roccoschili 93. I just want to do advertising.
93. I just want to do advertising.
Everyone fell silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Fulton looked at Dugan, whose expression remained calm, with a complex expression, and a sense of panic instantly rose in his heart.
He reviewed the contract he had drafted repeatedly, and the profit-sharing ratio was in line with the most common cooperation model in the British business world at that time. He really couldn't think of any problem.
"Does Mr. Dugan think two-thirds of the profits isn't enough?" Fulton's assistant glanced sideways at Dugan. "That greedy fellow; the nobility are all the same!"
Watt and Matthew, who were standing to the side, looked at each other in confusion, also thinking that Dugan felt he hadn't received enough.
In the numerous cooperative projects handled by the Soho Machinery Factory, it was common for the investors to take 60% to 70% of the profits. For those who invested in technology, receiving 30% of the profits was already considered the greatest mercy from the capitalists.
"Mr. Dugan, the profit-sharing ratio can be adjusted again." Fulton suppressed his unease. His steamship had already reached the sea trial stage. If Dugan cut off funding at this time, it would be a waste of all his previous efforts.
Therefore, Fulton had already prepared for the worst, and he would grit his teeth and accept even a 20/80 split.
Dugan remained calm. From the expressions of Fulton and the others, he could guess what they were thinking. They must have thought that he was going to take advantage of their vulnerability now that the experiment had reached a critical stage.
In fact, capitalists of this era often do this kind of thing.
Fulton blurted out instinctively, "So you mean... you get eighty percent of the profits?"
Dugan shook his head slightly, directly rejecting the cameraman's offer: "I won't accept it either."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was completely stunned.
Fulton's assistant was so angry that he almost hit him on the spot. Did this greedy guy want to keep all the results for himself?
Watt and Matthew also looked on with disdain. They considered themselves to have seen many capitalists who were obsessed with money, but they had never seen anyone as greedy as Dugan.
Dugan glanced around at everyone, seeing their expressions of anger that dared not speak out, and felt a surge of pleasure at the success of his prank.
"Ahem!" Dugen cleared his throat and announced his plan: "From now on, I will take 60% of all revenue and profits from the project, and the remaining 40% will all go to you."
"Forty percent?" Fulton felt like he had been on a rollercoaster of emotions, experiencing extreme highs and lows.
At first glance, compared to the original one-third and two-thirds proposals, Fulton only received less than 7% more profit, a negligible difference that outsiders might not even consider a generous offer.
However, only Fulton himself, who had previously encountered disdain and cold treatment everywhere, truly understood the feeling.
In Europe at this time, capital reigns supreme, and inventors have always been appendages of capitalists.
Inventors who contribute technology as equity without any capital investment generally receive between 15% and 25% of the profits, with a cap of no more than 30%.
Countless engineers and craftsmen with dreams spend years developing new inventions, but in the end, most of the profits are reaped by the capitalists who funded them, and the inventors only receive meager compensation, barely enough to make ends meet.
For example, Samuel Crompton, the Lancashire textile craftsman who invented the mule, is a prime example. He spent many years working behind closed doors to create the spinning mule that changed the entire textile industry. However, unable to afford the patent fees, he was tricked out of all his technology by a group of factory owners.
Those capitalists who made a fortune from this machine simply scraped together sixty pounds and gave him a perfunctory bribe.
More than twenty years have passed, and mule machines are now ubiquitous across the country. The newly rich have acquired estates and power, while the true inventor still lives in a humble abode, barely making ends meet with odd jobs.
The wealth generated by hard work surges forward, ultimately flowing into the pockets of the investors, leaving the creators with only a meager reward to make ends meet.
It wasn't until 1812 that the British Parliament awarded him a £5000 prize in recognition of his contributions to the British textile industry. However, his sons squandered the money on business investments, leaving him nearly impoverished in his later years.
Fulton had originally set a limit of 30% of the profits, and he never asked for more.
But now, Dugan has directly raised his share of the profits to forty percent.
This ratio completely violates the unspoken rules set by capitalists!
Watt and Matthew, who were standing nearby, were completely stunned.
After a brief moment of distraction, Fulton's face turned bright red for the fourth time.
His chest heaved slightly with excitement.
"Mr. Dugan... you don't need to make such a big concession." Fulton's words were somewhat incoherent. "Forty percent of the profit is really too much..."
Dugan laughed and scolded, "Fool, don't thank me for my generosity. Sixty percent and forty percent are round numbers, but one-third and two-thirds are not. Using round numbers for cost accounting, tax reporting, and profit sharing is simple and straightforward. My butler and accountant can save me from countless trivial accounts."
"..." Fulton was speechless upon hearing this.
This pragmatic and straightforward, yet utterly ridiculous reason left Watt and Matthew Lei, who were watching from the sidelines, completely dumbfounded.
"This Dugan, he's definitely got plenty of money!"
Then Dugan gave a second reason.
"Secondly, and most importantly, I want to use this 40% profit share to launch a global GG event across Europe."
"GG?" Fulton asked in surprise, "What's GG?"
Dugan was taken aback, then realized that the word "GG" did not exist in English in 1804.
"GG means 'to let a lot of people know,' it's a Latin word." Dugan waved his hand, changing the subject. "That's not important. I want all the frustrated engineers, inventors, and craftsmen in Europe to know one thing: collaborating with me, Dugan Conba, will earn you more money than finding other investors!"
"Other capitalists arbitrarily drive down prices and buy out patents at low prices. But I directly offer 40%, the highest treatment in the entire industry."
Despite being a time traveler who knows many inventors of this era, Dugen's personality before time travel and the temperament of the original owner of this body both destined him to never expend energy searching for inventors and selecting projects.
The reason he offered such high profit-sharing was to build a prestigious reputation, so that unappreciated inventors would actively travel across mountains and seas to line up and seek his investment and cooperation.
Of course, these words could not be said aloud.
Fulton bowed deeply to Dugan. "I understand, Mr. Dugan. I have no objection to this contract. I assure you that tomorrow's test voyage will be a complete success, and I will not let you down!"