Pecking Order, page 19
Paul told him, “By the way, I like that new haircut. It makes you look like a slicker businessman.”
“Thanks,” Ivan told him. “Now I’m thinking about whether I should get a diamond earring or not.”
Jeff looked at him and said, “Oh, that would be cool on you, man. Real cool.”
Even Eddie grinned. He was still a straight by-the-book newspaperman with a no-nonsense haircut and a clean-shaven face with his crystal-blue eyes.
He said, “That’s another great perk of being an entrepreneur. You can be as eccentric as your clients allow you to be. And ultimately, that makes you more interesting.”
Ivan responded, “As long as you’re making money with it. Because if it stops you from making money, then it stops you from being interesting.”
Eddie told him, “Well, you don’t have to worry about not making money, my friend. Because if that’s the only way that I get paid, then it’s definitely gonna happen.”
“And the more money you make, the more money we make,” Jeff added with a chuckle.
“Let’s all drink to that,” Paul commented.
They all toasted with their glasses of nonalcoholic drinks.
RAYMOND’S HOT SPOT LOUNGE on the southeast side still owed Ivan a few more events for the door and 25 percent of the bar. Ivan called them up with a new idea to host Monday Night Football parties with the Chargers, the Padres, and Lucina’s girls.
Ivan said, “We kick it off with strong radio promotions, and we’ll have ten weeks left of Monday Night Football. Then we can host the playoffs and the Super Bowl for four more weeks.”
He continued, “And all I want is the door and ten percent of the bar. And you know how those athletes can drink when they get excited, man.”
Raymond said, “I didn’t promise you that many events with bar money, especially not now, because I’m no longer getting the discounts that I got two months ago.”
Oh, so that’s why he gave me that deal, Ivan thought to himself. He was getting his own damn deal.
Ivan argued, “But Raymond, I’m only asking you for ten percent now.”
“Yeah, but ten percent for fourteen weeks. That’s one hundred and forty percent,” Raymond calculated.
“But look at it this way,” Ivan told him. “We’re also going to be marketing your bar for the next fifteen weeks over the radio and on our website. That’s not worth ten percent a night, Raymond? With what I’m bringing you, you can get new deals. We might even pick up a liquor sponsor after a couple of weeks. In fact…”
Ivan stopped himself. He felt that he was overpitching his idea. He wanted to keep the sponsor possibilities to himself. So he backed up and took another angle.
He said, “Look, Raymond, I’m even willing to pay for a large projection TV screen. So ten percent is a very small fee of everything I’ll be bringing to the table here. I mean, think about it. I’m bringing the Chargers and the Padres to your lounge every Monday night.”
Raymond went silent for a spell. The reality of the deal was sinking in.
“Let me talk to my wife and think about it.”
AFTER IVAN’S CALCULATIONS, he projected pulling in three to four thousand dollars each week from “Monday Night Football at Raymond’s.” And the sports crowd could party afterward.
“That ain’t bad money for a built-in party,” he told himself. “And if I can get a few extra grand from a liquor sponsor, that could make it five to six thousand every Monday night.”
He called up Lucina and explained his new plans to her.
He said, “The idea is to create as many small cow parties as possible a week to promote from the website. And as long as we promote at least one of them on the radio, we can push all of the traffic back to the website, and then we use our traffic numbers to get in on all the other parties around San Diego.”
Lucina caught on to his grand idea. She said, “So you want to use the website to get everyone to advertise their parties with us?”
“That’s it, girl. In the meantime, we do at least three to five events of our own to pull in twenty thousand dollars each week, regardless of whether we have celebrities in town. It’s all about consistency. Then when we do have celebrities, we make sure that we funnel all of the party traffic back to our main event. That way we lock in our money every time.”
Lucina listened to all of his excitement and asked him, “Ivan, do you really think the other promoters are going to allow you to do that? They’re not going to advertise their crowd with you. That would be stupid. And they would see what you’re trying to do immediately.”
“Well, we’ll just see how long they hold out, then,” he responded. “But once we start making money through consistent events, you mark my words, more of them are gonna decide to deal with us than not. They’ll have no choice.”
Ivan was all pumped up optimistic adrenaline. Thinking about new ways of making money was energizing.
Lucina said, “Well…I see you’ve been very busy.”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy. You told us to stay busy to let the rich know that we’re here, right? Well, that’s what I’m doing. I can’t even sleep at night. No more early bird for me. So anyway, the guy we used at the Chargers birthday party for the liquor, he has a direct relationship with the liquor companies, doesn’t he?”
Lucina paused. Ivan was rushing way ahead of himself. “Yes, he does,” she told him.
“Well, we need to talk to him about sponsorship opportunities and buying large volumes. And eventually, I might still have to break down and get our own liquor license and team. So we need to start asking more of these girls of yours to become trained in bartending.”
Lucina said, “Ivan, please, slow down. You’re asking for a whole lot of maintenance with all of these ideas of yours. And that does not mean that they are not good ideas, but each one will take time.”
Ivan caught the irony of the moment and chuckled. He said, “You remember I told you that? And you told me that virtues, like patience, don’t make money?”
Lucina was forced to chuckle herself. She admitted, “I do remember.”
Ivan said, “Well, now that I’m fully awake on the job, I see how this thing is supposed to work. You have to be impatient and patient at the same time. If that makes any sense to you.”
Lucina said, “It makes perfect sense. We make impulsive money for today, so that we can take our time to make long money for tomorrow.”
Ivan got real excited again. He screamed, “That’s my girl! We gon’ get this money, baby! You got me turned on now!”
AT LUCINA’S COZY, small home across the San Diego Bay in Coronado, she ended her call with Ivan David and smiled. Then her smile quickly faded away. To add to his opposites of patience and impatience, she felt happy and sad. She was happy that she had chosen the right man to partner with, but sad because she still could not bring herself to trust where they were going.
She paced her well-designed living room, which featured a California stone fireplace, exotic Italian furniture, a colorful Persian rug, and international artwork and accents, while thinking deeply about her predicament.
She shook her head and mumbled, “He is running way too fast.” Then she stopped and stood still. “But is that all my fault?”
Now he scares me more than anything, she thought. Because if he decides now, like a typical businessman, that he can run much faster without me…how long will it take before I will need another new partner?
“Shit!” she cursed herself. “I should have taught him nothing. Or at least not so fast.” Then she had to admit to herself with a pause, “…But I like him.”
Part IV
Life & Money Management
Ten
Narcissism
RAYMOND AND HIS WIFE agreed to Ivan’s Monday Night Football deal. The husband-and-wife team came to the conclusion that if his football night was not as successful as he had hoped it would be, Ivan would lose a lot more than they would. A mere 10 percent of the bar would hardly break their business. So with Ivan bringing the crowd and the large projection TV screen, and paying for all of the promotion, added security, and pretty party girls to boot, unless no one showed up, which was highly unlikely, they had everything to gain from the popularity of professional ball players and their entourages becoming regulars at their lounge once a week.
Once the deal was sealed, Ivan met up with Lucina downtown and told her that he needed two party girls who were familiar with the ethnic crowd of southeast San Diego, preferably Filipinas and Mexicans.
“Why?” Lucina asked him curiously. “Is that who you want to attract?”
Ivan explained, “Look, I can’t really count on these athletes to come out here every week. They might start off well in the beginning, but they’re gonna have their own parties and other things to do. So I mainly want to introduce this idea to the guys on the street level. They’ll come in there and try to spend the same kind of money as the athletes do. It’s impulsive spending, right? But you can count more on the local baller types to make it their regular hangout.”
He continued, “You already know we’re gonna get the brothers. But on that southeast side, you got Mexicans and Filipinos over there. And I want them all to come together, watch the game, drink, and talk shit just like they would at Jack Murphy Stadium watching the home team. The Chargers have a Monday Night Football game left themselves.”
Lucina asked him, “But what if they all don’t get along? Then you have them all in there drinking with pretty girls around.” She frowned and said, “I don’t like it. It sounds like trouble waiting to happen.”
That only made Ivan smile. He liked the idea even more now.
He said, “And you know what, that’s exactly what urban men gravitate to, that sense of danger. The ones who don’t like danger don’t spend money like that. I learned that from being around my brother’s crew in L.A. So I wouldn’t even want a safe crowd over there. And it’ll be my job to make sure that we all do get along. That’s my risk.”
Lucina looked at him as if he were crazy. She said, “Well, I don’t want any of my girls mixed up in the middle of that. And the two hundred fifty dollars apiece you offer is no money for them. Some of my girls can make up to two hundred dollars per hour.”
Ivan repeated, “Per hour? Is that what you pay them? Modeling rate? That’s crazy. That would be eight hundred dollars for one girl. We would never make any money like that.”
“What about if I had my liquor friend sponsor two thousand dollars toward the party?” Lucina suggested.
Ivan thought about it. He said, “And then pay the girls out of that? But would your guy offer us two thousand every week? He could advertise for two months on my website for that price, and you would keep nearly eight hundred of it. Then you can pay your girls extra from that if you want.”
Ivan was turning into an experienced wheeler and dealer overnight.
Lucina told him, “I don’t know. I’m just trying to work this all out in my head.”
He said, “Well, you gotta understand that I’m trying to create enough party connections for your girls to work more regularly. And we may pay them less, but they’ll have a lot more opportunities to make money. That just makes more sense for all of us, to me. The more they’re seen, the more promoters will want to hire them.”
Lucina argued, “It’s not about the quantity, Ivan, it’s all about the quality.”
“Yeah, but we can do both. We can even host a second Monday Night Football spot downtown if you can work a deal that makes sense there. But if you’re only gonna make two or three thousand dollars a night, and then turn around and pay your girls two hundred an hour…”
“I usually pay them that for the much bigger parties,” Lucina explained.
Ivan said, “But, these are not the home-run hits. These are singles, doubles, and triples that all add up on the scoreboard.”
Ivan was becoming frustrated with her hesitation. His plans were based on understandable math: create the lowest-priced parties to run up your profits.
However, on Lucina’s end, she was already predicting Ivan’s greed. It had happened to her several times before. But what could she do about it? They still had to move forward with a profitable partnership, and his plans were sure to make money. She had to admit that much herself.
Finally, she took a deep breath and agreed to it. “Okay, but I’m letting you know right now that I will give my girls the choice to work your venues at your price or not.”
Ivan nodded. “That’s fair. And like I said, if you want to pay them more out of your share, then you’re free to do that.”
Typical! Lucina thought in a huff. He’s already becoming bigheaded. And now I can see his head more. Which was my idea.
TO LUCINA’S SURPRISE, two of her girls who were familiar with the Filipino and Mexican crowd of the southeast agreed to work with Ivan. And once Audrey and Christina had settled into the San Diego area as roommates, they were in on the deal as well. A thousand dollars a month to host wealthy, bodacious men during Monday Night Football once a week was an easy decision for all of them. Their rents would all be paid with just sixteen hours of work.
Ivan even had the girls do photo shoots wearing the featured teams’ opposing jerseys for the flyer, with Pittsburgh and Dallas as their first game. He then had Eddie K. work a deal to feature a sporting goods store on the sports spotlight page of the website, with a promise from the store’s manager to advertise their next sales specials on the site.
Ivan then solidified commitments from some of the Chargers he had met at the birthday party, as well as Emilio Alvarez and a few of his friends from the Padres, to attend his “Monday Night Football Bash at Raymond’s Hot Spot Lounge.”
Ivan even invited Julio out, while his neighbor promised to spread the word to more of his Mexican friends.
Thomas Jones called him from the Urban League offices after he had heard the ads on the radio.
“So, I see you worked out another deal with Raymond,” he commented.
Ivan told him, “Hey, man, I had to learn to get back up and ride that horse. It’s too much money to be made over there to leave it alone, you know.”
Thomas said, “Brother, you ain’t said nothing but a word. Get back over there and make it happen.”
ON THE NIGHT of the first big event, Ivan left work at the accounting offices early to make sure the large projection television was set up right and connected to the stereo speaker system at the lounge. Before the game started, some of the crowd began to show up after work to catch the ESPN Countdown show.
“Make sure we block off that left corner area as a restricted section for the Chargers and Padres,” Ivan told Christina and Audrey. He wanted them both to work the VIP section, while the two other girls worked the general floor, closer to the Filipinos and Mexicans he hoped would show up to join the crowd. And each of the four girls would spend time at the door passing out I.D. Promotions flyers.
By game time, Ivan had his wish. Emilio Alvarez showed up with Butch Clayborne, Big Deke Walker, and two other Padres players. Perry Browning, Zee-Dog, and three other Chargers showed up, including Herman “The Big Bad Hitta” Seaford. They all took chairs on the left side of the room, with a few girls and other guys who accompanied them. The Filipino locals, Mexican locals, and local blacks showed up with their money, jewelry, and girls to claim their areas of the room to watch the game. And before the Pittsburgh Steelers had even kicked the ball off, premium bottles of expensive liquor were already being ordered and popped from the tables.
The lounge was filled to capacity by the end of the first quarter, with a line still waiting out front. A hired cameraman took shots of it all for the website, while Jeff and Paul had other work to do.
“What do we do when we run out of room?” Ida pulled Ivan aside to ask him near the door. She was pleased with the turnout, but also worried about the overflow.
Ivan shrugged and said, “They’re just too late. There’s no more room in here.”
He wore a gold knit tennis shirt under a dark gray sports jacket to keep his professional look, even among the jersey-wearing sports crowd.
Ida told him, “Well, you need to go out there and tell them something. It’s a whole lot of people still waiting to get in.”
“About how many?” Ivan asked her.
“I can’t count them. They’re all over the sidewalk.”
Ivan walked out to view the crowd for himself. Sure enough, there were plenty of latecomers outside, admiring the luxury and sports cars of the athletes and other high rollers who had arrived early enough to park and make it in. They were also pleased by the girls who walked out to pass them flyers.
“Hey, Ivan, what’s going on, man? Am I still good?”
It was Julio and three of his friends, including his little brother, all standing out in the crowd, late. Julio was wearing Dallas Cowboys gear, all pumped and ready to watch the game.
Shit! Ivan cursed himself. How am I gonna work this line out?
Everyone outside wanted to get in, but the place was fast running out of room. And what if a few of the Padres or Chargers come late? Ivan worried.
He thought fast and told Julio, “One minute, man.” Then he grabbed the first security guard he could reach to walk inside with him.
Once they were inside the door, Ivan told him, “Hey, man, do me a favor and grab the guy with the Cowboys jersey and his friends in here. And if any other professional athletes walk up, you let them in as our special guests. But we need to tell everyone else to come earlier next week and enjoy the game somewhere else, because we’re filled to capacity already.”
Ivan didn’t want to max the place out to elbow-room. That would only make it more ripe for a disaster.
The security guard smiled and said, “I got you, man,” and walked back out to do his job.
Ida overheard him and smiled herself. She said, “You sure got your wish tonight, hunh? So I guess we can close the cash box now.”
