Hong Kong's new giants

Chapter 649 [Who will beat that rich man]

Sunday, May 11.

With no time to spend the weekend with his family, Lin Zuhui took his own private jet to the United States.His eldest son, Lin Wenjie, is already in middle school in the United States this year. If Lin Zuhui flies to the United States, he will try his best to arrange time to visit him.

In fact, he valued this son more than women.

After all, I have already seen the hope of becoming a talent, so I naturally hope that he can really take over my class.

Of course, power is a symbol of a man, he can use his huge business empire to allow his sons to share the responsibility;
But he still has to firmly hold the 'last right', that is, the position of chairman.

Assuming that Lin Wenjie grows up (around 2018, that is, 30 years old), he must take over the position of vice chairman and president. Lin Zuhui retreats behind the scenes, but retains the position of chairman.

It doesn't mean that Lin Zuhui has no strength if he doesn't have a few companies. This is obviously not; after all, his home office, Hengjin Investment, and Jingwei Capital have always been in his hands, and he will not hand them over until he dies.

The wealth on the surface can be divided among the sons, and the hidden wealth is Lin Zuhui's means of death.

Inside the master bedroom of a Boeing 747.

Lin Zuhui was lying on the bed, enjoying Lin Zhilin's considerate service - massage, this massage is regular; after all, Lin Zuhui would not put his energy on a woman, that would be an insult to his strength, except in rare cases.

I saw Lin Zuhui lying on the bed with only shorts on his body, while Lin Zhilin took off his high heels and wore an assistant uniform, kneeling to serve him.

Heisi's long legs are very attractive, her curvy figure is so enchanting, the wrapping skirt outlines infinite imagination, and her lying upper body is so high.

A few strands of blue silk set off the elegant and charming face, which is the enchantress of the world!

"I'm powerless!" Unfortunately, Lin Zuhui didn't see it, but instead protested.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Lin Zhilin's gentle voice came immediately.

Now it's all right, Lin Zuhui is also reluctant to put forward "strict" requirements, it seems that he has to find a professional for massage.

He misses the Ritz Carlton spa so much!
Four Seasons Hotel in New York, Lin Zuhui and Sharp, Bill Gates, Waleed, are having dinner.

The privatization of the Four Seasons Hotel is naturally done by professionals, and Lin Zuhui doesn't need to worry at all; when the business reaches his level, many things are handed over to his subordinates. He only needs to make contacts and issue orders.

During the dinner, Sharp, the founder of Four Seasons Hotel, said happily: "Thank you very much for your recognition of Four Seasons Hotel, and cheers for our cooperation!"

Sharp, who was born in 1931, is a well-deserved predecessor. Lin Zuhui and others also appreciate his hotel management philosophy very much. Because of this, Four Seasons Hotel has attracted two world's richest people to compete.

After everyone took a sip of wine, Sharp said: "I have a question, I want to ask Gates and Lin, why do you have a soft spot for the Four Seasons Hotel?"

That's right, the premium is more than 40%. This price is indeed very high, and all shareholders are also very satisfied with this price.

Bill Gates said with a smile: "You know, Melinda and I held the wedding at the Four Seasons Hotel in Hawaii. It was a very unforgettable memory. I have become a fan of the Four Seasons Hotel since then."

What kind of love is being shown, isn't it because he knows how to play office plots, and finally ends up in divorce, Lin Zuhui thought so.

Sharp nodded without surprise, and turned to look at Lin Zuhui.

"No bargaining, no price reduction, this is what I like about Four Seasons Hotel!"

The three of them were taken aback for a moment, and then laughed.

Sharp said with a smile: "This is the positioning of the Four Seasons Hotel. If a good environment and service need to be lowered, then this is a derogation for the Four Seasons Hotel."

Well, after 911/[-] in the previous life, the global tourism industry declined, and the Four Seasons Hotel was also affected; however, Sharp refused to agree to lower the price, which immediately attracted criticism from owners and investors.

Therefore, later Bill Gates and Al-Waleed simply privatized the Four Seasons Hotel at a cost of US$34 billion and debts of US$4 million.

Then, Sharp said modestly: "Lin, you are also an operator in the hotel field. Langham Hotel and Ritz-Carlton Hotel are developing very well in the world. What suggestions do you have for Four Seasons Hotel?"

Lin Zuhui said: "I have no suggestion, I believe Four Seasons Hotel will get better and better. If there are suggestions, I suggest that Four Seasons Hotel can consider investing in Asia, such as Xiangjiang, Macau, South Korea, Japan, Shanghai and other regions."

Sharp nodded and asked again: "But Asia has just experienced a very serious financial crisis!"

"It's over! In reality, South Korea, Japan, and China can quickly recover their economies. In the 21st century, Asia will not lose to the economies of Europe and the United States."

"What you said is very reasonable, I will consider these as soon as possible! By the way, how about handing over the Four Seasons Hotel in Xiangjiang to you to choose the site?"

Lin Zuhui nodded and said: "The site has already been selected. In the best commercial center of Xiangjiang, my company is investing in a commercial project worth 60 billion US dollars, which happens to have a hotel building." Sharp said happily: "Great." Yes, thank you very much for your generosity! Actually, I noticed it too, but I thought you would let the Ritz-Carlton Hotel or Langting Hotel manage it!"

Lin Zuhui also thought about this issue, but he felt that the Ritz-Carlton used the second phase of the IFC Tower, which was more suitable.

The second phase of the IFC Building is the tallest building in the world, with a floor area of ​​88 floors. Naturally, it also has the layout of a hotel or restaurant, and the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is originally suitable for tall buildings.

The luxury and grade of the Four Seasons Hotel brand is half a standard higher than that of the Ritz-Carlton and Langting, so it is indeed suitable for the hotel building of the IFC.

Several people happily ate and chatted, especially Lin Zuhui and Bill Gates, the two richest men in the world, their relationship has eased a little.Of course, in the past, it was mainly because of business competition, and there were no conflicts in personal relationships.

The news that Lin Zuhui, Bill Gates, and Waleed joined forces to privatize the Four Seasons Hotel quickly spread throughout the United States, causing great repercussions.

To be honest, because many of Lin Zuhui’s businesses are invested in the United States, he has a great influence in the United States; not only the American political and business circles have a lot of communication, but even Americans know him, not only limited to the cognition of the world’s richest man .

In an office building in Manhattan, this is the American headquarters of Barings Bank. At this time, Barings Bank is ambitious; although Barings Bank is not yet a real big name in investment banking, it has made great strides forward.Under the guidance of Lin Zuhui, I believe that it will soon become a world-class investment bank.

For example, the acquisition of the Hilton Hotel this time is the best sign.Of course, it will take quite a while for Hilton to really pay off.

At this time, Lin Zuhui is negotiating with Andre and Harold. He generally does not interfere with Bahrain Bank, but he will 'intervene' in the high-level.

"Harold, this acquisition of Hilton is up to you and your team to complete the acquisition satisfactorily." Lin Zuhui said seriously.

Harold and his team are almost all native Americans, which makes it easier to integrate into American society.Investment banking is not as simple as acquiring a company. Acquisition is only the first link. Next, the company must be "turned around" and "further advanced", and finally it is necessary to find the right opportunity to cash out.

"No problem, BOSS!"

Lin Zuhui asked: "Assuming the acquisition is completed, what are your plans for the next step?"

Harold had already prepared a plan and said seriously: "Relocate the headquarters, change the management, and at the same time further promote the Hilton Group's franchise strategy, and significantly reduce operating costs."

Lin Zuhui was very satisfied, this idea coincided with him.

"You're right. The Hilton Group started experimenting with the hotel franchise model about 15 years ago. I think it's an excellent model to use as little capital as possible to expand the hotel business. Using this model, you spend very little money. Even without any investment, hotels with the Hilton brand can bloom everywhere. The improvement of stores and rooms will inevitably bring about an increase in the value of the hotel. It is necessary to find someone who has rich management experience in the hotel industry, and immediately implement drastic reforms when he takes office."

This is for cashing out, so the more beautiful the finances are, the better.

Harold nodded and said, "Okay, I'll talk to the Hilton Hotel while looking for suitable candidates!"

"Then I wish you the best of luck!"

"Thank you, Boss"

After Harold left, Lin Zuhui said to Andre: "Take care of me!"

Andre nodded. He knew that Harold had only been in the company for less than a year, and the boss was more or less worried; and the boss had a lot of things to do, so he could only entrust it to himself for supervision.

Of course, even if the boss doesn't say anything, he is also the supervisor of the acquisition and the person who signed it at the end.

Then, Lin Zuhui asked: "Have all the foreign exchange positions been cleared?"

Andre immediately said: "Yes, the current liquidity of Barings Bank is 10.5 billion U.S. dollars!"

The acquisition of hotel assets this time is all using management funds. Lin Zuhui took in 50 billion US dollars as management funds; at the same time, Barings Bank originally had more than 200 billion US dollars in management funds, which can also be used to "acquire Hilton".

The acquisition of Hilton is expected to cost US$120-150 billion + assume debt of US$45 billion.

Therefore, the acquisition of Hilton is also a big cake. American banks can provide loans, and American investment banks can underwrite securities transactions after listing in the future. In short, everyone who has money can make money.

Lin Zuhui immediately arranged: "From now on, Barings Bank will start to 'buy' crude oil futures - Brent, West Texas Intermediate."

Andre became more energetic immediately, and immediately asked: "How much money does the boss plan to buy?"

The margin for crude oil futures is generally 7% to 10%, which is equivalent to about 10 times leverage.At this time, Brent crude oil had fallen below $12, and Lin Zuhui felt that the timing was almost right.

Although it may fall to $10, it is not a one-time purchase after all, and there is still funds to cover the position.

Lin Zuhui doesn't know how much it will fall, but he can be sure that next year (1999) crude oil will bottom out and rebound.

Now is the end of 1998, it is a very good opportunity!

"A daily purchase of about 1000 million U.S. dollars, completed in 20 trading days, and an investment of about 2 million U.S. dollars!"

Andre nodded. This is the boss's usual style. He is steady and steady, and his timing is just right.

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away!"

Lin Zuhui finally said: "Other service businesses must also develop steadily, after all, the income is more stable!"

Andre said confidently: "Boss, don't worry, the current business development of Barings Bank is very good!"

In fact, Lin Zuhui did not force it. After all, Barings Bank is just a personal weapon of his, and it is impossible to become the world's top investment bank.

Beverly Hills, California, where the headquarters of the Hilton Hotel is located.

Harold led his team to the conference room of Hilton headquarters. Stephen Bollenbach, then CEO of Hilton Group, accompanied by consulting representatives, met with Barings Bank and his party.

At the time of the appointment, Bollenbach had good reasons to be interested in this transaction: Hilton's stock price was relatively sluggish at that time, and compared with other competitors, it was at a lower valuation level. If it can be sold at a good price For Barings, it could not be better for shareholders.

"Mr. Harold, I really didn't expect that you just privatized the Four Seasons Hotel and were interested in the Hilton Hotel!" Bollenbach said with a smile.

Harold responded: "The Four Seasons Hotel is not a good investment project. The Hilton Hotel is the asset we really value!"

The atmosphere between the two sides was very good at the beginning, but when Harold quoted $26.5, Bollenbach suddenly felt a big chill.You know, for Bollenbach, the ideal price is at least $32 or more.

Bollenbach said with a smile: "This price really surprised me!"

Harold responded: "After all, the U.S. economy has been rising for many years, and we also need to consider risks!"

Bollenbach shook his head with a smile. After various negotiations between the two parties, the price did not change; because Harold was very patient, after all, it was a deal worth about 180 billion US dollars (including debt), and it must be more expensive with Hilton's top management. They deal more.

Therefore, neither party in this negotiation was in a hurry, and there was no substantial progress in the end.

After Harold and his party left.

Bollenbach told the consulting representative: "Bahrain Bank's quotation is not high, which is completely different from what the privatization of the Four Seasons Hotel has shown. Could it be that they want to negotiate with us slowly?"

The consulting representative said: "Bill Gates also joined the competition for the acquisition of Four Seasons Hotel, which eventually led to a high price. Therefore, if Hilton Hotel invites other investors to bid for it, there is a chance to negotiate a higher price!"

Bollenbach's eyes lit up, and he said, "It makes sense, so let's release the news!"

Soon, the US media broke the news: Barings Bank is negotiating the acquisition of Hilton Hotel.

For a time, many Americans were shocked.

"Is this Barings a Bank of America?"

"What, is that rich Chinese again?"

"No, the Hilton Hotel is our American hotel. It is not the Four Seasons Hotel (Canada), nor the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (originated in Europe). It is a native American hotel."

"Yeah, who will defeat that rich Chinese, he is too arrogant!"

The Americans started discussing one after another, and Lin Zuhui's prestige rose again for a while.

Of course, the acquisition of the hotel industry does not require official approval from the United States. This is not a core technology, nor is it a field of people's livelihood, nor is it a sharp tool for making money.

For the U.S. officials, Lin Zuhui is very welcome to invest his money in the United States, and even hopes that Lin Zuhui will immigrate to the United States and become the pride of Americans.

What makes Lin Zuhui proud is not his wealth, but his legendary experience, starting from scratch, becoming the richest man in the world at the age of less than 30, and his career spanning multiple fields. These are the things that even Europeans and Americans admire.

Lin Zuhui came to the headquarters of 'Amazon Shopping Center' and held a meeting with the top management.

Amazon Shopping Center, which is positioned as a giant in European and American shopping centers, has developed rapidly in recent years. It took nearly five years to transform 1994 shopping centers from 19 to 51 shopping centers today; it invested 10 billion from the beginning From the purchase of properties in US dollars, to the shopping mall with a total value of 160 billion US dollars, the debt is only 30 billion US dollars.

The success of Amazon Shopping Center is due to various reasons:
First, Lin Zuhui employed professional managers from the United States, from the CEO to project managers and supervisors, most of whom are from the United States; in this way, the business management of New Era Group is almost the role of capital injection and financial review, and the rest of the rights are In the hands of the management team with Steven as the CEO; of course, the boss Lin Zuhui has the power of life and death, although he interferes very little.

Second, a steady stream of capital injections allows Amazon to ensure that a large number of new shopping malls are put into use every year.

Third, the strategies formulated are very correct, such as learning the advantages of Westfield Shopping Center, making full use of the surrounding land to develop apartments, and establishing partnerships with large retailers such as Macy's.

Fourth, from design, construction/decoration, settlement, etc., Amazon adopts a one-stop industrial chain, unified signboard, etc., which strengthens the brand of 'Amazon Shopping Center'.

For many reasons, the Amazon shopping center has developed very well, which greatly increased Lin Zuhui's confidence.

To be honest, at this time, 'Amazon Shopping Center' has not yet enjoyed the fame benefits of 'Amazon.com'; after the millennium, Amazon's website will become more and more popular, which will also drive the reputation of Amazon Shopping Center.

In the future, a merger between the two Amazons is not ruled out.

In the conference room, Lin Zuhui was sitting in the seat that originally belonged to Steven.

"Amazon shopping center in Canary Wharf, how is it going?"

This mall is Amazon's first foray into Europe and is of great significance.And Canary Wharf Company is a group company, and it will not be cheap to outsiders.

Steven said seriously: "Other progress is relatively smooth, but it is not as simple as expected. In the UK, as an employer, Amazon is not recognized by the locals. It is difficult to recruit professional managers. The locals always keep a distance from the company. But don’t worry, the boss, in order to reduce the pressure, many professional managers of Amazon came to the UK from the United States, applying their market skills and experience, coupled with the in-depth understanding of the local market by the new market managers, opened up the globalization of Amazon’s off-site breeding exploratory practice."

Lin Zuhui said: "When Amazon was founded, I decided to gradually use local talents in the United States from the very beginning, and now I have achieved the Amazon shopping mall. I didn't expect that we would encounter the same problem so soon. In short, the next step in Europe is The key development area of ​​our Amazon shopping center, I hope you will let more local professional managers join us and recognize us."

Everyone nodded, and they also agreed with the boss's statement in their hearts.

In fact, they also understand that the many opinions of the boss have played a big role in the success of the Amazon shopping mall.

Steven said: "Okay, I will pay attention to this problem!"

Then Lin Zuhui said: "What is the total value of Xitian's shopping center at present?"

As a learning object and competitor formulated from the beginning, it is natural to know yourself and your enemy.

Steven said: "They have about 90 shopping malls with a total value of more than 400 billion US dollars!"

It seems that the average value of a single shopping center in Westfield Shopping Center is higher, which may be due to the impact of property area, location, city, etc.

Lin Zuhui immediately said: "In the past two years, the group's finances have been very sufficient, and Amazon's debt is relatively small, so it has to double its investment, with an annual scale of about 40 billion US dollars."

Everyone was shocked, this investment is indeed very large.

After all, Xitian has been established for more than 30 years before it can achieve what it is today, while Amazon Shopping Center has only been established for five years.Even the New Times Group, based on Lin Zuhui's entry, has only been around for more than 10 years.

Steve said excitedly: "No problem, we must make a development plan!"

Lin Zuhui said with a smile: "I have already found a large-scale project for you!"

Everyone was interested, and the boss let Amazon enter the shopping center in Canary Wharf, which was the first time he chose the site himself.

Lin Zuhui continued: "This project is at the former site of the '1908 French-English Exhibition' in London. I hope you will build the largest shopping mall in Europe and enhance the influence of the entire Amazon shopping mall."

Steve immediately said: "Okay, let's start this project team as soon as possible!"

This project needs construction, and the site of the '1908 French-British Exhibition' is very good, with Imperial College of Technology and BBC Building nearby.

If the largest European shopping center is built in this area, Lin Zuhui will immediately arrange the development of surrounding real estate projects.

Just like the land surrounding Canary Wharf, Lin Zuhui is also very keen on investing.

In the days in the United States, Lin Zuhui was not talking about new projects, but reviewing current investments.So now every time he comes to the United States, he will go to the US branch of Hengjin Investment, Jingwei Capital (USA), meet with high-level executives, and read the documents in person.

At this time, Hengjin Investment has an asset value of more than 2500 billion (including the stock market value of Xiangjiang blue chips and the hotel fund of Barings Bank), which can be described as strong.

Hengjin Investment is registered in the Cayman Islands, and its assets are all offshore and in a decentralized investment model. Therefore, outsiders only know about Lin Zuhui's private investment company, but not the specific financial situation.

And Jingwei Capital has been very exposed, because it is a venture capital company, and it is also a very successful well-known venture capital company; at present, Jingwei Capital has assets of more than 200 billion US dollars (including the valuation of unlisted companies), which can be called Expose Lin Zuhui to the eyes of the public.

Recently, Jingwei Capital invested another 10% of Google’s equity at a cost of only 160 million US dollars, which was negotiated by the American local team; There are more than [-] people in the team in the United States, all of whom are elite talents.

Venture capital companies not only provide funds for the development of enterprises, but also provide talents for start-up companies to join.

Take this time Google accepted the investment from Jingwei Capital as an example, and then Jingwei Capital looked for a new office for Google to prepare them to move out of the garage; then, Jingwei Capital also helped Google find technical talents to join and provide legal support.

After all, Jingwei Capital has been in the United States for so many years, and its network is far stronger than two young people who just left school.

And with Jingwei Capital investing in Google, this company has also been targeted by many venture capital firms. Naturally, the two founders at this time will not rush to accept investment because they are not short of money.And Jingwei Capital even gave a suggestion that the next investment will be at the level of 2000 million US dollars (10%), and the two founders immediately felt at ease to engage in technology.

Jingwei Capital generally will not invest in two rounds. After all, an Internet company will basically not accept the same venture capital company for two rounds, unless the price you give is too high; and the reason why Jingwei Capital does not invest in two rounds is also very simple, because it needs later investors to raise the company's price.

Just like speculating on antiques, if you buy all of Sanyu's paintings, his paintings will not rise at all; but if you buy a few paintings every year, and then gradually increase the price, then your previous paintings will also appreciate in value.

In fact, Sanyu's paintings have been hyped up by Taiwan Island.

(End of this chapter)