Reinforcement

Almost every day we have some sort of experience that reinforces our concept and our commitment to it. I had a 20 minute conversation this morning with a sales guy at Urban Outfitters about how their USB turntables are selling like hot cakes and every single one of his friends in a band is pushing vinyl more than CDs at their shows.

Our good friend Dave sent us this article about the real reasons why restaurants succeed and fail. They highlight a local restaurant, Fire on the Mountain, and talk about how in addition to experience, two things really stand out; passion and a well thought-out plan.

"Restaurant owners weren't failing because they had ill-defined competitive strategies. They weren't failing because they lacked access to capital, or because they chose poor locations, either. (These are factors, Parsa says, just not typically make-or-break ones.) Rather, the single most critical element of a restaurant's success, Parsa says, is the presence of a distinctive, well-researched concept. This insight is, admittedly, a bit of an anticlimax. The importance of a concept seems like it would be obvious to anyone prepared to invest thousands of dollars in said concept. As it turns out? Not so much.

When asked to describe their concept, failed restaurant owners answered "vegetarian food" or "Alaskan seafood"—when pressed, and they couldn't expand their description beyond food production.

In contrast, the successful restaurant owners could describe, in detail, an entire operating philosophy encompassing everything—the ambiance, the service, the decor—not just the food."

Well, we're nothing if we aren't detailed. People that have read our business plan say it's the most detailed one they have ever seen. From ambiance to service to cleanliness to "the feeling people get when they walk through the door;" we know exactly what we're going for. We're creating a social environment for people to listen and discover new music; converse and share over a coffee or beer; and enjoy the music that ties it all together.

And all signs point to this being a viable and necessary business model. Just last week an article came out that I can not wait to validate.

An Ode to the Disappearing Record Store. Please note the last sentence.