Experiences From The Storefront

Here are the basics:

I have been married to a wonderful woman for 38 years.

I’m have three great sons who live in Monterey, New York and Philadelphia, all of whom I am enormously proud of.

I develop commercial real estate projects. Primarily shopping centers with some apartments thrown into the mix.

Worked 17 years in corporate real estate for a major oil company. A number of those as the corporate real estate executive in charge of Site Acquisitions and Franchise Sales. During that time we opened over 480 new stores and helped several hundred franchisees start new businesses and generated a billion dollars in new store sales.

Had a great time and then the company was purchased by a bigger company.

Hated that. When it got to the point I dreaded going into work every morning it was time to go, so I went.

Like most people I had harbored a dream for years. So I wrote a list of my goals down on a 3 x 5 card, took everything I had learned and applied it in my business. In four years I had accomplished everything on the list. At some point down the road I will tell you what was on the list.

The dramatic down turn in the economy in 2008 effected many of the tenants in the shopping centers we had built and the businesses of many people I had met over the years.

I made me start thinking about what are the key elements in starting and sustaining a successful store front business. From watching the businesses in our centers I saw those that failed, failed in the first one to two years.

Here is the startling thing. Without realizing it the businesses had just about guaranteed their own failures.

The failure locked in place before they even opened their doors.

That realization lead me to start this blog.

I am the author of a forthcoming book on store front start ups “Get It Right The First Time” and the host of this blog. www.experiencesfromthestorefront.com

I have experienced some wonderful successes and and some gut wrenching failures. This blog will offer practical advice, tips and resources that will give you the confidence to step out and open your own store front business.