Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Kate’s face was turning red slowly “Not fit for purpose?”
“Yes, not fit for purpose. Now the question is one. Can you make a new business plan, after you have researched relevant businesses or will our collaboration end here?”
“I don’t work for you. You cannot end our collaboration” Kate spat out.
“You are right. Give me a minute” Melina said and texted Marco to come to her office.
A few minutes later Marco opened the door and joined the two women.
“Marco! Your girlfriend has no idea what she is talking about. She just deemed my business plan as not fit for purpose and threatened to end our collaboration” Kate said and looked at Marco. She was clearly expecting him to jump in her defence.
“Amore?” he simply asked.
“Kate presented to me the business plan, which as she said I think it is not fit for purpose. I spent some time yesterday to visit some of the existing online casinos, so I can have an understanding of what we want to achieve. They have multiple categories of games and very clear loyalty programs, to ensure the customer retention to a high degree. Each category of games has a plethora of options for the users to choose, guaranteeing that they will always lure them into another round. It is the equivalent of the physical casinos, of not having windows on the floors with their slots and tables. As per Kate’s business plan, we should have basic set up of up to 10 games – combination of slots and virtual tables. That alone, will make the users to look elsewhere, as we will not be offering any variety. Additionally, the operational costs listed on the business plan are unrealistic, which explains why the projection for return on investment is within 10 years. We are talking about an online casino. The operational costs are limited in comparison to a limited casino and by my calculations if we do it right, we should have return of the investment within the first 6 months” Melina said.
“Within the first 6 months?” Kate scoffed. “You don’t know what you are talking about”
“Perhaps” Melina said. “But neither do you”. She then turned to Marco “I think we need a new business plan that is customised on our needs. I can make one by myself. All I need is Harvey and accountant to review my numbers once I am done”
“Do you think you can keep it on the same budget?” Marco asked.
“I think it is feasible, but I will have to confirm that to you once I have a draft of the new business plan” Melina said.
“Kate the reality is that I was not convinced by the business plan when you presented it to me. You will of course get paid for the work you have done, but I agree with Melina, that we need a different plan if we are to proceed with this business” Marco said.
“You can’t be serious Marco. She doesn’t know what she is talking about and you trust her over me?” Kate asked incredulously.
“I have full faith in Melina’s skills, so yes, I trust her. Thank you very much for your time. I will make sure you will get paid for your service”
“Marco think about what you are doing. You re a businessman. Think with your head for a moment” Kate said.
“Listen to me, missy. He is thinking with his head. Anyone that sees this business plan of yours, will have the same reaction. Now, please button your shirt, before you flash us your implants and off you go” Melina said.
Kate turned to her and gave her a murderous look. She turned to Marco and said “Call me when you realize the mistake you are making. I will keep the business plan on the file for you”. And with that she walked out.
“Was she right?” Melina asked him when it was just the two of them.
“About what?” Marco asked.
“That you were not thinking with your head?”
“Amore, I didn’t like the business plan, and this is why we didn’t proceed with it. We needed someone we can trust to stay on top of it. To be honest, I am looking forward to seeing your business plan”
“Thank you for trusting me. I promise I won’t disappoint you”
“I know you won’t amore” he said and gave her a smile. “Now, should we go for lunch?”
“Yes, please. I am starving. Where are we going?”
“How about sushi?”
“Sounds great”
They had lunch together and then returned home to continue working. Melina sat on her desk and started working feverishly, researching online for everything she needed. She knew she had a lot of work ahead of her, but she was determined to see this project through and make it a success.
After a few hours passed, Marco knocked on her door before he came in.
“Amore, it’s late and I think you should stop. You can continue tomorrow” he said.
“I have a few more things I need to check before I finish” Melina insisted.
Marco approached her desk and turned her chair to face him.
“Amore that is enough for today. Besides, I want to take you somewhere that I know you will enjoy. Come on” he said and took her hand in his.
They got in the car and drove away from the house.
“Where are we going?” Melina asked.
“You will know soon enough” Marco replied.
After 15 minutes of driving, Marco parked outside of a fenced area with the sign “Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch”. Everything was decorated with pumpkins and people were chatting loudly seeming happy.
“It’s your first official Halloween, so I thought we should get some pumpkins to carve” Marco said.
Melina squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. They walked in together and a couple of hours later they came out with a cart, which was holding more than 10 pumpkins of different sizes. Melina had also bought carving kits and stencils, along with some candles to lit the hollow pumpkins.
Once everything was in the car, they drove back home.