Building a Conglomerate in Another World

Chapter 60: Things Looking Good

Matthew sat at his desk in Sylvania, focused on a stack of papers spread before him. The idea of a driving school had taken root during his meeting with the President, and now it was time to turn that idea into a reality. His handwriting was neat but quick as he wrote down his plans. The driving school would teach people how to handle an automobile properly, ensuring they could operate it safely before buying one.

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He looked up from his papers and called for his new assistant, Robert, who arrived promptly.

"Robert, I need you to gather the mechanics and engineers," Matthew said. "We’re going to start planning how to teach people to drive."

Robert nodded. "Yes, Mr. Hesh. I’ll arrange a meeting immediately."

Within the hour, Matthew was standing in the main workshop, addressing a small group of workers.

"We’re about to take a big step," Matthew began. "We’ve built the automobiles, and people are excited about them. But most people have never driven anything like this. If we sell these cars without preparing buyers, it’s going to lead to accidents, confusion, and unhappy customers."

The workers nodded in agreement, some murmuring their concerns about safety and public reception.

"That’s why we’re starting a driving school," Matthew continued. "We’ll train instructors first. Over the next two months, those instructors will learn every aspect of driving—starting, stopping, turning, maintaining control. Once they’re ready, we’ll open the school to the public. Every customer who wants to buy an automobile will need to complete training and earn a certificate from us."

The room was silent for a moment, and then one of the senior mechanics spoke up.

"It’s a solid idea, Mr. Hesh. But where do we start?"

Matthew unfolded a rough sketch he’d prepared earlier. It outlined a small training course with straight paths, curves, and markers for practicing stops and turns.

"We’ll start by building a course right here on the factory grounds," he said. "It doesn’t need to be fancy, just functional. Next, we’ll designate a few of you to become instructors. You’ll need to learn how to drive the automobiles well enough to teach others."

Over the following weeks, the factory grounds transformed. Workers set up a simple driving track, marking lanes with wooden posts and ropes. A small building was repurposed as a classroom, where future drivers would learn the basics of operating an automobile.

The instructors-in-training spent hours each day behind the wheel. Matthew supervised personally, offering guidance and correcting mistakes. Some struggled with the controls at first, but by the end of the second month, they were confident and ready to teach.

"I couldn’t agree more," Robert said as he checked the data before handing a copy of it to each of the company’s inner circle.

Charles perused the contents and smiled. "This is looking good. The numbers of enrollees are steadily increasing."

"It would be good if we increase the price," Lionel commented.

Matthew shook his head. "I don’t think that is a wise idea, Mr. Harrington, because we are already charging them three florins for the whole package. What we should focus on is not increasing the price but increasing the number of driving schools across the country, that way when we launch our automobile to the market domestically, we will have more sales," Matthew explained.

Lionel nodded, albeit reluctantly. "That does make sense. Expanding the infrastructure will solidify our presence in the market."

"Exactly," Matthew said. "We need to think long-term. This driving school is more than just a service—it’s a critical step in ensuring the adoption of automobiles."

Robert cleared his throat. "If we’re expanding, we’ll need to train more instructors and secure locations for these schools. Do we have the resources to do that while maintaining our current operations?"

Matthew leaned back in his chair, considering the question. "We do, but we’ll need to prioritize efficiency. We are going to start from urban cities and then slowly reach rural towns. Money is not going to be a problem since we still have a chunk of it thanks to Mr. Charles’s investment."

Charles chuckled. "Matthew, can I have a word for a minute?"

Matthew nodded and followed Charles into a smaller meeting room adjacent to the main office. Charles closed the door behind them and turned, his usual calm expression replaced with a more serious demeanor.

"Matthew," Charles began, crossing his arms, "you’ve done an excellent job laying the groundwork. The driving schools, the licensing system, the public demonstrations—it’s all coming together beautifully. But I’m an investor, and investors expect returns. I need to see this business start generating substantial profits."

Matthew straightened, sensing the gravity of Charles’s words. "Of course, Mr. Fitzwilliam. That’s always been the goal. The driving schools are already profitable, and once the automobiles hit the market, the revenue will increase significantly."

Charles nodded but held up a hand. "I understand that, but we can’t afford to delay any longer. I want Hesh Motors to begin selling automobiles by the summer of 1883. That gives us about six months to prepare."

"Six months is a tight timeline, but it’s not impossible. We’ll need to ramp up production and ensure our sales network is ready. I’ll also need the driving schools to operate at maximum efficiency to handle the influx of customers."

Charles smiled faintly. "That’s the spirit I like to see. I trust you, Matthew, but I want regular updates on your progress. The summer launch must happen without a hitch."

"I understand," Matthew said firmly. "We’ll make it happen."