The Atlantic - Latest Comments in Open Thread At Noon

Re: Open Thread At Noon

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:28:03 -0000

dmf,

What sort of consulting do you do?

You may also be interested in this post ("Questioning the Conventional Wisdom of Microfinance and Encouraging Entrepreneurship"). I mention that one because it seems relevant to the examples you mention of your friends' business ventures. In that post I quoted a writer named Scott Shane who wrote that many small entrepreneurs fail partly because they enter over-crowded niches.

How, exactly, one defines "niche" in this context is another question. You might look at that coffee place Joe and say it's in the same niche as Starbucks, but, apparently, the owner has carved out a little niche has a high-end alternative to Starbucks.

From my perspective, I feel more comfortable investing in an idea when it seems unique to me. I feel more confident pursuing my ideas than I would opening up an art gallery or restaurant, though I admire those who have the confidence to do that.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

dmf — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:26:25 -0000

thanks, DinH, I like the idea of investing in ideas, and have been mulling over such possibilities relating to some consulting work that I do, but having seen so many friends restaurants/tattooparlors/galleries/coffeshops/bookstores, including some with professional business plans that got accepted for loans, go under it's pretty daunting. Hard enough to makes ends meet in private clinical practice these days. If you find some related info during your excursions pls keep us in the loop.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Jennifer D. — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:36:00 -0000

I just want to thank TNC for all the posts about art criticism and running backs so I could get some work done today! ;-)

Re: Open Thread At Noon

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:54:30 -0000

What an excellent question, dmf. I guess the short answer is: I don't know. You can have a pretty good idea of your costs, but predicting revenue is a lot tougher, particularly if you are offering something new. Regarding one of the two examples I gave in that post, the coffee business, the guy who started it seems to have basically done so on faith. Probably a worthy subject for another post though.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

433E83 — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:13:18 -0000

I'm not sure what the entire story is here but these guys seem a little too geeked about this.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

DougEMI — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:10:13 -0000

I have an object that coincidentally is Pooh related. When my ex was pregnant with my first daughter, a blood test came back abnormal indicating a higher risk of Downs. It hit me very hard and we had to sweat out an amnio. After a few days, my wife made me leave the house and do something to get my mind off of it all. We went to a mall, which actually drove me nuts because I noticed every little baby in the place and it made me wonder about the health and well being of my own. While there, I bought my daughter a stuffed Pooh bear, the first thing I ever got her.

Buying that stuffed animal did ease some of the discomfort I was going through at the time while I waited for what was eventually good news. I don't know for certain where that bear is, but I still have a baby picture of her with it in my office.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

dmf — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:35:34 -0000

anyone taking odds on Sully vs Goldblog on settlements and conservative US national interests?

Re: Open Thread At Noon

dmf — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:05:51 -0000

I have zero business sense and so struggled some with your posting but was wondering how does one sort thru the financial viability of, interest in, one's ideas?

Re: Open Thread At Noon

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:57:24 -0000

Something I posted about elsewhere yesterday, your ideas as an asset class. In a nutshell, my thought was this: when people talk about investing, they are generally referring to mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc., but what about investing in your own ideas? High risk, to be sure, but also high potential rewards. I mentioned a couple of successful examples in that post, which also happened to be businesses I visited in Manhattan yesterday: S'MAC and Joe. What do you guys think?

Re: Open Thread At Noon

stellar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:56:26 -0000

Tainted: Slum Village

One of the best live hip-hop shows I've ever seen, no question. R.I.P.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Deborah — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:54:07 -0000

Clearing out the car for a beach trip we found our old Winnie the Pooh tapes. It's been a while since we listened to them, but they're still acceptable car entertainment for everyone. When our kids were smaller and some sort of kid-cd or tape usually set up, this is the tape my husband and I could drive through several chapters of before realizing "Hey, I'm alone in the car."

They're read by Charles Kurault. Who is just perfect in the role, an uber-grandpa, and even though our tapes are a bit stretched out now we haven't gotten new ones because if Kurault weren't reading them It Would Be Wrong, and I could never find another Kurault copy.

So I thought about this thread. Anyone have similar prized objects--I'm thinking of the sort of obscure treasure that isn't expensive, just cool to you or your spouse or friend or kid.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

DaveinHackensack — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:54:01 -0000

There was an article in the NYT this weekend about some place that sells pizza for $5 per slice, if you're interested.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

leonardhatred — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:41:14 -0000

What!?! Where did you hear that?

Re: Open Thread At Noon

dmf — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:37:40 -0000

has anyone else been captured against their will by:

www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney...

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Josh Jasper — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:36:38 -0000

Some gay men were just thrown out of a restaurant in El Paso for a kiss. Police supported the ejection, and the cop on the scene said that "homosexual conduct" was illegal, and that the men involved could be cited for it. The police department decided that, while Lawrence V. Texas was decided (for now, I'm guessing) a restaurant could eject patrons for being gay, and they were obliged to enforce that.

El Paso police Detective Carlos Carrillo said a more appropriate charge for what happened at Chico's Tacos would probably be criminal trespass.

"The security guard received a complaint from some of the customers there," Carrillo said. "Every business has the right to refuse service. They have the right to refuse service to whoever they don't want there. That's their prerogative."

So I feel like punching someone. How's your day going?

Re: Open Thread At Noon

Teknontheou — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:33:07 -0000

Finding Neapolitan pizza in New York shouldn't be so hard.

Re: Open Thread At Noon

EllisCarver — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:32:45 -0000

Baatin of Slum Village passed away over the weekend.

That group is really cursed. First Dilla, and now Baatin. RIP.