有段時間，總喜歡與朋友做一些思想實驗，當中有不少瘋狂想法，其中一個想法就是，若以「屎」為題，如何開一家餐廳。
這是一個很荒謬的想法……
我說: 「如何？」
朋友說:「一是從食物方面著手貼題、又或在外觀上貼題？裝修設計？名稱上去改，加個「屎」字，惡搞類型的餐廳？」
我説:「倒不如在餐廳裝修時潑糞，增加特色？如果做惡搞類型餐廳，能夠維持多久？若果打響了知名度，如何惡搞，不打知名度，難道騙人食屎？如果衹是在字眼身上下功夫，這個想法就沒有意義了。」
朋友苦笑了一下，說:「這又可以怎樣做？難道真的要人食屎？不過這樣才有趣，才有一想的價值？」
我跟朋友說，:「果然跟我一樣，也是瘋的。」
兩個男性，含情脈脈，對視一望，很是有趣。
我說:「雖然很反直覺，但至少可以排除在裝修上或者形態上，就算真的開了這樣主題的餐廳，那祇不過是巧合名目罷了，這樣做意義不大。
而且就算真的開了，這件事的噱頭也不大，就同以菠蘿為題，開一間賣菠蘿包的餐廳無有分別。」
朋友説:「所以這件事的核心在於，如何說服他人，給我們錢，然後吃屎。
屎是動物拉的，恆常的畜生，不外乎人、豬、牛、羊、馬……十二生肖。」
我説:「哪一種都是人間極品。十二生肖內的基本上都能夠排除，中醫不是有用屎入藥的習慣，從這方面著手？」
朋友說:「世間上，需要用屎治療病可不多，藥材不是食材，總不可能在食物中加些藥材點綴？」
我説:「所以到頭來，還是回到原點？或者真的要找到一種動物，不在十二生肖來，又非藥用，人又願意入口……」
我跟他忽然思路閉塞，需要推杯換盞，喝一口烈酒。
朋友喃喃自語：「一是食的，一是養的。」
我說道:「對，假如沒有特殊癖的話。」
忽然之間，我倆心有靈犀一點通。
「貓的、嗎？」
忽然一切豁然開朗，仿佛找到了答案，又仿佛説了個笑話，笑、罵竟分不清，朦朧中帶點醉意。
以「貓屎咖啡」為題開一間餐廳。
最終回到現實……
逐漸成長，到社會接觸了更多的人和事，才發現世事的無常，生意的難做，永遠想不到的風險。「事先把情況設想到最壞，然後再想現在有什麼方法能儘可能以最低成本的方法，避免它。」
之後有幸接觸到許多生意人，發現但凡做得長久的，都有一種刻在骨子裏的謹慎。
開展一個新局面，先假設它是徹底失敗的。例如要租一個地方，先說假如之後地方有問題的話，應該要如何處理。找一個合夥人，先談好撤資時的一切相關安排。雇傭一個員工，就算他面試表現出眾，履歷豐富，先假設他是虛有其表的，用一些實際的是先試試他的表現。
而往往這些措施，做了，許多時都是沒有效果，因為做了這些，經已防範了未來的風險。沒有做，之後卻可能會有滅頂之災。
安全措施，做了，或許衹是浪費了一些小時間、小成本。
而沒有事先做這些，後續影響有可能極大。萬一簽了租約，忽然發現場地的水管日久失修，一次水浸，生意全毀？萬一家人突然出現健康狀況，急需用錢，需要放棄現時的生意，沒有做撤資協定，徒生多一個煩惱？萬一這個員工的確樣樣都出色，但恰好交給他工作的範疇，正是他沒有接觸的一面，老闆要求他做，他強要去做，事後工作真的出現了問題，這到底是誰的責任？虧損的，到底是誰？
「凡事先往最壞想，至少跌下來也不會死，先做好目前效果最大的，最有把握的，然後逐步做好這件事的細節。」
這是我一位有深厚生意經歷的老者長輩，苦口婆心，用了十年時間，不斷提醒我的事。
年少輕狂，又早出來闖蕩，事後失敗了好多次。每每腦海中浮現這句說話，越來發現這句說話是人生的寶藏。
要成一件事，很少說是需要很多天賦，很高深的技術和知識。對危險的小心，對細節的重視，對未知的謹慎。遠遠重要過奇思妙想，妙招不斷，又或者正正對事的敬畏和謹慎，才能造出別人眼中的所謂「妙招」。
開一間「貓屎咖啡」，是否又真的是一個好主意？顯然不是，首先貓屎咖啡的受眾有限；其二，產品單一的，萬一供貨渠道有所受損，整盤生意會徹底玩完；其三，這算是飲食業，但貓屎咖啡並不是剛需，這很大可能在新鮮感過後，結果無人問津，或者覺得貓屎咖啡也不外如是。
諸如此類，等等的風險和未知太多，除了有噱頭外，好處不大。
但假如我衹是正常經營一間普通的餐廳，以提供麝香咖啡作為招攬客戶的噱頭特點，或許可能設計專屬配套的特別蛋糕、餐品，作為配合，這可能又是一個好主意。
瘋狂、謹慎，一體兩面。這間餐廳是否成功，一定不會衹是一件事的突出。餐品是否穩定、服務是否適合、目標受眾與餐廳的風格是否匹配、管理是否恰當。
後來發現做人也是，某一項優勢/特徵的確可以惹人矚目，但做事是否靠譜，還是要看整個人的思想體系是否完整，以及是否適合當時的這個環境。
The Path of Despair: Opening a Restaurant with Feces as the Theme
For some time, I've enjoyed doing thought experiments with my friends, and we've come up with some crazy ideas, one of which was the idea of opening a restaurant with "poop" as the theme.
It's a pretty absurd idea...
I said, "So, how would you do it?"
My friend replied, "Would you do it by theming the food, or by theming the decor? You could modify the name by adding the word 'poop' to create a mischievous type of restaurant?"
I said, "Or instead of just using the word, we could splatter poop during the restaurant's renovation to add a distinctive feature. If we did a mischievous theme restaurant, how long could we maintain it? If it gained notoriety, how could we really be mischievous without damaging the reputation? If we only focused on the wording, the idea wouldn't have much substance."
My friend chuckled and said, "But then how could we actually do it? Would we really have people eat actual poop? Wouldn't that be the only way to make it truly interesting and give the idea any real value?"
I told my friend, "You're just as crazy as I am."
The two of us, gazing at each other fondly, found the whole thing quite amusing.
I said, "Although it goes against common sense, we can at least rule out just using the decor or appearance. Even if we did open a restaurant with that theme, it would just be a gimmick. The idea wouldn't really have much substance.
And even if we did open it, the novelty factor wouldn't be that great - it would be no different than opening a restaurant that just sells pineapple buns."
My friend said, "So the core of this idea is how to convince people to give us their money and then eat poop.
Poop comes from animals - the 12 zodiac animals, like humans, pigs, cows, sheep, horses... those would all be top-tier human delicacies."
I said, "Any of those would qualify. Traditional Chinese medicine does use feces in some remedies, so we could explore that angle."
Friend said: "In this world, there are not many cases where feces are used to treat illness. Medicinal materials are not food ingredients, so it's impossible to add them to food as garnishes, right?"
I said: "So in the end, we're back to square one? Or do we really need to find an animal that's not part of the twelve zodiac signs and not used for medicine, but that people are willing to ingest..."
My friend and I suddenly hit a mental block, so we decided to have a drink to clear our minds.
The friend murmured: "One is for eating, one is for raising."
I said: "Yes, unless there's a special preference."
Suddenly, we seemed to have a moment of enlightenment.
"Cats, perhaps?"
All of a sudden, everything became clear, as if we had found the answer, yet it also felt like a joke, and we couldn't tell whether we should laugh or scold. It was a hazy, slightly drunken state.
Opening a restaurant with "Cat Poop Coffee" as the theme.
Eventually, we returned to reality...
As we grew and interacted with more people and experiences, we realized the inconstancy of the world and the difficulty of doing business, with unimaginable risks at every turn. "Anticipate the worst-case scenario first, then think of ways to mitigate it at the lowest possible cost."
Later, we had the chance to interact with many business people, and discovered that those who had been successful for a long time all had a sense of caution deeply rooted in their bones.
When starting a new venture, we should first assume it will be a complete failure. For example, when renting a space, we should first consider how to handle it if there are problems with the location later on. When finding a business partner, we should discuss all the arrangements for withdrawal in advance. When hiring an employee, even if their interview performance and resume are outstanding, we should still assume they are all just for show and test their actual abilities first.
Surprisingly, these precautionary measures often turn out to be unnecessary, because by taking them, we have already mitigated future risks. Without them, there might have been disastrous consequences. The safety measures, even if they only cost a little time and money, are still worthwhile.
Without doing these things in advance, the subsequent impact could be enormous. What if we sign the lease and suddenly find that the water pipes in the premises have been neglected for a long time, leading to a flood that destroys the entire business? What if a family member suddenly has a health issue and we need money urgently, forcing us to abandon the current business without having a withdrawal agreement, leading to additional worries? What if this employee is indeed outstanding in every aspect, but the specific area of work we entrust to him happens to be something he has never dealt with before, and when the boss requires him to do it, problems arise afterwards - whose responsibility is that? Who bears the losses?
"Assume the worst-case scenario, at least you won't die if you fall. First do what will have the greatest and most reliable immediate impact, then gradually work out the details."
This is the invaluable advice that an experienced elder, who has deep business acumen, has been repeatedly emphasizing to me over the past ten years.
As a young and impulsive person who ventured out early, I have experienced many failures. Whenever this saying comes to mind, I realize more and more that it is a treasure trove of life wisdom.
To accomplish something, it rarely requires extraordinary talent, high-level skills, and extensive knowledge. What's far more important is being cautious about dangers, attentive to details, and prudent about the unknown. This is far more crucial than constantly coming up with ingenious ideas or miraculous solutions. It's the reverence and prudence towards the task at hand that can create the so-called "ingenious strategies" in others' eyes.
Is opening a "cat poop coffee shop" a good idea? Clearly not. First, the target audience is limited; second, the product is single-source, so if the supply chain is disrupted, the entire business will collapse; third, it's in the food and beverage industry, but cat poop coffee is not an essential item, so the novelty may wear off quickly and it could be abandoned.
There are too many risks and unknown factors like this, aside from the gimmick factor, the benefits are not substantial.
However, if I were to simply operate a normal restaurant and use a unique Civet coffee offering as a gimmick to attract customers, and then design specialized complementary cakes and dishes, that could be a good idea.
Craziness and prudence are two sides of the same coin. Whether a restaurant succeeds or not definitely does not hinge on a single outstanding factor. It depends on the stability of the food, the appropriateness of the service, the alignment between the target audience and the restaurant's style, and the adequacy of the management.
I later realized that this applies to people as well. While a certain advantage or trait may make someone stand out, whether they are truly reliable ultimately depends on the completeness of their overall mindset and whether it fits the current environment.