GEt to work

Actions trump words, even fancy ones, especially in business ventures

Years ago, I knew a guy pretty much like me who called himself an “entrepreneur”.

It wasn’t a hugely common word back then, so identifying someone that way sounded exotic and successful and romantic.

His friends introduced him at dinner parties as an “entrepreneur”, rattling off his various business interests, and at first blush it was an impressive list.

At the time, I worked for a big company in a time-clock kind of job, and being identified as an “entrepreneur” sounded better than my gig. I was spending a good amount of time, both during work hours and afterwards, working to release my inner businessman. In fact, another guy and I investigated buying a gas station, several newspapers, even a Dairy Queen.

But nothing ever worked out, primarily because our cash reserves barely filled the bottom of a cookie jar, and I remained an employee rather than a budding entrepreneur.

Finally, and mostly in frustration, I cornered Mr. Entrepreneur at a party and started asking him about his various businesses, looking for some wisdom I could use to build my own.

He talked and he talked and he talked, and I noticed a pattern: There was a lot of discussion about research into this company and investigation into that business, but when it came right down to it, Mr. Entrepreneur wasn’t one. He was just a guy who liked to talk big about the things he was going to do with his life when the opportunity arose. But as it turned out, when opportunity knocked, as it does eventually for everyone, he didn’t answer.

In fact, his biggest financial accomplishment seems to have been convincing his eventual wife that since sooner or later one of his ideas would surely hit it big, she should contribute to their joint success by funding their family on her own.

Being identified as an “entrepreneur” just sounded good, apparently to both of them, and presumably they were content with their parallel lives of sacrifice and dreams.

No matter that the bottom line showed a wife working a time-clock job a nd a husband talking about business success that didn’t exist. All because he was afraid to pull the trigger on any of his ideas to find out if he had it in him to make at least one idea work.

Our cover story this month on kid entrepreneurs is the antithesis of this story, in that these kids are doing something. They woke up one day with a dream, and with a fair amount of help and guidance from parents and friends, they’re giving something a try. Just from reading the story, you can sense the hap-

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214.292.0490 / rstone@advocatemag.com piness and pride they and their families have in what they’ve done, even if the results haven’t exactly been Facebook-like in terms of riches and fame. And who knows where what they’re doing today might lead them or their watchful friends someday. web editor: CHrist Y ro Binson

Talk is cheap when it comes to being an entrepreneur. But talking and dreaming about building a business isn’t all that fulfilling; sooner or later, you have to pull the trigger or live with the consequences.

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214.560.4200 / cturkyilmaz@advocatemag.com photographers: mark DaVis, moLLY DiCkson, aLison fECHtEL, BEnJamin HaGEr, kim ritZEntHaLEr interns: aLison LamBErt, HUntEr CHitwooD, LaUra CHUCkraY, mEGHan sikkEL, nikki koEttinG, maDELinE stEVEns, t YLEr BErrEtt

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GOOD LUCK, Z!

Thanks for the story about ‘Z’ (June Lake Highlands Advocate “Zoltan Zsohar, National Senior Olympian”). Our daughter, Elizabeth Ealy Kitay, a 1977 Lake Highlands High School graduate, is also riding in the Nationals, so I sent her your article. Perhaps she will meet him. She races the 5K and 10K events, in the 50-55 age group.She has been a long distance cyclist for many years, and has taken up racing in the past year or two — has won a gold medal in almost every race in which she has participated.

—SUZANNE HARNED (PROUD MOM)

Town Center Talk

(June 2 Advocate Back Talk blog, “Consultant: ‘Town Center is not a town center’”) I’ve said it before: Lake Highlands is one of the city’s strongest neighborhoods because of its suburban-style — others say ‘small-town’ — feel. Everything being revealed about the Town Center seems in direct opposition to that. The city wants a self-contained, urban, transitoriented community. It just happens to be in Lake Highlands.

—TRIPLE WILDCAT

OMITTING THE OBVIOUS, RESTAURANT EDITION

Thanks for the cover article and tidbits on many of the area’s restaurants. It was fun to learn about a couple of places new to me. I did, however, notice that neither Picasso’s nor Mi Cocina was mentioned. Picasso’s has an excellent menu, delicious food, and good service. MiCocina has been a neighborhood favorite for many years and is one of the better-known Mexican restaurants in the city. Did I just miss it or was there a reason they weren’t mentioned? Thanks for the good work.

—ANN FLEMING

EDITOR’SNOTE: The thought process was that most Lake Highlands residents know about those spots and we frequently write about them either in the magazine or on the website. We do understand why the omissions seem questionable, considering how central these restaurants are to the neighborhood. Keep reading, and we promise you’ll read more about them soon.

CORRECTION: The June story, “Out of the Restaurant Rut” mistakenly listed Varsity Grill and Brothers Pizza at a Skillman address. Both restaurants are located in the shopping center at 9310 Forest.