Comments, kudos, sermons..

This blog entry is a synthesis of what a dear friend wrote me answering the battle of the "Street Smarts" vs. "Book Smarts."

Pilar,The Apprentice? Really? Really!Anyway, I’m glad if you enjoy it. I have a genuine disinterest in this nonsense, however. Frankly, I’m surprised that the world takes any advice from a guy who made his money the old fashioned way (inheritance), taken on too much debt by leveraging it up to the eyeballs (and almost lost everything), and has failed SPECTACULARLY at his only two divesting ventures (airline and casinos). What he has done, however, is cash in on his name. He is, after all, a total marketing phenomenon. I mean, who else could write books about his business acumen and then preside over not one, but two, failed business ventures. However, distasteful he is to me (and I know people who have dealt with him...he’s a total nightmare as a person), I understand you might be more interested in the participants who are seeking their 15 minutes. Maybe lessons are to be learned, but remember that this is “made for TV”. What you see are caricatures and characters. However, if you’re looking for a prediction, I’m not sure I can give you one. Of course, I’m biased, but it depends on what criteria you’re using for success, I guess. Owning a restaurant is not like running a multinational corporation. Maybe it is on a smaller scale, but don’t let that fool you. You still need the basic skills. Now, as you know there’s nothing you can’t learn in the public realm taught in business school. Same, for the most part, in Law School. And, by virtue of selecting lesser educated, BUT nevertheless successful street smarts, you’ve narrowed the gap. What if they chose unsuccessful street smarts? The bottom line is YOU know the answer and don’t need anyone’s help in figuring this out. Oh, well, enough sermon. ;-)