out at the stand on the weekends, and we could see that my dad didn’t know what to make of his new business. Eventually, he realized that in spite of all his efforts, he couldn’t turn it around. His management expertise did not translate into the emotional stamina and physical strength required to perform the daily operations of the business. So he put it up for sale. One morning someone responded to his “Hot Dog Stand For Sale” ad. The man showed up to the stand at noon and introduced himself. He bought a hot dog and then sat down at a table to observe the entire lunch shift. In the first hour, an elderly woman who lived at the nearby senior-citizen home walked up and bought a hot dog. After one bite, she asked for her money back. She said, “It didn’t taste right.” The man came back the next day and watched another lunch shift. Before he left, my father asked him what he thought of the business. “To be honest, Alan,” the man replied with a heavy Armenian accent, “You are married to a corpse.” That comment depressed my father for days. He decided to accept his fate and sold the stand at a significant loss, which was truly tough for my family. But the whole experience taught my father (and us kids) lessons that were huge. LESSONS LEARNED Before you start a new business, learn everything you can about how it works. Don’t let your enthusiasm dull your logic. Investigate your competition. What are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? Why should customers come to you? And when you can’t figure out how to make it work, admit defeat. It’s totally okay to fail! But move on. Or pivot!