January Topic:
”There are numerous pro athletes, entertainers, and other celebrities who are pool enthusiasts. What kind of potential (if any) do you see for celebrity star power to influence media exposure for the pool world? I really believe that we can all have a positive influence in bringing new eyes to this sport with this next post. What’s your opinion?”

There’s so much angst in the tiny pool world about the game’s place in the world order. That is to say somewhere above organized scrabble but at least one level below bowling. The above question is posed for this month’s edition of “Poolsynergy,” a collection of blogs from bloggers around the Internet pool world. Melinda asked me to give my opinion.

The short answer to the above question is, “No, not in my lifetime.’’

This idea would fall under the category of miracle, hitting the lottery or aliens coming from space and fixing our transportation infrastructure with one wave of their magic laser.

All the successful game or sports franchises you are familiar with are successful because they hit upon the right business model. There is no success without the right business model. EVER. Are you listening? EVER. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MODEL.

This is the point where the pool junkie counters with the compelling argument that says, “Well, then what we need is some rich billionaire who likes pool to come in and put his or her money behind it. That surely will work.”

Then after I shake me head it’s, “Why do you have to be so negative. Your negativity is ENDLESS. If you know so much why don’t you show us pool people how to do it then?”

Let me answer the second thing first. “Am I wearing a t-shirt that says, ‘I’m looking to throw good money down the rat hole called professional pool; where do I sign up!’ “

There has to be a successful business model, remember? Well, actually a successful business is possible but the return on investment is so pitiful that it nullifies taking the risk. But it’s possible. I’ll give you a hint. Think Mosconi Cup.

Back to the first thing. Negativity. The way to tell a true business amateur is if they take hard questions about their business or business model personally. If you don’t want the hard questions you need to get out of business. You have to be a little paranoid in a relentless sort of way to be successful. You have to always be thinking about what can go wrong, anticipate and seeking answers. Negative feedback is more important than positive feedback. How can I do this better, am I working as hard as I can, am I doing fantastic customer service? On and on. If you aren’t working like a dog you better be the most talented person in your field. Oh, and you better have access to a lot of money because in this day in age if you don’t come out of the box with a fantastic product you’re already done.

So what’s stopping pool? No, it’s not enough rich aliens. It’s pretty simple. But unless you’re willing to face the facts, accept them and take on the problems head on you have no chance of even getting close to a successful business model. Celebrities, rich people and aliens have nothing to do with it.