Doing anything new is always a funny feeling, like a rollercoaster just before it starts. What really helps is when you look at your friend in dread and they smile back.
Many people sent a word of encouragement, advice, news, and hopes of creating partnerships that have a common goal: Wellsville NY and Allegany County. Thank you all for reaching out!
Launching a business is curious and I’ve launched a few. The first was a lemonade stand out in front of my grandmothers house – Straightforward operation, closed down due to age.
Next was my first business fresh out of college(SUNY/St. John Fisher) in 1999, WebSiteAce.com, which, despite my hopes and dreams, wasn’t purchased for millions – folded tent in 2000. Finally after a stint at Jones Memorial Hospital, myself and cousin Stephen Harris, bought an existing operation, Better Days, on Main Street Wellsville.
Many of you know that went well, probably too well, and I sold that business after 11 years of hazy operation in 2012. After that I decided to put my lot into what is really a personal passion, great food. Sunset Farm did its best to deliver the best local farm produce to the best restaurants in Erie County for a few years. While that business never earned me a penny, the long term prospects looked great. Check it out circa September 2019: https://www.buffalospree.com/food_drink/sunset-farm/article_7cb46d03-58aa-57ea-99e9-8f9c470c31c7.html
Until the pandemic. March 13th was the last delivery we made as everything shut down that weekend. Since then I’ve been considering all sorts of ways to make ends meet: selling assets, starting up a drain/septic cleaning service, a grocery shopping service, and yes, even a real job.
When Wellsville Regional News took a bow, the message was clear that someone had to fill the void, and quickly. I started getting emails wondering “what are we going to do?”, even funeral homes started sending me obituaries to publish on Facebook.
So I hopped on the rollercoaster, looked over, and you smiled.
Now that the ride has started, I’m going to try and close each day with my personal brain drain. The first official day of the Wellsville Sun included:
1- Visited the Allegany County Clerk’s office and successfully created the business name “Wellsville Sun”. What happy helpful bunch they have in that office! Super easy and no appointment necessary.
2- Went directly to ALCO Credit Union to start up a business account and chat with Mike Miller who runs the place. Mike is a town board member and a great all around guy. Sadly because I didn’t have my federal taxpayer ID number yet so this mission is still in progress.
3- By noon I was online and responding to your well wishes, press-releases, and even sold my first “block of print”. Thank you Embser Funeral Home!!
4- I had a great talk with Anita Mattison at the Allegany County Office of the Aging about where we are as a county in the vaccination process. She was fabulous, very forthcoming, and a journalistic notion hit me: The press should be clarifying complex community issues, not confusing them for the sake of ‘news’. So instead of publishing my own efforts, I opted to just provide the official press release.
5- Spent hours on the phone with the IRS trying to get a federal ID number. Every stinking time I had been on hold for thirty minutes I would grab my phone and accidently end the call…..that can wait until tomorrow.
