Chapter 61
“Would you like to clue the rest of us in?” Alessio asked.
“We have an empty office building that we own, and we could potentially use for this project. We could go and see it, so you can see if it would work” Luca said. “Have you taken refurbishments and renovation costs into account?”
“Yes. I have assigned a large sum to that part, because there will be standards we will have to meet for the licensing” Melina said. “Are you being serious about the building?”
“Yes, we own it for a few years now but we haven’t utilized it, so we were thinking about selling it. But it sounds like we can finally use it for something. It is large enough, so it can allow further expansion if needed”
“That sounds great” Melina said trying to hide her over the top enthusiasm. “I have a few more things to show you, if you are not tired”
“Please continue” Luca said.
“I wanted to give you an idea of the set up of the game options. We will provide 5 different categories of games:
1\. Slot Machines
a. Classic 3-reel slots
b. Video slots with bonus features
c. Progressive jackpot slots
2\. Table Games with non live dealers
a. Black Jack
b. Roulette
c. Bacarrat
d. Craps
e. Tichu – this will be a completely new addition that no other on line casino has at the moment. The game will target mainly younger audiences, but I think it can bring great profit.
3\. Live dealer games
a. Black Jack
b. Roulette
c. Bacarrat
4\. Poker Games
a. Video poker
b. Casino hold’em
c. Pai Gow
5\. Specialty Games
a. Keno
b. Scratch it
We will monitor the usage of each category and target loyalty programs accordingly”
“I have never heard of this game, tichu” Luca said.
“Ah…I can teach you if you’d like. It is quite addictive and extremely competitive. Casino’s don’t include it, but there are multiple tournaments around the world that involve money, so it is our chance to capitalize on it” Melina said.
“You are full of surprises little one” Luca said and smiled at Melina.
“What do you need to get started?” Marco asked.
“A-are you actually signing off on it?” Melina asked.
“You have already discussed the business plan with Harvey and our accountant?” Marco asked.
“Yes, of course. All their insights have been incorporated into the business plan I presented”
“Then we will have a final meeting with them to go through the numbers and if all comes back okay, we will sign it off” Marco said. “It seems like a solid investment, and it is on 30% of the budget Kate had asked for”
“I agree with Marco. It seems good business” Alessio said,
“You have done very well little one. I had given up on this project, but I must say I am quite excited about it now” Luca said. “Did you prepare all this by yourself?”
“I did a lot of the heavy lifting, but Harvey and your accountant have been invaluable, so I can’t take all the credits” Melina said and smiled at him.
“You know, my nephew was a complete idiot for firing you, but I am glad he did. Otherwise we wouldn’t be standing here” Luca smiled back at him. “Alessio call Harvey and the accountant and set up a meeting for this afternoon. I think we shouldn’t waste any time”
“Yes boss” Alessio said.
“How many people will you need to start with this?” Marco asked.
“Before we can go live, I will need a web developer to start working on the site and the app, a digital marketing specialist, to help us with the layout of the web page and the app and then later on with the promotions and advertisements. Once these two parts start working, I will need a business development manager to help me make deals and bring clients in. Once this is done, we will need an Operations Manager and a Technical Manager for setting up the end product and finally and HR Manager that will help us with recruitment. The final number of employees will have to be defined once we have finalised the set up” Melina said.
“How about the timeline?” Luca asked.
“The timeline will be defined by the web developer and the digital marketing expert, but my high level estimation is that we are looking into a minimum of 6 months. Harvey has already prepared the applications for the licenses and waits for your sign off, so there will be no delays from there” Melina said.
“Okay, let’s have the meeting thi afternoon and if all is good you can move to the next step. Amore, we have to discuss the salary range for the employees” Marco said.
“I did a quick search on the job platforms, and I saw that you are paying on average 35%-40% above market on positions for your businesses. I assume the contracts come with NDAs and acknowledgement of the risks, so I have included 40% above market range for the salaries on my budget” Melina replied.
Luca laughed at Marco’s shocked expression. “Little one you have thought of everything. I am genuinely impressed”
“Well…no need to discuss about the salaries then” Marco grinned at her. “My girl is 5 moves ahead of us as it seems”
“Sorry, I am not trying to be a know-it-all. I just wanted to be thorough with my presentation” Melina said shyly.
Luca stood up and gave Melina a warm hug. “You were made for this little one”
Once Luca and Alessio left the room, Melina looked at Marco and sighed in relied. “How did I really do?”
“Amore you did amazing! This business plan is really thorough and frankly much more than I expected, because with Kate’s business plan we had been a bit sceptical about making the move. I am very proud of you” Marco said and stood up and walked to her.
He pulled her in his arms in a tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. “Now, why don’t you take a well-deserved break?”
“I think I will go and take a loooong bath to relax” Melina said.