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You seem to have taken all of this as personal attacks on your abilities and then retaliated and lashed out including researching into other members' pasts and quite bizarrely asking people about their job/identity number etc. Well you are correct with your research, I am one of those members that has had a business dissolved
I am not ashamed about it, in fact you will find multiple posts with me openly talking about it. Covid was a big player in my business failing but I will admit not the SOLE reason. I made mistakes. If anything, it makes me more qualified to come here and try and stop people making similar ones! Aside from that, I am proud to say I have been involved as an employee in some very successful businesses and very successful product developments & sales growth projects within those - skills and experience that transfer over into the "business owner" world. I could give examples of projects I've been involved in - at the moment I am helping to establish "business within a business" that we expect to turn over +$1m in sales in year one. But in terms of a pissing contest over who's done what, that's as far as we need to go
Other than to say we have been able to do that because we are focusing on something that we (I) know inside out, and we have been able to put together a solution that solves a real headache for people and make customers' lives easier. We didn't just dive into something completely new.
There is an interesting article here about the Issa brothers, I'd suggest you give it a read:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68436330
Two things in here stand out to me:
"As the oil companies began selling off and closing their High Street petrol stations to concentrate on production and refining, the brothers took a chance to expand and joined forces with private equity firm TDR Capital to snap up the vacant sites."
"Mr Issa claimed the pair got lucky. "We have been in the right place at the right time and taken advantage of some of them opportunities."
It's been done once - buying one petrol station 23 years ago and getting to where they are today. Could you come along today and (a bit like you are saying) say "I'll start small - I'll just buy one petrol station but eventually I want to emulate what the Issa brothers did". It's not necessarily as easy as that, no matter how determined you are or how much self belief you have. They took advantage of circumstances and opportunities at the right time. As AO did, and as other businesses have.
You are correct in that sometimes entrepreneurs wander into completely new spaces and have ideas or a vision to change things. Usually, in all fairness, when they have a few million quid they can afford to throw down the pan if needs be. And usually with already established teams to help escalate and move things very quickly. In your case, I would strongly advise perhaps looking a little closer to home, what other industries do you have
some knowledge/experience/contacts in? Can you identify any pain points or ways you can improve/help? Or even if you do want to venture into something completely new, look for something slightly less complicated - perhaps something with a much less complex SKU count, something more niche where you can use a smaller marketing budget, something smaller that's easier to ship.... etc.
Please, take the advice for what it is - to HELP you. Turning round and defending yourself and starting to tell us how you're mortgage free, got investments, have sold a business..... it's not a good look, and it's irrelevant to the advice being given. Like I said earlier, none of it is a personal attack and the best thing would be to step back, take all of the comments in with a "neutral" head on, and then reflect based on all the feedback on whether you really think this is a viable or worthwhile space to enter, or whether you could focus your energy, time and money on a different opportunity.
You've pointed this out correctly, >>>:
You have come on and specifically asked for advice including stating that you are "struggling with a concise business plan", "perplexed about the initial steps", "unsure about the process" and specifically said "I'm seeking guidance on establishing a business similar to major industry players". As well as multiple references to AO, with it coming across (perhaps you didn't intend it to) that you want to emulate the way AO built from nothing.
You go on to state that I was advised on numerous occasions. I agree that, from users within this thread, that was the case. However, for the vast majority, it was not constructive at all. There was no advice, just stupid sarcasm, pointless shutdown responses with no suggestion besides insult to my knowledge. At most, advice was met with sarcasm, not with advice that could actually help an individual.
As you correctly pointed out, my intentions were mis-understood because of the way I initially wrote this thread. But beyond that, let's say a person came on this thread and really needed help but portrayed it incorrectly. Does that warrant individuals to shoot a person down and literally turn the thread into something beyond the original post, where it's long forgotten? I mean, you can't say that I roughed people the wrong way.
I never assumed. I never said I was taking on the "big boys," a term introduced by one of the users here. I never assumed anything; I just asked some questions for research purposes and maybe to grasp some information from somebody who may be well-informed in the retail sector. How does anyone else here know? Knowledge is power, right? And for that, I initiated it with my post.
Regardless of how the post was narrated, it didn't warrant the path it took. Just because I stood up to initial sarcasm, it brought everyone else in for judgment and to shoot a person down, its pathetic, fortunately for myself I take this lightly and thrive on it, but seeing the same individuals do it to others on thier threads is beyond a joke.
At the end of the day, I've been part of this website for years, and in all my threads, I've never met such a bunch of idiots (not all) who go on to try and belittle users on a site designed to help individuals. That's the part that surprises me. Imagine if this were an inexperienced business individual who knew nothing about business and wrote a thread that might not include decent business acumen and wrongful assumptions. Do you think idiots like this are going to help users or just put them off? There's a difference between right and wrong, mate, and the way things can be interpreted, as exemplified in this thread, we had good people who responded, and others who were just snobby.
Hence my digging into certain users. Why, you may ask? Because I look at recent threads and see the same idiots doing it again with other users, just sarcastic snobby responses without any insightful information to help them but to belittle. So why not give them a taste of their own medicine and see how they feel? Petty, you could say, and I agree with you, but at the end of the day, this thread is now beyond its cause because of idiots, and I'm beyond any helpful information needed as I have already thanked those who responded with great information. Let's not deny that this thread is beyond the OP as well, pointed out by
@Mark T Jones.
Nothing to do with me taking things personally, on the contrary, I'm actually enjoying and thriving on users like this who go on to challenge hardworking individuals who ask innocent questions only to be belittled. It's why I got far in my business life; however, I always remained humble until you bump into certain snobby characters. What you tend to find is that it's these characters who have the problems and give it large.
Identity numbers, well
@MRQ, your fellow user was giving it large to another user over nothing, started chatting absolute bull about him being a police officer and journalist without any relevance to that user's thread and business. Again, being snobby, so why not ask for his badge number and challenge him? It's within UK law and rights, as I'd like to do a subject access request, plus him spamming this whole thread with his reactions. Well, let's have fun, lol.
As for your comments concerning your own business being dissolved in response to my previous comment, I praise your respectful response and efforts in your last large posts, and I thank you for that and your comments. In addition to your journey in business and successes ahead. The advice you gave concerning the Issa brothers, in addition to the advice you gave in the last two paragraphs, I definitely will take on board, and thank you for that. Your last two posts, I definitely see them as HELP, and some others.
I agree with what your saying, though, when you get certain individuals who belittle, and I've seen a few recent threads after this experience where I've seen the same individual going out of their way to make people look stupid, it's not right. As much as I will take this and your respectful response as neutral and helpful, to others I will not, as sometimes you have to state the obvious to individuals about your own personal life, i.e., mortgage business, etc., especially when digs are being given without any reason, besides. It's not fair to treat people like that.
I'll admit, I dug out those concerning their business histories, and you felt it necessary to explain, as did I when being dug at. So you understand the reasons why.
Anyways, praise and thanks to you for your responses and helpful advice, truly. Thanks again.
and oh I actually like salt & vinegar with my chips and pot of curry on side. Cant beat that from a good old chippy now can ya
