Curb The Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm. It’s a wonderful thing until it’s gone. It seems to be a rare commodity in our world these days. We are firm believers in the importance of enthusiasm but it must be tempered not unbridled. We have a coffee shop and deli nearby that closed in October. We weren’t surprised, they just didn’t get it. We often talked about what we would do to make the place more successful. These conversations typically occurred after experiencing a less than tasty sandwich, or the failure of a cheap coffee cup, or after getting a curt reply from the owner who was less than customer centric. When we heard of the closing our enthusiasm peaked as we brainstormed how to repackage and reposition the shop. Then we remembered, we don’t know anything about operating a deli or coffee house. So we call a friend who happens to be a very successful serial restaurantuer. Who knows where this will lead but the important point is to temper enthusiasm with knowledge and unbiased advice. This is what we do for our investors and developers. Had our industry tempered its enthusiasm a little more over the last 10 years maybe we wouldn’t be feeling the pain we are today, maybe.