Chapter 34: Training Leadership
"By the way, grandpa. How much did you pay for the entire place?" Alexander can't help but think of the prize of the whole purchase and had to ask. His grandfather would be cost-efficient as usual but he needed to know as well to try and help with the financial situation.
"You'd be surprised to know that everything is just a little over half a million dollars." Sullivan just helped his grandson's curiosity on matters of finance.
"I thought buying an animation studio cost a fortune. Is half a million a lot?" Alexander didn't fail to keep his curious child persona while also hiding his true blue curiosity.
Although Troy-jan isn't Toei or Hannah-Barbera, it should still be worth more than that. This is what he is inquiring about.
"Half a million is a lot Alex but it is a cheap price." Sullivan then iterated what made the place quite a bargain deal.
"This studio still hasn't even made any work. Its latest operations are just these hire personnel arguing about what they are going to make so no profitable copyrights need to be taken care of." Sullivan could only feel the disparity when comparing this company with his grandson. An entire studio has none while a boy already has 5 in the making.
"You also must have overheard that old man say that he sold most of his special animation equipment so another price dropper on the list." Sullivan had some regrets with those pieces of equipment but it is only regrets.
"So, all in all, I only have to pay for the leftover materials such as the coloring materials, art tools, chairs, and tables you saw on the way." The old man was quite happy with the relative newness of those things he mentioned, so it would take years to worry about replacements.
"Those things cost half a million dollars?" Alexander did some calculations and those pieces of equipment don't seem to be the Patek Philippe of their kind.
"Of course not. Those things are just a fraction of that. What really made that number is the fact that it is the advance salary that old Williams paid for their year-long service and their contracts." Sullivan also didn't fail to add the friendship discount.
"Since we know each other, stingy Edward didn't count his advance year-long rent to this place and considered it as a freebie. Didn't grandpa just make a great bargain?"
"Yeah... I guess." He still pretended to be a bit clueless but his words also conveyed his speechlessness at his grandfather's Black Friday business deal.
"But, are the employees even good? Didn't you say that they argue a lot of times and that delayed work?" A cheap deal was good but Alexander had doubts about the quality.
"Their skill and quality couldn't be doubted as old Williams made sure of that. While animation technicians and good screenwriters are hard to find, a skilled artist with high degrees could be found in a surplus. Its just that their employment options are limited and this Troy-jan place is their rallying point." Sullivan could only commend his friend for that achievement.
Replacing and expanding their numbers to his needs may have become an easy matter from this discovery. They aren't as integral and important enough to be prized by his new company.
The true gem is the boy he is conversing with.
"As for their disagreements that's where you come in, Alex." Sullivan smiled at that as he looked at his grandson with confidence.
"Me?" Alexander was perplexed while Sullivan gave a nod that meant that he was the only choice. "You've had so much more progress than they could have ever hoped to achieve. Also, having a kid as their leader should make them embarrassed at their childish bickering."
Alexander knew that this was coming sooner or later. The unfinished and un-inked issues he has in hand were now irking him with an urge to complete them. "I guess I'll try."
Being a central figure and leader didn't really fit him. He was just an introverted person with a knack for dating. For a long time, he has always been a reclusive person who cherishes his time to himself.
Maybe transitioning from a background character with scheming tactics into a boss character shouldn't be that bad and might be a nice change of pace.
"Haha! Not the answer I was looking for but good enough." Sullivan couldn't help but laugh at this development. Someone is needed to replace his position in the Creed companies and Alexander is the only choice.
Handing him the responsibility of a comic publishing company should be the perfect training wheel for the boy. Other nine-year-olds are still learning to balance their bicycle while Alexander is balancing business.
Perhaps only Sullivan was considering this approach to train an affluent descendant.
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Alexander now had to step up from being the boss of himself like in CREED and had to consider the prospects of Creed Comics.
Comic books are a niche in the sense that they aren't really too profitable. They are potential stock however for profitable franchises to be born from it.
Although comic books are IP builders and could turn into mega-multimillion-dollar franchises, that would take a while to happen since fans and momentum needed to be accumulated.
It also needs some important launchers to make it happen and that pertains to animated shows, video games, toy lines, and movies.
Of course, those upgrades and extension lines are for later. Everything had to be taken step by step and the first step might be the easiest but also the hardest. Either way, it is an important process to go through.
By Alexander's calculations, he could still earn some pocket money by being a fresh newcomer against Secret Wars and Crisis on Infinite Earths driving up the comic craze.
Expansion and crisis contingencies could be considered when the time comes. After all, there is still a decade or so before the collapse of the comic industry.
Sullivan had no idea about his grandson's future foresight methods to gain the advantage but he still had profit estimates of his own.
For the old man, the experience for his grandson whether good or bad is reward enough while the profits from the comic book sales are just a bonus on the side.
The duo then pooled their thoughts together afterward. It was not about their projected estimates of the business but about how to keep their new employees up to speed.
Jumping from an animator to a comic book artist isn't exactly a smooth transition to accept. Given that these guys haven't really made an inkling of animation, it might be a walk in the park.
Alexander was already making preparations and he can't help but look forward to it. He got the prime reason for his grandfather's baffling choice of buying an animation studio and the prospects he mentioned were quite appealing to him.
Sullivan's plans on training his leadership abilities have just commenced.