The Go-For-It Window

We seek stability but life is ever-changing. It is inherently dynamic, with constant changes in the economy and technology reshaping our environment.

Take for example the restaurant industry right now. It is undergoing a big transformation.

@cam_meleon

Top 10 Restaurants at Risk to Close in 2024... 😭😭😭 #closing #closed #bankrupt #restaurant #top10 #childhood #nostalgia #nostalgic #fyp

However, this constant change often times means financial success mostly hinges on seizing a brief, fleeting opportunity. Sometimes you see stories in the news that reminds you that windows open and windows close.

RIP Morgan Spurlock

This week, I heard the news that Morgan Spurlock passed away. Morgan was famous for making the documentary Super Size Me, which was probably seen by everyone who was alive in 2000s America. Although some people have tried replicating the experiment recently and found out the results didn’t match.

@ken

Supersize Me? More like Superlied to Me 🤥 It’s CRAZY this is still shown in schools despite: 1. The results having been scientically disp... See more

Back in the 2000s it was a big deal to highlight the obesity crisis and blame fast food for making people unhealthy and fatter. You can see in the graph below the peak of caloric intake was the 2000s before it dropped a little bit.

Morgan Spurlock made a lot of money when those issues mattered. Most things don’t last; a small window of opportunity opens and then closes. He couldn't become famous with the same message today—those issues seem outdated now. There was a moment when people cared, and he had massive success.

His death made me reminisce about the zeitgeist of the '2000s guy.'

Death of The 2000s Guy

Guys like him were everywhere in the 2000s: white guy, goatee, sideburns, left-liberal leanings, distrusting corporations and believing in government solutions. Think Michael Moore—it was the golden age of documentary filmmaking.

But he faded as culture shifted. His critiques of obesity and Hollywood's corporate ties lost traction. Today, mainstream left-liberals embrace body positivity, and obesity isn't a major concern anymore.

@lizzo

Please use the body positive movement to empower yourself. But we need to protect and uplift the bodies it was created for and by.

He also made a movie about product placement in Hollywood. That it ruins the art of “cinema”.

At that time film and Hollywood had a lot of respect. Arguably it was the most famous art form. People would talk about movies all the time.

Fast forward to now and his obsession with product placement in Hollywood seems ridiculous. Hollywood is a business, cranking out sequels to make money, and no one cares if Coca-Cola shows up in a movie. Films today are cash machines, not artistic ventures, and people just want to be entertained.

No one would watch this documentary today. Our perceptions have changed.

In This Newsletter

Let’s explore windows opening and closing a little more:

1) The American Restaurant Industry: There's a massive wave of closures sweeping through iconic American sit-down restaurants that defined my youth. Inflation is driving up prices and Americans are becoming health conscious. The food culture is shifting once again.

2) On Making Money Playing Music: Can you still make a living playing music? On Spotify, you don’t hit minimum wage until you get over 3 million streams a year. Let’s explore the windows that have been closed on the music business.

3) The Go-For-It Window. How do we know when a window is even open? One way is to notice large gaps between accelerating technologies and stagnating social norms create lucrative new business opportunities. But they're only open for a short time when people can capitalize on the difference between the real and perceived state of the world.

The Restaurant Industry is Changing

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.