Mar 9

Utila Diving

Posted by Simon

Utila is 30 miles from Roatan is 30 miles from the coast of Honduras.  It is past the end of the road but it has excellent diving and WiFi.

Life is Good

Pictures to follow.

Mar 5

A Distribution Opportunity

Posted by Simon

In Boulder Colorado last summer we ate at a very good restaurant on a night that they had a price fixe menu with wine pairings.  The wine was being poured by a young man who was a very specialized wine distributor.  He bought wine from small vineyards in the Piedmont area of Italy and sold it to fancy restaurants in Colorado and he was making a living at it.

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I used to think that because of the internet, distribution was not a growth industry anymore.  And certainly when the producers or the consumers are huge they don’t need the services of a middleman so big distributors are dying.  Proctor and Gamble don’t need distributors.  And neither does Walmart.  But a small restaurant in Boulder Colorado that wants a unique wine list does.  And so does a small wine producer in the Piedmont.

Not just wine.  What about cheese from New Hampshire, specialty eggs from Georgia, bananas from Costa Rica.  In India they grow more than 30 types of rice.  As far as I know only one of them, Basmati, is distributed and promoted in the US.  If I was young and looking for a business to be in I’d seriously look at specialty distribution.  It has a low barrier to entry and very high potential rewards.

Mar 3

Sign of Spring

Posted by Simon

A sure sign of Spring is that Trader Joes has daffodils

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$1.39 a dozen

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from Canada

Mar 2

More Weather

Posted by Simon

In Pasadena when the storm ended we could see the mountains and there was snow down to the 4000 foot level.  I took this not very good picture to prove it to you:

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Why do people live where there is snow right where they live?

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My friend Tom S’s boat in Baltimore.

It must be inertia.

Mar 1

“I take exception to saying that Bernanke, Obama, Reid and Pelosi are spending like drunken sailors.
When I was a drunken sailor, I quit spending when I ran out of money.”

- Sen. John McCain

Thanks to Joe S.