Chapter 44. Trish O'Connor (1)

At my words, Trish smiled with her eyes.

"Money and a good eye for people. I have high expectations. What did you say the name of your company was?"

"Continy Capital."

"Do you really plan to make it bigger than White Road?"

"Of course. Thinking about it, you're incredibly lucky."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're witnessing the beginning of what will become the world's largest investment firm."

She burst into laughter.

"Hehe!"

"Hey! You're not laughing at me, are you?"

Trish waved her hand.

"No, I'm sorry if it seemed that way."

"I was joking. As you can see, we don't even have a proper office yet, so we're meeting at a cafe."

"If we're being precise, a company that started by assembling computers with friends in a garage became the world's largest IT company. A small online bookstore is now the world's largest online marketplace."

"You're talking about NPL and AMZ."

Those companies also started humbly. But after several decades, they grew into enterprises that influence the global economy.

My goal is even bigger.

I plan to create a company larger than both of them combined within ten years.

Trish took out her notebook and wrote down the name "Continy Capital."

"Maybe one day I'll write an article about Continy Capital."

That day will come much sooner than you think.

"Ah! Please keep this a secret for now."

"Why?"

I smiled and said,

"It'll be more fun to reveal it at the decisive moment."

She laughed playfully.

"Hmm, with a toast?"

"Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"How about this: when I have a story to write, I'll let you know first on the Wall Street Times."

I thought for a moment and nodded.

"Alright."

"Plus, an exclusive interview later."

I nodded readily.

"Sure."

Trish stood up.

"I'm done for the day and going to have dinner. Do you want to join me?"

I was planning to go eat something anyway.

"What are we having?"

"How about a hamburger? There's a place I go to often."

"Is it good?"

"Of course. As a New Yorker, I can tell you it's the best hamburger place in New York."

I can't resist a local's recommendation.

I stood up immediately.

"Let's go."

* * *

The place we went to was a shabby pub tucked away in an alley.

The place was packed with people. Rough-looking individuals were loudly chatting, eating hamburgers, and drinking beer. It was an intimidating atmosphere.

It feels like I shouldn't have come here.

As I hesitated at the entrance, Trish asked,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... just..."

Why do I suddenly remember my mom telling me not to follow strangers who offer me something delicious?

I was about to turn back when Trish pushed my shoulder forward.

"Come on in."

Before I knew it, I was inside, and a man blocked my path.

I was startled when I saw him.

He was about two meters tall, his face covered in red beard, and his muscular arms were full of tattoos.

Who is he? A pirate?

There doesn't seem to be anything worth robbing here.

Trish called out happily,

"Dad!"

"Oh! Trish!"

Trish was embraced by the burly middle-aged man.

"..."

Dad? They don't look alike at all?

Trish introduced the man.

"Say hello. This is my dad. He owns this place."

"My dad?"

You said it was the best hamburger place in New York, but it's your own place?

I didn't expect to be tricked like this!

He glared at me.

"Who's this? Not your boyfriend, I hope?"

I was about to say, "Not even a friend," but Trish scolded,

"Just a customer."

He patted my shoulder with his pot-like hand.

"Haha! Welcome."

"..."

My shoulder hurts. I hope it doesn't bruise.

I sat down with Trish in a corner.

"How is it?"

"The atmosphere is nice."

"Wait a moment. I'll bring you a beer."

Looking around, I saw an Irish flag hanging on one wall. Is this an Irish pub?

She brought the beer first. It was a dark stout.

"Let's have a drink."

We clinked our glasses.

I asked her,

"Why did you lie?"

"About what?"

"You said it was the best hamburger place in New York."

Trish smiled.

"True. You'll see it's not a lie once you try it."

She's so confident.

A moment later, Trish brought the hamburger.

Interestingly, it had scrambled eggs inside. Just looking at it didn't raise my expectations much. A hamburger is just a hamburger, no matter how good it is.

But I was hungry, so I decided to try it.

I took a bite of the hamburger. I was a bit surprised.

Seeing my expression, Trish laughed and asked,

"Was I right?"

I admitted,

"It's really delicious."

The best hamburger in New York wasn't a lie.

The bread was soft, and the patty was juicy. The freshness of the lettuce and tomato mixed well with the patty's oil and salt.

This hamburger is worth waiting in line for.

But it tastes familiar. Where have I had this before?

After thinking for a moment, I remembered.

"Oh! O'Connor Burger!"

It's a famous hamburger in Silicon Valley.

I remember waiting in line with Seonwoo when the first branch opened in Gangnam. We waited for three hours under the scorching summer sun just to have one.

I heard it started in a pub in New York. So this is where it began.

I don't remember it being this good. Is it because this is the original location?

Trish asked, surprised,

"How did you know the menu name? Have you tried it before?"

"No, I haven't."

O'Connor Burger came to Korea about five years later. It's probably not well-known in the U.S. yet.

I continued eating the hamburger.

"It's really delicious. The bread seems a bit special."

"It has potatoes in it."

"Potatoes?"

Trish said matter-of-factly,

"Irish people love potatoes, you know."

"..."

"Don't they hate them?"

Irish people and potatoes are inseparable.

Potatoes were once their staple food, but in the mid-19th century, a potato blight caused widespread famine.

It's known as the Great Irish Famine.

To survive, many Irish people immigrated to the U.S. Her ancestors probably came over then.

That's why there are many Irish-Americans in the U.S. today.

It's amazing to think that a hamburger from this shabby pub will become a global franchise in a few years. I might be the only one who knows this now.

I was so hungry that I finished the hamburger in no time.

It was quite a lot, but I felt a bit disappointed.

Should I order another one?

As I thought, a man approached us. He was a white man in his late twenties with red hair. His apron and hygiene cap suggested he had just come from the kitchen.

He asked Trish,

"What are you doing here?"

Trish introduced him.

"This is my brother, Sean."

I extended my hand.

"Hi, I'm Han Miru."

"Nice to meet you. How was the hamburger?"

"It was really delicious."

"Haha! Right? Even I, who eats it every day, sometimes crave it."

Trish introduced me.

"This is... a famous investor from Korea."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Not famous yet, but I am an investor."

Sean, who had taken off his apron and sat next to Trish, showed interest.

"What kind of investments do you make?"

"Venture capital, I guess. I'm currently looking for promising companies to invest in."

"Is that so? I actually started a business with a friend in Silicon Valley recently."

"Aren't you working here?"

"I'm just helping out while I'm back home. I'll return the day after tomorrow."

If Manhattan is the center of American finance, Silicon Valley is the center of the IT industry. Startups are constantly being born and disappearing there.

"What kind of business?"

"It's an app to track food trucks."

He explained excitedly.

There are many food trucks around Silicon Valley. However, each truck has different operating hours and locations depending on the day.

So, they planned to create an app to track the locations of food trucks and allow real-time reservations and payments.

Sean emphasized that it was a necessary system for the busy people in Silicon Valley.

"What do you think as an investor?"

"Hmm..."

Well, it will fail.

The idea itself isn't bad.

The problem is that similar services already exist. If a company that makes restaurant reservation apps expands its scope to food trucks, that's it.

So, it will fail before it even launches.

But there's no need to worry. Because he will hit a big success with something else.

The hamburger I just ate.

One of the promotional phrases when O'Connor Burger first came to Korea was "a Silicon Valley specialty." But how did the O'Connor Burger in New York become a Silicon Valley specialty?

The reason is right in front of me.

Sean O'Connor, the son of the O'Connor Pub owner, went to Silicon Valley with a dream and started a business with a friend.

And he failed within a few months.

Desperate for a way to make a living, he started selling hamburgers from a used food truck, using the recipe from his father's pub.

Originally, he did it to pay the overdue rent and save some money for his next business. But it became a huge hit among IT professionals, spreading by word of mouth.

People were crazy about the hamburger with potato bread and scrambled eggs, and the Irish stout.

Even famous startup founders and IT company CEOs like Zuck Baron and Nate Cameron waited in line to buy it.

The news spread, and more people came.

As it became more famous, Sean O'Connor decided to open a store in Palo Alto.

O'Connor Burger then became a franchise and a globally loved hamburger.

I looked at Sean and thought for a moment.

What should I do?

Should I tell him not to do his current business because it will fail? But maybe he needs to fail to start the food truck and hit a big success.

If I tell him to quit his job and start a food truck right now, he won't listen. And the story of failing in a startup and then starting a food truck will help his business.

Actually, there are many delicious hamburgers in the world.

Copying the recipe isn't that difficult. That's why there are so many me-too products in the franchise industry.

But not everyone who makes the same product succeeds.

What's important is marketing and identity.

The same product can succeed or fail depending on how it's marketed.

Interestingly, in Korea, O'Connor Burger is known as a "Silicon Valley specialty," but in Silicon Valley, it's known as a "Manhattan specialty."

From the perspective of people in the West, a burger famous in the East sounds appealing.

In other words, O'Connor Burger can't be a success if just anyone starts it. Sean O'Connor needs to start it with the "O'Connor Burger" brand and story.