Consultation: Red Lotus Group & Aufseher (Closed)

[Winters]

OOC: Since I'm the one buying, I might as well RP the waitress, ja?

Work At Home

"Can I get another one?"

The waitress looked about at him, walked up to their table. Picking up his empty container, she looked at it. A mocha. Smiling slightly, she gave him a quick nod, and went off to the inside of the building to go fetch it.

...Just in time for Jonathan to realize his own coffee had long ago gone cold. Too caught up in the conversation, he didn't spend too much time drinking it. Giving his fingers a quick break, he swiveled up the cup, and took a quick sip. Well, it tasted the same. Didn't bother him, at any rate. A drink was a drink.

But, his fingers were quick to pick up, as Keith picked up the speed again.

"With a business like this. Not a bad idea to get a home office rigged up. It's tax deductible. As long it's all business related. You can write off everything in the office such as the TV, computer, printer, fax machine, phones, the printer paper, even the paper clips and staples."

"As long as everything is related to work in that office."

"...H-Hmm... I-I m-may w-wait o-on th-that, s-seeing a-as h-how I-I'm i-intending t-to m-move i-into th-the r-restaurant it-itself. I-I th-think I-I m-mentioned th-this. H-However, I-I h-have n-no k-knowledge o-of c-computer s-site m-making."

[Keith]

"...H-Hmm... I-I m-may w-wait o-on th-that, s-seeing a-as h-how I-I'm i-intending t-to m-move i-into th-the r-restaurant it-itself. I-I th-think I-I m-mentioned th-this. H-However, I-I h-have n-no k-knowledge o-of c-computer s-site m-making."

It wasn't uncommon for people in the city to have the upper floor as a living area. But one thing at a time. First off, Keith was going to explain the part of the website making.

"For the website, just outsource to people that do website making. If you have no idea about web design, don't try it. That too counts as a business expense. The webpage designers will talk you through the whole process. For webpages, you also need to get website hosting and a domain name for your website. You can go to places like Yahoo, GoDaddy, and other places," Keith explained.

Keith in particular liked the GoDaddy ads because of Candice Michelle. Damn, she was that fucking hot.

"You need to get a domain name as soon as possible. Importantly, for the website...come up with as many keywords as possible. That you'd type in a search engine. You want to optimize your web results and traffic. Those will be in the metatags the designers will embed into your site. The more results, the more customers you'll get," he added.

He paused and allowed Winters to absorb those big tidbits of information.

"If you get the webhosting, you can get the domain name for free. So think very hard about the name of your domain name which will be your "dot com" address. Plus the webhosting is also tax deductable."

[Winters]

Web Designing For The Faint Of Heart

"For the website, just outsource to people that do website making. If you have no idea about web design, don't try it. That too counts as a business expense. The webpage designers will talk you through the whole process. For webpages, you also need to get website hosting and a domain name for your website. You can go to places like Yahoo, GoDaddy, and other places."

"..U-Uh-h-huh.."

Yes. Still writing.


"You need to get a domain name as soon as possible. Importantly, for the website...come up with as many keywords as possible. That you'd type in a search engine. You want to optimize your web results and traffic. Those will be in the metatags the designers will embed into your site. The more results, the more customers you'll get."

"..A-Alright.."

Took a few minutes...

A lot to write.

Too much.

Hand hurt.

But had to keep on going.

After a few minutes, Jonathan looked up, and nodded.

"If you get the webhosting, you can get the domain name for free. So think very hard about the name of your domain name which will be your "dot com" address. Plus the webhosting is also tax deductable."

"..G-Gotcha. T-Tax d-deductible. A-Anything e-else y-you c-can th-think o-of?"

[Keith]

"..G-Gotcha. T-Tax d-deductible. A-Anything e-else y-you c-can th-think o-of?"

Keith nodded.

"For menus... Have two kinds of menus. The menus for the restaurant and the take home menus. Those you can outsource to a graphic design company. That also counts as a business expense. Because you're going to need menus," Keith explained to Winters.

"Take home menus are convenient for the customers," he added.

Menus were the most obvious.

"Also for home delivery... Invest in gas cards for people that have to drive out to places. Because there are places that aren't accessible to by metro or transit. For the gas cards, buy in bulk twenty-five dollar gas cards from Shell, BP, Chevron, and other places. Because no idea of what gas stations are going to be around. Plus the gas cards are tax deductable. For the places that can be accessed by public transportation, invest in metro passes and bus passes. Those too are tax deductable," Keith explained.

He would wait for Winters to absorb that information and write it down.

[Winters]

German Cuisine At Your Home

"For menus... Have two kinds of menus. The menus for the restaurant and the take home menus. Those you can outsource to a graphic design company. That also counts as a business expense. Because you're going to need menus."

Take home, menus? Ahhh...!

"Take home menus are convenient for the customers."

Aye. This was true. His menu needed to... 'accommodate' for this.

"Also for home delivery... Invest in gas cards for people that have to drive out to places. Because there are places that aren't accessible to by metro or transit. For the gas cards, buy in bulk twenty-five dollar gas cards from Shell, BP, Chevron, and other places. Because no idea of what gas stations are going to be around. Plus the gas cards are tax deductible. For the places that can be accessed by public transportation, invest in metro passes and bus passes. Those too are tax deductible."

..Jonathan's hand was beginning to hurt like mad, but his face still didn't show a thing.

For a moment, there was a pause though, as he just looked over it, looking over what he was writing, over and over again, his right hand twitching slightly. This was a lot, even in short hand.

"..A-A m-moment..."

Dropping the pen onto the table, he tried to grab his coffee again with his right hand, but.. it closed prematurely. Damn. The strain was getting stronger. But, he quickly grabbed onto the cup, and began to take a longer sip.

...Coincedentally, the waitress had come back with Keith's mocha, just as Jonathan downed the last drop of his coffee. Looking up at her, he nodded. "..A-Another c-coffee, p-please.."

Clenching his right hand into a fist once, he took up the pen again. Felt.. a little better. But, he needed this information.

The waitress nodded, and walked off, after having set the mocha down politely in front of Keith. Slightly busy day for her.

Looking back up at Keith, Jonathan nodded again.

"..C-Continue."

[Keith]

"..C-Continue."

Keith nodded and sipped the new glass of iced mocha brought over to him. Hopefully this will turn into a profitable consultation on his part.

"For internet... Get a laptop or two and get them with wireless network cards. Get them from Cingular. Though Sprint is faster, but Cingular has more locations," Keith explained. Winters was going to have to go mobile as well.

He took another sip.

"That way, you can conduct business anywhere. In class, at lunch, in the comfort of your own living room. Also, get a cellphone like a Treo. The phone and the service are tax deductable."

Since it's the electronic age, Winters should make full use of the internet. He would wait for Winters to absorb and write down those tidbits given to him.

[Winters]

Hundreds of Requirements

"For internet... Get a laptop or two and get them with wireless network cards. Get them from Cingular. Though Sprint is faster, but Cingular has more locations."

..Well. This was disturbingly more then he had initially suspected. Not completely, but enough to make him pause for a moment.

"That way, you can conduct business anywhere. In class, at lunch, in the comfort of your own living room. Also, get a cellphone like a Treo. The phone and the service are tax deductible."

Hand hurt. Head was beginning to hurt as well.

Aye. A lot more consuming then he had thought it would be. No matter. This was part of life's difficulties.

"..A-Alright th-then."

But, his attention was too turned towards writing all this information down, and making little notes to himself, that he did not notice the steaming hot cup of coffee before him, until he looked up, ready to move on.

[Keith]

"..A-Alright th-then."

There were a few more final touches to add and such. Keith took another sip of his iced mocha and then would continue with his consultation.

"Also get an account with either Office Depot or Staples," Keith instructed. He then continued, "keep all the receipts because they're business expenses. Plus Office Depot and Staples have mail-in rebates for whatever items you buy from them. Which means, more money goes back into your business."

Keith took another sip. This consultation was a fairly long one. But it was neccessary since Winters wanted to open up a restaurant. His job was to keep Winters from making as many mistakes as possible.

"Also get accounts with either Fed-Ex, UPS, or DHL. Also get a P.O. Box at the local post office where all your business mail comes in. Monthly fee. But that's tax deductable as well. Get a bank account, too for your business."

He took another sip and waited for Winters to write all that down. Winters should've gotten a laptop or something. Writing can be a total bitch. Keith should know by personal experience.

"Get a few business credit cards like Capital One, American Express, and Discover for the business. You're going to have to make huge purchases. Plus they have rewards programs. And they're tax deductable as well. All your expenses should be made with the credit cards."

Keith took another sip of his iced mocha.

"Any questions?"

[Winters]

"Also get an account with either Office Depot or Staples. Keep all the receipts because they're business expenses. Plus Office Depot and Staples have mail-in rebates for whatever items you buy from them. Which means, more money goes back into your business."

These were quite a lot of things to immediately jump into. But at last, Jonathan was beginning to grasp something. The way in which Keith spoke was not just consultation and opinions. It was a highly identified with idealism, metaphorically a way of life. Conserve money. Have other things spend in your place. Reap the greatest profit. Etc., etc.

The goal was to create the maximum amount of profit whenever possible, at all opportunities.

"Also get accounts with either Fed-Ex, UPS, or DHL. Also get a P.O. Box at the local post office where all your business mail comes in. Monthly fee. But that's tax deductable as well. Get a bank account, too for your business."

His hand hurt.

It hurt.

It hurt.

It hurt.

Felt like it was cramping up.

But, this was an endurance test. If he could not even deal with the irksome pain in his hand on something as silly as writing, how could ever expect of himself to deal with physical pain, inflicted by others? Answer: You just can't let it stop you. Far worse things in life. Spend time preparing for those times.

"Get a few business credit cards like Capital One, American Express, and Discover for the business. You're going to have to make huge purchases. Plus they have rewards programs. And they're tax deductable as well. All your expenses should be made with the credit cards."

Ahhh! That was quite an important tip. Something Jonathan had initially been planning to avoid, as he put off by the sound of putting himself in debt, but.. aye.

And with that, his pen went down, and he picked up his coffee, giving it a few swigs.

"Any questions?"

Phew.

"..Ja. W-Would y-you p-prefer y-your m-money t-to b-be i-in c-cash, i-in a-a p-possible p-proto-t-type o-of o-one o-of m-my f-future p-products, a-and h-how l-long a-are y-you w-willing t-to w-wait, w-while w-we s-see i-if m-my a-attempt a-at m-making a-a r-restaurant i-is s-successful?"

The stony face was back in. But genuine gratitude could be seen in the eyes.

[Keith]

"..Ja. W-Would y-you p-prefer y-your m-money t-to b-be i-in c-cash, i-in a-a p-possible p-proto-t-type o-of o-one o-of m-my f-future p-products, a-and h-how l-long a-are y-you w-willing t-to w-wait, w-while w-we s-see i-if m-my a-attempt a-at m-making a-a r-restaurant i-is s-successful?"

Keith thought about this a bit. He took another sip of his iced mocha. It was the now the part where Keith negotiates his payment with Winters. The weapons and gear intrigued Keith greatly. Keith did have something in mind.

Hmmm... An item is tempting... But it should take awhile before the weapon is forged...

Keith took another sip and adjusted his shades. He was as calm and relaxed. Now he knew what he wanted.

"I'll tell you what. I'll take a prototype as an advance payment," Keith casually and coolly replied to his client. Yes, the smart thing would take an advance payment.

"I'll take the prototype as a deposit. Depending on how successful the restaurant is, I'd like 5% of the revenue stream for the first two to three months."

When consulting, you'd have to go for that. In a high risk venture such as this, no way one is going to have the money up front.

"Oh since your residence and the restaurant are in the same building... Say, who owns the building?"

[Winters]

Blueprint - Prototype

"I'll tell you what. I'll take a prototype as an advance payment."

..As could be seen, however, Jonathan didn't have anything with him at the moment, and he didn't really have any money to produce anything. Physically, speaking.

"I'll take the prototype as a deposit. Depending on how successful the restaurant is, I'd like 5% of the revenue stream for the first two to three months."

...Mmm...

"Oh since your residence and the restaurant are in the same building... Say, who owns the building?"

"D-Deal. H-However, I-I'll n-need t-to a-accumulate a-about n-nine-hundred d-dollars, b-before I-I c-can g-give y-you a-anything r-real. S-So, t-to c-compensate, I-I'll p-provide y-you w-with f-frequent u-upgrades t-to th-this 'p-prototype', f-for s-six m-months, f-from a-about t-ten p-percent o-of m-my s-salary. F-For n-now, y-you'll h-have t-to s-settle f-for a-a b-blue p-print, a-and a-about f-five m-minutes t-to d-draw i-it o-out f-for y-you.."

Unfortunetly, while it may not be good enough, especially for such an expensive meeting, it was all Jonathan could do, for the moment. Fortunetly, however, he did come prepared.. and standing up slightly, while still crouching over his chair, he pulled out a folded piece of.. hardier paper, and laid it down on the table.

Taking his coffee, he held it up to his mouth, and drained it down to the last drop, before walking over to the trash can and throwing it away... quickly sitting down, hunched over the paper, unfolding it quickly, his pencil at the ready...

"O-Oh r-right.. a-almost f-forgot... U-Uh... M-Mr. A-Asiv w-will t-technically o-own i-it, s-since h-he's pr-providing th-the d-downp-payment, b-but I-I've a-already a-arranged w-with h-him th-that I-I w-will b-be th-the o-one t-taking c-care o-of i-it..."

Too late, if that was a blunder on his part. Asiv had already agreed to it. However, Jonathan's face never once looked away from the paper..

"..S-So, t-tell m-me... w-what s-sort o-of 'i-item', 'w-weapon', o-or a-anything e-else y-you c-can th-think o-of.. d-did y-you h-have i-in m-mind?..."

[Keith]

"D-Deal. H-However, I-I'll n-need t-to a-accumulate a-about n-nine-hundred d-dollars, b-before I-I c-can g-give y-you a-anything r-real. S-So, t-to c-compensate, I-I'll p-provide y-you w-with f-frequent u-upgrades t-to th-this 'p-prototype', f-for s-six m-months, f-from a-about t-ten p-percent o-of m-my s-salary. F-For n-now, y-you'll h-have t-to s-settle f-for a-a b-blue p-print, a-and a-about f-five m-minutes t-to d-draw i-it o-out f-for y-you.."

That was a good start. Winters was going to provide Keith with upgrades to an item prototype. It received Keith's full undivided attention. Keith was curious to see what the blueprint looked like, the one Winters was going to draw out for him.

Interesting...

"O-Oh r-right.. a-almost f-forgot... U-Uh... M-Mr. A-Asiv w-will t-technically o-own i-it, s-since h-he's pr-providing th-the d-downp-payment, b-but I-I've a-already a-arranged w-with h-him th-that I-I w-will b-be th-the o-one t-taking c-care o-of i-it..."

It kinda meant that Asiv owns the place since he's providing all the starting costs to run this business. But since Winters is running things, Keith needed to get as much information as possible.

"..S-So, t-tell m-me... w-what s-sort o-of 'i-item', 'w-weapon', o-or a-anything e-else y-you c-can th-think o-of.. d-did y-you h-have i-in m-mind?..."

Keith took a sip of his mocha.

"Before I choose what weapon I want... Since Asiv technically owns the building and the restaurant... He should get two separate insurance plans. One for the building and one for the restaurant itself. Also, you should get people to inspect the plumbing and the wiring of the entire building. Yes, that's also tax deductable too. Don't want some bad plumbing upstairs ruining dinner for the people dining in the restaurant on the first floor," Keith explained.

He took another sip of the iced mocha.

"For my weapon... I am very partial to Japanese katanas. Primarily, samurai katanas..."

[Winters]

Fire Of The Gods Kantana

"Before I choose what weapon I want... Since Asiv technically owns the building and the restaurant... He should get two separate insurance plans. One for the building and one for the restaurant itself. Also, you should get people to inspect the plumbing and the wiring of the entire building. Yes, that's also tax deductible too. Don't want some bad plumbing upstairs ruining dinner for the people dining in the restaurant on the first floor."

"A-Aye. G-Get m-my m-money's w-worth," responded Jonathan with a smile. Keith's way of thinking was beginning to make an impression on Jonathan's mind. He wouldn't be forgetting these ideals anytime soon. The added notes on his notepad made sure of that.

"For my weapon... I am very partial to Japanese katanas. Primarily, samurai katanas..."

...

The fatigue in his hand disappeared in an instant. Now, looking intently at the paper..

...A few minutes passed. Nothing happened..

Then, the pencil began to slowly make scritches and scratches, as it slowly went about the paper. This went on for about ten minutes, fifteen.. maybe twenty. Making little footnotes, here and there...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"..T-There. H-How d-does th-that l-look? I-It l-looks l-like... 'Fire Of The Gods Kantana', t-to m-me.."

Finally, his pained eyes looked back up to Keith.

"F-For th-the b-blade, th-the h-hilt, a-and th-the sh-sheath.... a-and w-with o-only s-sheet m-metal a-available a-at l-local s-stores, th-this w-will i-initially c-cost $2000 o-out o-of m-my i-immediate f-funding. I-I'd g-guess a-about $3000-$4000 m-more, o-once I-I'm d-done u-upgrading i-it. T-The b-blade w-will b-be a-about t-twenty s-seven i-inches l-long. T-Total l-length a-about f-fourty-o-one. Th-this m-may d-deviate, b-but th-this w-weapon w-will a-also d-depend h-heavily o-on h-how w-well y-you're a-able t-to c-control y-yourself."

"...I-I'll n-need a-about th-three p-pieces o-of sh-sheet m-metal, o-one c-cloth, t-two t-to t-three p-pieces o-of p-plastic... a-and w-with a-any s-spare m-money, I-I i-intend t-to d-decorate i-it w-with a-a f-few m-medallions... I-I'll n-need t-to s-strengthen th-the b-blade a-a l-little th-though... a-and I-I w-will a-add i-in m-more m-materials, b-but I-I'll n-need t-to o-obtain p-permission t-to u-use th-the s-school's b-boiler, f-first.."

..Talking. Yet, seemingly to himself, only, as he continued writing little footnotes here and there. The details. He was a detail freak. It's how he got inspired to do a restaurant. Aye... to create. To forge. To make things powerful. To make others powerful. These were his talents...

..And unknown to him at this point, this was built into his own Qi.

[Keith]

"..T-There. H-How d-does th-that l-look? I-It l-looks l-like... 'Fire Of The Gods Kantana', t-to m-me.."

Keith took a look at the katana. It was definitey a good idea of a deposit on Keith's services. That was the katana that Keith definitely wanted. It was a good thing that Keith insisted that he get a deposit.

"F-For th-the b-blade, th-the h-hilt, a-and th-the sh-sheath.... a-and w-with o-only s-sheet m-metal a-available a-at l-local s-stores, th-this w-will i-initially c-cost $2000 o-out o-of m-my i-immediate f-funding. I-I'd g-guess a-about $3000-$4000 m-more, o-once I-I'm d-done u-upgrading i-it. T-The b-blade w-will b-be a-about t-twenty s-seven i-inches l-long. T-Total l-length a-about f-fourty-o-one. Th-this m-may d-deviate, b-but th-this w-weapon w-will a-also d-depend h-heavily o-on h-how w-well y-you're a-able t-to c-control y-yourself."

Keith nodded as Winters explained the costs of what the katana would look like. He was definitely impressed. And yes, Winters could consider the making of this katana a business expense. That was for the deposit for Keith's consulting services.

"...I-I'll n-need a-about th-three p-pieces o-of sh-sheet m-metal, o-one c-cloth, t-two t-to t-three p-pieces o-of p-plastic... a-and w-with a-any s-spare m-money, I-I i-intend t-to d-decorate i-it w-with a-a f-few m-medallions... I-I'll n-need t-to s-strengthen th-the b-blade a-a l-little th-though... a-and I-I w-will a-add i-in m-more m-materials, b-but I-I'll n-need t-to o-obtain p-permission t-to u-use th-the s-school's b-boiler, f-first.."

He nodded and took another sip of his iced mocha. Indeed, Keith picked a very good item to count as a deposit. It seemed that Winters wanted to use the school resources.

"If Asiv is funding all this stuff. I'm sure he'll give you permission to use the school's boiler."

Keith took another sip.

"Remember to keep a receipt of the materials you're going to get to make that katana. You can count the costs as a business expense."

[Winters]

Creator's Drive

"If Asiv is funding all this stuff. I'm sure he'll give you permission to use the school's boiler."

Mm... actually...

Jonathan paused, looking at Keith.

"Remember to keep a receipt of the materials you're going to get to make that katana. You can count the costs as a business expense."

Ahhh... that was it.

"..W-Well, I-I'm r-relying h-heavily o-on th-the f-fact th-that th-this w-will b-be s-successful. C-Cost f-for th-these m-materials w-will p-probably c-come o-out o-of m-my o-own p-pocket. B-But th-then, i-if I-I r-reach m-my g-goal o-of a-about $9100 a-a m-month.. th-that'll b-be pl-plenty..."