Why I Notice Businesses Everywhere
I have a hard time walking past an empty storefront without wondering what could go there.
Or sitting in a coffee shop without thinking about why it works.
Or encountering some small frustration without wondering if there’s a business hiding inside it.
I’ve always done this.
A faded garage door becomes a garage door painting business.
An underused restaurant during the day becomes a coworking space.
An RV parked most of the year becomes an inexpensive office.
An annoying problem painting windows becomes a product idea.
Most of these ideas I’ll never pursue.
That used to bother me a little.
If an idea was good, shouldn't I do something with it?
I don't think that anymore.
I've realized I just enjoy noticing possibilities.
Sometimes it’s a business that doesn’t exist.
Sometimes it’s an existing business that could do something differently.
A new customer.
A different use for something.
A partnership nobody has considered.
A simpler way to solve an old problem.
I’m particularly fascinated by small businesses because you can see the decisions.
Why this location?
Why this product?
Why this price?
Why are people lined up here while the place next door is empty?
What did the owner see that everyone else missed?
After more than 30 years of starting businesses, investing in real estate, developing products and working with other entrepreneurs, I’ve probably trained myself to look at the world this way.
But I think some of it was there from the beginning.
I like possibilities.
I like the moment before something exists, when you're still asking:
What could this become?
That's probably why I write about such a strange mix of things.
Businesses.
Products.
Work.
Places.
Problems.
Ideas that may never go anywhere.
I'm not necessarily looking for my next business.
And I'm certainly not suggesting every idea should become one.
I just think there's something interesting about paying attention.
Because once you start looking for possibilities, you realize they're everywhere.
