“Nail, and Corman, society is developing rapidly.”
“Some people always sit on dirty chairs or curl up on filthy sofas pondering why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
“The reason is simple: society’s pace of development is accelerating. That’s why the gap between rich and poor widens.”
“While you’re still thinking about where to open a single store to attract a few more customers or what services to add to improve quality, your potential customers are already being snatched up by others.”
“We have money, you have professional knowledge, so let’s not start from the dumbest beginning!”
“But before that, listen to a story…”
In another world, there was a restaurant brand hailed as one of the Three Major Empires of Catering. Without any advertising or high-end expansion methods, it miraculously held territory in every city and even expanded overseas.
Lynch once talked with a key figure of that empire about their growth method, expecting corporate secrets that would be hard to get.
Surprisingly, the other party openly revealed their secret: survival of the fittest and aligned interests.
In this empire, a group called pioneers or explorers played the crucial role.
They would rent short-term storefronts in places they deemed commercially valuable and start fast-food operations.
For example, a couple-run store that, within three months, made a profit per person higher than the local average salary would report back to the empire’s headquarters.
The headquarters would announce this opportunity to franchisees: a location in a certain city with established profits, suitable for a family or a team.
Then franchisees or new groups would bid, paying a transfer fee and equipment costs matching the pioneer’s minimum price, securing a nearly guaranteed profitable store.
After transfer, the pioneers would seek new opportunities, earning their wages in three months plus the transfer fee—actually making more than others.
They also bore risks others avoided, like losing rent if the store underperformed.
But overall, they made more money.
With these pioneers’ help, the empire quietly spread across the country and overseas.
This wasn’t due to billions spent on advertising—it never advertised—but people got used to seeing it everywhere and going there to solve hunger quickly.
Lynch couldn’t reveal all this plainly; his story was tailored to fit this world’s values.
Capital operations were even more ruthless, though not necessarily unfair.
“If we open a gym in Sabin City, from starting business to earning enough for the next one, we might miss the entire wave.”
“So we must open quickly like pioneers but not bear losses ourselves. We need others to bear those risks.”
“We’ll use a company-to-individual partnership model to expand rapidly. I’m sure many fitness trainers want to manage their own gyms, right, Corman?”
Corman called Lynch Mr. Lynch, but Lynch casually called him Corman. The Federation pursued freedom and equality—on the condition that social classes were equal.
Corman swallowed nervously, nodded as if seeing a ghost, “Yes, Mr. Lynch.” That was the usual response Lynch heard.
“Many trainers like me want to build a career, but…” he hesitated.
Corman roughly understood Lynch’s point: open stores quickly without bearing risk, shifting it to trainers wanting to open gyms.
As a trainer, Corman felt insulted but, hoping for success as Lynch’s possible stepfather, he gave up debating.
“What should I do?” he asked.
Nail, sitting nearby, said nothing but lit another cigarette, clearly anticipating Lynch’s next words—the actions a capitalist would take, even if Lynch denied being one.
“You must understand, brand value isn’t just the price of a single store. It’s about influence and people’s trust. We invest in brand value.”
“Trainers who want to manage gyms invest only money, but compared to the brand’s value, our investment is greater.”
“They have a decent grasp of the local fitness groups. We find the best locations and rent the best stores. If they lack funds, they can borrow from us.”
“We handle influence, brand strategy, and career planning; they handle the money.”
“If a store turns profitable, we keep it. If not, we terminate contracts and kick out partners—any excuse works, like customer complaints of misconduct during training…”
As Lynch spoke about capitalism, Nail interrupted, “Can we also replace them with cheaper staff when business is best?”
Lynch looked surprised at Nail. Corman gave Nail a look like “You’re unbelievable.”
Embarrassed, Nail scratched his head, “Isn’t that right? It maximizes our profits.”
“You’re right, you’re a shareholder too and can decide, but use this trick sparingly,” Lynch advised.
“If we kick out initial partners on a large scale, the brand’s reputation will tank, and its value will plummet. Understand?”
“Besides, our model is easy to copy. They gain experience here and will soon become competitors.”
Unlike kicking people out for failed investments, ending partnership contracts immediately when stores lose money isn’t harmful. That’s crucial.
It may seem Lynch suffers no loss while trainers dreaming of owning gyms lose their money and stumble, but the reality is different.
What’s seen or heard often differs from facts.
If the partnership model continues, trainers will accrue debt as business falters, ultimately crushing them.
They’d spend their lives sunk in failure.
As one of the most conscientious and socially responsible businessmen, Lynch won’t let that happen.
Though they might lose their startup money, they won’t carry debt. They won’t curse Lynch but praise him!
Lynch briefly explained this. Nail’s expression changed; after a while, he nodded and admitted his mistake, “You really have a conscience!”
Lynch smiled approvingly at Nail for recognizing his shortcomings, then said, “We’re not doing nothing while expecting to start a business with other people’s money—that’s wrong.”
“I want you to quickly sign beauty and bodybuilding champions and organize our own bodybuilding competition, making it as grand as possible.”
“I’ll recruit some celebrities as members and have them occasionally appear at our gyms. This will convert into our brand value and influence.”
“Fans will come to our gyms to sweat it out, dedicating their youth to the equipment!”
“Now, do you understand what I was talking about earlier?”
Though technically like two fathers to Lynch, both looked at him with admiration like students.
Shameless, yet inspiring.
Despite all the complications, Corman was willing to join Lynch’s chain plan as a fitness coach.
Because simply put, no one believes they will fail or are inferior.
On the contrary, everyone thinks they are the protagonist, riding the crest of the wave.
They used to lack an opportunity; now it’s handed to them willingly. Why not give it their all?
Even failure means starting over without debt—what if they succeed?
After a while, Corman asked, “What’s the name of our chain?”
Lynch answered confidently, “U&Me.”
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