Brad Feld

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Just Gas

Dec 28, 2007

Creating companies from scratch is really difficult.  Every successful entrepreneur knows the daily challenges and struggles that conspire against him.  Sometimes the entrepreneur thinks to himself "there must be an easier way."  A long time friend and successful entrepreneur – Steve Munroe – provides a creative solution.

I don’t know if I ever explained to you my premise for a business model whose main goal is to own a business that squelches the entrepreneurial drive.  It is called Just Gas, the premise being that I would buy a Marina on the lake and just sell gas, nothing else.  By naming the business Just Gas, it would force me to not expand into other areas, or maybe leave enough room on the sign so you could expand after a couple of years and sell Ice also, thus: Just Gas and Ice.  But that’s it.  The focus would force the expansion, entrepreneurial part of the brain to shut down, thus decreasing stress and increasing quality of life.  That’s the premise.

Anyway, if you pay attention to this groundbreaking business philosophy, you will begin to see examples of it everywhere.  And, to tie this whole ramble together, my favorite example was a restaurant in the Dominican Republic called Solo Pollo, Just Chicken.  Brought a tear to my eye.