Ask El Diablo

[The Ocho]

if i was making up a list of "must eat at before i die" restaurants, what US restaurants should be included?

[PITTM]

el d,

will your own personal forum result in the beginnings of an "el diablo" brand, which will then become even more huge when your mashup career takes off?

also, is french laundry as good as advertised?

[NicksDad1970]

Why is a pair of pants called a pair?

If you were a hot dog would you eat yourself?(all beef of course)

[El Diablo]

KKF.

"Are you self employed?" Yes.

"If so, how are you able to get business? Word of mouth?" I now have a pretty big network of contacts via my last couple of businesses. But, all of my business have featured a lot of good old figure out who your customer is and start knocking on their door. Now it's a combination of that, some advertising, and some PR.

"Youve said before that you run software start ups. Can you give an example of one of these companies and how you helped it succeed, and an example of one company that failed and why you feel it failed?"

I was involved with a company as a board member (basically, the oversight/guidance committee for the company) that did financial trading software. I helped bring in some key team members and helped them focus their business on the most important things. That business was recently sold and everyone was very happy. One of my first companies was software tools for developers who want to build stuff on the Internet. That company failed because we were very late to the game (we did not have a deep understanding of the market and competition) and we were also targetting a market that is very hard to sell to, software tools.

"What are some non-software venture capital investments have you made?"

Most of my investing is either in very tradtional stocks and mutual funds or in private software companies or in venture capital funds. I made an investment to be a small partner in a bar. That didn't work out too well financially, but was a blast. I'd like to get into real estate.

"Someone asked you before where to go for graduate school, and you said nowhere, can you expand on this?"

Not sure what the context was, but I was probably making light of grad school. I think it only makes sense for people who are really into something, whether it be law or a field of graduate study or whatever. I had no burning desire to get more specialized schooling in anything, so I didn't go. I was lucky enough to do decently in business by myself, so I developed a great network of contacts in the technology world. For people who don't have that, there's some real value in going to a top business school. But I was really never much on school.

"How often do you pick up chicks in hotel bars?"

I used to spend a lot of time in hotel bars. I've very rarely picked up chicks at a traditional hotel bar, maybe once or twice. But when hotel bars started becoming the new hotspots, a few. It was especially great to be staying at a trendy hotel like that on a Tuesday or Wednesday when some girls come to check out the bar. I haven't spent much time in hotel bars in the last couple of years.

"Have you been/vacationed in any third world countries? If so, what did you like/dislike and think about them in general?"

India is the only one I have spent a lot of time in. I love it and would highly recommend travelling to places like that. Obviously, I dislike the bad air and the dirtiness. But I just love the experience of being someplace totally different and getting immersed in a truly foreign culture. Europe nowadays is really not even like travelling that much, it's just like the US. I think it would be great for everyone to visit places that are just so completely different than anything you'll experience in the States.

[Wes Mantooth]

El Diablo,

To my understanding you seemed to be against becoming a Mod, any reason for the change?

Just curious,

-ManTooth

[El Diablo]

All,

A bunch of quick answers. I'll probably swing by and elaborate on some, depending on question volumes. And some probably merit spawning some new threads.

Dean: I'd go to grad school at the best place for you. Between Bay Area, Chicago, and Boston, you can't go wrong.

JaBlue: Hmm, can't really say. Maybe check out some "web 2.0" and other technology mixers/open-houses/networking events and then go find some interesting company and throw youself at them as an intern.

million: Too big and broad. I'll start a thread to talk about new business opps/models in technology/web2.0/etc. I wouldn't buy GOOG at $495, but I've been saying that about GOOG for a long time and been wrong every time. As for making deals, it's always possible to get doors opened via force of will and perseverence. But really if you're going to be doing deals w/ large businesses, it's all about references and recommendations. Otherwise you'll spend sick amounts of time just trying to find out who to talk to.

D: I'll quote info when I think more context is needed than my answer provides. I usually quote text directly as opposed to using the quote function because I use the Quick Reply window to post.

jg: I think reading biographies of founder/CEO types you really admire is a good start.

Zee: Plastic and screw-on corks are the wave of the future. Sucker knows more about this than me, but I'm told these are actually BETTER by many people in the know. Yeah, I still prefer cork!

A: Yes. I enjoyed Monster (gang book), but I'm a big fan of that topic. I don't think it was written all that well and probably wouldn't recommend it highly to people not really fascinated by the topic.

Rick: I hope you participate a lot around here, I'm a huge value shopper and know you feel the same way!

goof: That's a great book thread idea. That also gets me off the hook for answering right now. Very tough question. As for financing slower-growth businesses, friends and family. Knock on doors and keep knocking until you find the people. I know lots of people who have done this for bars and restaurants. If it's your passion, it'll shine through. Just keep asking. It'll also help to start small, renting out a studio space part-time and getting a couple of students for private lessons first or stuff like that to build up a reputation.

jack: Forum should be listed on the sidebar, menu, etc. now.

samj: Compound interest calculator on the web.

mmbt: Each time a round of venture capital financing is done, shares are issued to the new investors at the new agreed on price. If things are going well, they pay more per share (so for the same $ they have less stake than people who put in the same $ earlier), and if things are going poorly they pay less.

K: I try to use miles (standard ticket) for tickets over $500. This used to be pretty feasible, as outside of holiday times, you could usually get a last-minute ticket. I agree that they are becoming even tougher to use without spending the double miles premium awards, which results in me doing stuff like just using them for other people who are less flexible/picky about their travel. Or I use them for upgrades.

JA: Sorry, don't know Paris at all.

Gild: Sushi discussion is a whole thread.

[Taylor Caby]

How does it feel to have been "so close" to financial riches before the end of the dot com bust? When you lost a bunch of (paper) money, how did that affect you psychologically and what was did you do for the 12-18 months after that?

Any generic advice for young entrepreneurs?

tc

[kipin]

[ QUOTE ]
Europe nowadays is really not even like travelling that much, it's just like the US. I think it would be great for everyone to visit places that are just so completely different than anything you'll experience in the States.

[/ QUOTE ]

I find this a bit odd.

Sure Europe has adopted a lot of American practices, but you really can't say it is just like traveling in the US.

There is a ton of culture, history, architecture, viewpoints and beautiful women one would miss out on if they simply decided to skip Europe because it is "like traveling the US".

[El Diablo]

ah: Second round interviews are often split in half between specific business experience/qualification and "get to know you" type stuff. Every firm/industry is different, but one thing I'll say is try to show some personality and make some sort of bond w/ the interviewers. The qualifications stuff obviously you have to do as well as you can. But remember that people are also hiring people they are going to have to work with every day.

Sub: I don't know enough about science to wager a good guess. But, I can guess. Genetics. As for research niche, I'd say neurophysiology. I think understanding how the brain works is one of the most interesting things in the world to study.

im: In life, I just keep doing stuff and try to do more of stuff I like. I'm definitely still learning and finding out about new stuff that interests me, and hopefully that never stops. In terms of business, I first started in consulting and realized I didn't like that. Then I realized I didn't like bosses. Then I realized I didn't like being an independent consultant. Which led me to start a software company. If I hadn't liked that, I would have changed industries. But I loved building a company and that's what I still do 10+ years later. So, I used process of elimination.

J: See OOT master tipping thread for extensive discussion of that.

inferno: Read this forum.

danza: I have visited NYC a lot for 10 years, but only lived their half-time for about six of those months, usually just once a month or two trips. So you likely know far more than me. For a lot of people, though, the answer is just to walk around more and take in all the things and people around you in NYC. I do that a ton and just love it. Oh, and run the Fifth Avenue Mile in September.

Dibs: Whatever they've made, I bet they could have made 2-4x that in ad revenues. As far as things beyond that, they would have had to change from a "lifestyle company" into a very different sort of business to make this into something much more different and potentially valuable like a major men's online media property. Theoretically that could be a huge amount not realized, but that's sorta like saying "Joe decided to be a writer instead of an investmnet banker, how much did he leave on the table?"

Pete: Balvenie 12yo Doublewood best value, Laphroaig 12yo Cask Strength Signatory Bottling best I've had, not sure what the most expensive one I've had but a few in the $200 bottle range, and for Macallan find a cask strength next.

eu: I try to go to a ton of shows. Lots of "indie/alternative" type stuff including lots of shows at festivals like http://www.noisepop.com that rule. Also a lot of singer-songwriter and Wilco-ish stuff. This merits a whole new thread for recommendations.

colgin: Not sure. I was contemplating a move to NYC at the time, so I was very interested in the market. Decided to stay in SF, so I haven't followed it much.

Ocho: That deserves its own thread.

PITTM: One can only hope this will somehow help my producing and mashup careers skyrocket. Alas, French Laundry is one of the three places I haven't been to but desparately want to go. The way advance planning always bites me in the ass. I did finally schedule a reservation a few months ago, but then had a business trip come up that kept me out of town. I'll focus on getting this done. The other two are the Joel Robuchon restaurant in Vegas and Masa sushi restaurant in NYC. There are also some other restaurants like El Bulli in Spain and a couple in London that are high on my list, but these three are all in places I go regularly, so practical for me to go to soon.

[mntbikr15]

El D,

Im currently working on a website...it will be a mostly free site(with minimal pay-per features).

The target(read..only) market is college students.

At this time Im attempting to do everything between myself and my web developer.

I believe my site will be hit or miss. It will either be a great, niche filling idea and will take off as such or will flop. Due to this belief I have fairly minimal marketing planned for my launch timeframe(hopefully around april of this year).

I plan to do the leg work within and hour or two of my location...and a few select schools a few hours away. I also will be doing what I can through my network of facebook friends. Finally, after attending boarding school, I have a network of friends around the country who I can call on for a small amount of help.

Given my financial situation this is about all I can afford to do on my own. I hope that it spreads out of my initial target area mostly from word of mouth. This however is maybe a lofty hope?

My question is this:
Would I be better off going after VC money for more widespread advertising, or should I stick to my plan. I realize this may hinge on what specifically my site will do and if you want to know this piece of info I would be happy to answer in a PM.

Also, how long does the VC process usually take? I have to be ready to go no later then the middle of april, would this rule out that option anyway?

Thanks for any insight you can offer and let me know if you would like a PM detailing more or I havent conveyed my thoughts very well...Im a bit short on sleep at the moment.

Thanks,
Evan