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Looking at the contract before me and reading all the points both sides had agreed to brought a slight smile to my face. It was a deal that could see him become the next Jordan with a little bit of luck and effort if he played his cards right. What they were offering in a nutshell was either a million dollars upfront or 3% of Apex, which wasn't a hard decision for even the dumbest fool.
Taking those shares goes without question if you want a long-term deal with the company and if you chose the money, it would send the opposite message. Grant had likely put this offer forward to try and gauge my commitment to the company. I didn't mind it though as we did the same with the proposal of the Titan line which would be my signature shoe.
The deal would see me earning a 15% royalty on every boot sold under the Titan line Allowing me to expand the Titan brand in the future. In exchange for this Apex gained a 5 per cent stake in Titan-Fit with Dad's company buying 25% of open market Apex shares to get rid of any other major shareholder. The remaining 5% worth of shares in the open market wouldn't make much of a difference even if they were unified.
That wasn't the end of it though as Dad decided to split off the Titan-Fit from Rex Fashion & Sport, making it a subsidiary. The man didn't stop there as he decided to split the shares in the company further offering 1% to Uncle William and his law firm as their retainer fee. The other 4% went directly to the man himself as a present for all the help he had given them over the years. He handed 20% to Emma and another 20% to me directly, keeping the remaining 50% to himself.
He wanted this part of his growing enterprise to be run in the family with everyone contributing to its success. The main point was that this was a big gamble requiring me to continue shining in order for it to pay off. Especially since I wouldn't gain any monetary compensation for the first year until I accomplished the goals Apex set out.
The goals were simple:
- Win one major trophy either the Bundesliga, the German Cup, Europa Cup...
- Gain a combined social following of 15 million (current 5M)
- Win 7 Man of the Match awards (current: 2)
- Score a minimum of 17 goals and provide 20 assists (Goals Bund/Camp: 7/1, Assists: 5/1)
- Boost Apex Brand visibility by a minimum of 15% by the end of the 2019/20 season.
"I don't mind the deal, but I would like to be involved in the R&D process when creating the shoes, especially match boots," I told the people present after internalizing the details of the contract and realizing I was more than happy with all they had settled on. Grant Jones raised an eyebrow slightly after hearing my words but proceeded to smile brightly at hearing my words.
"That is fair, if you are involved in the creation of our boots it will allow us to gather the more targeted data not only for your personalized boot but for the rest of the brand," he responded with a smile as he directly instructed the lawyers to add the clause to the contract.
Happy at getting the okay I didn't hesitate any longer as everything else was acceptable and this clause gave me the needed say to veto boots that were just ass. Since I've been cycling through different brands over the year, I realized that there are good boots and utter garbage. Some brands genuinely put effort into their shoes and succeeded in making solid boots that wouldn't break someone's leg while playing.
On the other end of the spectrum, companies would just follow the trends of the giants creating visually pleasing shoes. However, wearing them was like stepping into death traps as they could burst open at any moment when you played. Your ankles twisting while you were running wouldn't be so far off, and the company going bankrupt and being bought by another shell company wouldn't be uncommon.
"Happy cooperation," I finally said the moment the new contract was placed before me after being rechecked by both side's lawyers. Grant's hand met mine in a firm handshake before I proceeded to sign the contracts.
As I placed the signed contract neatly into my folder, a sense of accomplishment washed over me. Finally, I signed my first professional shoe deal, which honestly was a long time coming.
"Congratulations, Rakim," Grant said, with a bright smile. "I do not doubt that together we will create something special."
What followed next was a whirlwind of pictures and even more discussion between both sides. Unlike before it wasn't boring as the talks focused more on practical marketing. They showcased to me their new line of Ace 11s which would be the brand's main line.
For the moment I would be wearing them until I could get my own line released. Luckily the shoes weren't bad as they resembled Niki Hyper venoms released in 2013 taking a similar design style, but there were clear changes as the boot looked more aerodynamic. The material they opted to use was an in-house researched synthetic leather.
The synthetic leather gave the Ace 11's a sleek and modern feel, with just enough flexibility, a firm base and a supported heel ankle to ensure maximum control, comfort, and safety. They had brought me two of the boots to look at and I was not disappointed by the final product. I slid my hand over the boot's surface, noting the faint texture that promised better grip on the ball.
From that detail alone I could tell that they weren't just copying the industry leaders and were genuinely innovating for themselves. The studs were arranged in a hybrid configuration, designed for both speed and agility, which suited my playstyle perfectly.
"This isn't bad," I admitted, holding the boot up to the light. "Feels solid. Lightweight but durable."
Grant beamed at my approval. "We've taken inspiration from the best designs but made them distinctly ours. We're also open to any tweaks you might suggest after testing them on the pitch."
"Good, because I'm not holding back if something feels off," I replied with a smirk. "I've missed my fair share of goals and passes from poorly designed boots. I'll be your best tester—and your harshest critic."
The room chuckled, but I meant every word. Mum was probably the only one who knew how serious I was as even during my Niki days I would change boots the moment even the slightest thing fell off. If I am putting in all the work the least, I can do is make sure that the tools I use are up to an acceptable standard. Heck even F1 drivers have to change tyres after a couple of laps going at maximum speed so this was no different.
Grant handed me a box containing a pair of the Ace 11s in a White and gold colourway—resembling my OG Titan-Fit Hood. "Try these out in your next training session," he said. "We moulded them to your feet after receiving the data your agent provided to us. We'd love to hear your feedback and are planning to send you more the moment the kinks are worked out."
Taking the pair, I checked them out turning them a full 360 degrees trying to ingrain every detail. They had a bold A at the outside of the boot with a golden crown on its head. The boot had an ankle sock that would snugly hug my foot providing both comfort and safety. The best feature by far was the material as whoever was designing them deserved a raise.
The material felt 10 times better than the base material I had felt from what they had shown me first. This simple fact made the deal worth it as the base boot's material was already of high quality, at least at the level the big brands sell their boots at $120. Smiling at this, I picked up a black marker and proceeded to dot my signature on both boots with today's date dedicated to Grant Jones.
"Congrats Mr Jones, this will be the best business deal you have made in this century." I told the man as I handed the boots back to him, "I love the boots by the way can't wait to try them out."