I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World-Chapter 62: Strategic Discussion and Suggestion for New Secretary

The next day, at exactly 3 PM, Matthew stood by the large glass windows of his office, gazing out at the busy streets of Bonifacio Global City. His mind was racing through numbers, potential investments, and expansion plans. He turned when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

Lisa Delgado entered, carrying a thick folder filled with financial reports. Her professional demeanor was calm and focused. Daniel followed closely behind, holding his tablet, ready to assist with legal and contractual aspects if needed.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Borja," Lisa greeted as she took a seat at the large conference table in Matthew's office.

"Good to see you, Lisa. Let's get started," Matthew said, walking over and taking a seat opposite her. Daniel sat beside him, ready to take notes.

Lisa opened the folder and pulled out the executive summary. "Here's where we stand as of this quarter. Sentinel Systems is experiencing unprecedented growth. Your primary revenue streams—subscription services and corporate partnerships—are expanding rapidly. However, we need to balance that with your operating expenses and the expected influx of future costs."

Matthew nodded. "Start with the subscriptions."

Lisa glanced at her notes. "As of this week, you have 41,234 active users across all subscription tiers. The breakdown remains as follows: 15,000 users in the basic tier, 18,000 in the premium tier, and 8,234 in the enterprise tier. Total monthly revenue from subscriptions is now $45.5 million. Your annual recurring revenue is projected to exceed $550 million."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "That's excellent, but what about churn rates? Are we seeing any issues with retention?"

Lisa smiled. "Very minimal. Since the partnerships with Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink went public, trust in your services has skyrocketed. Users are sticking around, and word-of-mouth referrals are driving new subscriptions. However, we do need to invest in customer support and infrastructure scaling to handle this surge. Without proper support, retention could become an issue."

"Understood," Matthew replied. "We'll ramp up hiring for support teams immediately. What about corporate partnerships?"

Lisa flipped to another page. "Your corporate deals are generating significant momentum. Microsoft, Amazon, NVIDIA, and Google have already initiated discussions. Based on preliminary negotiations, we estimate potential contracts worth up to $4.2 billion annually across all four companies. That doesn't include smaller deals with regional telecoms and tech firms in Asia and Europe."

"Those are huge numbers," Daniel said, typing on his tablet. "But are there risks in these corporate deals? Are we overcommitting resources?"

Lisa nodded. "Good question. Right now, your infrastructure can handle the subscription base and one or two large-scale partnerships. But if all four tech giants sign deals simultaneously, you'll need to invest heavily in new data centers, R&D facilities, and cybersecurity talent. I recommend setting up a phased rollout for each client to avoid overextension."

Matthew leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "We'll prioritize Amazon and Microsoft first. They have the largest potential user bases through their cloud services. Once those are stable, we can onboard NVIDIA and Google. Daniel, make sure the contracts reflect this phased approach."

"Got it," Daniel confirmed.

Lisa continued. "On the expenses side, your primary costs are currently tied to R&D, infrastructure development, and talent acquisition. We've allocated a significant budget for expanding your headquarters, building data centers in Singapore and Silicon Valley, and hiring top-tier engineers. These costs are manageable given your cash reserves, but you'll need to keep an eye on long-term operational expenses."

"How about we build one in this country?" Matthew asked.

Lisa nodded thoughtfully. "That's certainly an option, Mr. Borja. Establishing a high-capacity data center here in the Philippines would offer several advantages. It would strengthen your presence in the region, provide faster service for your Southeast Asian clients, and create local opportunities that could boost your public image."

Daniel chimed in, "However, there are also regulatory and logistical challenges to consider—land acquisition, local power reliability, and compliance with data sovereignty laws in certain industries."

Matthew tapped his fingers on the table, weighing the options. "We have a solid presence here already. Expanding with a local data center makes strategic sense, but I want guarantees on infrastructure stability. Let's begin feasibility studies immediately. Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to fast-track the regulatory process. Also, I want green energy options considered. This could be a showcase project for sustainable data infrastructure."

"Understood," Lisa said, taking notes. "We'll also conduct risk assessments to mitigate power and connectivity issues."

"Good. Let's push forward on that," Matthew said. "Next?"

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Lisa checked her report. "Our corporate partnerships are progressing well, but we're also seeing unsolicited offers from other potential clients, particularly from telecom giants in South Korea and Japan. They're interested in 5G security solutions and encrypted communication services. Should we entertain these now or defer them until we finalize our contracts with Amazon and Microsoft?"

Matthew leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment. "We'll keep the lines of communication open with them but prioritize our core contracts first. Once those deals are secure, we'll revisit the 5G partnerships. Assign someone to manage the inquiries and maintain regular updates with those companies."

"I'll assign someone from business development to handle that," Lisa confirmed.

Lisa shifted slightly in her seat and gave a pointed suggestion. "Mr. Borja, with Sentinel's rapid expansion and the number of key projects you're overseeing, you should consider appointing a personal secretary—someone who can directly handle reports from all departments and filter critical information for you."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "Lisa's right. You're juggling a lot right now. Having a reliable secretary who reports to you directly would help streamline your workload. They can manage schedules, organize reports, and follow up on department heads for updates. It would save you a lot of time and help you focus on strategy."

Matthew exhaled thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about that myself. Managing all these reports and meetings is getting overwhelming. I can't afford to miss any details, but I also need more time to focus on major decisions."

Lisa added, "We'll need someone who's experienced in corporate operations and can handle high-pressure situations. They'll need to coordinate between departments like finance, R&D, business development, and legal. Someone proactive who can anticipate what you'll need before you even ask."

"Agreed," Matthew replied. "Start the search immediately. Reach out to top recruitment firms, both locally and internationally. I want candidates with a track record in managing executives at major tech or multinational firms."

"I'll take care of that," Lisa said, noting the task on her tablet. "We'll have a shortlist prepared by the end of the week."

"Good," Matthew said. "While you're at it, draft a job description with specific qualifications—experience with technology and cybersecurity companies would be ideal. Also, make sure we offer competitive compensation and benefits. We need the best."

Daniel leaned forward. "I can assist with reviewing candidates. Once the shortlist is ready, we can schedule interviews."

"Perfect," Matthew replied. "I'll handle the final decision. But for now, let's wrap up the rest of today's agenda."

Lisa gave a brief overview of upcoming meetings, including the planned presentations for Amazon and Microsoft. As the discussion concluded, Daniel and Lisa excused themselves, leaving Matthew to ponder the decision.

With Sentinel Systems accelerating toward global prominence, having a trusted right-hand person could make all the difference. He returned to his seat by the window, watching the city below. Soon, his team would bring him candidates, and with the right person in place, he could sharpen his focus on what mattered most: expanding Sentinel's dominance in the tech world.

"Let's get to work," he murmured to himself before turning back to his tablet to prepare for his next call.