Chapter 145: The Ruthless Business Owner

[Chapter 145: The Ruthless Business Owner]

Mayhill Construction Company.

This was a construction company based in Los Angeles that collaborated with several real estate development firms, boasting a sizeable operation with modest profits.

Big money companies weren't for sale -- Ian spent $300 million to acquire 95% of this company.

As Ian stepped out of his car, the former chairman, Jude Halley, stood at the company entrance with his staff, applauding enthusiastically. "Welcome, Mr. Carr!"

Ian smiled and greeted everyone as he walked inside, seeing the employees waving at him, clearly full of anticipation for their new boss, who was known nationwide.

Amid cheers and excitement, Ian reached a spacious hall where over a hundred employees gathered.

Standing at the front of the hall before a podium equipped with a microphone, Jude Hayley encouraged, "Why don't you say a few words?"

Ian nodded, positioned himself at the microphone, looked down at the employees, and chuckled, "Someone once told me, 'Ian Carr, no matter how well you do in the media industry, you'll never succeed in construction because it's a different system.'"

The crowd gazed silently at Ian.

Ian added, "I replied, 'At least they're watching the news.'"

Laughter rippled through the crowd as they chuckled at their boss's joke, regardless of its humor.

Ian continued, "Of course, I didn't acquire Mayhill just to sell newspapers. I chose Mayhill because I believe it's a vibrant and energetic company. I don't need to know how to build skyscrapers or pave roads because I have you! You are the professionals, and all I need is trust.

Trust, collaboration, unity -- these are the reasons I am here today; they are principles I have always believed in! I believe in you, I believe in Mayhill, and I have faith in you, the elites of this industry, who will not let me down. Let's join hands and create a beautiful community! The world needs us to build it!"

"Oh yeah!" the employees cheered in unison with excitement.

After his speech, Ian made his way to the chairman's office.

...

Sitting behind a large desk, Ian looked at Jude Halley, who still wore a hint of excitement. "We're collaborating with Nanda Realty on a major deal; next year's profits will be fantastic..."

Ian waved his hand dismissively, "You handle the business side; I won't inquire. I have a few demands. First, the company must lay off 30% of the staff immediately."

"What?" Jude Halley was stunned.

Ian's expression turned serious. "Mayhill earned only $20 million this year -- too weak. We must cut costs and reduce unnecessary expenditures. Try not to hire black people and women. They must have family responsibilities and be responsible! Only those who remain will be the elite! Second, contact our partners in overseas and ensure that at least 80% of the construction workers are from abroad. If you can't handle it, I can help you find someone! You can coordinate with Ida for any issues."

The female secretary nodded with a smile toward Jude.

Jude Halley looked at Ian with fear. "This is insane!"

"You can interpret it as the catfish effect, but there might be too many catfish," Ian replied coldly.

"No, no, no! You can't do this!" Jude Halley shouted. "The unions won't agree -- they'll absolutely organize strikes!"

Ian smiled slightly. "If they dare to do that, just dissolve the union."

Jude Halley shook his head quickly. "They'll storm the company!"

Ian retrieved a business card, handing it to Jude Halley. "This is Crips; you can contact him for issues. White Mountain handles all disturbances -- don't worry; I'll take care of the police. Oh, and when they attempt to storm, remember to notify the Herald and the Times -- newspapers need news... don't fear if things escalate."

If you don't sell arms to attack your own country, you are not called an international arms dealer. If you don't create scandals in your own company, you can't be called a media tycoon!

A real powerhouse can get ruthless and even turn on their own -- after all, it's not their problem. Jude Halley is still the one responsible.

Jude Halley stared at Ian. "You didn't mention any of this when you purchased the company."

Ian shrugged. "Who discusses product weaknesses when trying to sell? Well, Halley, you still hold 5% of the company. Make it work; it's better for everyone."

Saying this, he smiled slightly. "Next year's municipal project, I plan on securing it. That's a billion-dollar project. Employing overseas cheap labor can significantly cut costs and improve efficiency; we could make at least $200 million pure profit just from that. Adding in cost reductions and additional income, next year's profits could reach $300 million or more. If you perform to my satisfaction, I'll offer you generous compensation."

Jude Halley replied with resignation, "You can't just focus on profits; you have social responsibilities too."

"I'll be donating; I established a center for terminally ill patients, and I've already given $200,000 to various communities. There will be more next year," Ian said with a smile.

Patting Jude Halley on the shoulder, he added, "This is final. I expect you to start contacting our partners overseas tomorrow and complete the internal integration within a month... or should I find someone else to deal with it? Efficiency! Your new boss prioritizes efficiency above all; otherwise, how would I have accomplished everything in 11 months?"

Jude Halley remained silent.

After a long while, he said, "The reason I was willing to sell the company to you is that I thought you were a hero!"

Ian smiled. "That is indeed a handy title... please do us the favor and don't tarnish it!"

...

As Ian left, Jude Halley understood.

Ian Carr had never intended to develop Mayhill construction.

Layoffs typically targeted employees who weren't creating value, and no company lacked those kinds of workers.

However, many employees indeed served as safety redundancies, including financial stability, tax compliance, legal safety, administrative security, and construction safety, among others.

For businesses requiring stable development, safety redundancies are essential; one could argue that a large corporation might have about 60% of its staff categorized as safety redundancies.

That's why later, someone like Musk would say, "After streamlining my staff, one person can do the work of three, yielding two and a half times the profit with improved efficiency."

Though it was said like this, eliminating those workers, while increasing corporate efficiency and enhancing profits, also lowered resilience against operational risks.

But Ian didn't care!

He was focused on short-term gain, which meant he never wanted to turn Mayhill into a centennial company.

Perhaps before long, he would sell this company!

A company earning $20 million could have its 95% stake sold for $300 million, while a company profiting $300 million could fetch $2 billion easily.

Not only that, but Ian might also strip valuable assets for resale -- because Mayhill had extensive holdings. It could be said that unscrupulous capitalists had numerous tricks to maximize their profits.

But what could Jude do now that he understood?

His only option was to execute Ian's orders, and he had to do it well.

He felt a piercing pain for the soon-to-be-laid-off employees; if he could, he would fight for their rights -- yet he couldn't afford to sacrifice his profits, as he had shares and a hefty salary to consider.

*****

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