The Tyrant Billionaire

While examining the investment strategies of other major corporations and observing their aggressive acquisitions of heavy assets, Hardy felt tempted to follow suit. However, he was well aware of his own situation. The focus of Hardy Group's business was not on these heavy assets, and currently, he couldn't afford to venture into such high capital investments.

For example, the Rockefeller consortium, with its deep rooted strength and resources, pursued projects that demanded significant investment and promised high returns.

They invested in Italy's largest oil company, AGIP.

Rockefeller had extensive oil pipelines, possessed the best global oil technology, and had large sums of capital. Even if others wanted to compete for AGIP, it would be difficult to do so.

Take Italy's power grid as another example. It is currently a private industry, but such a strategic national enterprise will eventually be nationalized. If one invests heavily now, the future of the enterprise will be uncertain, and potential returns are still up in the air.

There are also large manufacturing enterprises in Europe. Hardy felt that instead of investing in these, it would be better to directly invest in American manufacturing. In the decades to come, almost all of the surviving and thriving large manufacturers will be American companies. America's investment in Europe now is mainly for strategic national interests.

In the upcoming decades, there will be fierce competition between American and European corporations in areas like machinery, pharmaceuticals, electronics, military industries, biological breeding, aerospace, steel, and environmental science, leading to fierce, cutthroat battles.

Ultimately, the surviving companies are all American.

Thus, investing in European large manufacturing firms is less preferable than investing in American manufacturing.

Moreover, the political situation in Europe is too volatile, making it difficult to control and requiring too much effort, which is not an ideal investment for Hardy.

Additionally, there is a personal reason for Hardy.

Although the Hardy Group appears to be thriving now, it is still relatively new and lacks a solid foundation. Previously, Hardy's earnings were from quick returns, and only through a series of bold maneuvers has he attained his current status. It is not because Hardy Group's strength is particularly formidable.

Compared to those established consortia, Hardy still has a long way to go. Sometimes, it really takes time to build up.

This is also why he planned to penetrate the core layer of the California consortium.

Even the California consortium is considered a new force. Its foundation and strength cannot be compared to established consortia like Rockefeller or Morgan.

Hardy is fully aware of this, so he doesn't aim too high and only invests in industries with low investment and high returns.

Moreover, Investments do not need to cover all bases. One should invest in what they are most familiar with and can control.

The electronic and computer companies are just beginning, many more profitable industries will be available for investment in the future. When the electronics industry takes off, that will be the golden period for investment.

Hardy glanced again at the investment list.

There were five names on it that Hardy recognized.

Although he didn't know how large these companies would become in the future, one thing was certain they survived into the era Hardy lived in.

Companies that have lasted that long are likely not bad.

Hardy put check marks next to those five names and called in a Commerce Department official, saying, "Can you help me contact the heads of these companies? I would like to meet them."

"Of course, no problem. I will contact them right away," the official immediately replied.

No matter what Hardy chose to invest in, as long as it was an investment, they were eager. Right now, they were hungry for investment.

Two days later, these business owners came one after another.

The first was the owner of Prada. Prada was founded in 1913 and later became popular with the royal family and a south after by the nobles and the rich. However, this prosperity was short lived, a few years later, Mussolini came to power.

During World War II, Prada's factory in Milan was bombed, leaving less than a tenth of its skilled workers, making survival tough. The owner, upon seeing the Commerce Department's advertisement, saw this as an opportunity and came seeking investment.

"I don't want my family's business to disappear," were the owner's exact words.

After negotiations, Hardy invested $550,000 for 35% of Prada's shares, with the remaining shares still held by the founding family.

The second to arrive was Gucci.

This time, it was the chief designer Guccio Gucci and the president Domenico De Sole. It was their collaboration that had enabled Gucci's growth.

Domenico De Sole, being a businessman, saw Hardy's investment information and thought of expanding and strengthening Gucci. Gucci already had a certain reputation, but it was mostly limited to Italy. He wanted to make Gucci a global brand.

Gucci's shares were jointly owned by the two men. Hardy asked, "How much of your shares are you prepared to offer, and at what price do you plan to sell to me?"

The two exchanged glances. De Sole said, "On this point, we have a disagreement, so we came together to see Mr. Hardy. What we want is not just financial support."

Hardy smiled and said, "I don't know if you are aware of the situation with ABC Television. ABC is my enterprise, and it currently has the highest ratings in the United States. My acquisition of luxury goods companies is to prepare them for entry into the American market. The promotional capabilities of our group are unmatched." Your next chapter awaits on empire

"To be honest, even a little known brand can become famous through our promotion."

"By collaborating with me, you can enjoy these resources."

In the end, the two partners agreed to give up 32% of their shares for $660,000, a price Hardy accepted.

Next were Bulgari and Fendi.

Hardy did not seek to hold controlling stakes because he needed these leaders to continue developing the companies. His goal was to sit back and wait for the companies to grow and earn money for him.

Then the owner of Zegna came.

The Zegna owner was unique, he brought two tailors along when meeting Hardy. Zegna specialized in men's clothing and was a well known suit brand. They had a ready to wear production line and a bespoke service for high end customers.