All Forum Posts by: Jeremy T.

Jeez, I really need to log on here more often on the weekends...

Every single business on Earth since the beginning of time can segment their market into 3 categories: 1)people who want to do business with you, b)people who don't yet know they want to do business with you, and iii) people who will never want to do business with you. 

I believe the VAST.majority of people fall into iii),. Leverage 1) to educate and build trust among group b).. 

The goal of any business is to turn as many b)'s into 1)'s as possible.  Demographics (age, location, job, etc) are merely screening criteria to try and target your way into the brains of as many b)'s as you can.

::taptaptap:: 

Not sure if this sarcasm button working properly...should I email Josh?

I wonder if he stepped up like a real investor and purchased the property himself or had a bunch of weasel clauses that would allow him to screw over the seller if he couldn't find a buyer?

@Richard C. that may be true, however the goal of any direct marketing piece is to get the prospect to engage...and it works quite well in that regard.  The problems arise either with the copy contained in the message or in the prospects targeted by the marketing.  

wow @Mike Hurney 

Really good thread everyone.

@Sean H. 

I agree, Children's hospital certainly didn't hurt.  The proximity to Oakland, the Strip and downtown also helps.

The Brownsville Road corridor and Mt. Washington 'slums' (apologies to @Account Closed for disparaging his home turf) do not have much going for them.  Like he said earlier, the only 'grocery store' in that part of town is a Family Dollar.  This is not the kind of progressive development that leads to neighborhood revitalization.  

I have seen it happen right before my eyes in Portland.  The common denominator for ALL of these neighborhoods is reliable public transportation and the ability to obtain food/drink/entertainment/groceries without getting in a car.  Virtually every neighborhood in the City of Pittsburgh has that ability (in theory)...it's just a matter of 'cleaning them up' that poses the most  difficult challenge. 

@Account Closed 

You are far more familiar with the neighborhoods on Mt. Washington.  Is there potential for Mt. Oliver to "revitalize"?  Maybe a better question is: was there ever vitality in Mt. Oliver?  Is there a central business district?  Does the light rail still use Warrington Ave, or is that only utilized when the tunnel is closed?  The reason Lawrenceville was able to come back is because it is self-sustaining with business and transportation.  

Having access to the light rail is huge.  That is why I think Beechview is ripe for improvement.  Aside from having to drive around Beechview (which is one of the few neighborhoods in Pittsburgh actually built on a grid...which leads to arguably the steepest grade on a public road in the world), there is extremely easy access to the light rail, both Banksville and "Wesliberty", and Broadway Ave has the 'bones' to become a really interesting CBD.  Oh yea, and you can find really interesting old houses there for dirt cheap.  You still have to send your kiddos to CoP schools though :(.

I saw it happen over and over again in Portland (Oregon) when I lived there.  Neighborhoods that were the preferred hangout of crack dealers/users at the turn of the century (2000) were transformed into little hipster enclaves all over town in less than 10 years.

Edit: additional thought on light rail.  The 'new' line that parallels 51/88 is potentially interesting for neighborhoods like Brookline, Overbrook, Carrick (on the west side of Brownsville road) and Castle Shannon.

@Mary B. 

It's from Trailer Park Boys.  

Fantastic homage to our kind neighbors to the north, aka. America's Hat, aka. The Land of No Stanley Cup Since 1993.

This is why starting a business with "no money, credit, or business experience/savvy whatsoever" is a (I really really want to use some foul language here) joke. 

These people are clearly the victim of some brilliant guru who told them how to retire early/escape the rat race/be their own boss/etc, but forgot to mention the part about it being really tough, and like 95% of people (rough estimate just from my brief experience here on BP) fail. 

Having a google voice number and littering some stupid and ugly signs on telephone poles does not constitute starting a business. It's a joke.