The difference between an idea and a business isn’t the idea. It’s the people willing to…

The difference between an idea and a business isn’t the idea. It’s the people willing to bet on it.

Everyone has ideas.

Ideas are everywhere.

Execution is rare.

Over two years ago, I flew home to Massachusetts and my friend Joe said, “I have an idea I want to show you.”

At 1 a.m., we quietly toured an empty restaurant.

In the dark.

Joe and Michelle were both running the legendary local restaurant just 150 yards away, and in a small town, they didn’t need anyone seeing them walk through a potential new space.

That moment stuck with me.

Not because of the building.

Because I knew they could execute.

Over the next two years, we talked through ideas, challenges, branding decisions, marketing strategies, and countless questions. I was lucky enough to have a small seat at the table while they did the hard part.

Then they made the leap.

They walked away from secure, successful careers and bet on themselves.

Fear didn’t disappear.

They just decided it wasn’t going to make the decision.

Last night I surprised them at GEMMA in my hometown of Norwood, Massachusetts.

The space is stunning. It honors the building’s history while creating something entirely new. Even better, it’s filled with familiar faces they’ve brought along for the journey.

It reminded me so much of building CUENTO Marketing (opens the CUENTO site in a new tab).

When you create something from nothing, the business matters.

But the people who believe in the vision enough to build it with you…

That’s the real reward.

Congratulations, Joe and Michelle. Thanks for letting me play a small part in an incredible story.

What’s the idea you’ve been talking about for years… but haven’t started yet?