The Three Friends
In a city far far away, there lived three good friends, called Asmadi, Sheroo and Firas. The three friends were almost of the same age between 22 and 24 years. Firas was the eldest.
Each friend had something special in their lives, which they dearly loved. Asmadi had a shiny new motorcycle, Sheroo inherited a coffee shop from his parents, and Firas had bought a nice house that the three friends shared. The three friends were very close and always shared what they had.
Asmadi really loved his motorcycle and always took care of it. He would always share his motorcycle with his two friends. In fact, Sheroo often rode it to his coffee shop that he would open from 6 o’ clock every morning, to cater for the early morning train travellers. His coffee shop was on the way to the train station and a large number of his customers were those who would come and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee before a long train journey or immediately after one.
The three friends ran the coffee shop together. Sheroo opened it in the morning and ran it by himself until 9 am. Firas would join Sheroo after 9 am to help him cope with the breakfast time peak hours. Asmadi preferred to attend the coffee shop from lunch till late at night. This suited his lifestyle. He was lazy and would not get out of bed until very late in the morning. Sheroo was fond of football and always liked to go to the local football club in the evening. Working from 6 am to 3 pm was just fine for him.
Firas was the most flexible. He enjoyed the company of his friends who would visit him at the coffee shop. He also listened to the radio. This meant he knew almost everything that happened locally or elsewhere in the world.
“What’s the news of the day, Firas?” the regular visitors to the coffee shop would ask. An earthquake in Indonesia, tsunami in Sri Lanka, football riots in England, and cricket in India and Pakistan. Firas had updates on all such stories.
Numbers
The three friends were happy in their friendship, business and life in general. They lived harmoniously and people thought that they were simply three good friends who just believed in sharing whatever they had. What they didn’t know was that the three friends were very good at numbers.
“What is 14 add 313 take away 56?” Asmadi would ask all of a sudden.
“271!” Firas would hasten to reply.
It was a good mental maths game that the three friends enjoyed playing. Firas was the best at the game and almost always won. Asmadi and Sheroo were also good and came up equal whenever they competed with each other.
The people who are good at numbers account for each and every thing and tend to be fair.
Asmadi, Sheroo and Firas were not only very fair but also generous towards each other. Although they shared everything they possessed, particularly Firas’s house, Sheroo’s coffee shop and Asmadi’s motorcycle, they did not want to take advantage of, or to burden, each other.
Both Asmadi and Sheroo paid rent to Firas for sharing his house. Firas and Sheroo paid Asmadi for using his motorcycle. The three friends shared earnings from the shop equally. This was despite the fact that Firas worked the longest hours and Asmadi worked the least number of hours.
Earning and Sharing
“What is our profit this month?” Asmadi asked Firas when he finished his accounting for the month.
Firas had the extra responsibility of maintaining accounts. Sheroo was responsible for buying coffee and making sure that there was always enough stock of coffee in the store. Asmadi kept an eye on the property to ensure that it was well looked after.
“This month has proven to be good for business,” said Firas while taking off his glasses. “We have made 5,953 Dirhams this month.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Sheroo who had just finished mopping up the floor.
“I would propose to share 1,980 Dirhams each,” said Firas.
“This leaves a sum of 13 Dirhams in the kitty,” Asmadi quickly calculated.
“I propose that this sum should be donated to a charity,” said Sheroo.
“Agreed,” said the other two friends. “You can decide on the charity.”
Asmadi and Sheroo gave 300 Dirhams each from their share to Firas towards the rental of the house. “I am a happy man today,” said Firas with joy. “That makes my monthly income total 2,280 Dirhams.”
“I am left with 1,680 Dirhams,” said Asmadi while putting his money into his bag.
“Wait,” said Sheroo and Firas. “We need to pay you for the use of your motorcycle.”
Sheroo and Firas gave Asmadi 50 Dirhams each. That made Asmadi’s net monthly income total 1,780 Dirhams.
Firas’s net income after paying to Asmadi was 2,230 Dirhams.
Sheroo was left with 1,630 Dirhams after paying Firas and Asmadi. However, he would receive another 250 Dirhams per month from the business as the rent of the shop. He preferred to save it separately in a bank account.
In this way, each of the three friends was happy.
Doubt
They remained happy until a wicked man started visiting the coffee shop as a new customer. His name was Kaido. Kaido, although healthy and fit, used a walking stick for support. He would occasionally use the walking stick to point to certain objects, sometimes touching them to make sure that people understood him properly.
“What is in that jar?” Kaido asked Firas before ordering his coffee.
“It is our special roast coffee, sir,” replied Firas. “This is what my partner’s mother introduced about fifty years ago.”
“I shall try this today then,” replied Kaido.
It was a rainy day. Sheroo wasn’t feeling well and Firas had to open the coffee shop instead. Asmadi was due to join him by midday.
“I thought you were three brothers who were running this cafe,” said Kaido while collecting the coffee from Firas.
“Oh no, we are three good friends,” replied Firas. “We have decided to share everything we have for the benefit of us all.”
“It’s good to share, son, but…” paused Kaido. “But?” asked Firas.
“I mean to say that I have seen you working harder then your friends,” said Kaido looking into Firas’s eyes with interest.
“Oh no,” Firas cried out. “We help each other like good friends.”
“Perhaps you’re right,” said the man. “I am just sharing what I observed.”
On another day, when Sheroo was all by himself early in the morning, Kaido entered the coffee shop. “How is life treating you, young man?” Kaido asked in a casual way.
“I couldn’t be happier.” Sheroo was in a good mood as always.
“Where do you live?” asked Kaido. “You must live close by; otherwise, it is difficult to travel from a far off place to the cafe early in the morning.”
“Asmadi and I live with Firas,” said Sheroo. “It is quite far away from here but I use Asmadi’s motorcycle in the morning to reach the coffee shop.”
“Firas told me that this is your cafe but you work here as an employee like your other two friends,” Kaido said rather wickedly.
“No, all of us work here as owners,” Sheroo objected. “I can understand this for you but not for your other two friends,” Kaido said before ordering his coffee. After a week or so, Kaido met Asmadi on the bus, on his way to the coffee shop.
“What a man!” commented Kaido. “He travels on a bus while others use his motorcycle.”
Asmadi didn’t like this remark and decided to ignore it.
The Problems Start
It was a nice Friday morning and the three friends sat in their living room. The coffee shop was closed on Fridays to allow the three friends to relax from the week’s hard work. “Sheroo,” Asmadi called while reading a newspaper. “I shall need my motorcycle tomorrow morning.”
“No problemo,” said Sheroo casually while watching television. “Why don’t you drop me at the coffee shop in the morning and bring back the motorcycle?” “You know I am very bad when it comes to getting up early in the morning,” Asmadi said.
“What time do you need the motorbike in the morning?” asked Sheroo.
“About 8 o’ clock,” replied Asmadi.
“In that case, why don’t you take the bus to where ever you want to go? The bus service resumes at 6:30 in the morning anyway,” Sheroo suggested. “What a man I am!” exclaimed Asmadi.
“While other people enjoy riding my motorbike, I must wait for the bus to go places.”
Asmadi did not know why he said that, but he thought about Kaido after saying that.
“No problemo,” Sheroo hastened to say.
“I shall go to the coffee shop without the motorbike. You must have it tomorrow morning.”
Firas was listening to this conversation but he kept on eating his breakfast without making any comments. Sheroo wasn’t at home for lunch that day. Firas and Asmadi cooked chicken biryani and decided to eat by themselves after waiting for Sheroo for some time. “Asmadi, you shouldn’t have said what you said to Sheroo in the morning,” commented Firas while eating the lunch.
“I didn’t say anything wrong,” replied Asmadi “It wasn’t wrong,” admitted Firas. “But perhaps it was inappropriate to say so.”
“Why?” Asmadi was adamant. “After all, it is my motorbike.”
“But you must not forget that we pay you fifty Dirhams each month for using your motorcycle,” said Firas.
“If that is the case, you must keep your fifty Dirhams with you.” Asmadi was unusually unfriendly that day. “I want to use my motorbike all by myself.”
“OK.” Firas was cool as always about any suggestions. “But I must say that it is good to share.”
“You can always borrow my motorbike whenever you need it,” Asmadi toned down. “But I must have the first right of use. After all, this is my motorbike.”
“In that case, Firas must have the first right of use of
the toilet and shower room in
this house,” remarked Sheroo who had just entered the room and heard what Asmadi had said. “After all, this is Firas’s house.”
“Listen guys,” Firas interrupted. “We must stop this conversation here before we get angry at each other…”
That evening, the three friends didn’t spend the night at home together. Firas went out to see a relative. Sheroo decided to stay back with his football friends and Asmadi watched a movie on the television.
Distrust
One early morning, Kaido visited the coffee shop with a young girl. He introduced her to Sheroo as a student who came from another country to learn English at a local language school.
“Sheroo, she is looking for part-time work,” said Kaido. “And I thought you might need an extra pair of hands to help you.”
“Help?” Sheroo remarked. “As you know we are already three men running this shop.
I don’t think we shall need any additional help.”
“I think it will be good if you consider her as back- up staff,” Kaido insisted. “After all, all of us fall ill and have to travel unexpectedly. It is only helpful to have someone who could cover your staff in unexpected circumstances.”
“I shall discuss it with my other friends and let you know,” said Sheroo.
In the afternoon, Kaido brought the girl to the coffee shop again and introduced her to Firas and Asmadi who were serving at that time. Sheroo had already gone home after his morning shift.
“She is looking for work and has already met Sheroo in the morning,” said Kaido.
“And what did he say?” asked Asmadi.
“He was positive,” said Kaido rather cunningly. “After all, she is asking for very low wages.”
After closing the coffee shop at 8 o’ clock in the evening, Asmadi and Firas decided to walk home. Somehow both couldn’t help thinking about the girl.
“I never thought that Sheroo would ever consider replacing us with wage-earning workers.” Asmadi looked a bit upset.
“I am sure this isn’t the case,” said Firas, comforting him.
“Didn’t you hear what Kaido said?” Asmadi got animated. “Sheroo is looking for people who are cheaper than us.”
“I wouldn’t believe anyone before talking to Sheroo,” said Firas reasonably.
“OK, we should talk to him tonight then,” announced Asmadi in excitement.
“I don’t think that it makes any sense at all to talk to Sheroo now,” Firas opined.
“Why not?” asked Asmadi.
“Because it is very likely that Sheroo has nothing of this sort on his mind, and we may end up creating an issue out of nothing,” said Firas. “We must not start the conversation on this topic with Sheroo. I don’t approve of it at all.”
“But I feel that he is not going to share his plans with us,” opined Asmadi.
“Let us see.” Firas seemed cool about the whole affair. When they reached home, they found Sheroo bent over on the coffee table, looking at a property brochure.
“Thinking of buying a house?” asked Asmadi meaningfully.
“Nope, but this is the right time to buy,” said Sheroo. “Prices are low and expected to start rising soon.” “That’s right Sheroo,” remarked Firas. “This is the right time.”
“In order to buy a house…” paused Sheroo for a while.” I shall need to sell the coffee shop.” “What?” Asmadi and Firas exclaimed.
“I was just joking, my friends,” said Sheroo. “I have no plans to buy a house or sell the coffee shop.” Asmadi and Firas looked at each other, meaningfully. “Hey Sheroo, I shan’t be able to attend
the coffee shop tomorrow,” said Firas unexpectedly. “I must see an aunt who has been hospitalised.” “You never mentioned,” said Sheroo. “But no worries. I shall check with Olga if she is available.”
“Who is Olga?” asked Asmadi and Firas together. “Oh, I was going to talk to you about her,” said Sheroo not knowing that his two friends had already met her. “She is an English language student who is looking for some part-time work. Kaido suggested that she could cover for when we are not available. I shall ask her to cover for you tomorrow. It will be a good opportunity to assess her performance as well.”
Vulnerability
It took Asmadi more than seven days to notice that Sheroo had stopped using his motorcycle in the morning. He had instead started walking to the coffee shop. It was about an hour of brisk walking. “Hey Sheroo, you have recently lost some weight,” remarked Asmadi one night when they were having dinner together.
“I have actually started walking to the coffee shop in the morning,” said Sheroo. “I must say that it is very healthy.”
“Since when?” enquired Asmadi.
“Since you needed your motorcycle in the morning, I decided to walk instead,” said Sheroo. “I discovered that walking in the morning was great fun.”
That night Asmadi felt vulnerable for the first time. “Sheroo has found a girl who is willing to work for fewer wages and he hasn’t used my motorcycle for the last seven days and he is thinking of selling the shop,” he thought. “I must start finding an alternative job in case…”
The next morning, Asmadi got up earlier than usual. He decided to go to the local Job Centre to check what types of jobs were available. There he bumped into Kaido.
“Hello Asmadi, how are you, my friend?” asked Kaido. “When a man is found doing something against his own reputation, the circumstances must be extra- ordinary.”
“What do you mean by this, sir?” asked Asmadi politely.
“I mean to say that when a person like you, who has a reputation for sleeping late into the morning, is found at a Job Centre early in the morning, the situation must be grave,” Kaido explained.
“Not at all,” said Asmadi. “I was passing by the Job Centre and thought of dropping in to see how the job market situation was.”
“It is bad, my friend,” continued Kaido. “It is really bad indeed.”
Asmadi browsed a few job vacancies and found that the job market wasn’t that bad at all. There were quite a few jobs matching his skill set. He decided to apply for a few of them to test the waters.
From the Job Centre, he went to see a friend who had recently changed jobs. Asmadi wanted to collect as much information as possible before making a decision for himself. After all, he had little experience of working, other than running a coffee shop!
More Distrust
“What is 166 add 39 take away 59?” Sheroo shot Asmadi with a question when he saw him entering the coffee shop.
“146,” Asmadi was quick.
“And this is the number of minutes you have been late by, today,” said Sheroo rather jokingly.
“So now you have even started keeping a diary of my late comings.” Asmadi was apparently not happy with Sheroo’s remark. “Not at all, my friend,” continued Sheroo.
“You know that I was joking.”
“No, you weren’t.” Asmadi was not in a good mood. “You are thinking of getting rid of me and looking for excuses.”
“This isn’t true, Asmadi!” Sheroo cried out. “On the contrary, Kaido told me that you had been looking for a job.”
“Yes, I have, and in fact I have found one,” said Asmadi in anger.
“I shall be quitting next month, and you must get someone who should then be working here from 1 pm daily.”
“You must be kidding!” exclaimed Sheroo.
“No, I am serious,” said Asmadi while putting on his apron. “I spoke with a friend this morning and he has already found me a job.” “I think we must talk about it in the evening,” Sheroo suggested. “And let us not discuss it here in the coffee shop anymore.”
“I don’t think there is any need to discuss it anyway,” said Asmadi softly on seeing a customer entering the coffee shop. “I have already accepted the offer.”
“Let us talk about it later,” said Sheroo while turning to the customer. “How can I help, sir?”
Surprise Surprise
“I have news for you, guys,” said Firas cheerfully in the evening at the dining table. “What?” Sheroo was already upset by Asmadi’s decision to quit working at the coffee shop. “Are you now kicking me out of your house?”
“Not exactly,” said Firas. “But as I am getting married soon, I shall need extra space for me and my wife.” “This all seems rather synchronised.” Sheroo tried to show his sense of humour but he was obviously confused. “Congratulations, my friend. This is very exciting indeed.”
“Congratulations!” exclaimed Asmadi and hugged his friend.
“It seems as if our lives are at a crossroad,” said Sheroo sadly. “From now on, we shall live quite independently. Asmadi is starting a new job, Firas is getting married, and I suppose I shall have to run the coffee shop by myself.”
“I am not leaving the coffee shop,” said Firas. “I am just saying that I shall need my house for myself and my wife, which means both of you, will sadly have to find a new place to live.”
“I believe that I shall have to get some financing from my bank to buy a house,” said Sheroo. “And for that, I need greater savings. This means that I shall have to ask you to leave my coffee shop as well.”
This is how the sharing story of the three friends ended.
Meeting Again
One year after their parting ways, the three friends incidentally met at the railway station. Obviously, they were very happy to see each other. In fact, they almost cried while hugging each other. After the traditional greetings, they sat at a cafe on the platform.
“So, Firas, how is life treating you, my friend?” asked Asmadi.
“No serious complaints, my friends,” started
Firas. “But there have been a few incidents in my life since we lost contact.”
Firas related to everyone how he had to move to another city with his wife. He sold his house to buy another one but before he did so, his wife was diagnosed with cancer. He decided to take her on a world tour. His wife sadly died after three months. By that time, he had spent almost half of the proceeds from the house sale. He had already quit his job before going on the world tour.
He remained unemployed for a few months before getting a temporary job with a food processing company.
The other two friends felt sorry for Firas. “How about you, Asmadi?” asked Firas.
“I must say that my parting with you guys was probably the biggest mistake of my life,” started Asmadi.
Asmadi had to leave the job that he had started after quitting the coffee shop, within three months of joining. His manager was very hot-tempered and rebuked the staff even on small matters. Once, he even attempted to hit Asmadi. That was the day when Asmadi decided to quit.
After that Asmadi could not find a stable job. He had to sell his motorbike to pay for the apartment he rented after moving out of Firas’s home.
Sheroo and Firas showed their sympathy for Asmadi. “What have you been doing, Sheroo?” asked Firas and Asmadi.
“My story isn’t entirely different from yours,” Sheroo laughed.
After both Asmadi and Firas left, Sheroo started relying on Olga and Kaido for getting help to manage the coffee shop. Soon he realised that his daily sales were decreasing. It was after six months that he was hit by his first monthly loss. Obviously, he was worried. Kaido advised him to sell the business, which he thought was like a sinking ship. “You will lose everything once people know that it is a failing business,” advised Kaido.
Sheroo took the advice and sold the business to somebody that Kaido had brought along to the coffee shop. Although he did not get the asking price, Sheroo was still happy to sell a business that was slowly turning into a loss.
It was only three months after the sale that Sheroo came to know that the buyer of the coffee shop was in fact Kaido’s brother. It came as a shock to Sheroo to learn that it was Kaido and Olga who planned the sale of Sheroo’s business. Both would steal money and materials from the coffee shop, which resulted in a loss of earnings. Sheroo did not detect their wrong doings. He was led to believe that the business was in trouble because of fewer customers.
“So, what are you doing these days?” asked Firas.
“I am doing absolutely nothing for the last two months,” said Sheroo. “I decided to take a break before starting something new.” “I shall say that I am not doing anything substantial at the moment either,” added Asmadi.
“I must say that I really miss our living and working together,” Firas said with a sigh.
With such regretful feelings, the three friends left, promising to meet up again the next day.
What Went Wrong?
When the three friends met, they tried to analyse what went wrong with their lives. “I think that Kaido played a dirty game with us,” opined Asmadi. “He made us distrust each other.”
“This must have been a reason for us leaving each other,” said Firas. “But I don’t think this is the real reason behind our downfall.”
“I agree,” Sheroo reacted. “I think that we lost individually because we didn’t have each other’s support.”
“Well said,” agreed Firas. “When my wife was sick, I needed support, advice and direction. But there was no one to hold my hand.”
“That’s right,” Asmadi also agreed. “But I still believe that the trigger point for all our troubles was leaving each other. Kaido led us to part our ways.”
“That is correct,” said Sheroo bitterly. “He planned to capture our business.”
“Absolutely,” remarked Firas. “Somehow we forgot that it was our business and not yours only. When Kaido succeeded in creating a split between us, we decided to leave you quietly.”
“It was my fault, too,” admitted Sheroo.
“While Asmadi had decided to leave, I should have kept you, Firas.” “We underestimated the power of sharing,” said Firas.
“In a football match, everyone works as a team to win,” Sheroo started his favourite topic. “When a team wins, individual players are winners, too.”
“No football, please,” the other two friends protested while laughing. “We love hockey.”
The three friends started laughing. The old happy days appeared to be back.
Teaming Up Again
One day the three friends sat in a cafe to discuss how they could work together again. All of them were doing almost nothing and they felt that it was the right time to start working again.
“I think we should open a new coffee shop somewhere and go back to what we are good at,” suggested Asmadi.
“This is an excellent idea,” Sheroo agreed.
“While opening up a coffee shop is always an option,” said Firas thoughtfully. “It might be a good idea to start something that is bigger.”
“For example?” asked the other two almost simultaneously.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Firas admitted. “But we should think about alternatives.” “How about buying an airline?” Asmadi suggested while winking at Sheroo. “At least the aeroplanes will be big.”
And the three friends burst out laughing.
“Seriously, we should think about something big,”
Firas brought the conversation back to the point.
“How much money do we have to do something big?” asked Asmadi.
“I have got 50,000 Dirhams left with me from the money I received from my house sale,” shared Firas. “I have got 35,000, Dirhams,” said Sheroo. “And I have got nothing,” Asmadi reported. “So, we have 85,000 Dirhams,” said Sheroo. “This is quite a lot of cash.”
“I think we should buy a home first,” Asmadi suggested.
“This is what I was thinking of as well,” Sheroo agreed. “Let us go to a bank and see what options we have got for financing,” Firas suggested.
Share Bank
The next day, the three friends visited a local bank, called Share Bank. They liked its name because the three friends believed in sharing. A young man, dressed in a nice suit greeted them at the counter. “How can I help you, sirs?” asked the man behind the counter.
“We are thinking of buying a house and would like to discuss our options with an advisor,” said Firas. “That is excellent,” said the young man cheerfully. “Please be seated while I make sure that a customer services advisor is with you shortly.”
In a couple of minutes, another young man with a nicely groomed beard emerged from behind a door and greeted them.
“My name is Hamza,” the young man introduced himself. “And I am a customer services advisor at Share Bank.”
“Thank you, Hamza for sparing us your time,” started Firas. “We are three friends and we would like to buy a house and we are also thinking of starting a new business.”
After listening to the three friends, Hamza advised them that it was better for them to start a business first. They could continue living in the rented accommodation till their business was well established.
“How can the bank help us in starting a business?” asked Asmadi.
“We have specialist business advisors who can tell you what business opportunities are available,” Hamza responded.
“We are thinking of supplying coffee to coffee shops and cafes,” said Firas.
“That is good,” said Hamza. “We offer trade financing to such businesses.”
“How does it work?” asked Sheroo.
“In its simplest form, we shall buy coffee from the market and sell it to you for a profit,” Hamza tried to explain.
“How would this help us?” asked Asmadi.
“Actually, you go to a bank only when you need money to buy something,” Hamza smiled. “Other banks lend you money but Share Bank assists you in buying whatever you want to buy.”
“Interesting,” Firas remarked.
“We don’t lend money,” said Hamza. “We participate in your business by way of buying and selling.”
“Is this the reason you call yourself Share Bank?” asked Asmadi.
“Partly sir,” said Hamza. “We call ourselves Share Bank because we also share our profits with our depositors.”
“This is wonderful,” said Sheroo. “We are great believers in sharing. Share Bank fits best in our belief of sharing and caring.”
Doing Business Together
The three friends were very happy with their visit to Share Bank. Hamza – the customer services advisor at the bank – was very helpful. He explained to them that once they were ready to do business, they must open an account with the bank, to start doing business together. Afterwards, as and when they needed to buy coffee, they should fill a form that the bank would provide to them. This form was called an Order Form. The Order Form should specify the type and amount of coffee. The Order Form would be given to the bank and they would keep it in their records. The bank would then buy the coffee from the market and would pay for it in cash. Then the bank would sell the coffee to the three friends for a profit to the bank. Asmadi, Sheroo and Firas would benefit as they do not have to pay the bank immediately for the coffee. The bank would happily allow the three friends to pay the price of the coffee to the bank in small portions each month. This makes it easier for the friends to pay the full price as they will pay over a period of a few months.
That is exactly what the three friends were looking for. They decided to name their business Share Coffee. The three friends were partners. Sheroo and Firas contributed money to set up the business. Asmadi was involved in management.
Share Coffee was set up to supply coffee to local coffee shops. Asmadi would visit the coffee shops to get orders. Sheroo was good at buying the best quality coffee for the cheapest prices and so he would buy from the farmers who made the coffee beans. Firas wanted to specialise in accounts and dealing with the bank.
They were very happy to see that the business was a success from day one.
At the end of the month, Firas announced that they had made a little profit.
“Hurrah,” everyone was happy.
“We made almost 1,000 Dirhams in profit,” said Firas. “How much?” asked Asmadi with surprise.
“959 Dirhams to be precise,” said Firas. “The bank bought coffee worth 10,000 Dirhams and sold it to us for 10,600 Dirhams.”
“How much have we paid to the bank?” asked Sheroo. “We are required to pay the bank one-third of the amount of debt outstanding every month,” said Firas. “So, we have already paid 3,533.33 Dirhams,” Asmadi was quick in his calculations.
“How much did we earn from selling coffee?” asked Sheroo.
“Much more than 10,600 Dirhams but then we had to pay for our expenses,” Firas clarified.
“Had we not paid 3,533.33 Dirhams to the bank, we would have made a lot more money this month,” remarked Asmadi.
“Not at all, Asmadi,” Firas corrected his friend. “In that case, we had to pay 6,000 Dirhams to the coffee seller. The bank financed us and gave us time to spread our costs.”
Going Bigger
In a few months, the business of Share Coffee spread to include supplying to the neighbouring towns and cities. The three friends were very happy with their progress. They realised that Share Bank was a great help, as they needed more and more money to expand their business. At each step, Share Bank financed their purchase of coffee while they kept on increasing their own supplies to coffee shops.
“Firas, have you sent the Order Form to Share Bank?” asked Sheroo after speaking with Asmadi on the phone.
“Yes, my friend,” confirmed Firas. “I faxed them our Order Form confirming that we needed a hundred kilograms of coffee on January 4.”
“Have you received confirmation from them of receipt of your fax?” asked Sheroo.
“Yes, indeed,” replied Firas. “It is in the blue file, which is now on your table.”
“Have they confirmed that they will be able to acquire the coffee for the price we are looking for?” Sheroo wanted to further clarify. “Yes, Sheroo,” said Firas. “If you read the confirmation, you will find all the details there.”
“So, they are still charging us 6 percent profit on the purchase price,” Sheroo talked to himself whilst reading the fax from Share Bank.
“Sheroo, I have received a letter from Share Bank that they would like to give us greater freedom by making us their agent to buy the coffee for them,” Firas said when he found his friend going through the blue file. “How would this work?” asked Sheroo. “Instead of the bank buying the coffee for itself, we shall first buy the coffee acting as an agent for the bank,” explained Firas. “Then we shall buy the coffee from the bank.” “How would this help us?” asked Sheroo.
“We shall know for sure that whatever the bank buys is actually what we need,” clarified Firas. “It simply means that there is no chance that the bank will buy something that we don’t need.”
“So, there will be less chance of a dispute between us,” added Sheroo.
“Spot on,” agreed Firas. “Also, it will be cheaper for us to buy the coffee from the bank.”
“Why so?” asked Sheroo looking perplexed. “Simply because the bank will not have to spend time on buying the coffee itself,” said Firas.
“That is good,” agreed Sheroo. “Now that we are going national, it will give us better control on the quality of our coffee.”
And indeed their business expanded to bring them a lot of money. Obviously, they shared their benefit with Share Bank that kept on financing their operations.
The trade finance offered by Share Bank worked for the three friends. They became rich soon after.
Everyone is Happy
This is how the three friends returned to their life of friendship and business. Firas got married again and happily lived with his wife in a new house that he had bought.
Sheroo now lives in a big villa, with his wife and two children called Share (a six-year-old boy) and Care (a three-year-old girl).
Asmadi is these days on a world tour, before he gets married next month.
Questions
- After reading the story, can you tell how many hours in total the coffee shop remained open every week?
(A) 102
(B) 98
(C) 84
(D) 86
- How many hours per day did Firas work at the coffee shop?
- 6
- 9
(C) 10
(D) 11
- How many hours per day did Sheroo work at the coffee shop?
- 7
- 9
(C) 10
(D) 11
- How many hours per day did Asmadi work at the coffee shop?
- 7
- 8
- 9
(D) 10
- How many hours per week did Firas work at coffee shop?
(A) 68
(B) 66
(C) 84
(D) 36
- How many hours per week did Sheroo work at the coffee shop?
(A) 54
(B) 56
(C) 58
(D) 60
- How many hours per week did Asmadi work at the coffee shop?
(A) 54
(B) 50
(C) 46
(D) 42
- How many hours per day did the three friends work at the coffee shop in total?
(A) 24
(B) 20
(C) 19
(D) 21
- What is 1,980 times 3 and 13 added to the total? (A) 6,000
(B) 5,953
(C) 5,956
(D) 5,852
- If three friends share 1,980 Dirhams each from a total sum of 5,953 Dirhams, how much is left in the kitty?
(A) 23
(B) 12
(C) 13
(D) 16
- If Share Bank charges 6 percent profit on the purchase price of 1,000 Dirhams what will be the bank’s profit?
(A) 660
(B) 600
(C) 66
(D) 60
- If Share Bank charges 7 percent profit on the purchase price of 1,000 Dirhams what is the price it will charge its customer who will buy from it?
(A) 1,077
(B) 1,170
(C) 1,070
(D) 1,080
