Quotes from Tilman J. Fertitta

People throw in the towel because they don't know how to fight. You'd be surprised how much fight you have in you if you just do it.

Don't ever let your business get ahead of the financial side of your business. Accounting, accounting, accounting. Know your numbers.

I ask people what they do in sales, how much money they made last year, what their cost of sales is, and they don't even know. If you don't know your numbers, you're going out of business. I don't care how good your product is.

There's nothing like history. I don't make mistakes today that I made many years ago, because I've already made them.

For years, people have been trying to talk to me about doing a show, and I wouldn't do one because I'm a serious business guy. I'm not going to do a stupid show. So, the opportunity came up with CNBC, and we started talking. It became a real business show. It's educational, people watch it, and it's great for small business.

If anything, I'd say my family was entrepreneurial - my grandfather and father. It was in our blood. But I didn't have this one mentor that was super successful.

If you aren't listening, you are missing out.

I absolutely do not think it's a foregone conclusion that we're going to lose our coach. Tom Herman loves the University of Houston. He's happy to be coaching at the University of Houston, and I think there are only a few places Tom Herman would even consider.

You can put the greatest seafood restaurant next to an average steak house in an urban area, and that steak house will do more business than the seafood place. If you go to the water, you can put an average seafood place next to the greatest steak house, and people are going to eat seafood.

I know all three facets of the business: the development side, the operations side, and I know how to borrow the money and how to put the deal together. If it was easy, everybody would do it.

The biggest thing I want to see is that people have the drive to succeed. If they can 'take it or leave it,' I don't do business with them. I enjoy mentoring. I like people who want to learn.

I'm there for my friends, and I'd like to think I'm there for my employees.

As much as you need to know your operations, if you don't understand the finance side and how to do the business, you're never going to be successful. So you might be the best operator or visionary, but if you don't understand the finance side... I'm successful because I know the finance side, but I also know operations; it's not an accident.

Everybody wants to be led. Except for me. I want to lead.