In the world of American coffee culture, 1971 changed everything. That was the year Starbucks was born. For much of the country, Starbucks was the first coffee shop in their town. In New Orleans, our first coffee shop opened in The French Market - in the late 1700’s. For a city not known for being on the cutting edge of business, we were 200 years ahead of the coffee game. Today, we’re the country’s second biggest coffee importer, after New York City. In part that’s because we’re the home of coffee giant, Folger’s. But New Orleans has always been – and still is - a hub of green coffee mar ..read more

There are sayings in the English language that employ literal terms but have no literal meaning. For example, when we describe something as “black and white” we mean it’s obvious, not that there’s literally a black object and a white object.  When we say something’s “open and shut” we’re suggesting it’s inarguable, not that anything is literally open and shut – which, when you think about it, is physically impossible. It’s the same with “above and beyond.” When we say someone has gone above and beyond, we mean they’ve exceeded our expectations. Whether or not my lunch guests today, or the ..read more

I’m sure you’re aware of the many lists that New Orleans finds itself at the top or bottom of. For many years we’ve heard we’re near the top of the list for violent crime. At the same time we’re near the top of the list for best places to start a business. We’re near the bottom of the list of per capita income. And near the top of the list of dollars gambled on professional sports. Some of these lists have dubious veracity - and there are so many of them you probably have list-fatigue - but it’s instructive to talk about one list we don’t hear much about. The teen birth rate list. We ..read more

If you could sell a product every person on earth wants, you’d have a winning business. Right? So - other than a phone upgrade - what does nearly every single person on earth want? Love. And happiness. That’s the product platforms like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and other online dating services are selling. According to the latest numbers out there, 5% of people on Hinge find a partner. It’s about 13% on Bumble. Tinder leads the pack with just under 30%. In other words, somewhere between 70 and 95% of people on dating apps don’t find a partner. So, is there another business model that ca ..read more

New Orleans is a city of mysteries. Tourists, fascinated by ghosts and grandeur, learn about them on French Quarter walking tours. For those of us who live here, there are other mysteries. Like, “Why am I paying so much in property tax and my street still has massive potholes?” Here’s another New Orleans mystery that may have crossed your mind - when you’re driving down Tchoupitoulas Street. “What goes on behind that floodwall?” The Port of New Orleans is one of the most vital strands of the city’s economy, but to the average New Orleanian it’s the least visible. And if you’re drivin ..read more

If you Google “demolition videos” you’ll find a seemingly unlimited number of videos of commercial buildings being imploded, and bulldozers mowing down houses. 99% of these videos are posted with gleeful pride. They’re testament to growth and progress. Wiping old buildings off the face of the earth to make way for newer, bigger, and better buildings. Most cities in America regard this kind of change as positive. That is not how we define progress in New Orleans. Here, a house can be riddled with termites, or a commercial building poisoned by asbestos, and the only conversations we have ar ..read more

Back in 1923, a guy in Norfolk Virginia called T. Parker Host founded a company. He called it, T. Parker Host. 100 years later, in 2023, the company relocated the bulk of their operations to Jefferson Parish to what used to be known as The Avondale Shipyards and re-named it, Avondale Global Gateway. The new name is no exaggeration. It is now, in fact, a global gateway. The facility is set up kind of like a food court, with individual vendors operating independent dock and shipping-related businesses. Host employs around 450 people. Most of them here in Louisiana. What do all these folks d ..read more

Perception and reality can sometimes be two different things. When it comes to money, that can be a problem. You’ve probably had this happen: you’re thinking you’ve had a pretty good month, then you get your credit card bill and you get an unpleasant surprise. Somehow, you’d totally forgotten this was the month the dishwasher broke, you had to take your dog to the emergency vet, and you’re not doing nearly as well financially as you were thinking just 5 minutes ago. The same kind of thing can happen with a business. When you’re running a restaurant, even a minimal gap between financial pe ..read more

Every creature on earth is concerned with his or her appearance. I use the pronouns “his” or “her” intentionally, because in most species this attention to appearance is connected to attracting a mate for procreation.  For the human species, things are different. Our interest in our appearance doesn’t need to be connected to mating, or even dating. It can be a form of artistic or self-expression. And there are whole industries - from hair dye to health diets - to help us out. The connection between health and beauty is an age-old pursuit of balance between the art of appearance and scienc ..read more

There’s more to life than money. That’s true. In some circles it’s become fashionable to talk about the goal of business as being about more than single-mindedly making money. Ok, that’s true too. But it’s worth noting that although money can’t buy you happiness, poverty can’t buy you anything. I stole that witty observation from a meme on Facebook, but it does point up a basic truth: whatever else you’re trying to achieve, you can’t start, run, or grow a business without money. When you hear terms like “Venture Capital,” and “Series A Funding” you may find your eyes glazing over and ..read more