Red Bull (1)
"Are you for real Simon? Atari just achieved initial success. There is still a lot to do in the company. Don't you think it would be too risky to start something new before Atari's foundation is solid?" His mother Lisa asked with deep concern on her face. The rest of the family didn't join in but Simon could see roughly the same expression on everybody's face.
"Don't worry everybody. I am very glad you are all concerned about me, but honestly there is not much I can do at the Atari production base right now. I am actually no help in the work Dennis and Tanja have to do now. They are working on improving supply chains, reducing costs and spreading our arcade machine to the world. I am really not talented in any of those categories. Snake will be the only product of our company for the next half a year, while Steve Wozniak and his team are already working on the new game I designed. But this new game is a lot more complicated than snake and will take time, even with the help I already provided. And I already explained that we will only introduce one new arcade game every year in the near future, as arcade machines need a certain time to return their investment. If we flood the market with too many good games our customers won't be grateful, but rather we will make them lose a lot of money. In short, I am simply not needed at Atari right now and can focus my creativity somewhere else. Due to the large profit Atari makes I can also increase my investment in my new idea a lot."
Many people around breathed a sigh of relief after Simon's explanation and some smart minds were already eagerly waiting for the project Simon wanted to start. As long as you proved your worth and showed that you are a successful entrepreneur people will start to value your ideas a lot more. Simon was not only a young genius but also proved that his ideas and smart mind can be put into commercial success. When they heard that his new game idea was already in production and would be released in half a year the family friends were already looking at his grandparents with jealousy. Their grandkids were far away from founding their own company and being successful to such a degree, even if they would support them to the same level as Simon was supported by Smith & Parker.
At the same time they were extremely interested in buying a certain share in this new company as some form of angel investment. Everybody present were smart people and they certainly understood why Simon would announce his decision and new project idea in front of so many people. Even though they were all close family friends they would never announce secret family plans on such an occasion, if they didn't want the people present to be included to a certain degree.
Caroline was intrigued by Simon's question but didn't really know how to answer.
"Me? A CEO for your company? But I am already working as a lawyer at the Smith & Parker law firm in New York. Do you want me to drop this position?" Caroline was sincerely confused by her brother's question. Was she expected to just drop what she worked for all her life and join this new company without knowing much about it and it's future potential? She was looking at her twin brother Alexander who seemed a little confused about the situation as well.
Of course Simon could understand why her sister and the rest of the family would be confused about the offer and began to explain his thought process.
"I know that you and Alexander sincerely want to take over the law firm in the future and you do have my blessings for it. But honestly, mom and dad worked tirelessly for this position and are now finally taking over after twenty years of hard work and bringing up their children. I don't think they will want to give up their control over the firm before they reach their 60's, just like our grandparents. So, both of you would need to work in the law firm for at least another 15 years, before you can slowly take over the real decision making power. I am not saying this is not a great career choice nor do I want you to drop this career path if you just want to follow our parents.
Our parents had to work in the law firm together with our uncles and aunts to consolidate the foundation our grandparents worked hard for, but now we are a well established firm and even have locations all around the United States. There really is not much to do for both of you and you can use your youthful years to try and start up something for yourself. Again, I am not forcing you nor do I need any immediate decision. I will offer something similar to Alexander in the future, as this will definitely not be the last company I will establish in the next few years. I just want you to know that you have the opportunity to leave the law firm for a few years and try something different, before taking over the law firm later when our parents are ready to pass the torch to you. And there's really no problem if you want to take on some cases from time to time."
Simon explained his plan and was very pleased with the reaction of both of his siblings. Neither of them showed any displeasure for his suggestion. Alexander seemed thoughtful, but Caroline was actually getting a little excited, especially after witnessing how her little brother managed to found his own company and is on the path of leading it to great success.
The people around could also see the thought process on their faces and everybody was quite surprised, especially Simon's parents, who knew just how much their kids worked for their law degree and how much they always wanted to work in the family law firm and take over someday.