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December 23, 2009

Local small businesses, big ideas

Dreams come true if you survive the hard times.

_ Writer and editor

George William Curtis

As we look over an economic landscape riddled with foreclosures, government bailouts, bankruptcies, rampant unemployment and despair, we are heartened by the courage, enterprise and vision of our area's small-business owners.

The Small Business Administration says that nationally, just two-thirds of new businesses survive for at least two years, and only 44 percent last at least four years.

As if those odds weren't daunting enough, entrepreneurs in our area are dealing with the worst economic conditions in a generation, tight credit opportunities and New York's onerous taxes and utility costs.

And yet, they try. They struggle, confident in their future and ready to work to make it bright.

"I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance," said Apple Inc. co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs in an interview this year.

If stick-to-itiveness and hard work were all that it takes, then our local business folks would have it made. Unfortunately, success hinges on more than elbow grease and guts.

``There seems to be a real desire for people to be entrepreneurs,'' Otsego County Economic Developer Carolyn Lewis told this newspaper. ``We're hearing from more and more people who want to start a business, but sometimes they don't know how to put a business plan together or how to secure appropriate financing.''

There is help available to prospective entrepreneurs in all of our local counties, but some basic business verities remain.

If you start a restaurant, the food had better be good, and it doesn't hurt if you're filling a niche with some unique cuisine. Obviously, you can have the best business plan in the world, but quality and service will likely determine success or failure.

"We're doing pretty well, I think because we give people what they need,'' said owner Jeff Williams of the Williams Tire Centers, on state Route 80 in Pittsfield.

Williams' business expanded a couple of months ago by opening a third shop, the former Tim's Garage in Edmeston.

With the chances of big-time employers setting up shop in our area pretty much slim and none, the idea of starting a business _ working for yourself _ can seem appealing.

It takes courage, audacity, knowledge and pluck _ not to mention gambling one's life savings _ to take that shot at success that could so easily turn into failure.

But there is wisdom in the words of hockey's best all-time player, Wayne Gretzky.

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take."

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Local small businesses, big ideas
by Anonymous , , Wed Dec 23, 2009, 08:02 AM EST
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