A friend of mine once said that all one needs to start a career as an entrepreneur is their head, some coffee, a notebook (electronic or traditional), and a nice place to sit. I think he’s right.

The cafe has been a wonderful place to generate ideas for millennia with no major improvements until recently when wireless internet service enabled improved information and communication access. This access has acted as an enabler to allow folks to work in new ways from the creative environment of a cafe.

After working from an internet-enabled cafe recently, I wondered to myself what other improvements could be made to the catalyzing effect of cafes? I began to focus on the communities created by a cafe. The unspoken camaraderie of location, groups of people intentionally and unintentionally meeting, the familiarity generated by consistent staff. A cafe is a place of many communities with many resources.

However, one community resource cafes lack is an entrepreneurial expert. Someone available during predictable hours for entrepreneurial conversation and advice. A new age Oracle at Delphi, who - for the offering of a coffee, tea, or latte - will listen to and discuss a burgeoning entrepreneur’s ideas and provide third-party perspective and thoughts that might help guide the entrepreneur along their path.

Could such a resource encourage new entrepreneurs to start small businesses that would contribute to a city’s economic engine? I suppose until someone tries it, only an oracle would know.

It’s a universal norm, people don’t like to change. It’s the mantra of idea busters the world over. “Great idea, but how are you going to convince people to actually use it.”

The good news it that there are people out there who embrace change and may even be addicted to it. These are the early adopters and the gadgetmongers among us. Everything hinges on them. If they don’t use it, then no one will. In engineering terms, they are society’s impedance transformer. Without them, change bounces off the wall of users happily or unhappily chugging along with the status quo. With them, change has a chance of taking hold.

So, if you are convinced that you have a good idea then get some early adopters on board and prove it.

If you are thinking of investing in real estate, there are a few things to consider.

First, there are many types of real estate investment, and investors typically specialize in a few, so develop some breadth of understanding before diving into the market. Second, understand that some of these investments are much more hands off than others. Third, for the RE investments that are hands on, it is important to view these investments as businesses.

There are many mini-articles describing the most common types of investment accessible to beginning investors. These descriptions are useful, but also useful is an understanding of the base factors that define the different investment types. These factors are: the type of property purchased, what is done to the property, and the end vehicle used to pass control to another investor.

There are many types of property to buy: simple control (lease option, long-term lease), managed equity (shares in a REIT), barren land (no assets on land), land and assets (trees, minerals), small residential (single family through three family), medium residential (four unit through twenty unit), larger residential (20+ residential units), small commercial, medium commercial, large commercial, and industrial.

Once you have a property, you choose one or more of the following actions to perform to create value: hold, protect, clean, maintain, repair, upgrade, build, lease, harvest assets, repackage(condo, reparcel). Each of these actions take varying levels of experience, knowledge, and time. Not all properties lend themselves well to all of the actions. Matching the type of property to the action is the one of the skills of a great real estate investor.

Eventually, in exchange for liquid capital, a saavy investor passes control of the property into the hands of another investor. The new investor is ideally one with different specialties who can realize more profit from the property because of market conditions. Control can pass in a variety of ways and is dependent on the standards of the area. Selling and long term leasing of property are typical options. Repackaging property into an equity vehicle and selling the equity is another way of freeing capital for further investment and diversifying risk.

An investor’s choices in the three base factors, their implementation, and market factors all define an investment’s return and determine the risk/reward ratio and time commitment required. Real estate investing can be extremely rewarding, especially for the prepared. Start small, but develop a breadth of knowledge that will provide you with the ability to recognize opportunities that others can not.

I’m a big fan of zymurgy, the art of brewing. The relative simplicity of the process, combined with the high quality of the final product just keeps me coming back. There is something distinctly satisfying in producing something potable that can last for years and tastes so darn good. And let’s not forgot the pleasure of sharing a homebrew with a friend over a lively discussion about Life, The Universe, and Everything.

For those with interest, here is a list of brewing blogs. I like A Good Beer Blog as well. You can also check out the American Homebrewers Association.

Lastly, here is a fun news report discussing some new research into the health aspects of beer.

Through information, education, and fun monthly gatherings, Connect Providence is dedicated to helping people get the most out of the City of Providence, Rhode Island. Whether it’s a bar, a house, a friend, or a business partner, Connect Providence is there to help make the right connection.