Sean shared his ambitious plan to expand his fitness brand, aiming to fully launch operations in Newark within a month and open stores in all major cities across New Jersey within three months. His vision extends to entering New York within six months, followed by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., within a year. Within five years, he aspires to establish his brand as the largest fitness chain in the United States.
Wells and Johnson-Ted exchanged skeptical glances, not because they doubted Sean's capabilities, but because his goals seemed overly ambitious and abstract. After all, this was just a gym, and they had been contemplating the business for five years. The idea of dominating the American market felt far-fetched, akin to daydreaming about a future child after a mere glance at a stranger.
The two men struggled to grasp Sean's vision and his narrative style. They found it hard to fathom someone boldly presenting a global map and claiming dominance without even the most basic resources. To them, Sean's timeline of five years to achieve such monumental growth felt conservative at best.
Nevertheless, Sean remained unfazed by their skepticism; he was simply thrilled about his plans. After a brief chat, the trio decided to head downstairs, as both Wells and Johnson-Ted had other business to attend to.
Upon entering the building, they were met with a cacophony of noise. With over 400 invited guests and staff, the gathering was lively, especially with various groups mingling and leaving after settling their bills.
As they reached the third floor, Johnson-Ted paused, his gaze fixed intently on a woman across the room. Following his stare, Sean noticed a striking Latina. Her sun-kissed skin and athletic physique were captivating, but what truly caught Sean's attention was her commanding presence as she walked, her movements exuding confidence and rhythm.
Sean playfully remarked to Johnson-Ted, "At your age, I hope you can handle that!"
Wells coughed, nudging Johnson-Ted back to reality. The group continued downstairs until they reached the parking lot, where Wells waved goodbye with a grin.
Once Wells had left, Johnson-Ted inquired, "Who was that woman?"
"I'm not sure," Sean replied with a shrug. "Sheila is handling recruitment; she must be one of our new employees."
Johnson-Ted nodded, then Sean added with a grin, "Mr. Congressman, you can't devote all your energy to work. You should also make time for your health. Come join us for some fitness—it's essential for your wellbeing."
Johnson-Ted suddenly smiled, "That's a great suggestion. I'll make arrangements."
They shared a knowing look, both men understanding the unspoken camaraderie between them. However, Sean recognized that with Johnson-Ted's status, the attraction he felt toward the woman was perfectly natural, and he had no qualms about supporting his employees in their endeavors.
Later, after saying goodbye to Wells and his party, Sean learned from Bill that Gustavo had arrived to pay the rent. Sean instructed Jonas to handle the transaction, deciding that he would distance himself from such dealings in the future. After all, he wanted to maintain his image as a serious businessman.
Three days flew by, and today was the settlement day. Lamb Willie, holding the account statement, gasped in disbelief, his face filled with astonishment.
Initially, he thought Sean's operation was merely a front for money laundering, but he was shocked to see that in just three days, the turnover had reached an incredible $2.2 million. In 1984, that amount was astounding!
Lamb Willie knew exactly how much it cost to set up Sean's gym—$2 million, a figure that seemed almost unfathomable.
"Mr. Sean, you have a substantial sum sitting in the bank right now. This is a serious waste of resources, and you'll face hefty taxes. What are your plans?" Lamb Willie asked, eyeing Sean intently. After all, this money needed to be managed wisely.
"First, we need to pay Sheila and her team, and then settle the bank loan," Sean replied decisively.
Lamb Willie shook his head. "I bet the bank doesn't want you to pay off any loans. They'd prefer to lend you even more money!" he asserted confidently.
Sean paused, blinking in surprise, and slowly started to understand.
This was the United States, where banks and individuals had a completely different attitude towards loans. As long as there was cash flow, banks were eager to grant loans rather than collect repayments. The subprime mortgage crisis was behind them; now, banks were looking to lend to successful businesses.
In other words, as long as Sean's fitness chain continued to grow, the bank would prefer him to keep borrowing rather than repaying, which would also improve his loan rating.
His initial plan of opening five stores now seemed modest.
According to Lamb Willie's calculations, after accounting for this month's labor costs and necessary loan repayments, Sean still had $1.7 million in cash. If he intended to expand further, he needed to act quickly—tax season was approaching, and he had to spend the money before filing.
Sean called Sheila in to discuss team expansion. Opening five new stores meant the current team would need to triple in size. Fortunately, with their prior experience, the process would be less hectic this time.
He delegated the task of hiring new staff to Lamb Willie and his team at PwC, while he instructed Saul to scout suitable locations in five cities: Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Clifton, and New Brunswick.
There was no rush for large-scale loans or big-picture planning; they would wait until the operation was bigger.
As the stores opened and money began to flow in, Sean shifted his focus back to the security company.
The first step was to establish a permanent facility for the security operations. Renting wasn't a viable option for critical training grounds and facilities; they needed to be built from the ground up. Given that the security company was expected to grow significantly, a substantial area would be required.
Sean estimated they would need about 100 acres (approximately 67,000 square meters) to accommodate 500 employees. Additionally, the training site had to be far from the city to avoid disturbing neighbors with live-fire exercises.
Fortunately, land prices were lower outside the city center.
This matter required communication with city officials. It was time to meet the mayor, and Sean decided to have Johnson introduce him to the right people.