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Ben read the book over and over. He found it very insightful and inspiring. It was said to have been written some 70 years ago by an ordinary employee in a banking institution, Greg Hoover by name. Those who knew Hoover said he was a weirdly introverted man who kept mostly to himself. But he was highly intelligent and his fellow employees respected him for that. If any of his fellow employees managed to come to his office, especially in the afternoon, they were sure to see him talking to himself in soft whispers over a steaming cup of coffee and cigarettes. He would be speaking to himself jotting down ideas in his diary.
Hoover later published the scribblings he made in his diary some 15 years after he resigned his employment in the bank. The book which he published predicted every major move in the financial markets for a span of 500 years. When the book was published, many people doubted it's prophecies until the American economy collapsed. The book had predicted that. It happened exactly on the day the book said it would happen, on the 15th of May, 1990. That day great fortunes melted away and many investors in the US committed suicide.
That's when people started believing Hoover's words. The prophecy he made about a giant technological company came to fruition in the late 90's. He said the stock of that company would make anyone who invested in it a millionaire within 5 years and it happened exactly like that.
Ben sat in his spacious, air-conditioned and comfortable office reading Hoover's book. He was reading the part that offered advice on how to save a struggling company. Ben was the CEO of Grandbell Enterprises, a banking institution in Omaha. And Grandbell was on the verge of collapse. Ben knew if the company continued the way it did, they would be declaring bankruptcy in a matter of months, and he shuddered at the thought. Grandbell was founded by his great grand parents. It was handed over to him by his dad who told him he must do everything to keep the company flourishing.
“This company cannot go bankrupt.” Ben said to himself. “Not on my watch.”
The air-conditioner was still on but streams of sweat flowed down his body. He rose and paced his office, taking drags off the cigarette in between his two fingers. He knew he had one option: follow Hoover's book and see if the advice it offered could give hope for his company. He had no other option.
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The next day he implemented a rule he grasped from the book: Every leadership position was to be held only by people with certificates in certain leadership courses and at least a decade of experience. He followed other rules, one which involved aggressive marketing. Grandbell had to reshuffle it's marketing department.
Hoover's book had predicted that in the spring of 2008, a mysterious digital asset would be created by a largely unknown computer programmer. Few people would believe in the asset upon its creation, but later on it would surprise the investment world, especially Wall Street.
Ben waited for the date the book said the asset would be created like a sailor waits for the morning Star. He ran his fingers through the calendar every morning before breakfast. He was hopeful and excited. He called a meeting of the board of directors of his company and explained this to them.
“It's the only way to save our company. That or bankruptcy in a year or two.”
Most directors were in favour of the move, they had no other option.
On that exact date, Ben watched the news and tracked the social media but he found no mention of such asset. But he was patient.
One afternoon during the lunch break, he went to a cafe for coffee. As he was sipping his hot drink, a young man walked in nervously and cautiously. He wore dark blue jeans over a red Polo. Ben didn't know why he rose from his table, but he did. Something about the young man made a deep impression on him.
“May I buy you coffee?” Ben asked.
The young man didn't answer at first. There was a look of surprise in his eyes and it looked as though he'd say no.
“Ok.”
“I'm Ben.”
“Hatoshi.”
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They sat at the table sipping and the conversation flowed smoothly. At the middle of conversation Hatoshi said he was a computer programming drop out.
“Mom died when I was little and dad in my teens. So there was no one to sponsor me through.” He paused and sipped his drink. "But I have dreamt of conquering the world, achieving something great.”
“Hmm.” Ben nodded and looked around the cafe. It was quiet now.
“I had an idea one night which I worked on. I worked at it for weeks and its been launched. But I need people to invest in it. The first 5 I've approached for that purpose have refused me.”
They talked more and Ben realised it was fate that brought them two together. What Hatoshi was talking about sounded like what Hoover's book said, the mysterious digital asset. Ben was super excited. Hatoshi had told him he was not the first to work on such an idea. Many more intelligent people had failed and that's the reason most people he approached for sponsorship rejected him.
Ben decided to take a bold leap. His company was nearing bankruptcy so he had no other option. The board of directors voted in favour of his ideas and Grandbell invested 75% of it's monetary assets in Hatoshi's project.
Ben's bold move inspired other investors to the project. But many people were still in doubt whether it would succeeded. Two years in and it seemed like they were right. The value of the mysterious digital asset that Hatoshi created had dropped by 50%. Many Investors pulled out with irreparable losses. It was a time of great desperation for Ben and Grandbell. Every night he woke from his sleep, his body drenched in sweat and almost questioned the wisdom of his decision.
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Every night, Benjamin took out Hoover's book from the top of his shelf and read it. ‘...it would prove risky at first, but those who held out would be handsomely rewarded.” The book said. But Hoover's book didn't say exactly when the breakthrough would come. Ben breathed a heavy sigh. He only had to wait and hope. It was certain if the breakthrough didn't come in a year his company would sink. Many of his directors were unhappy with him and heavily criticized him during meetings. He assured them they were on the right track. But he wasn't so sure. The only thing that kept him going was Hoover's book. He believed it like zealots believe in a religion. But he still feared the worst. He was hanging by just a thread.
On the morning of April, the ninth, 9 months after Grandbell had invested in the asset, Ben was reading the morning paper while at breakfast. As he turned to page 3, what his saw made his heart skip a beat. He knocked over his cup of coffee as he rose from the table in haste. His eyes were widened in surprise.
ASSET HITS 10,000% IN PROFITS AFTER TWO YEARS OF BIG BEARISH MOVES. INVESTORS NOW RIDICULOUSLY RICH.
Ben rushed over to the office to check his company's financial portfolio and indeed it had risen by 10,000% as the news had read. Before long, news agencies were coming over to interview him. By evening Benjamin's face had appeared on the evening paper with the title:
GRANDBELL FIRST COMPANY TO HIT A TRILLION DOLLARS IN MARKET CAP, NOW THE FOREMOST FINANCIAL INSTITUTION IN THE WORLD.
Ben checked his gold Omega watch. It was 2pm, a beautiful spring afternoon, the sun poured forth golden rays from overhead. He was thrilled and surprised that his belief in Hoover's prediction had worked.
