Entry Negative Four -4

Entry Negative Four -4 is an entry moving backwards from Entry Zero 0, in a reversed-chronology manner.


I have been trying to call the franchise manager on his cell phone in Singapore for several days, but the number was not available. His number was no longer in use. I tried to call his office number, but the number was no longer in use.


Where could the franchise manager be? How am I going to continue my franchise proposal when I cannot even find the right person to discuss it?


Luckily, I have another phone number. Its the number of his assistant. She is a Vietnamese girl working in the head office in Vietnam. I tried my luck and called her. She picked up the phone, and I was so relieved that I could still contact her.


I immediately asked for the whereabouts of John (not the real name), the franchise manager that I met with several month before. I was informed that John has resigned, a new franchise manager Jack will be coming to office in a few weeks time.


The situation is bad. The implication of this change could be catastrophic. It means that several month of discussion is wasted and a new discussion is need because there is no proper hand over of our proposal from John to Jack. I don't know what kind of person is Jack. What if Jack is very arrogant, unfriendly, etc. This is bad for business.


A few weeks later, when Jack, the new franchise manager came into office, I immediate established communication with him. He sounded friendly and professional over the phone, but different people have different requirements, different expectations, different working styles. I needed to adapt to him.


Wasting no time, I have signed the "Non-disclosure and Confidentiality Agreement" with the company. I have also prepared all the necessary proposal documents. 


I have also decided to visit Jack and the cafe outlets to see and experience myself what kind of person I'm dealing with and also how is the cafe operations being ran. The meeting was quite pleasant and constructive. Me and my partner were convinced that this franchisor is what we are looking for.


Following our visit, me and Jack kept communication through emails.