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From sexperts to sales assistants, stylists to strippers; the registered companies of Torn employ over twenty thousand people throughout the city. Yet for all the responsibility which comes with directorship, it seems almost any old schmuck can set up shop here. Most companies fail to turn so much as a single dollar of profit, so those that do are clearly operating in a unique manner to the rest. Becoming a successful director requires a specific set of attributes and skills, so in this series of articles I aim to find out exactly what it takes to join Torn City's elite club of top-level company directors.
Initially my inquiries were met with suspicion, with some fearing me to be involved in industrial espionage. Pussycat director Mad_Dog claimed that several rival business owners had already attempted to extract information from him, and when that failed, they made advances towards his employees;
"Other directors mostly want to know what your pricing and advertising amount is. I've been told by employees they were being bribed for the info. I'm sure some have sold it. What works in one company won't work in another so it's very fruitless on their part. IE: my company has been leading in profit for a long time."
Despite his concerns, Mad_Dog was extremely forthcoming with knowledge, expertise and advice, as were the majority of directors I interviewed for this piece. Over the next two weeks I shall attempt to collate and query the advice given out by the city's business leaders, so to begin let's find out exactly what budding bigwigs need to know before they put on their first pair of pinstripe business slacks.
STARTING OUT
For those considering company ownership, your first task is to decide whether you buy an existing firm or take the long road to success and start a business of your own. In regards to the former, Rep.Futuria Oil Company's Smokey123 had this to say;
"EVERY company requires a certain amount of days in order to rank up to the next star. Buying a company which is currently failing but has 500-1000+ days would be a GOOD idea to snap up if one comes available. Normally, you will be able to buy a failing company for MUCH LESS as the person who currently owns it may just want it out of his head."
Smokey123 went on to espouse the benefits of purchasing a pre-existing firm, such as access to already unlocked specials and upgrades, the possible retention of established and loyal employees, and the potential to seek advice from the company's previous director. Perhaps this is something Destiny TV's newly appointed director Lek may have considered doing, as he seems to be finding company ownership rather difficult.
"I'm totally new to directing a company next to some others. I still haven't figured it out yet. When I bought this company it was already 10* and it was just couple months ago. I'm still in the learning curve, but I can say it's not easy dealing with the price, advertisement, employee positions, employee in-activeness, hiring and all that. You have to take a step at a time."
Mistakes are of course part and parcel of becoming a successful business owner, but perhaps these are more pronounced and detrimental when they occur at a ten star company. Tarelli, director of Tarelli's TV, admits he made mistakes when beginning his own career in the city, but is nevertheless adamant that aiming for the top is often the right move;
"I made lots of mistakes when I first started running companies; my biggest one was starting a CLA with only 3 loyal staff and no faction. A CLA is a definite faction company with the drug neglect being the strongest special. Nowadays I could easily hire for one and would do well but at the time I wasn't experienced enough to succeed."
"The big bucks are in 10*, most 10* companies are now run by directors happy with their specials and their profits, they also have strong teams and have researched their business in order to maximise efficiency. To compete with these guys whilst forking out cash is suicidal business wise."
Clearly there is something to be said for purchasing an already established company, but equally so it seems one learns more about the nature of business by serving ones dues at a grotty new flower shop on the wrong side of town, before progressing naturally to the top of your industry. Not that this requires any less start-up capital however, as Smokey123 further informed us;
"You need double or triple the amount of money the company start-up costs brand new. You need active friends/faction members that will join your company straight away. If you employ your faction members or friends, normally they would agree to take a lower wage in return for reinvesting profits. You should probably research other companies of the same type and copy what they are doing."
CKB Energy's CptKillBill agrees for the most part, but disputes Smokey's insinuation that major start-up capital is always required;
"The need of having double or triple that start-up cost isn't right if you do it the right way. I, for myself, started my rig with no more money than what I needed to start it and I was always ok and did well from the start. Within 8-9 months I was doing very very good compared to most of the other rigs. It helps having more money for some reasons but it's really not a must. Patience is and it pays up."
CptKillBill also disputed the notion that faction members or friends were required for a successful new company, but the point on which everyone agreed was the need for directors to be fully qualified before they attempt to enter the world of business; a sentiment echoed by both 21st Century Focks director Devilsoldier, and the colourful strip club owner and Sons of Anarchy faction member iRox_SOA;
"Do all the courses you can BEFORE shelling out hundreds of millions or even billions to run a company. They work well, and provide a huge difference in terms of income, popularity and other things. There's also a company advertising booster hiding away under a law course, you wouldn't think to look there, but it's called "Media Law" and it helps, albeit not much, but it helps nonetheless." - Devilsoldier
"If you're going to be serious about running a successful company you would need to take business management, which is another few months of time invested running a company. This is not something that is going to be figured out overnight or become an instant success." - iRox_SOA
Furthermore, iRox_SOA also preached the wisdom of understanding an industry before you even set foot in it, whether purchasing a company or starting one from scratch;
"As a director you need to know what you're trying to sell people on, decide what's important to your game plan. I spent a week or two researching companies and perks, weighing pros and cons, and deciding which concept I was going to sell people. Surprisingly it ended up being a lady strip club. At first it seems like a jarring concept, why would I want to run a ladies strip club? But after thinking about it, it made perfect sense. The 25% total boost on defence is incentive enough, because defense is always a good idea in Torn."
Having frequented the aforementioned Redwoody strip club several times, for research purposes of course, I can certainly understand how defence can be increased by surrounding yourself with a team of greased-up men wearing nothing but leather briefs and a smile. But if all this talk of oiled gents and stacks of fat cash has any future Trump's sprinting towards the company pages, you might want to hold steady. It is a sad and sobering fact that many of the city's firms will remain insolvent for the majority of their existence, as Dumah of Nameless Novelties remarked;
"Running a company needs constant attention from the director's side for keeping employees performance up, order stocks, training them and most of all, keeping the company in profits. Most of the companies are loss making businesses, so that is the challenging task."
Maintaining employee performance does seem to be a recurrent issue for most directors, and as the owner of a business which sells lubricant, blow up dolls and vibrators, Dumah must face a constant battle keeping up the morale of his on-site staff, especially his cleaners. Unsurprisingly this position currently remains vacant at Nameless Novelties, so those of you with a tolerance or passion for human excreta would be advised to make an enquiry post-haste.
But if you'd rather clean up in the business world than within the confines of a lightly-soiled enjoyment booth, Pussycat CEO Mad_Dog implores those considering directorship not to rush into it, before then drawing parallels between running a firm and running a faction;
"The director needs to be active and watchful. Employees need to be in the right positions and active. As far as pricing and advertising is concerned that varies from one company to another. That's more experimenting to see what works. Having the courses finished to run a company and stocks help a lot too. It's a lot like running a faction."
But are companies being run too much like a faction? Is all out economic war between major corporations good for business? Is it good for employees? Is it good for Torn? As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the poaching of staff is a major source of frustration for many low to mid-range businesses in Torn, one which causes many independent ventures to collapse under the weight of the inflated wages required to keep going.
One cannot help but wonder if perhaps many of the entrepreneurs so keen to offer advice have engaged in this practice themselves; building their businesses upon the charred remains of their long-insolvent opponents. Independent candle shops muscled out by big oil. Niche theatres smashed into dust by foreign-owned meat warehouses. Sweet little mom and pop strip clubs discarded like yesterday's leftovers, left to rot in the sun like the corpse of an unloved pet.
This is a question I shall explore in the second part of this article to be concluded next week, where I attempt to discover exactly how rotten our city's recruitment practices are, and who we have to blame for such a decrepit state of affairs. Because with firms going out of business left right and centre, this wage bubble simply cannot continue. It doesn't matter whether you run a company for perks or prestige, there's only one thing that matters in the world of business; a sentiment most eloquently vocalised by Pooner's Productions Television Network director TheHoneyBadger;
"All about dat money."
Initially my inquiries were met with suspicion, with some fearing me to be involved in industrial espionage. Pussycat director Mad_Dog claimed that several rival business owners had already attempted to extract information from him, and when that failed, they made advances towards his employees;
"Other directors mostly want to know what your pricing and advertising amount is. I've been told by employees they were being bribed for the info. I'm sure some have sold it. What works in one company won't work in another so it's very fruitless on their part. IE: my company has been leading in profit for a long time."
Despite his concerns, Mad_Dog was extremely forthcoming with knowledge, expertise and advice, as were the majority of directors I interviewed for this piece. Over the next two weeks I shall attempt to collate and query the advice given out by the city's business leaders, so to begin let's find out exactly what budding bigwigs need to know before they put on their first pair of pinstripe business slacks.
STARTING OUT
For those considering company ownership, your first task is to decide whether you buy an existing firm or take the long road to success and start a business of your own. In regards to the former, Rep.Futuria Oil Company's Smokey123 had this to say;
"EVERY company requires a certain amount of days in order to rank up to the next star. Buying a company which is currently failing but has 500-1000+ days would be a GOOD idea to snap up if one comes available. Normally, you will be able to buy a failing company for MUCH LESS as the person who currently owns it may just want it out of his head."
Smokey123 went on to espouse the benefits of purchasing a pre-existing firm, such as access to already unlocked specials and upgrades, the possible retention of established and loyal employees, and the potential to seek advice from the company's previous director. Perhaps this is something Destiny TV's newly appointed director Lek may have considered doing, as he seems to be finding company ownership rather difficult.
"I'm totally new to directing a company next to some others. I still haven't figured it out yet. When I bought this company it was already 10* and it was just couple months ago. I'm still in the learning curve, but I can say it's not easy dealing with the price, advertisement, employee positions, employee in-activeness, hiring and all that. You have to take a step at a time."
Mistakes are of course part and parcel of becoming a successful business owner, but perhaps these are more pronounced and detrimental when they occur at a ten star company. Tarelli, director of Tarelli's TV, admits he made mistakes when beginning his own career in the city, but is nevertheless adamant that aiming for the top is often the right move;
"I made lots of mistakes when I first started running companies; my biggest one was starting a CLA with only 3 loyal staff and no faction. A CLA is a definite faction company with the drug neglect being the strongest special. Nowadays I could easily hire for one and would do well but at the time I wasn't experienced enough to succeed."
"The big bucks are in 10*, most 10* companies are now run by directors happy with their specials and their profits, they also have strong teams and have researched their business in order to maximise efficiency. To compete with these guys whilst forking out cash is suicidal business wise."
Clearly there is something to be said for purchasing an already established company, but equally so it seems one learns more about the nature of business by serving ones dues at a grotty new flower shop on the wrong side of town, before progressing naturally to the top of your industry. Not that this requires any less start-up capital however, as Smokey123 further informed us;
"You need double or triple the amount of money the company start-up costs brand new. You need active friends/faction members that will join your company straight away. If you employ your faction members or friends, normally they would agree to take a lower wage in return for reinvesting profits. You should probably research other companies of the same type and copy what they are doing."
CKB Energy's CptKillBill agrees for the most part, but disputes Smokey's insinuation that major start-up capital is always required;
"The need of having double or triple that start-up cost isn't right if you do it the right way. I, for myself, started my rig with no more money than what I needed to start it and I was always ok and did well from the start. Within 8-9 months I was doing very very good compared to most of the other rigs. It helps having more money for some reasons but it's really not a must. Patience is and it pays up."
CptKillBill also disputed the notion that faction members or friends were required for a successful new company, but the point on which everyone agreed was the need for directors to be fully qualified before they attempt to enter the world of business; a sentiment echoed by both 21st Century Focks director Devilsoldier, and the colourful strip club owner and Sons of Anarchy faction member iRox_SOA;
"Do all the courses you can BEFORE shelling out hundreds of millions or even billions to run a company. They work well, and provide a huge difference in terms of income, popularity and other things. There's also a company advertising booster hiding away under a law course, you wouldn't think to look there, but it's called "Media Law" and it helps, albeit not much, but it helps nonetheless." - Devilsoldier
"If you're going to be serious about running a successful company you would need to take business management, which is another few months of time invested running a company. This is not something that is going to be figured out overnight or become an instant success." - iRox_SOA
Furthermore, iRox_SOA also preached the wisdom of understanding an industry before you even set foot in it, whether purchasing a company or starting one from scratch;
"As a director you need to know what you're trying to sell people on, decide what's important to your game plan. I spent a week or two researching companies and perks, weighing pros and cons, and deciding which concept I was going to sell people. Surprisingly it ended up being a lady strip club. At first it seems like a jarring concept, why would I want to run a ladies strip club? But after thinking about it, it made perfect sense. The 25% total boost on defence is incentive enough, because defense is always a good idea in Torn."
Having frequented the aforementioned Redwoody strip club several times, for research purposes of course, I can certainly understand how defence can be increased by surrounding yourself with a team of greased-up men wearing nothing but leather briefs and a smile. But if all this talk of oiled gents and stacks of fat cash has any future Trump's sprinting towards the company pages, you might want to hold steady. It is a sad and sobering fact that many of the city's firms will remain insolvent for the majority of their existence, as Dumah of Nameless Novelties remarked;
"Running a company needs constant attention from the director's side for keeping employees performance up, order stocks, training them and most of all, keeping the company in profits. Most of the companies are loss making businesses, so that is the challenging task."
Maintaining employee performance does seem to be a recurrent issue for most directors, and as the owner of a business which sells lubricant, blow up dolls and vibrators, Dumah must face a constant battle keeping up the morale of his on-site staff, especially his cleaners. Unsurprisingly this position currently remains vacant at Nameless Novelties, so those of you with a tolerance or passion for human excreta would be advised to make an enquiry post-haste.
But if you'd rather clean up in the business world than within the confines of a lightly-soiled enjoyment booth, Pussycat CEO Mad_Dog implores those considering directorship not to rush into it, before then drawing parallels between running a firm and running a faction;
"The director needs to be active and watchful. Employees need to be in the right positions and active. As far as pricing and advertising is concerned that varies from one company to another. That's more experimenting to see what works. Having the courses finished to run a company and stocks help a lot too. It's a lot like running a faction."
But are companies being run too much like a faction? Is all out economic war between major corporations good for business? Is it good for employees? Is it good for Torn? As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, the poaching of staff is a major source of frustration for many low to mid-range businesses in Torn, one which causes many independent ventures to collapse under the weight of the inflated wages required to keep going.
One cannot help but wonder if perhaps many of the entrepreneurs so keen to offer advice have engaged in this practice themselves; building their businesses upon the charred remains of their long-insolvent opponents. Independent candle shops muscled out by big oil. Niche theatres smashed into dust by foreign-owned meat warehouses. Sweet little mom and pop strip clubs discarded like yesterday's leftovers, left to rot in the sun like the corpse of an unloved pet.
This is a question I shall explore in the second part of this article to be concluded next week, where I attempt to discover exactly how rotten our city's recruitment practices are, and who we have to blame for such a decrepit state of affairs. Because with firms going out of business left right and centre, this wage bubble simply cannot continue. It doesn't matter whether you run a company for perks or prestige, there's only one thing that matters in the world of business; a sentiment most eloquently vocalised by Pooner's Productions Television Network director TheHoneyBadger;
"All about dat money."
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