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Thomas R. Lawrence
Capital Consultants
456 South 10th Street
Opelika, AL 36801
334-737-2727
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As I See It!TM
The Newsletter for
Capital Consultants Company |
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April 2011
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Volume 2, Number 4
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In This Issue: Welcome from Tom Business News
As I Like it!TM
New Orleans: Commander’s Palace What’s Bugging Me Things of Interest |
In this issue, I am introducing a couple of new features. There are some things that I would like to talk about with you, but in our efforts to keep the length of this little squib somewhere near readable, I have been reluctant to launch into them. Under the heading of “What’s Bugging Me” I will introduce a particular topic, and then give you a connection to my Blog for the body of the message. This will allow you to click through to the blog and read the whole business if it happens to interest you and to blow it off if it doesn’t tickle your fancy. Check it out. I am also adding a feature called “Things of Interest”. In this section, I will profile good places to eat that don’t justify a full scale treatment like I have done for Doe’s or Galatoire’s. I will also touch on interesting places to visit, such as The Ruins of Windsor or Magnolia Springs, Alabama. This section will also include profiles of interesting people I have known, such as Will Carpenter and Cary Cox. Here again you will be led to the body of the message by going to my Blog. DELTA DAYS PRE-PUBLICATION UPDATE As I have been swamped with request for information on how to order a signed copy of my soon-to-be published book of short stories about growing up in the Mississippi Delta, I wanted take this opportunity to thank both of you for your interest and let you know how to secure a signed copy. My friend John Evans, owner of Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS, has agreed to accept orders for signed copies of this little tome. If you are so inclined, you may order by contacting Zita White at the following: 202 Banner Hall Or zita@lemuriabooks.com The price of the book will be $25.99 plus shipping and handling cost will be added if mailed. I will also be in Jackson sometime in May for a book signing at Lemuria and I will send out an announcement as soon as the date is set.
Business News
I’m sad to report that the medical device project that I mentioned in my last newsletter proved to be another frog, not a prince. This is particularly unfortunate because the device will do exactly what it is purported to do. Scientifically and medically, I believe this is a well designed product that fills a clear medical need. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the inventor of the product is far too difficult to work with and, if my experience has any validity, he will doom the commercialization of the business to early failure. After working in the early-stage development business for over twenty years, I have learned a few brutal truths. These companies are all very difficult to establish, and if you have an inventor who thinks he is smarter than anyone else, his arrogance and hubris will sabotage even the best products. Give me an “A” project and a “D” owner and I can guarantee failure. Give me a “C” project and an “A” owner and the project will most likely succeed. The venture capitalist mantra should be: Lord, grant me the experience to do the deals that have the highest probability of success, the discipline to pass on the ones that don’t, and the judgment to know the difference.
As I Like it!™
New Orleans:
Commander’s Palace
In my Anglican version of heaven, there is a Holy Trinity of New Orleans Restaurants, Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and Commander’s Palace. In my forever after, I will have brunch at Commanders, lunch at Antoine’s and dinner at Galatoire’s, and like the movie Ground Hog Day, I’ll do it over and over again for eternity. We Anglicans believe original sin was the discovery of low-fat cooking and prohibition. We have visited Antoine’s and Galatoire’s in previous newsletters, now it is time for the Gospel according to Commander’s Palace. To share my visit click Commander’s Palace .
What’s Bugging Me
Rarely do I find myself compelled to speak out in defense of the University of Mississippi. I’ve always felt that Ole Miss was perfectly capable of” tooting its own horn” and in fact, does a pretty darn good job of it. I have just finished reading Curtis Wilkie’s apology for Dickie Scruggs (The Fall of the House of Zeus) and feel that Ole Miss was very poorly portrayed. Click on Fall of the House of Zeus Book Review. Things of Interest Last summer while I was on my tour through the Mississippi River Counties, I made a stop at the Ruins of Windsor, the remains of an antebellum home that capped a bluff on the river in the 1800s. I first visited this site in the 1960s and thought those of you who have never been, or have not been in a long time might enjoy an update. To read more, visit The Ruins of Windsor.
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Categories: Newsletter
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