Once upon a time there was a businessman called Don Avariento Del Ta Cañón, known for being so tight-fisted that he made pennies cry. His mission in life was to accumulate fame, prestige and power - so far, so perfect and deserving of applause - but with a peculiar philosophy: invest as little as possible and pay his employees salaries worthy of the medieval era. He said that banknotes gave him an allergy when they left his hands.
Don Avariento had an office that looked like a museum of austerity. The desks were from the time of Christopher Columbus and the chairs were perfect for a horror movie. The only thing new was the safe, which wouldn't open even in an emergency. "Saving is winning", he repeated as his employees worked with computers that still used floppy disks and Windows 3.1.
One day, he hired a hacker nicknamed El Macgyber, who was paid a salary that would make an intern weep. Francisco, as this tech artist was called, managed to improve the company's systems with a screwdriver, duct tape and a lot of imagination. Don Avariento was delighted: "These millennials are magic, why spend money on new equipment?
At meetings, Don Avariento always insisted that coffee be served in reused cups and that lights be kept to a minimum. "Darkness encourages creativity," he said. Although the truth is that he preferred to watch the balance sheets in the dark so as not to faint.
His employees, more creative than ever, started calling the office "The Monastery". The reason was obvious: they worked with vows of poverty. But the boss, oblivious to the murmurs, dreamed of dominating the market without spending a fucking euro too much.
One day, he decided he needed a slogan for his company. After much thought, he settled on one that pretty much defined his philosophy: "Save today, earn tomorrow". The employees jokingly suggested changing it to "Survive today, work tomorrow", but of course that wasn't very motivating.
Phone calls with Don Avariento were a festival of savings. If the conversation lasted more than three minutes, he would cut the line and send a whatsapp. "Words cost less than minutes," he would say proudly.
Fed up with misery and no prospect of improvement, the employees got together and launched a secret campaign: "Adopt an Entrepreneur". The idea was to get the boss to understand the importance of investing in his people. They put up posters with his picture and the slogan: "With your donation, he will be able to pay living wages Avariento Del Ta Cañón".
The campaign went viral and, surprisingly, received donations. It was then that, finding himself in the eye of the media storm, he had to reconsider his policy. He decided to invest, put a little more money into the company, and although he was still the fucking king of savings, he raised salaries a little and the office received some improvements.
Thus, without losing his essence, Mr. Del Ta Cañón learned that sometimes spending a little can be the best investment. And the employees, at last, were able to enjoy a light that did not blind them and a coffee that did not taste like a low salary.
