entrepreneur

Press Release:

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) is excited to announce an exceptional opportunity for artists of all disciplines living and/or working in Genesee and Orleans Counties. In partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), GO ART! is accepting applications for the NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program. The program is free to participants.

This intensive 3.5-day professional development program is designed to empower artists across all disciplines—including visual, literary, performing arts, and more—with the essential tools needed to achieve sustainability and success in their creative endeavors. Whether you’re an emerging artist looking to build a strong foundation or an established professional seeking new strategies and networks, this program offers a dynamic platform to enhance your creative practice.

Program Highlights:

• Comprehensive Content: Participants will explore key topics such as strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, financial literacy, and art law. The curriculum includes materials from NYFA’s renowned textbook, The Profitable Artist.
• Work Sample Reviews: Receive personalized feedback from professionals in your field, offering valuable insights into the jury selection process and your artistic presentation.
• Peer Network: Join a community of like-minded peers across various disciplines, fostering connections that extend beyond the program.
• Access to Experts: Engage with NYFA’s expert staff and local arts industry leaders, including funders, curators, publishers, and artistic directors.
• Artist Action Plan: Develop a personalized blueprint for your practice or specific arts project, with opportunities to discuss and refine your plan within the peer group.
• Engagement with the Creative Community: The program structure includes presentations, panels, interactive workshops, and breakout sessions tailored to the needs of participants.

Eligibility and Application:

• Who Can Apply: Artists of all disciplines and career stages, including students, who are living and/or working in Genesee or Orleans Counties
• Application Deadline: Monday, September 23, 11:59 p.m. Applications must be submitted via Submittable.

Program Dates:

• Meet and Greet and Introductions: Thursday, November 7 from 5 - 8 p.m. 
• Intensive Sessions: Friday - Saturday, November 8 - 10 from 10a.m. - 4 p.m. daily

Don’t miss this unique chance to grow your artistic career with guidance from leading professionals in the field. Currently accepting applications. For more information and to apply visit https://www.nyfa.org/professional-development/entrepreneurial-intensives/ Please email questions to learning@nyfa.org with the subject line “Artist as Entrepreneur, GO ART!.” 

This program is made possible through New York State Council on the Arts, State & Local Partnerships with the support of the Governor's Office and the New York State Legislature.

There was a time when Jenny Wall thought practically about being a prison counselor, which is why she obtained an associate degree in human services.

But, a decent salary and retirement benefits aside, she pushed away practical and went for the dream. Wall, 38, who has owned and operated J Dubs Pizzas and Subs of Alexander for more than a dozen years, just opened Liberty’s Liquor Cabinet in October of this year, and added fish fries to her menu as of Friday (Dec. 3). 

“For the most part, I really liked running a kitchen, and I took a chance,” the Alexander native said during an interview Thursday. “It’s a lot harder than people think. It’s a lot of hours and a lot of sacrifice, but you do make some great relationships in the community. You’re so grateful that you have to do what you can, you’ve just got to keep on keeping on.”

A big part of Wall’s expansion has included the purchase of a building three years ago to house both of her business ventures at 10594 Main St., Alexander. A former appliance store, it took some renovations to make the place restaurant-worthy: a “nice big kitchen” and dining room expansion to accommodate 30 people. 

The pizzeria had formerly been across the street, but a talk with her dad, doing some research, and an entrepreneurial vision prompted Wall to buy the much larger site and move in with room to grow. Two years later another renovation paved the way for the liquor store. The property also contains three apartments and another woman-owned business of a beauty salon. A 12-space back parking lot was added in the last three years. 

Opening a pizzeria wasn’t a random move, Wall said, as she had worked in the pizza industry for about seven years until the last shop she was at closed. The question of working for someone else or going out on her own wasn’t an easy one, she said. 

“I kind of knew what I was doing; I had been doing every aspect of the business,” she said. “I hemmed and hawed for a week, and then I asked the landlord if I could rent the space. It was super scary.”

J Dubs moved into a spot that had been occupied by six pizzerias, all of which had closed in a 10-year span. Wall had a strategy of not using frozen dough; only freshly made from scratch and the same for the sauce. 

“I use really good products. I’ve kind of built a reputation that if you leave my place hungry, something’s wrong. A lot of customers have turned into family.”

The liquor store seemed like a natural fit, she said, and adding fish fries — using fresh haddock and a genuine “light and crunchy” beer batter — will run through Lent. She wanted all three components to be in the same central location.

Wall’s workweek is upwards of 60 hours, which leaves precious time for her to spend with husband Craig Romesser and their 7-year-old daughter Scarlett. Wall credits her family, her husband’s help for much of the renovation work, and her employees for their ongoing support, even when she took a six-week hiatus after giving birth to Scarlett. 

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without my employees; they are wonderful people. There’s no way I could do it without them,” she said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to have such a tight-knit group. I think you should treat your employees with the utmost respect, or you’re not going to survive.” 

As for respect, Wall has had to deal with people making assumptions about her as they ask to speak with the “boss.” She doesn’t think they mean any harm but wants to make it clear that women entrepreneurs are out in full force making a go of the business world. She’s been able to do it with support from friends, family, and the community, Wall said.

“Anybody can run a business, anybody can do whatever they put their mind to … it’s a different day and age,” she said. ”I have such a great circle, and am so grateful for that.” 

J Dubs is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Sundays during football season. Liberty’s Liquor Cabinet is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and seasonal hours are noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Fish fries are served at the pizzeria from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. To order, call 585-591-3827.

Photos by Howard Owens

Beginning this January, Genesee Community College will host a pair of related courses for three successive semesters on "Exploring Business Opportunities" and "Entrepreneurship." Associate Professor Barbara Shine welcomes innovators large and small. If you've got the sure-fire idea for the next big thing, you're welcome. If you're not sure what you want to do, but you know you've got the gumption, you're welcome, too.

As for the best news: it's free, and anyone can attend the courses. College students. Retirees. Workers. Anyone. Just be sure to get your application in by January 15 to be considered for this coming semester. (Scroll down to the end of the post for all the details).

Earlier this week, we took a moment to sit down and chat with Barbara Shine, to pick her brain a bit about what it takes to build a successful business. Here's what she had to say:

The Batavian: Much has been made in advance of the courses about the rough economy and this being, in fact, a great time for entrepreneurs. In the press release sent out by the college, for example, we read: "With the unemployment rate at 6.5% and expected to climb higher, entrepreneurs and energetic American inventors and innovators are an essential element in the recovery of the nation's economy." Can you explain why that is the case?

Barb Shine: Well, we know, because of the employment world, that small businesses hire more people than the total who work for large corporations. That's where the opportunities are. We as entrepreneurial educators need to remind folks from an economic standpoint that it's the small businesses that raise the opportunities to support our communities from an economic standpoint. However, small businesses may have a poor track record of staying in business for a long time. But that is where we as educators can help out. There are a lot of places for entrepreneurs to get education.

What advice might you have for folks who may be considering going into business for themselves? What should they consider at the outset?

First, you need to verify that the market is interested in your concept. I call them concepts. You need to do market research. Find out what alternatives are out there for a consumer. Find out how does your product differentiate itself. Those questions need to be answered. Also, the market has to be big enough to be profitable for the individual. So you look at marketing, first, then financial feasibility, then operations.

One of the beauties of the course is that we will tell people what's out there, what the market will bear from a trend standpoint. People need to understand that (doing) what we're passionate about and making it work in the marketplace can be two different things.

An entrepreneur needs to always be looking out for the next best thing. You do this by social networking, reading the magazines, looking at the competition—and not necessarily the logical competitors. Who would have thought that the customer service style for Disney would work in a bank? In fact, Disney sells their customer service package to large financial institutions.

What will each class entail? Do people need to attend both? Can they attend one and not the other?

In the first class, "Exploring Business Opportunities," the questions that should get answered include: Do I have the right concept that the market would be interested in? Am I passionate enough? Because it requires lots of energy, time, money. Do I have what it takes? What do I need to think about from marketing, operations and financial standpoints? Then we need to verify that there is a market, make sure there is enough of a popoluation and buyers.

In the second class, "Entrepreneurship," we will put a plan together. This class qualifies the details of what I need to do to make it happen. It's the five P's: proper planning prevents poor performance. The goal is to plan... And assuming they need funding, they will use that plan to support loan or investor options. In most cases, folks do bootstrapping entrepreneurship: That's where funding is minimal: from family, savings, second mortgage—they bootstrap it if they can.

How are things looking right now as far as loan options?

It depends on how much money an individual is looking for, their personal credit line. Do I think it's at a standstill because of the credit crisis: No. The basics are still important. There are other alternatives aside from banks, other investor opportunities. Personality, their own financial background—there's an array of variables. An entrepreneur shouldn't be deterred if they have a great idea and there's a market... but they need to come to the table with the right plan to turn their business into a profitable entity.

Shine also spoke about specific trends that are hot right now on the market. They include: green energy, organic foods, Web applications, and alternative energy solutions. In fact, the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine is devoted to the upcoming trends and might be a good read for those considering taking the courses and testing the waters with their own idea.

From the press release:

The Genesee Community College scholarship program is part of the collaborative WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant, wherein eligible participants will be reimbursed for the cost of tuition and books for two college entrepreneurship courses offered in this coming Spring, Summer and Fall of 2009. The scholarship grants are valued at approximately $500 per semester for enrolling and completing Business 111: Exploring Business Opportunities; and Business 225: Entrepreneurship.

Interested individuals should submit the scholarship application form and related materials as soon as possible. The application deadline for the Spring 2009 semester is January 15th. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. Scholarship awardees will be notified prior to the start of each course.

For more information on the program or to get a copy of the scholarship application, visit the college's Web site.

Coincidentally, SUNY Geneseo is right now looking for business mentors for their Young Entrepreneurs Academy at the college. From the Academy:

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy is a program for middle and high school students that teaches them how to launch and run their very own business.

Mentors will have the opportunity to assist their student group in the process of developing and writing a business plan and creating an investor presentation used to request funding. We also encourage mentors to share their business experiences with the groups over the course of their meetings. Previous students have indicated that hearing first-hand accounts from members of the business community make a significant impact on what they are learning.

Visit the program's Web site for more information.