The Will of Gil (Harry Potter)

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.

Chapter 19– A Worthwhile Investment.

------------------------------------

"Alright, start from the beginning. Tell me everything you can about Ellerby and Spudmore and how it has dwindled to just a single man." Honestly, I thought I had three big companies that I could possibly take over and direct to become the next best broom company. But one is just a single abandoned factory, the next is a company looking for a fall guy because they messed up on their product, and the last one is a single man.

"Okay. Ellerby and Spudmore was first founded in 1940 by Ellerby and Able Spudmore when they produced the Tinderblast, though they were not that successful. The broom had some technical issues, so they were never really popular. However, their brooms were relatively cheap and affordable as training brooms for children. They tried to rectify this in 1952 with a new design, the Swiftstick. However, there were still some technical issues, and it was not a success." I nod along as she talks to show I am listening.

"Since then, they have had no more broomsticks produced, and the company has slowly dwindled down, despite their efforts. They tried their best to keep in business, selling off assets and buildings just to keep trying to develop a better broom, but it was for nothing. The more they sold, the more money they sunk into their development with nothing to show for it, and so they sold more of their assets. A vicious cycle that has now dwindled the company down to just a single man, Randolph Spudmore, the son of Able Spudmore." They wasted so much money and had nothing to show for it? I don't believe that. They already had two eligible brooms as a base, so it shouldn't have been hard to add some minor modifications to it and sell a new version.

"Hm, his son? What about Able Spudmore? And Ellerby?" This company was formed by two people, after all, so how come there is just a single person left. What happened to Able Spudmore and the original Ellerby? How come Ellerby's progeny is not part of the company? They might seem like useless questions, but questioning these things could reveal some significant issues that would make acquiring this company a bad idea.

"Ellerby did not want anything more to do with the company after the failure of the Swiftstick. He was just the money man in the situation with Able Spudmore being the broom maker, so Able bought out Ellerby, though he kept the name. As for Able Spudmore, he continued to develop and work on brooms, but he was an old man born in 1910. He died just recently, the stress must have been too much for him, and his son Randolph who was working alongside his father, has officially taken over." Interesting. Very interesting.

The Swiftstick failed in 1952, and ever since then, Able Spudmore had been sinking all his money into research and development of new brooms, and he apparently had nothing to show for it after all these years. Even without a desirable conclusion, thirty years' worth of research into brooms is still valuable information, and I would like to get my hands on it. It is worth it, even if this Randolph ends up doing nothing with our investment since I could use that information and give it to another talented broom maker. Knowing what not to do can be just as helpful as having written instructions.

"Interesting. So, what type of investment is this Randolph looking for? And do you think it is viable?" Depending on the type of investment he is looking for will determine just how interested I am in this guy because it will show just how confident he is in his prospects.