Ivan smiled as he pulled out another card. He said, “We already represent some of the Padres players, so we know just what you’re up against as young athletes with money.”

The big guy looked on and hesitated from the far end of the table.

Jeffrey told him, “If anything, you really need to get his card, Perry. You spend money out here like it’s water.”

Ivan jumped on that, too. He said, “If you create a business, and you put it all on a debit or credit card, we’ll help you work it out for taxes.”

The big guy couldn’t turn down good money advice out in the open. He at least had to make it look like he was listening.

He said, “Okay, give me one of your cards.”

Ivan took out another one and passed it over.

“What about us? We wanna save money on taxes. I want a card,” one of the hot girls whined.

Ivan pulled out his small stack of business cards and handed one to everyone but Lucina.

“He’s already helping me with my taxes,” Lucina lied.

Jeffrey opened up and asked him, “So, how did you get into the party promotion game?” The veteran football player was used to meeting loud, drunken ramblers and shady hustlers who threw parties, but not young, professional tax accountants.

Ivan told him the truth. “I just got tired of sitting on the sidelines, basically. I wanted to meet more people and make a name for myself. So I figured, why should I sit back and watch all these guys, who know nothing about stretching money, blow it all right in front of me? So I’m out here making new friends, connecting all the dots, and becoming who I want to be: a hardworking man who makes money while taking care of people’s money.”

Everyone was sold but Jeffrey. Ivan’s honesty brought to mind a bigger question for him.

Jeffrey asked him, “But isn’t that a conflict of interest for you to make money with your clients?” He figured he had a gang-busting question on his hands. A tax man would know every extra dollar that a client had to spend.

Ivan didn’t flinch. He said, “Is it a conflict of interest for Nike, Reebok, and Adidas to make money with you? They know how much you’re making, too. But the more money you make through the things you do off the field, the more popular you become, and the more money they make through your sponsorships.”

Ivan went on, “Well, think about it the same way with your tax man. The more money you make in diversified ways, the more we can figure out how to save for you. That’s how we stay valuable to our clients. And that’s how we attract new clients.”

Jeffrey heard that and went silent again. It sounded good to him so far. But…