Hello??? Is anyone there??? 👻

We hear about it every day from start-up retailers. They call a “for lease” sign, have a (usually) pleasant conversation with the landlord’s broker, and then…nothing. Calls, emails and prayers all go unanswered.

They’ve just disappeared and left a specter of anxiety and dashed hopes. What in the flying phantasm?!

This is usually when the haunted house in your brain kicks into full gear…

😱 Did they think my business concept was stupid?

😱 Do they think I’m an idiot who can’t pull this off?

😱 Am I such an obvious loser that their kindness on our initial call was just pity? Is EVERYONE in my life nice to me out of pity? Do my dogs even really love me?

You know that moment in a horror movie when the monster is finally revealed? Have you ever noticed that it’s not nearly as scary as what you’re imagining? Same deal here.

Never fear, Pedal is here!

So what’s really going on here? The cause of the ghost is the broker’s very real assessment that a retailer is not prepared to lease a space, and consequently not worth their time and effort to continue the conversation. But since brokers don't want to seem like monsters 👹, they usually avoid telling the retailer directly. It’s just much easier to ghost.

Recently we had two emails cross our desks that illustrated this point perfectly. In these cases, the landlord’s brokers did NOT disappear and were kind and generous enough to shoot straight with the aspiring retailers. These brokers definitely liked the concepts and would very much like to do a deal with them, but the brokers know from experience that the retailer is not yet ready to transact.

Specimen #1: Broker likes the concept but wasn’t going to pass it along to the landlord without confidence in the capital budget and funding plan.

Nine times out of ten, the landlord’s broker won’t even spend the time composing an email like this…they just cut some holes in a sheet and start ghosting. 👻

So if you’ve ever been ghosted by a broker or a landlord, now you know why. But even if ghosts aren’t scary anymore, they are still a roadblock to get where you’re going.

That’s the whole point of the Dream Space Accelerator - to bust the ghosts! Here’s how we make sure Pedal Retailers are taken seriously when they go out to rent a space…

🎃 They have a realistic start-up capital budget and the funds secured to make it happen

🎃 They have a Powerhouse Business Plan that will wow brokers, landlords and bankers

🎃 They understand how retail real estate works, and are prepared to follow the rules of the game

If you’re sick of getting ghosted, you know where to find us. We’ll always answer your emails - promise.