Goble Properties Archives - Page 6 of 8

Out With the Old

There are a lot of ways to learn that we grow when old things are tossed aside and new things are let in. I was reminded of that recently and thought I’d share this story.

One of the hardest days of work I ever had was when, as a teenager, I cleaned out an industrial building at 2490 Lafayette Street in San Jose. It was a classic metal building that had been a manufacturing plant. With about half an acre under the roof, it was filled with grease, oil, dirt, and a fine dust that today would probably be considered …

The Intersection Event

A few months ago my friend Mark Rhode asked if I would attend The Intersection Event on January 14. He explained that it would be a gathering of 350 innovators and social change agents who want to explore ways to change the world for the better. The conversation would revolve around philanthropy, innovation, and the business bottom line. The idea of an “intersection” was to gather people from all segments of society and see what the cross-pollination creates. A bonus was that the event would be held at Pixar Studios, just 30-minutes from home.

Thus last Saturday D’Aun and I …

Christmas Letter

I was once known for my hilarious Christmas letters. Or at least I thought they were funny. But life got busy, not to mention less than rosy all the time, and hilarity sometimes turned into the mundane. It can be hard to muster the energy to put out a Christmas letter, much less one with humor.

This year, I stepped back from the brink of seriousness and added a few light touches of humor. Nothing that will cause a belly laugh … but certainly not as serious as in the recent past. I hope you enjoy it.
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Dear Friends …

Taking Good Solutions Too Far

My father built a mobile home park in the early 1970’s. Seemed like a good idea at the time — the land was cheap, the location was near a lot of blue collar jobs, and construction costs were minimal.

But he had a hard time getting anybody to move into the park.

He found a solution by buying mobile homes from the factory and moving them into the park himself. Then he’d sell the mobile home all ready to go. The buyer didn’t have to deal with permits, utilities, setup, transportation, etc. The park began to fill up this way …

Goble Lane

I love this picture. Take a close look and you’ll see three wrecking yards, with metal buildings mixed among them. You’ll also see a small mobile home park in the midst of construction (about half the trailers are in place).

This is Goble Lane, in San Jose, circa 1960 or so. My Dad built the metal buildings and eventually owned all three wrecking yards plus the mobile home park. It’s all gone now, of course, torn down for retail spaces and condominiums. But it was the anchor of Goble Properties for a couple of decades.

I spent a lot of …

Your Product Causes Blindness in Goats

Apple released a new version of the iPhone yesterday. Many were disappointed because it’s not a major upgrade. There are even complaints that Apple has been slow to introduce a new design for the phone.

Which had me wondering … what if the designers of a cool new gadget had to go through the same steps that I do when developing a property? What would that look like?

I think it would look something like this:

1) Get a great idea for a new product.

2) Learn everything you can about the demand for your product and what people really …

Jobs Plan

There’s a lot of talk about how to create jobs. Much of it is nonsense, and that’s true for both sides of the political spectrum. The discussion (if one could call it that) has degenerated into different visions of blurry reality. As with most divisions, there is some truth on both sides…but mostly a lot of catering to special interest groups.

So I thought I’d add a personal insight into how to create more jobs in America. This is part ranting, part common sense, and part personal agenda. Most likely it will contain things neither political party likes.

Here are …

Don’t Trust Anybody Over Thirty?

This has been a year to celebrate the thirtieth year.

“The thirtieth year of what?”, you might ask.

The answer: several things, but one big thing.

It’s the thirtieth anniversary of my first day at Goble Properties. Not a big deal, but when was the last time you met somebody who had the same job for 30-years?

It’s also the thirtieth anniversary of our college graduation. D’Aun and I both went to Westmont, and we look forward to the October reunion.

I lost thirty pounds this year. Actually, this summer. And actually, I’m not done losing yet. …