Employee to Owner During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The corona-virus pandemic has severely crippled the hospitality and food industries. While struggling to stay afloat financially, many small businesses have relied on their various loyal customer bases.

Offering take-out options has been an essential tool for these industries to maintain their cash-flows, until the public can gather once again and enjoy all the culinary options Syracuse has to offer. Hope seems nearly here as New York slowly re-opens in a strategically phased approach.

Sir Richard Branson, British business magnate, author, investor, philanthropist and billionaire owner of the Virgin Group of businesses once said, “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”  As concise a statement as that is by such a prominent business person, that statement is precisely what transpired with Dan and Debra Sidon in their quest to secure small business ownership.

As a property manager in Syracuse, NY during the late 1990s, Donna Glassberg noticed a problem that needed a solution.  Renters struggled to find housing in an easy, accessible way. 

While walking in her Syracuse University neighborhood, Donna would see cars pulled off to the side of the road, writing numbers off the for-rent signs plastered on the sides of the buildings.  She thought this was a terribly inefficient way to find housing for students and faculty moving to the area.  Since she was immersed in the industry and understood the process well, she knew she could create something that would help both her employers and her renters to connect in a more efficient way.

Everyone has a past—some are good, and some are not as good. But whatever you’ve gone through, translating your background and experience to shape and position your business can be transformative. 

Eric Maliszewski was able to translate his skills and experience into ownership of the Canal Side Café & Bistro in the heart of the beautiful village of Baldwinsville.  While Eric’s story may not be completely unique, it is a story about progression, perseverance, patience and opportunity.

Eva Zaczynski had absolutely no experience running a restaurant when she first opened Eva’s European Sweets in in 1997.

She picked a red brick building on Milton Avenue, just west of Syracuse, because she could afford the rent.  As word got out in those pre-internet days, the staff kept written directions by the phone to help lost diners when they called.

Entrepreneurs are innovative, self-starters and motivated beyond  belief. We, in economic development, marvel at your tenacity and sheer will-power.

When starting a business, you have created a step-by-step plan on how to begin, when and where to start, detailed your business plan with extensive projections, and forecast the possible highs and lows of your new venture. You have detailed every phase of your project, and what needs to be done to make the next phase a success. This commitment to success is awe-inspiring. Often, you spend so much time and energy planning and cultivating your “baby,” but most times very little effort at planning for your exit.

The best days that Central New York has to offer us weather-wise are upon us.  Now is the time to get out, soak up the sun, and step away from the daily grind.

No matter what stage of entrepreneurship you are in, it is far too easy to get sucked into wearing many different hats, working too many hours each day, and never allowing yourself time to recharge.  After all, isn’t this the reason you chose to become an entrepreneur? —to make your own schedule, allow inspiration and creativity, and spend more time with your families and friends.