Peter Urs Bender TAG Publishing 108-150 Palmdale Drive Toronto, Ontario M1T 3M7 Dear Peter, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book Gutfeeling. I remember well when I was a young lawyer in Chicago and I had a client that was interested in acquiring a McDonald's franchise for Hawaii. For the better part of a year, I negotiated with McDonald's on his behalf. I met with Ray Kroc, McDonald's founder, frequently and I was pretty sure we had things in the bag. I had developed a good relationship with Ray; we understood each other, we trusted one another, and we liked one another. I didn't see how he could possibly turn us down, but he did. Ray had his own way of doing things. He put great store in his instincts - insticts that had, by the way, served him very well. Ray's instincts were at work when he was on a flight one day and found himself sitting beside a bright energetic Hawaiian resident who seemed to have everything Ray was looking for in a franchisee. They hit it off, and before the plane touched down, the Hawaiian franchise was gone. Ray called me and said, "sorry about Hawaii, but the rights to most of Eastern Canada are open". My client, who had his heart set on Hawaii, was stunned and after talking with his wife, decided they would pass on Ray's offer of the rights to Eastern Canada. When I called Ray to let him know of my client's decision, Ray said, "George, you don't want to be a lawyer for the rest of your life. Why don't you get involved". After talking it over with my wife, and listening to my instincts, I took him up on his offer...and, as they say, the rest is history. Thirty-four years later, we have over 1200 restaurants across Canada. I'm glad I listed to my Gutfeeling. If your book only helps a few to wake up that unkown power, it was worth writing. Peter, I wish you all the very best. Sincerely,  George A. Cohon GAC/ns  |