Success

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"Please."

"Deficient" Shaking his head, Leonardo kept his smile and continued "They have no plans on how to make money, the name of the site seems to have no future, the domain is complicated to learn and their site is not even fully developed yet."

"..."

"..."

Noting the tension on the faces in front of him, Leonardo continued "But it's not all bad. I can see where you can go and I have a feeling that you two have potential if you focus enough.

Smiling instantly, David nodded "We also thought the same thing, that's why a month ago we left the university and today we are proud to say that we are fully working on our project. It's just a matter of time It's just a matter of time before the public can see our project in all its splendor".

"I see that you don't lack conviction, I congratulate you" Increasing his smile even more, Leonardo received the waitress's express and continued under Jack's interested gaze "But let's move on to the important thing and why you came today... first of all I want to ask you something. I heard that you received an investment offer and you turned it down, may I know what was the reason?"

"*Sigh* It's nothing out of this world" Shaking his head, David continued "The man came and offered 500 thousand dollars, at first we were going to accept since no doubt that money would give us a big boost, but then we saw how much he was asking for and we didn't hesitate to refuse."

"How much was he asking for?"

"Sixty percent of the company."

"It had to have come from a venture capital, it's not uncommon for them to ask for those percentages" Nodding with understanding, Leonardo remained silent for a few seconds and took a sip of the coffee, then asked them "How much is the percentage you are willing to give?"

"That depends on how much you are willing to invest."

"Could I have 100% if I were to invest 100 million?" chuckling, Leonardo ignored the stiff faces in front of him and remained silent for a few seconds, then continued "You two are two separate entities in the company, you each have half of the shares right now, don't you?"

"Exactly..."

"Well, I'll offer you the following" Pulling a checkbook out of his pocket, Leonardo wrote a figure behind David's back and ripped out the check, then stretched it out to them and spoke earnestly "I'll give you $3.5 million for 30% of the total shares."

Eyes widening, Jerry took the check quickly and looked at it in disbelief, then turned his gaze to David and noticed the same surprise in him.

After a few shaky breaths and a rare visual exchange between the two, David took the check and turned to Leonardo, then fell silent for a few seconds and spoke "$4 million for 25%."

Leonardo shook his head with a laugh and replied "Please be realistic. I would accept that proposal if you tell me right now some method you have to monetize your web page".

"..."

"..."

"Do you understand the problem?" Taking the check in his hands, Leonardo shook his head and continued "I see a future in you and I trust in your dreams, but understand my place that 3.5 million dollars is a big bet for something that may fail tomorrow."

"..."

"..."

Noticing the hesitation on the faces of the two young men, Leonardo was silent for a few seconds and sighed, then pulled out his checkbook and rewrote a check.

"Well, this will be my last offer and I hope you will consider it well" Leaving the check on the table, Leonardo frowned slightly and leaned slightly towards them, then spoke seriously "I will give you 5 million dollars for 30%, but it will have a condition that you will have to accept."

"What condition!?" Excitedly, Jerry took the check and asked quickly, while even the quiet David showed happiness in his eyes.

"You do understand that if more investors come in you will have to dilute the shares and raise them more and more, right?"

"Yes."

"It's something our lawyer taught us."

"Well, the deal will be as follows" Putting his palms together, Leonardo stared at them and continued "It will be $5 million for 30% of your shares right now. But when the time comes to take in new investors and my 30% has to be diluted, you will give me the option to buy back more shares so that my percentage will always be one third of the total."

With confusion in his eyes, David replied "Sorry, I don't understand your request."

"Let's say in the future an investor comes in and we have to increase the number of shares. At that time my 30% may become 20% and so it will gradually go down as more shareholders come in. What I ask you for this money, is that when that time comes, you give me the option to buy more shares so that I can always keep 1/3 of the company. That way I would gradually invest more money in the company if it is worthwhile and at the same time, I will keep my corresponding percentage."

"We accept!"

"Jerry!" Turning to Leonardo after yelling at his friend, David continued seriously "30% is too much, we can't accept."

"Please think about it" Shaking his head, Leonardo continued "Your company today is worth a million dollars at most, and in the future it is very difficult to know if it will rise or fall. They have no fixed plan and the risk is extremely high. I am offering you 5 times the total amount of the company for this deal I am talking about, and please understand that I am practically taking a huge risk."

"..."

"Would you give us a moment to talk please?" With doubt on his face, David asked cautiously.

"Go ahead, take your time" Nodding with a quiet smile, Leonardo continued "Think it over, it may be our last chat".

"We'll keep it in mind, please give me 5 minutes" Rising from the chair, David dragged Jerry with him and they walked towards the exit of the cafe, while through the window it was noticeable how the two were arguing.

"Five million dollars for strangers?"

"They're all strangers until they become rich overnight" Shrugging, Leonardo took a sip of coffee and continued "What do you think?"

"I think they'll accept" Looking at the doubtful but excited faces of the duo outside the cafe, Jack continued "Even I would accept. After all 30% of their shares right now are nowhere near the $5 million they are offering, and they would be lucky to get more than a million dollars for their company...I still think it's a bad investment, don't forget your money isn't infinite"

"I know, but even if I lose this investment, it won't put me out on the street" Shaking his head, Leonardo looked at the available balance in his checkbook and sighed.

After selling a couple of his family's mansions and all the small businesses, Leonardo's fortune reached an astronomical sum of around $100 million.

But after a single year of bad living, he ended up leaving Leonardo's checkbook with a balance of around $70 million, and it was a matter of time before he had to pay off his debts. s, and it was only a matter of time before he ended up on the street.

Literally the only property he owns right now is his grandparents' mansion and he doesn't even own a vehicle, always taking cabs everywhere.

"You pleasantly surprised me" After a few seconds of silence, Jack continued "You seem pretty experienced in the actions and your body language gave them even more pressure than they had. If you had started with a lower price, it certainly would have been a successful purchase. I still think 5 million is a lot."

"We accept" With a tired smile, David arrived along with Jerry and sat down in his place, then continued "But keep in mind that while we will give you the option to buy more shares to make your 30%, the stock price may have a possible upside and you would obviously have to invest a lot more money"

"Don't worry about that, we'll talk when the time comes" With a twinkle in his eye, Leonardo stretched out his hand to David and smiled broadly "It's a pleasure to be part of your project"

"The pleasure is ours"

"Welcome!"

Having talked and agreed on what was important, Jack had to take control of the conversation and get in touch with David and Jerry's lawyer, while Leonardo casually chatted with them for quite a while.

"That's why I recommend that you look into the possibility of adding advertising to the sides of the pages, it would bring in a new source of income never seen before and could certainly give you the liquidity you need."

Over the next few hours, Leonardo talked about everything he remembered about Yahoo, giving them subtle hints on how they could move forward in the future and even gave them the idea of placing advertising, something they would coincidentally do themselves in the future.

"Exactly, exactly!" With an excited face, Jerry wrote steadily on a notepad as his eyes sparkled at the sudden showers of ideas, and even David wrote everything down with a serious face and obvious contemplation in his gaze.

"But the most important thing in my opinion, is to change the name" Taking a sip of his third coffee, Leonardo continued "The name of the current page is too long and not very attractive to the public, they should look for something shorter and more accessible, while at the same time it should be easily remembered".

"Easier said than done" Smiling wryly, Jerry continued "We've been trying for months to come up with a suitable name but they all don't seem to fit our ideas."

"..." Raising his eyebrows, Leonardo stared at Jerry and chuckled "Has anyone ever told you that you're a pretty energetic guy?"

"My mother tells me that every day, I often got lost because I couldn't sit still every time we went out" Chuckling, Jerry nodded.

"How about you put on the page, Yahoo!"

"Yahoo?"

"Exactly, but with the exclamation point at the end."

"Yahoo..." Frowning slightly at the name as he repeated it to himself, David was silent for a few seconds and nodded with interest "It wouldn't be bad...the name is short, catchy and certainly easy to remember"

"It's your call" Turning his gaze to Jack, Leonardo looked at the clunky cell phone he is talking on and thought 'In another year Nokia should come out with their first cell phone... it wouldn't hurt to invest in them'.

After another couple of hours and with the sun now fully hidden, Jack finally ended the call and sighed wearily "All set, David and Jerry's lawyer should have the contract ready for tomorrow and ours too. We'll get together in front of witnesses and make the official investment before the law."

"Thank you for your work" Smiling gratefully at Jack, Leonardo turned to the still excited young men and continued "So we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure"

"With pleasure!"

"Well, that's all for today, I have to get back to the hotel" Stretching his body as he stood up, Leonardo left the check for 5 million on the table and commented "That check can be cashed in two more days, one day after we have signed the contract and the investment is legalized".

"Thank you for your support" Smiling with satisfaction, David carefully kept the check in his clothes and continued "Tomorrow we meet at this same place?"

"Ideally" 

"See you later!"

Leaving the cafe, Leonardo carefully tore up the first check he wrote and threw it away slowly as he took more steps, then turned to Jack and smiled "Believe me this investment will not disappoint"

"It's your money" Shrugging his shoulders, Jack continued "I'm just doing my job and as your father's friend, I can advise you. The rest is up to you to decide"

"Mn."

As always, time never stands still, and it's been a month since David closed the deal with Yahoo!

It all ended up with Jerry Yang holding 35%, David Filo holding 35% and finally Leonardo holding 30%.

After the investment, Jerry and David didn't think much of it and instantly changed the name to Yahoo!, going so far as to patent the domains and change much of the platform based on the advice Leonardo gave them.

Needless to say, having $5 million in your account made the inexperienced duo work their tails off but with giant smiles on their faces.