Entrepreneurial Life
A Story of Chicken Wings and Philly Cheesesteaks
And the beginning of the hardest years of my life … or how I started a restaurant.
Starting a Restaurant - Background
Have you ever knowingly jumped out of a plane without a parachute? That was what I was asked by my wife to do when I agreed with my wife to a move for her promotion, from Arizona to North Carolina. I was asked to jump. My intuition said no, but I trusted her. I was mistaken, but that’s another story.
Why do I say “without a parachute”? I have always been trusting of people, especially ones I know. Corporations? Not so much. She worked for DR Horton, a homebuilder. I didn’t trust them. I was not mistaken. They are run by snakes.
My agreement with my wife to the move meant divesting myself of five businesses. I insisted upon her having a written contract from DR Horton detailing her salary, benefits, and what her options would be should something change. In other words, I wanted a parachute.
Three months after selling our home in Arizona, also against my wishes, and buying a home in Raleigh, NC, she got their new office opened and was then fired, stranding our family over 2100 miles away without an income.
