Ron Shaich

They call, pick up the phone, and we get there because we're of them and we're with them.

And we recognize that capital raising is not something they should be doing

but rather they should be worrying about building a better competitive alternative.

Similar kind of thing with the many skills that my partners bring to it, whether it be strategy, whether it be real estate, whether it be technology.

Our guys are available to the companies we invest in

Again, we don't push it, but on a cost plus basis.

And we want to protect our management team to focus on building a better company and not have to worry about scaling up so many of these different functions.

Well, I think it starts with life.

So, so much of what I've learned about building companies starts with life change.

I think in much of our society, much of our lives, we've confused byproducts with ends and means.

I have a friend who's a type 1 diabetic.

His goal in life is to stay alive as long as you and me.

But that is not something he can control.

It's a byproduct.

What is it a byproduct of?

Of a simple end, keeping his blood sugar between 80 and 180.

When he does that, the byproduct is life.

What's his means?

Diet, exercise, and insulin control.

It's literally the same thing in business.