The elegant coffee table book

Imagine being invited to a crucial meeting at a renowned office. Your upbringing, or perhaps the strict disciplinary regime of your school, has instilled in you the importance of punctuality and respecting others’ time. Therefore, you arrive half an hour early, maintaining the European standard of timekeeping.

As we all know, first impressions are critical. Outdated reading materials scattered around the lobby do not bode well. You associate such disarray with unkempt barber shops and run-down waiting areas. Fortunately, this organisation has grasped the concept, impressing you with their well-maintained surroundings. The reception area is spacious and airy, and the friendly staff even offers you a beverage, further elevating their appeal.

At the centre of the reception area sits a polished mahogany coffee table embossed with the company’s logo in gold. This exquisite furniture exudes professionalism and inspires confidence in the company’s abilities convincing you that conducting business with them is the right choice. Consequently, the meeting with the general manager is a mere formality to finalise your organisation’s engagement terms and conditions.

As you peruse the array of magazines and newspapers provided on the coffee table, including The Daily Conjurer, Reach to Rich, The World in Five, and The Weekly Orchestra, you find yourself acquainted with the latest financial markets, business, and political developments at the local, regional, and global levels in just thirty minutes.

Your meeting with the general manager proves successful, as they arrive promptly, display pleasant demeanour, and demonstrates expert knowledge of industry-specific topics. After doing business with them, however, you experience a nagging sensation, prompting you to urgently scrutinise their website to gain further insight into their company. Upon discovering the comprehensive nature of their website, you confirm that they appear credible and trustworthy, yet still, you cannot help but wonder: what if you had invested differently?