left revenue in a precarious position.  It is teetering on the edge of insolvency.  I have no intentions of allowing it to go bankrupt.  Until we can afford a sales and marketing manager, I will add that role to my general management responsibilities.”

 No one, as he expected, had objected to him accepting responsibility for sales management. It was showing them that he would not be an absentee owner but would be an active part of the team.  He continued, “As best, as I can estimate, it will take us six months to build sales momentum and get monthly profits to where they should be. To get expenses in line, with existing revenues, as quickly as possible, I need each of you to put on your thinking hats. Tell me how, in your department, we can reduce expenses by 15% and where are the opportunities for revenue gains. On Tuesday, when I take over, the first thing I want to do is meet with each of you, so you can show me what you’ve come up with.”

The golf course superintendent interrupted, “I see no way that we could reduce grounds keeping expenses by 15%.”

John had expected push back and was prepared, “On average, this golf course’s labor costs are running at 55% of our revenue.  In a well-run golf course, per government statistics, labor costs should be running at closer to 35%.  That is a 20% difference, not 15%. While sales and membership have been shrinking for the last three years, staffing has stayed the same. Fewer customers, means less work for your staff. Reducing our labor costs, is the first place, we should adjust to regain lost profits.”

The food and beverage manager, who looked very unhappy, responded, “We are a family.  Several of our staff have been here twenty or more years. I don’t see how can we maintain our high level of service with fewer people?”

“I’ve got a business to run and I’m the one who has just sunk a million dollars into this golf course.  I don’t intend to lose my investment.  When we meet Tuesday, I want to see which employees you will let go. To avoid the iceberg of insolvency, we need to turn this ship around.”

John paused and looked at each of them.  He recognized that there was a thin line between inspiring managers to function at a higher level and demoralizing them, so much, that they gave up.

He continued, “If your department is not adding to our profits, then we have to try something different. Our downsizing will not be for ever. It’s only until we work our way out of this hole. When our revenues get to where they should be, we will be employing far more than we are now.  Until then, the remaining staff need to put out more effort, to cover for those 15% who are leaving.  It isn’t just staffing.  Look at all expenses. From now on, I will be looking at every purchase order, every bill and every check being issued. I’ll be questioning every expense that will not help us increase our revenues. With your help and support, in six months, this golf course will be in the best financial shape it has ever been.”

John looked at the four of them.  Their eyes were open wider, and they were breathing harder than when they had entered.  The four managers knew that what John had said was true. They had been going through the motions, operating at half speed, long before the previous owner had died.  Their vacation was over.  It was time to get back to work.

Whether they realized it or not, they felt inspired.  Everyone likes a challenge and for the first time, in a long time, they were being challenged to think and to plan. They all wanted to be part of a successful operation. 

They needed their salaries.  None of them, could just quit.  They agreed to go along with the new owner for now. It was the easiest path to follow for the immediate future.

John said, “Okay, that’s enough for today. Let’s get back to work.  I’ll meet with each of you, Tuesday, to go over the changes to your operation.” 

Before this meeting, John saw the office manager to arrange for his move into the empty apartment on the second floor.  Not only would the apartment become John’s new home but also his office. When the meeting broke up, John used the key he had obtained to let himself into the apartment. 

He did a quick inventory to see what he would need.  The second bedroom was an office, with a large desk, filing cabinets, bookcases, telephone and even a desk top computer. He needed a password to operate.  He made a note to get it.  The small kitchen would not get much attention from him.  The dining room downstairs is where he expected, he would take all his meals.  In the bedroom, sheets and blankets were on the bed.  Someone must be cleaning the apartment because it was shiny and dust free.  A linen closet contained extra blankets, sheets, pillowcases and towels. 

On the drive back to the hotel, he started to lay out his plans for the golf course.  On Tuesday morning, he checked out of the hotel and made his way to the golf course.  He made one stop at a supermarket to buy snack food: cheese, eggs, jam, peanut butter, instant coffee, soft drinks, beer and wine.