Chapter 153 I don't want to work hard anymore
In the current mixed drug and beverage market in the United States, Coca-Cola has achieved certain results and is considered a relatively well-known brand with its own sales channels. At least it is much better than its imitator Pepsi.
But even Candler himself could not have imagined how much his Coca-Cola shares would expand in the future. Even in the United States, which is rampant all over the world in the future, there are only a few Internet giants. Who could have thought that when they first appeared, they could grow to such a terrifying extent.
Candler himself was not opposed to being acquired, not to mention that he could cling to the Rockefeller family and even get in touch with the Sheffield family, which was passed down by word of mouth among Dixies. This was an opportunity to leap into the upper class. In his opinion, being able to become friends with these two people was worth far more than monetary gain.
Of course, this does not mean that Candler will sit back and watch his interests suffer because of his connections. He is still trying his best to fight for his share. Mergers and acquisitions are fine, but he cannot suffer any loss. It would be even better if he could make some money.
Candler was obviously not the type of Kolbe Bradham, who hesitated to sell his business after a long period of consideration. But Candler agreed very well, saying that if the price was reasonable, there was a price that both parties could accept.
The key is what price is acceptable to both parties. There is no problem with Candler wanting a premium. The key is how much the premium is. This is a tug-of-war between the two sides, and there was no result on the first day.
In the dim light of the bedroom, the two bodies were entangled together, and the suppressed breathing gradually subsided. Sheffield said tiredly, "Edith, I don't want to try anymore."
"You still have a lot of work to do, as the sole heir to the United Company. Take a break first." Edith Rockefeller wiped the sweat from her cheeks, put her long hair behind her head, and considerately turned on the desk lamp.
Sheffield got up, put on his pajamas, hung a cigarette and started smoking, looking like a gigolo who succumbed to the tyranny of a rich woman because of heavy social pressure and didn't want to continue working hard. In fact, this is not a question of appearance, it is the truth.
"Are you worried about the acquisition not going smoothly?" Edith Rockefeller covered her rough waves with a quilt, showing her considerate side, and said, "Actually, your family and DuPont are both people who like to use dirty tricks. You can force him to submit."
"Of course we are prepared. Otherwise, what do you think John Connor has been doing? Yesterday's telegram also said that Candler's daughter has a bad reputation in school and is the type who shows off her wealth. Candler's assets are only a few hundred thousand dollars, which is about the same as President Cleveland's fortune. He really thinks he is in the upper class." Sheffield talked about the ash and changed the subject, "Under normal circumstances, as long as the other party is willing to cooperate, no matter whether it is our family or the DuPont family, they are unwilling to use the last resort. Candler himself is still willing to cooperate. Wanting a premium is also a normal businessman pursuing profit. It doesn't matter. It's not worth making a fuss. But if he dares to fool me, you will see... I will blow up his factory."
"Then why are you sighing? It's taking away my concentration!" Edith Rockefeller scolded, "Are you having any difficulties?"
"The main reason is that I don't want to ask my family for money anymore. We made a huge investment last year, and although the funds are slowly flowing back now, there are still a lot of things to do, and we haven't yet broken even." Sheffield had a look of disappointment on his face. Of course, this look was half true and half false. He really didn't want to ask his family for money anymore, but he didn't even have the money to acquire a beverage company. He just thought that he had decided not to work hard anymore, and even sold his looks, so he wanted to see if this rich woman could help.
"How could I not help you? But you have to remember that this is my personal help and has nothing to do with the Rockefeller family." The body under the quilt squirmed, and Edith Rockefeller reached out her bare hands to hug Sheffield, "You still have to carry the burden forward."
The sun shone through the window, and the two of them suddenly became members of the upper class again, no longer the humiliating relationship of yesterday. To describe their current relationship, it was just like Edith Rockefeller saying to her husband, "Da Lang, it's time to take your medicine."
Fortunately, Edith Rockefeller's husband McCormick was not a man who would not let go. Anyway, the emotional foundation between the two was too weak, and McCormick had long lost his patience with his wife who was too independent. The process of dividing the property did not require a big quarrel to resolve, and everything went on step by step.
"It looks decent like this!" After helping Sheffield get dressed and pulling him in front of the mirror to look at himself, Edith Rockefeller nodded with satisfaction. In front of her, Sheffield reached out and wiped off the two slender handprints on the mirror. This made Edith Rockefeller a little embarrassed. Was this considered destroying the evidence?
"Everyone will be here in a while!" Edith Rockefeller pushed Sheffield out with a smile. During the morning chat, Sheffield said that Coca-Cola's new packaging could be made into a bottle shaped like a woman's curves, so that it could be recognized among various bottles of beverages.
Edith Rockefeller was naturally curious and asked Sheffield how he got the idea. The answer she got was, "When you look in the mirror!"
The Coca-Cola bottle itself came about this way. When the designer was dating his girlfriend, he found that she was wearing a tube dress that made her hips stand out, her waist and legs look slim, and she looked very pretty. He suddenly got an idea and designed a glass bottle based on the image of his girlfriend wearing this dress. After repeated revisions, not only did he design the bottle to be very beautiful, it looked like a graceful girl, but what was even more amazing was that the middle and lower parts of the bottle were twisted, just like the striped dress the girl was wearing; while the middle part of the bottle was round and plump, just like the girl with a protruding front and a curved back.
Do you know how much this idea is worth? More than a decade later, Coca-Cola bought the design patent for $6 million. However, Sheffield, who no longer wanted to work hard, felt that he could make more money from Edith Rockefeller.
When meeting with Candler, the lengthy acquisition negotiations were still going on. Even with the help of dear Edith, the price was still rapidly approaching Sheffield's psychological bottom line.
Although he thought that it was understandable for businessmen to pursue profits, the other party was still a Dixie native, so he shouldn't make things too awkward. But thinking this way, Sheffield still unconsciously thought about asking the other party to make a homemade plane to solve the problem once and for all.
Finally, the two sides reached an agreement, and on the eve of Sheffield considering how to make Candler disappear in the United States, Edith Rockefeller and Sheffield purchased a majority of Coca-Cola shares for $450,000. Candler retained 5% of the shares and remained an important shareholder.
"Don't call yourself a Dixie guy anymore!" Sheffield cursed, but he had no objection to the acquisition amount. With this cash out, Candler was already a millionaire in name and in reality. He also had connections with the Rockefeller family. If it weren't for the fact that Coca-Cola would be worth $100 billion a hundred years from now, or $20 million even ten years from now, Sheffield would have to give Candler a good beating.
"Okay, I know you're short of money now, didn't I take it for you? After deducting my symbolic 10% stake, you still own more than half of the shares, not counting the one you bought from the stock market earlier. What do you think now?" Edith Rockefeller comforted Sheffield softly, finally calming him down, "Delisting?"
As far as she knew, none of the Sheffield family's businesses were listed on the market. At least, there was no stock of Sheffield United on the market. She thought that Sheffield would follow family tradition, delist and focus on development.
"No, Pepsi will not be listed for the time being, but Coca-Cola will continue to be listed." Sheffield calmed down and began to think about future development. Pepsi was still in its infancy and did not have the qualifications to be listed, so it was more suitable to focus on development. Coca-Cola had already reached a certain scale, and he also needed to show his strength.
Sheffield hopes that the relationship between the two companies will be like that between the blue and green companies, which can be as hostile as fire and water, but both want to make money for themselves, focus on the other's hype, and grow synchronously. Attract the attention of all citizens and kill other competitors.
"The current locations for branch factories are Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans." Sheffield considered the locations of cities in the United States and determined the locations of the first batch of expanded branch factories.
"Why not open a branch factory in Texas? Texas is so big?" Edith Rockefeller was shocked. She thought Sheffield would give priority to her hometown, but she didn't expect it to be the case.
"The most popular drink in Texas is a drink called kvass, which was brought here by Eastern European immigrants." Sheffield forced a wry smile. This was a legacy of his grandfather's. "My family runs the kvass factory. And Texas is too remote. New Orleans is the most suitable city, right in the middle, covering the entire southern states. As for the western states, Los Angeles is the most suitable, and Chicago goes without saying. You live here, so you should know the status of this transportation hub. Otherwise, why do the Democrats and Republicans always come here for every election?"
Edith Rockefeller wiped the diamond ring on her finger and nodded in approval. She had to admit that what Sheffield said made sense.
Sheffield's current arrangement laid the groundwork for the subsequent red-blue battle.
(End of this chapter)
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