Hi,

Since no one's willing to engage me in a debate, I think I'll post a counterpoint to your message. BTW, I agree with the main points you made.

You wrote:
> In 1956, no one was sure if a pizza shop in
> the suburbs would be a viable idea. Sounds
> like a needless worry today, but back then
> it was an untested novelty.

Since Papa didn't know if the idea would work, since he wasn't copying a viable success model, he's lucky it did work.

Luck is a necessity, but it's possible to manufacture your own luck by stacking the cards in your favor. I know I sound like I'm parroting what Bill Myers said a few years ago, but the truth is the truth no matter who says it.

Papa had an invisible helper, by the way: he was "trading with the trend," a maxim familiar to all traders. Papa was providing a product that was in a rising uptrend of popularity.

Just my two cents.

Boyd "Mr. Trend" Stone :-)