Niche Finder
If I had to give myself a title or occupation description after four decades of business activity in Las Vegas, I’d call myself an observational entrepreneur, a “niche finder.” With nearly every venture I’ve undertaken, my business partner Dan and I identified a niche in which we could do things better than they were currently being done. This mindset was easy to execute in a young, growing town like Las Vegas.
In the 1970s and ’80s, visionaries willing to go for it found Las Vegas to be a prime setting for fulfilling their entrepreneurial aspirations. I was the niche finder who pulled together the concept, funding, and implementation, while Dan was the best partner possible for any project, sharing ideas and duties and riding the wildest and most fun-filled roller coaster of life anyone could ever imagine.
When you can demonstrate a need in any area of industry, your job is to find a cure, believe you can implement it, raise the money to do so, form the team, and make it happen: a new business is born.
Generally, I took up to a year establishing a new venture, running it hands-on, day-to-day, and setting the standards for excellence, before preparing to move on. Moving on means freeing up your time to find the next challenge, which can only happen if you select the right management team to fill your shoes when you aren’t there. If the company could generate the revenues and profits set under my direct management, the right manager would take over the operation, doing no worse and hopefully better with the foundation I’d established.
Hard work, good decision-making, and some luck usually lead to success, financial rewards, and a sense of accomplishment that recharges your batteries and leaves you looking for the next niche to fill. It was always true, in my case.
Career Timeline
*Denotes prior businesses operated successfully and sold
Professional Affiliations
