I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 34 The Richest Man's Help

"...Quiet! Everyone be quiet!"

Aaron Lopez, who was sitting in the front row, stood up abruptly, turned around and shouted twice to the crowd behind him. Only after the classroom quieted down again did he turn to look at Chen Wenbin.

"...Dr. Robin, please continue your introduction!"

Chen Wenbin nodded to him, a sincere smile appearing on his handsome face.

"I know that a valuation of £150,000 is somewhat unacceptable!"

After all, this company only required £40,000 a month ago. If it were me, my first reaction would be not to risk investing in it... But that's precisely what makes business so appealing, isn't it?

He pointed to Aaron Lopez, who had just stood up, "For example, Mr. Lopez, who happened to be in Providence a month ago, happened to attend the public exhibition of the Jenna spinning machine, happened to be optimistic about its prospects, and decided to bet a thousand pounds that it could make him money."

Losing a thousand pounds is not a big problem for him, but if he succeeds, it could bring him several times the return!

He has now recouped his £600 investment through dividends, and he is sure to receive even more.

Look, gentlemen!

These are the rules of the game! The smarter, more insightful, bolder, and luckier people will win the wealth!

We warmly welcome friends who are willing to believe in us to join us and share in our success. At the same time, we do not force or doubt our husbands; it is all voluntary.

After all, based on probability analysis, our company could potentially fail.

For example, the company might not obtain the British patent rights for spinning machines; a storm at sea might capsize our cargo ship; or another revolution might occur in Britain…”

He shrugged and said, "Philosophers always say that anything is possible, just with different probabilities. But we can't give up a business with a high probability of lucrative returns just because we're afraid of a very low probability event, can we?"

As long as the risks are within a controllable range and won't cause us to fall into an abyss if we fail, I believe most people are willing to take the risk!

This is also why I initiated the establishment of the New England Development Foundation. Similar to the Insurance Cafe in London, it pools the funds of more people, transforming an investment that could bankrupt one businessman into a joint investment by many businessmen, thus making the risk acceptable!

If investors are unwilling to invest directly in Providence United Industries, the New England Development Fund can invest on their behalf to diversify risk, but this will reduce future returns accordingly.

Most of the people present were wealthy businessmen from New England, so they knew what the "insurance café" Chen Wenbin was talking about was. It was a London café that provided insurance matching services for ocean trade, the most famous of which was the one Edward Lloyd opened on the banks of the Thames.

Chen Wenbin's words shook the minds of some people. If the investment was made through a fund, then the risk would indeed be controllable, since everyone would lose money anyway.

However, some people were inspired to take risks, especially the dozen or so original shareholders. They not only wanted to continue investing to maintain their shareholding ratio, but also wanted to increase their investment and earn more... They knew better than anyone else about the company's earning power!

Aaron Lopez was the first to speak: "Robin! I believe the company is worth far more than £15! No matter what others do, I will continue to invest!"

If the £30,000 financing cannot be secured today, I am willing to contribute an additional £5,000 to cover the remaining amount!

"And me!"

Captain George Mills immediately responded, "I am willing to give up all of my £2400 in dividends and invest in the company's shares!"

There are hundreds of thousands, even millions, of old-fashioned spinning machines in Britain and Europe. That's a market worth millions of pounds. I don't believe the company can't make back 100,000 pounds!

Pastor Jason, the company's second-largest shareholder, nodded and said, "Some of the church's funds have already been used, but I can invest the remaining five thousand pounds into the company!"

With the three of them taking the lead, the other shareholders also expressed their willingness to invest their previous dividends in the company. Chen Wenbin had already spent more than £5,000 of the £8400 dividend he had received, but he also invested £2000.

In the blink of an eye, everyone had raised £12,000, leaving only £18,000.

At this point, the others became anxious and demanded that the original shareholders not be too selfish and leave them enough shares... It just goes to show that human nature is like this: when everyone is scrambling for something, they don't care if it's good or not, they just grab it first!

Ultimately, it was Thomas Hancock, the richest man in the world, who made the final decision, proposing to leave the original shareholders with a share of £4,000, and the remaining shares to be divided among the rest of the people. He and his nephew John took £7500 in one go.

The others had no choice but to scramble for the remaining shares, and it wasn't until 1 p.m. that the financing agreement and the specific list of new shareholders were finally finalized.

By this point, Providence United Industries (PUIC) had become completely intertwined with most of the wealthy and powerful families in New England, representing this interest group.

As for Chen Wenbin, the company's founder, his shareholding has decreased to 22.4% because he did not receive any follow-on investment.

Even so, during the argument, someone suggested that Chen Wenbin give up half of his shares to distribute among everyone, but this was not achieved due to the insistence of Reverend Johnson, Governor Hopkins, and Thomas Hancock.

Boss Chen mentally took out his notebook and wrote down the guy who made the suggestion, as well as the others who chimed in. He couldn't help but wonder why Thomas Hancock, a billionaire he had never met, would speak up for him.

Needless to say, Pastor Jensen and Chen Wenbin were already close enough to entrust each other with their final affairs, and Chen Wenbin had also promised to donate at least £500 to the church every year.

Governor Hopkins must have done so out of consideration for Diana and the Spencer family, as well as for his two illegitimate sons who were now working at the company.

Thomas Hancock had no connection with him, so it couldn't have been because he was speaking out for justice, could it?

Are you kidding me!

To become the richest person in the New World, even a fool could guess how much ruthless struggle it took!

However, he quickly resolved this doubt; he had forgotten that he also held an important title—

The undisputed number one divine physician in the New World!

"...Dr. Robin, to be honest, I'm having so much gout that I can't sleep!"

When Thomas Hancock, supported by his nephew John Hancock, entered Chen Wenbin's office at the town hall, his first words made Chen Wenbin instantly understand the whole story.

It turns out this old man came to Providence specifically to see me for medical treatment; the investment was probably just a side thing. No wonder he was so cooperative earlier... he was afraid I wouldn't treat him properly!

Indeed, good health is the most important thing. Otherwise, no matter how rich you are, if you are plagued by illness, being the richest person won't be enjoyable at all...