family entertainment
Family Entertainment
Vocabulary
| willing | acquire | convinced |
| buddy | respect | file for bankruptcy |
| fired | modest | bankruptcy |
| chance | massive | property |
| payoff | achieve | potential |
| profit | hesitate | connections (2) |
| loan | borrow | amusement |
| furious | abandon | amusement park |
The Two Friends
Many years ago there were two friends: Arthur and Walter.
Arthur had already achieved modest business success and had acquired some wealth. People in him community respected him
His buddy Walter was different. He hadn’t really succeed yet. In fact, he’d been fired from his job. And eventually he filed for bankruptcy.
But Walter kept dreaming. He had a vision. He was willing to take big chances and expected big payoffs.
An Idea
One day Walter told Arthur of a grand plan for a new kind of family entertainment. “It’s a good opportunity,” said Walter.
Walter had already made a deal to buy the necessary land to build the family entertainment. And because they were friends, Walter offered Arthur some advice.
“Buy up all the property surrounding the land that I will soon build the family entertainment on,” Walter told Arthur. Walter was convinced this property would increase in value many times over as his new entertainment venue grew in popularity.
Arthur’s Reaction
Arthur was excited. Immediately he could see the potential for massive profits. They would certainly come fast and furious.
Money was not a problem for Arthur. He was a fairly wealthy man. He also had many important connections. He could easily borrow more money if he needed.
But then he hesitated.
The Decision
First he questioned Walter’s concept. Then he began to doubt himself. Soon he began to think of many reasons why he should not move forward. “It’s not going to work…and we’ll lose our money,” he asked.
Finally, Arthur simply abandoned the whole idea.
And so in 1955, Arthur walked away from a tiny, undeveloped town of Anaheim, California. That’s where his friend, the once-bankrupt Walt Disney, built his first amusement park.
Questions
1. Who were Arthur and Walter?
2. Describe their situation in the beginning. Were they both successful?
3. Did Walter have a idea? What was his idea?
4. What did Walter advise Arthur? Walter advised Arthur to….
5. What was Arthur’s reaction?
6. What was Arthur’s decision? He decided…
7. What happened in the end? In the end,
A. Have you experienced or heard of similar missed opportunities?
B. Do you know anyone who started an enterprise from scratch and succeeded?
