How not to go out of business is the hardest part about business. The Distance tells true stories about those who’ve figured it out.
Startups dominate the news. What are the first three letters of news? New. The news covers what’s new. So it’s natural that startups are a popular topic — they’re new, fresh, young, limitless. They’re the business equivalent of stem cells. Anything is possible before reality sets in.
But startups haven’t had to face the world, the market, a million decisions they can’t control. And if they rely on venture capital money to stay afloat, that’s basically like living in their parent’s basement. They haven’t had to go and make their own living yet.
Surviving on someone else’s dime isn’t news.
We believe businesses that have made it are the ones worth talking about. Not made it in terms of making a billion dollars or whatever. But made it in terms of figuring out the hardest thing to do in business — not going out of business.
These are the kinds of businesses we feature on The Distance. Small businesses that have been in business for at least 25 years. If you make it 25 years, you aren’t a fluke. You’ve survived change, you’ve survived downturns, you’ve survived doubt. You’ve got advice worth listening to.
We do stories about…
- Tofu factories
- Bike shops
- Junk picker-uppers
- Neighborhood knife sharpeners
- Embalming fluid businesses
- Ice sculptors
- Bakeries
- and…
All of the above have been in business for at least 25 years — some many decades more. These are real businesses built on sales, grit, persistence, and fundamental economics. No made up metrics, no fancy accounting. No new economy bullshit. Just self-sufficient, sustainable businesses that aim to make more money than they spend.
Broaden your perspective in 2017. If you dig reading about startups, keep doing that. But also mix in some down-to-earth reality. Let The Distance help you balance your intake of business news. Read about those businesses that have figured out how to beat the odds and keep it going for the long haul. The true survivors.
Follow the podcast
New stories a couple times a month. About 15 minutes or less. These aren’t interviews recorded over Skype — we go on location to every business. Hear the owner’s voices, hear the clinks and clanks in the background. Real.
Subscribe on iTunes or the Google Play Music or checkout individual past episodes at http://thedistance.com. Happy listening!
