一个顶级吃货的创业史

    乔•埃里尔属于纽约市外来人口，他的初创型公司Goldbely在旧金山设有门店。业务思路很简单：递送食品。

    这当然不是什么新事物。但Goldbely的与众不同之处在于，它在美国各地寻找当地生产的精美食品，然后把它们送到人们的家门口。而且并不仅仅是一般所谓的精美食品，想想看：新泽西州Carlo's Bake Shop制作、因为电视真人秀节目蛋糕大王（Cake Boss）而名声大噪的奶油甜馅煎饼卷；旧金山湾区的Boudin酵母面包；来自得克萨斯州的Blue Bell冰激凌；还有纽约市Katz's Delicatessen的五香熏牛肉和腌咸牛肉三明治。

    37岁的埃里尔希望帮助当地食品供应商获得全美国消费者的关注。他把这称为“食品行业民主化”。为了避免人们只是把它看成流行食品创业者大军中的普通一员，埃里尔坚持说他不喜欢“美食家”这个词带来的自负感（他更愿意把自己称为“食品探索者”），而且他只是希望和别人分享美国最好的东西。

    埃里尔已经连续多次创业，他曾是食品快递网站Delivery.com和美食网站Eats.com的首席执行官。他在范德堡大学（Vanderbilt University）获得了经济学学士学位。他和我们的谈话如下：

    1. 你在技术领域最欣赏的人是谁？为什么？

    史蒂夫•乔布斯、理查德•布兰森和杰夫•贝佐斯。他们都是按自己的规则行事的企业家。对于乔布斯，我欣赏的是他的眼光和对设计的真正重视。至于布兰森则是因为他的创造性和无拘无束。对于贝佐斯，则是他的长期投入和无怨无悔。对于正在设法构建自身事业的创业者来说，这个想法非常自由。作为推广者，我还欣赏休•海夫纳。他创造了自己的现实。他发现了自己想要的东西，而且用唯我独尊的方式进行推广。我对Goldbely有同样的感觉。

    2. 你欣赏哪些公司？为什么？

    我欣赏的公司是Y Combinator，原因是它意识到了一种新经济的到来。投资者为了金融收益而投资是一件事，但去积极地帮助数千名创业者实现自己的梦想、帮助他们提高获得成功的几率则是另外一件事。我们很幸运能参与这项活动，对他们所做的许多工作我都很赞赏。在电子商务领域，我欣赏的是亚马逊（Amazon）和鞋类网站Zappos，原因很明显。Zappos以“客户服务至上”为重点，这一点深植在我们的梦想里。亚马逊的远大抱负让人很受启发。

    3. 你对那些希望从事你这样工作的人有什么建议？

    旅行、品尝，反复这样做！筹划这家公司时，我知道它必须能引起我极大的热情。但同时，你可以有这样的想法，那就是你真正热衷的东西最终并不和你的技能相匹配。所以，要在你所热爱的东西和你所擅长的东西之间找到交叉点，同时发现市场中所有的潜在机遇。只要找到了最佳结合点，就用前所未有的力量进行发掘。

    Joe Ariel is a New York City transplant who opened up shop in San Francisco with his startup Goldbely. The idea is simple: a food delivery service.

    That's not new, of course. But the company distinguishes itself by finding locally sourced gourmet foods from around the country and delivering them to a person's doorstep. And not just so-called gourmet food, either: Think cannolis from Carlo's Bake Shop -- of "Cake Boss" fame -- in New Jersey, sourdough bread from Boudin in the Bay Area, Blue Bell ice cream from Texas, or a pastrami and corned beef sandwich from Katz's Delicatessen in New York City.

    Ariel, 37, wants to help local purveyors gain a national audience. He calls it "democratizing the food industry." And lest you think he is just one more in a long line of trendy food entrepreneurs, Ariel insists that he dislikes the pretension of the word "foodie" (preferring to call himself a "food explorer") and simply wants to share the best that America has to offer.

    Ariel is a serial entrepreneur -- he was once the CEO of Delivery.com and Eats.com -- and holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. He spoke with us.

    1. Who in technology do you admire most? Why?

    Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos. They're all entrepreneurs who play by their own rules. For Jobs, it's his vision and true emphasis on design. For Branson, creativity and wildness. For Bezos, it's building for the long term and being unapologetic about it; that idea is very freeing for entrepreneurs who are trying to build their own business. As a marketer, I also admire Hugh Hefner. He's created his own reality. He saw something that he wanted to build and marketed it like no one else could. I feel the same way about Goldbely.

    2. Which companies do you admire? Why?

    One company that I admire is Y Combinator for realizing that there's a new economy coming. It's one thing for investors to make investments for financial gain, but it's another to actively help thousands of entrepreneurs build out their dreams and give them a better chance to succeed. We're fortunate to have been a part of the program, and I admire a lot of what they do. In the e-commerce space, I admire Amazon and Zappos for pretty obvious reasons. With Zappos, the "customer service first" focus is something we instill deeply in our team, and Amazon's ambitiousness is inspiring.

    3. What advice would you give to someone who wants to do what you do?

    Travel, eat, repeat! When I was planning this venture, I knew it had to be something that I was super-passionate about. But at the same time, you can have ideas that you're really passionate about that at the end of the day don't align with your skill set. So, find the intersection of what you love and what you're good at and identify any and every potential opportunities in the market. Once you find the sweet spot, dig in like you never have before.