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"Achieving Your Dream"
by webdoc"I'd like to tell you about achieving my dream. It's not a dream I want to achieve, rather one I did.
I worked in the finance industry for a decade and half. Unsatisfied and itching to open my own business. I wanted the very first family Billiard Parlor. Not a pool hall nor a player's room but a real Billiard Parlor that everyone in town would come to. I love the sport of pool, more professionally known as 'Billiards'.
I had prior experience in college working on professional feasibility studies so I spent 1.5 yrs working on my own feasibility study for a family billiard parlor. Most industries have industry surveys to compare financial numbers with in order to evaluate your liklihood of success or not. There wasn't one for the billiards industry so I conducted my own during the time I was writing my feasibility study. As the first industry study for Billiards it was adopted by the BCA and is still used today and enhanced each year.
Upon completion I approached a local attorney, the best in Fredericksburg, VA, Jim Ashby. He spent an hour playing devil's advocate, then brought in a colleague who spent another hour barraging me with questions. They agreed I knew my stuff. They were equally amazed with my feasibility study wanting to know what management company I hired to do it. They were surprised to learn I wrote it. They sent my feasibility to their CPA to check my numbers. I heard from them a week later reporting my numbers were extremely accurate and I had a gold mine on my hands. I was blessed to have Jim sub-chapter S incorporate me after the conditional use permit was granted, and J-J Billiards was born.
I had found a location and canvased the area. I provided a synopsis of my feasibility study of the non-alcohol Billiard Parlor with restaurant and Pro Shop to each private residence and the huge powerful church across the street from the local shopping center. Notice it was 'Non-Alcohol'. The church supported me, even showing up to the County Council meeting for my conditional use permit hearing.
I was so confident that I began remodeling the inside of the 4000 sq. ft. clear spaced location two weeks prior to the approval date for the council meeting. I planned the timing of sub-contractors so well that I was open 4 days after the permit was granted.
Four days later and for the next 7 months I ran a waiting list for pool tables. I had twenty-two 9' Gandy tables, 6 tavern (3.5' x 7') tables. I had a small restaurant, nice pro-shop with custom made cue stick cabinets lining one wall with cue sticks available there from 6 dealers. There were tables behind each pool table with six chairs for customers. Customers paid for 9' tables by time.
I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Over time I became known for my cue stick repair work, good food, clean atmosphere, and the variety of products in my pro-shop. Customers came from surrounding states.
We joined the BCA as a Business member. Later I won qualifying tournaments allowing me join the BCA as a professional player. I've played 1/3 of the current Hall of Famers' including Minnesota Fats, Willie Mosconi, Steve Miserack, Nick Varner, Ewa (pronounced Ava) Mataya (now Ewa Lawrence), Mike Massy, etc. I met and new some of the folks in the movie 'The Color of Money'. I actually turned down the opportunity for a bit part in the movie because of my business and tournament schedule.
My tournament schedule included becoming well-known as a 'Tournament Master'. This title gave me the reputation for conducting well-run qualifying and pro tournaments. I was approached by other room owners across the USA to run tournaments in their facility, all expenses paid. Each was a success bringing more demand in this area than I'd ever perceived in my feasibility study.
I far exceeded the dream I had as a child when I bought my first pool table shortly after watching Minnesota Fats play Willie Mosconi on the Wild World of Sports. That was where I fell in love with the sport once known as "The Sport of Kings".
I've not only played Fats, but he and I became such good friends that I stayed with him at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, during my last visit there for the BCA Exhibition & Hall of Fame Induction Banquet.
I'm playing Willie Masconi, Mr. Pocket Billiards, in this photograph. Dreams DO come true. All of these pics were taken at the Tennessee WheelChair Benefit Tournament which I won. ;)
Here I am about to win a game over Wille.
Hall of Famer Nick Varner (my ol' running pal) wearing a tie and Minnesota Fats far right shooting.That is the short version. I've edited a great deal as I have many stories and could expand on various aspects of creating the business, or even write about how I became a 'Tournament Master', 'Professional Pool Player' ranked #4 in the world at one time and even one of the original 6 certified Billiard Instructors in the world."
Just send your questions or comments to:
jdb_educator@msn.com
Or inbox me in Cybertown at http://www.cybertown.com/home/jdb_educator
Looking forward to hearing from you!
jdb_educator
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