After a quick celebratory dinner of street tacos, Tyler drove the two of them back to the workforce housing the city had set up for them.
This was a high-end residential complex built specifically to attract talent; it was mostly high-rises, and the neighborhood actually looked pretty sharp.
Following Tyler into the elevator, he flashed a grin and broke it down for them. "In this complex, Buildings A and B—where we're at—are the best units. The other buildings are mostly tiny studios or shared dorms for your average entry-level grads."
"Only Buildings A and B have these 400-square-foot layouts specifically designed for top-tier talent. So, besides the Ph.D. and Master's guys, the people living here are all heavy hitters from major universities."
"The four units we landed are in Building B, so we basically got the penthouse treatment for this place."
"Here we are, 19th floor. This one's yours, Nick. Zack is up on 24, I'm one floor above you, and Terry's down on 9."
Nick looked down the hallway and frowned. "Wait, they didn't put us all together?"
"What, you think this is a dorm? Even getting these four units was like pulling teeth with the city planners," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. "We already moved your bags in and gave the place a deep clean. We didn't buy any of the essentials, though; you'll have to hit Target for that yourself."
"The place is actually nice," Nick said with a smile, checking out the space.
The apartment was roughly four hundred square feet—one bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bath, plus a balcony. It felt surprisingly airy. It was already renovated with the basics: the living room had a simple sofa and a small flat-screen, and the bedroom had a decent AC unit.
Tyler chuckled, "Told you, this floor plan is the sweet spot."
Nick nodded. "That's a weight off my shoulders. At least we finally have a home base in Tampa. Let's wire everyone 15,000 bucks from the company account as a relocation bonus and living expenses for now. Tonight, let's hit the store and grab what we need. We're gonna be here a while."
Zack spoke up immediately, "How long do we get to keep these?"
"As long as you want, but these are meant to be 'transitional' for grads just starting out. Usually, the lease maxes out at three years. After that, if you want to stay, you're paying full market rent," Tyler explained.
"Three years is plenty. By then, we should all have our own houses anyway," Zack laughed.
Nick smiled at that. "Don't worry, I guarantee you'll have your own place within three years. Honestly, we have the cash to buy houses right now, but the company is brand new and we need that capital for growth. Let's hunker down here for now. Once the business is stable, I promise I'm putting each of you in a mansion."
"Haha, thanks, Boss!" Terry chirped.
Zack nodded. "Man, I'm not complaining. This is a thousand times better than the guys still cramming into sketchy basement apartments across town."
"No kidding. I heard yesterday that a girl from our class rented a place in a bad neighborhood and got mugged on her way home," Tyler added, leaning into the gossip.
Nick handed out cigarettes to the three of them, found a spot to sit, and lit up. "The money hit the company account, right?"
"It's in alright. Landed last Friday; I went to the bank myself to verify. On that note, shouldn't we hire a CPA like, yesterday?" Seeing Nick pivot to business, Tyler's tone turned serious.
Nick nodded. "Yeah, it's time to build a team. Did you post those job listings I told you about? What's the word?"
"I did. We're on LinkedIn, Indeed, and all the big boards. The response is actually huge. It's graduation season, so we're getting flooded. I'd guess we have four or five thousand resumes in the inbox."
"I skimmed a few; the quality is hit or miss. It's mostly seniors just spraying and praying with their resumes."
"Even though our salary and benefits are top-tier, we don't have a brand name yet. The people with real experience and proven talent aren't exactly lining up to jump on a startup they've never heard of," Tyler admitted.
Nick nodded; he'd expected as much. Elite talent looks at more than just the paycheck; they want a clear career path and stability.
A brand-new startup with zero name recognition is a hard sell for established pros. Only the fresh grads without a plan were hitting "apply" just because the salary looked juicy.
It reminded him of how he used to be—blasting out resumes for every high-paying gig and getting ghosted every time. Now that he was the one doing the hiring, looking back at himself from a few months ago, he realized how green he'd been.
But hey, maybe it was that same "ignorant" hustle that finally got the universe to throw him a bone.
Nick thought for a second. "Let's do this: prioritize Finance and HR. Once those two pillars are up, everything else gets easier."
"Money isn't the problem right now—time is. We need a corporate structure immediately. Go find a headhunter and see if they can find us a legit HR Director. But listen, I don't want some 'corporate suit' or a slick talker. Get someone young and hungry; we need someone who's gonna grind with us."
"Got it. I'll call the recruiters tomorrow!" Tyler nodded.
Nick then asked, "What's the word on office space?"
Tyler grinned. "I've been waiting for you to get back with those contracts for this part. The Tech Park Committee promised that if we show them our federal paperwork, they'll fast-track us for a standalone building."
"Really?" Both Nick and Zack looked genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, one of those four or five-story boutique office buildings near the southern beltway. They're built for companies that want a private campus feel instead of just a floor in a skyscraper. Normally, the rent is astronomical," Tyler explained.
"And what's the catch for us?" Zack asked.
Tyler laughed. "We're a tech company, so we already get the subsidies. Plus, since we have 'sensitive' technology, we're getting the VIP package. One year rent-free, half-rent for the next three, and we don't pay any park management or property fees for five years."
"What about the tax breaks?" Nick asked—that was the big one for him. If the tax situation sucked, the rest was just window dressing.
Tyler replied, "Normally, the city's standard startup package is two years of zero corporate income tax and subsidized loan interest."
"But since we're a special case, and given the current push for domestic tech independence, the city and state have gone all out. The Committee decided to give us the 'Diamond Tier' treatment usually reserved for major international joint ventures."
Tyler paused for effect, then smiled. "Basically, it's 'three years of zero tax, and two years at half-rate'."