Chapter 1 Interview

 DADANTI was primarily a company started by two brothers John and Christopher Wianuszek, of Polish descent, who lived in Dover. For the sake of it being exotic (or sounding exotic), they decided that it would be better to set it up in Paris. In consequence, they frequented their train visits to Paris, rented a room there, and decided to pay taxes there. Not that they had anything against the UK. They were typical English blokes, born in the UK, having spent a few summers in Poland as their father was a first-generation immigrant from Poland and he still missed his native country. And still ate Polish bread, drank Polish vodka, and despised English cuisine. That was about as much as they cared about Poland. They didn’t care much about the UK, neither they thought France was anything special, but they wanted to start something on their own and, dodging the bullet of working a normal nine-to-five job, eventually stop being slaves to anyone, especially to their bosses. 

They were twenty-eight (John) and thirty-one (Christopher) when the business was set off and it was December 1969. They also knew a guy named Steve (a friend of Christopher from primary school) who spoke fluent French. The cooperation was flourishing and boys just worked across two countries - in the UK, pretending to be French, and in France, posing as a local brand. 

At first, they traded home gadgets: rural mirrors, teapots, cushions, curtains, little wardrobes, and bookshelves imitating sweet rustic French countryside. And for five years, they were selling those with limited success. But one year was particularly hard and they were about to go bankrupt. 

John was thinking for the whole sleepless night what to do with DADANTI - were they forced to go back to normal jobs and leave the thought of being business moguls forever? 

But Christopher was the type of person who would rather sell his Polish grandfather than give up the dream of being a successful billionaire. Times were changing. The sixties brought sexual revolution and Christopher was a keen member of its movement - from the practical side. 

‘Sex toys!’, he announced to John the next morning.

‘Sex toys? Maybe toys. Children's toys?’

‘Do you have children?’

‘Not yet, but I definitely will.’

‘Good for you! But think, John, use your brain. Business is not something you do for money.’

‘Not?’ John was surprised as he strongly remembered that he had some unpaid bills waiting for this month’s non-existent salary.

‘You do it for fun! For passion!’

‘And you have a passion for sex toys?’

‘We all have a passion for sex.’

With this, John couldn't disagree. It wasn’t a passion for sex toys per se. It was interesting. While cushions and drawers seemed nice to sell and they were aesthetically pleasing, they were boring. They didn’t give brothers the necessary spark and motivation to continue. This was another business, another challenge. And yes, looking back, it was a good idea which rose to a global corporation.

In 2010 DADANTI operated in 34 countries and, like many companies, they had their branches and subsidiaries in regions where salaries were lower, keeping still some hundred and twenty crucial employees in Paris. The rest was Europe: Poland to celebrate their grandfather and father and make use of Polish work ethos and lower-income expectations, Bulgaria, Romania (for the same reasons), the Chech Republic, the UK - Manchester and Briton, Italy, Danemark, Sweden, and Spain, with their centers of distribution. And, of course, India and Bangladesh with thousands of eager employees ready to work 24-hours a day 7 days a week for the lowest possible wages.

In 2004 DADANTI was worth 1,8 billion euros. And it was sold for a secret amount of money to the Chinese, making John and Christopher’s retirement fun and eventful. John decided to buy a yacht and go to Italy, Christopher bought an English mansion and for the rest of his life lived like a Duke, having thousands of memories and having worked thousands of hours. 

 DADANTI office in Paris was lucky to be inside a historic building which might have remembered some Louis the King so when Paula entered it for the first time she experienced a feeling of unusual excitement. 

For the past few years, she had been working for various corporations: Avon, Henkel, Procter & Gamble, gaining experience and being promoted every single year. But challenges stopped at some point and she needed to find another place to develop. Plus - people in the office were getting on her nerves and she was about to mob them all if she didn’t change something in her life. 

‘You’re very young, only twenty-six…’

‘That doesn’t mean anything. I had quite a career climb and did it quickly. It doesn’t matter that I’m immature or inexperienced…’

That was one lie. She was immature. At home, she had those funny fluffy rabbit flaps and a collection of Barbie dolls and Teddy bears. But that was at home. Not in the office. And she was experienced - in changing positions: for those better paid and of more prestige, taking on more and more responsibility. 

‘I meant to say that this is admirable. Sometimes people stay in one position for too long. They don’t develop, they don’t succeed.’

Paula smiled. Either she had a lucky day or this was going surprisingly well.

‘And why DADANTI? Do you have a passion for sex?’

‘Of course.’

Another lie. She didn’t like being kissed, not to mention tolerating these nasty boyfriends her age who behaved like little horny boys as if they had seen porn for the first time. 

But Paula was attractive with her jet black curly hair, sun-tanned complexion, and this Paz Vega aura around her. She dressed professionally, but you could tell that in other sets of clothes - she looked sexy.

‘We also have a line of sexy lingerie, very popular among ladies. The lady line is also a best-seller, especially the UNICORN collection.’ the woman blinked.

Paula smiled back.

‘And apart from managing the whole country team, which will be your responsibility under Kirk’s supervision, we are going to launch something new this year.’

‘Yes?’

‘Oh, this is a super-secret project, but once this interview goes well, you will be the first to see.’

Paula sensed that the woman was definitely on her side. 

‘And where do you see yourself in five years?’ was the final question.

‘As the CEO of the company.’

‘This company?’ the interviewing woman seemed to be amazed at such ambition.

‘Who knows?’ Paula smiled, sensing that it was another lie on her part, even though it was vague. She wasn’t that much sure about her next year, not to mention five. 

The next day, she got a phone call. It was a yes. 

She smiled to herself with a sense of pride. These promotions were getting surprisingly easy.