An elderly man cried inconsolably after his employer unexpectedly laid him off along with another group of workers. Little did the man know that a month later, everything would change and he would end up being the owner of the company.
Edward was a diligent employee. He and his colleagues knew this. He had been working for the company since its inception and, although he was past retirement age, he still performed his job like clockwork, which was greatly appreciated by everyone.
But to Edward’s utter disappointment, everything changed one day.
“The purpose of this notice is to inform you of your position in the company… We regret to inform you that there will be a significant reduction in workforce due to corporate restructuring . “
The words in the email caught Edward’s eyes. His fingers that were moving quickly over his keyboard were now still, and so was he. Tears were streaming down his eyes as he saw several people around him with the same shocked look on their faces.
He hated that look. He had become part of the unemployed crowd. But what hurt Edward the most was that he had spent his entire life working for the corporation, and yet he was fired. How could they do that to him?
Still in shock, Edward scrolled to the bottom of the email to find out if his firing would be permanent. And there was the answer to his question:
“Unless otherwise notified, you should consider permanent dismissal.”
Edward slumped back in his chair. He suddenly felt tired. He had never felt this way in his entire career. But now he did, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the computer screen, which displayed the notification of his dismissal. Then, suddenly, he noticed something on the screen: the real reason he was fired.
The company’s founder, Mr. Zambrano, had handed over his company to his only grandson, Daniel. The young man began his tenure by restructuring the workforce, and in his opinion, Edward was too old to work for the company.
Bernardo reasoned that the company needed brighter minds and more talented people to meet monthly goals. He didn’t want a bunch of lazy people sitting around, doing nothing, or who were too old to be called employees.
So he made the decision and sent the dismissal notice to Edward and the other workers.
Edward’s hands shook as he emptied his workstation and packed everything into an ugly brown box. He’d seen people do that in movies after being laid off. He never imagined it would be his turn one day.
After Edward left the office, he went straight home. He lived alone, so there was no one to share his worries with. His only son had settled abroad and his wife had died of cancer years ago.
Alone and without a job to keep him busy, Edward was broken inside. For some, their job is everything. Edward was one of those people. He knew the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy. He would need something to keep him busy.
He could probably do some yard work every day or start his own YouTube channel? But Edward knew he didn’t like the idea. He wished he could go back to his office, do his job, create reports and charts like he had done all his life.
To Edward’s surprise and shock, his wish was granted a month later. He was having breakfast when he received a call from an unknown number.
“Am I speaking to Mr. Edward?” a man on the other end of the line asked.
“This is Edward. How may I help you?”
“Good morning, sir. I am Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Zambrano’s attorney. I am calling to inform you that following Mr. Bernardo’s death, you are the new owner of his company; therefore, I would appreciate it if you could come to my office to finalize the paperwork.
Edward’s phone nearly fell out of his hands. “What? Are you sure you’re calling the right Edward? Maybe there’s some misunderstanding!”
“If I’m not mistaken,” the lawyer continued, “you and Mr. Bernardo were best friends from childhood, and he admired you very much. He often mentioned how you left the top management of the firm to become a regular employee, even though you had founded the company together with him.”
“Yes, I did, but…”
Edward was sad and confused at the same time. Bernardo was gone, but why had he left his company? Hadn’t he made Daniel the owner a month ago? And what did the lawyer mean when he said, “We’re waiting for you? Who were ‘we’?”
To get the answers to his questions, Edward visited the lawyer’s office as soon as he got the details. There he met Daniel, who explained to him why his grandfather had left the company to him, and things started to make sense to Edward.
“Grandpa wanted me to learn everything about running a business because he wanted me to be a good businessman like him. That’s why he handed the company over to me. But I made some terrible decisions and fired a lot of people who were critical to the company’s operation,” he confessed regretfully.
“I admit I’m not a good boss. I didn’t care that Grandpa made you CEO. I knew that if anyone could take over the company after him, it would be you. But I apologize for what I did.”
Edward was crying. “He left this company in my care, so I won’t let him down,” he said. “But you have to toughen up, young man, because I won’t go easy on me. Yes, you heard right! I’m not going to fire you! You have a lot to learn, and I’m sure Bernardo will understand. He wanted me to help you. If I’m not mistaken, that’s the favor he asked me for, right?” he asked, and Mr. Hoffman nodded.
“Alright then,” Edward sighed. “Buckle up, Daniel, because this is going to be a bumpy ride, kiddo! You better be ready for this.”
Read also: Mother of four fired without pay: Two years later she buys the company – Story of the day
After taking over the company, Edward worked selflessly. He focused only on what would help the company grow and improve while taking Daniel under his wing. He showed the young man how difficult it is to achieve anything worthwhile.
Years later, when Edward was sure that Daniel was ready for the great responsibility, he appointed him general manager of the company.
Dan promised not to let anyone down, and he hasn’t. The company is doing fantastically under his leadership, and Bernardo should be proud of his friend and grandson.
What can we learn from this story?
- Nothing is easy in life; you need to work hard to build a future and get somewhere – Daniel realized this when he worked with Edward. He managed to become a good employee and manager.
- Being old or young is all about your mindset: Edward was old, but he was a tough competitor for much younger employees, all because he never believed he was too old for his job. His positive attitude kept him going until he realized he needed time off to rest.
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