When Opportunity Knocks: A Tale of Unexpected Triumph

Shakespeare once penned, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." While I've never had greatness thrust upon me, I did have an entire business unexpectedly land in my lap – and what a wild ride it turned out to be!

Picture this: I'm fresh from my first venture in real estate development, feeling like I've got the world figured out. In a moment of entrepreneurial bravado, I decide to loan money to a fellow businessman, taking his company stock as collateral. Little did I know that this seemingly routine transaction would catapult me into an entirely new realm of business.

Just a few weeks later, the borrower vanishes like a magician in a puff of smoke, leaving me holding the reins of his company. Talk about a plot twist! Suddenly, I'm the proud (and slightly bewildered) owner of an office-sharing business in Washington, D.C. – what we now call "coworking space."

This wasn't just any run-of-the-mill operation. We're talking 20,000 to 30,000 square feet of prime real estate, offering everything from individual offices to expansive suites. It was a one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs and businesses, complete with secretarial services, copying facilities, and phone coverage. In short, it was a goldmine but I didn’t know it yet.

What started as a single location snowballed into an empire of 14 bustling hubs across the D.C. metro area. Although competition had flourished all around us, before we knew it, we were the undisputed kings of office sharing in the region. Talk about accidental success!

The cherry on top? A New York City private equity firm looking to roll up shared office providers for an eventual public offering, swooped in with an offer that we could not refuse. Unbeknownst to me, cashing out eventually allowed me to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. For the next year, I crisscrossed the country like a modern-day explorer, visiting 38 states and marveling at every national monument along the way. It was the American dream come to life, all because of a loan gone wonderfully wrong.

Looking back, the fateful decision to offer that loan was not the smartest decision at the time but as every entrepreneur will admit, it’s better to be lucky than good! It opened doors I never knew existed and led me down a path of unprecedented success.

But would I roll the dice again? At the time, that was the million-dollar question. The thrill of unexpected triumph is intoxicating, but the risks... Well, they're not for the faint of heart. It's a reminder that in the world of business, sometimes the greatest opportunities come disguised as challenges, and the key to success might just be having the courage to say "yes" when opportunity comes knocking – even if it's wearing a disguise!

“By Failing to Prepare, You’re Preparing for Failure”

Ben Franklin??

Alex Matini spent 40 years in the business world, successfully running companies in various industries. He now is a franchise coach and consultant at FranchiSelect in Washington, D.C. During his career, he successfully created and ran four startups. His third startup went from zero employees to over 200, reached $35 million in annual revenue and had a market value of $365 million when it went public.?

Alex doesn’t sell franchises: he is a teacher and a coach. He helps businesspeople who want to be business owners make their dreams come true through franchise ownership.?

If interested, you can call Alex at 202 239 8000. You can also email him here or get on his calendar here .