Sacandaga Sun

What is your job?

I am a publisher of a magazine. I am in charge of coordinating everything from beginning to end and everything in between. I had to hire some freelance people to do some of the different aspects of this position that is beyond my expertise. I have a graphic arts designer, an advisor, and two sales representatives on board with me. I will write for the magazine. I will be acting editor as well. 

Who is your target market?

For the first issue we are going to target all doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, healers, yoga teachers, co ops, to name a few. We want to create a base to build off from within the holistic community.

What would an entry level position in this field compromise?

I would say a good place to start would be in the marketing field of selling advertising. Doing this a person would gain hands on experience as to how advertising ads are put together, how they help the business that they are about and how to provide good customer service while representing the company as a whole. A person would gain the necessary people skills that are often used in many other work environments.

What kinds of skills do you see as particularly important in this field? Name them and Discuss why they are important.

Honesty: I would want my ad sales representatives to be honest in all dealings with the public and myself because it truly is the best policy to work within. The worker would become a more valued worker.

People skills: This is especially important as in this field you will be working with the public in every instance all day long. You need to be able to communicate to the potential client what it is that you are all about for this business. It is like educating businesses as to why you feel that you have a product that will help them grow.

Marketing: A marketing background is helpful whether it is from handling money, telephone etiquette, computer literacy,  mathematical skills, to just being able to express yourself well. It is all tied in together. Creating a specialized sales strategy for potential ad clients will exemplify your own education and seriousness in helping the ad client and their business grow as well as portraying what the company you are working for mission is.

Computer Literate: It is pretty much a must to have computer skills today if you intend on working in marketing. Whether you access the internet via your cell phone or a laptop, having the internet is a valuable form of communication that is needed to the publisher and clientele to maintain constant open communication as well as various other related tasks.

What attracted you to this field?

I used to work for several publishing companies where I was allowed to meet with business owners and learn about them, their inspirations and dreams or goals. When I was able to actually offer them an advertising package that I felt would help their business grow or get their message out and offer it to them and have them tell me how much I was able to really make a difference in their lives or business; that felt good. I knew I wanted to keep helping people grow their businesses which in turn helped their own livelihoods. It’s a great feeling.

What constitutes success in the field?

Personally I feel success is when I am able to get a business’s message out to the public and then have them reap the benefits. If I can produce the best possible magazine with my team then I know we did our best. If I can become a vessel to provide a path to educate others in a positive way, then I know my job was well done.

What is the biggest challenge for professionals in this field?

How is economy is going can really affect how successful you do. If everyone is paying so much more money out to maintain their lives then there is often not too much money left to spend on an advertising budget. However; even with the economy being poor right now in our counties, there is still small spurts of growth popping up and that is like a seed of hope for others. We need to constantly educate the business owner on why it is so important to maintain their public presence so that they can continue to grow as well.

Is running your business harder than you thought it would be?

It is hard to begin in this field. You have to be very dedicated to your own mission. You have to balance your personal life with your business life all on your own terms that you create yourself. So you are always changing things as you go to mold it to run the smoothest way possible. I am learning so much all the time.

Have you encountered any obstacles?

I sure have. It takes an incredible amount of energy to do this. You hear many others comments on what you have decided on and sometimes they try to change your mind for you. I have learned that I must follow my own heart’s desire and not my families or friends or what might seem like a more stable route to follow. I have to do what I want to do. I have to try it. If I don’t just try this then I may regret that later on in life. Money is always an obstacle. It’s a lot easier if you have some form of capital behind you before you begin something like this. I had limited capital to work with and that makes me slow things down and make sure I am doing things as right as I can make them the first time around as to not waste money. I cannot stress enough that the whole experience is such a learning tool.

What does your market offer that others in your industry do not?

I am offering my magazine publication as a resource guide to help people discover how to live a quality lifestyle or empowering them to make health and wellness decisions in their lives. We will become a vessel for them to do that. No other publication really educates the public on what is available out there along the lines of holistic therapies or ways of living.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?

I feel by then we will have been able to plant our feet in the ground so to speak. We will have become a respected source of information. The publication will grow and possibly branch out into other areas of service again as a source of education. We all will be learning all the time.

How do you plan to extend your business?

Eventually we will sponsor local events promoting healthy lifestyle choices. We intend on giving back to the community by donating a portion of our funds to local charities. We will continue to be a platform for people or businesses to share their visions. We possibly might continue to grow the other side of the publishing business in print and take it online. We might continue building web sites for businesses at the same time.

How long do you plan to stay in this business for?

If I am successful financially in this, I’d like to keep on sharing people’s visions for years to come. I’m 46 now so I guess I’d stay in at least till I am 62, as today you need to work for quite a few years. Since this is a passion of mine, even though it’s work it probably won’t feel like it. I could end up doing this forever….but forever is a long time.

How do you market or advertise your product?

Right now we will be online at first and out and about showing the product and of course, word of mouth. We’ve begun that already and the interest is high. We have received much positive feedback. Eventually we will hold events that will be sponsored by us and keep our name out in the public eye. This magazine is going to be mailed into the homes by subscription and set up in business’s in which county or market we choose to target. We’ll be seen.

How do you keep your customers interested in your market?

Variety is the spice of life. I feel since we are going to be more than just another magazine out there, that as a resource guide we will be something that people will keep around for a while. It is something that can be referred back to. It will be something that you keep on your shelves at home or in the office. It is something that will need to be constantly updated therefore the content will be ever evolving. We are going to create a following with the content. We will have articles of interest, savings of interest, plain joy to just look through, as well as a tool or resource. It’s all good.

Being a business leader, do you find yourself doing a lot of work outside of business hours?

I definitely work beyond traditional hours. My lifestyle allows for flexibility of time so I am lucky in that aspect. My children are grown adults and live their own lives and I have a dog. That’s it. So in essence I have the freedom to create what time I feel I need to continue working on things.

What are the benefits of owning your own business?

Right off the bat what comes to my mind is that no one is looking over your shoulder. You are responsible for yourself, your own time and your own work. Freedom to be your own boss. You can be the leader or teacher to others. You make all the major decisions. In some respects you create a stature of sorts and if that is your thing, it can feel good to you. You can feel worthwhile or that you are of worth when you give back.

What advice would you give someone who wants to set up their own business?

Save some money. Take time to really think it through; all the ups and downs. Figure out if you can be responsible for all that is involved in a business professionally and personally. If you have a dream, follow it! Keep a positive outlook and expect to hit some bumps in the road or even rejection. Pick up your bootstraps and begin again. Success is often measured by how many times you have failed. Don’t let failure ruin you. Let it teach you to do it better next time around and keep on moving forward. That’s all anyone can do. Follow your heart’s desire and success will follow.

Interviewed by: Cassandra Christman, Pre Law Student, Cobleskill, NY

Pizza Oven

By Shelley D Brienza

For over forty years, when people get hungry they have turned to Lockport’s Pizza Oven to please their palate. Pizza Oven, located at 54 Vine Street is practically a Lockport landmark. They are probably best known for their sweet sauce pizza. One bite and you won’t have to question why. In fact pretty much every other pizzeria in town has tried to imitate and recreate their secret recipe. Some have come close, but there truly is only one Pizza Oven. They were recently voted best pizza with one other company for all of Niagara County.

Pizza oven is owned by John Renaldo, who was born and raised in Lockport. “When I was 22 I got married to my wife Michelle. We’ve been married for 19 years and have two children. I have a daughter, 18, who is in college and a son who is 16 and still in high school. The kids love to help out whenever they can. We lived on the west side of Lockport for a while and later moved to Newfane where I worked for a commercial restaurant equipment business for about 10 years in addition to owning a vending company,” Renaldo said.

Renaldo was friends with the previous owner of the Pizza Oven and who was thinking of selling it and retiring. Renaldo had previously told him that he would be interested if they ever wanted to sell… One day he got a phone call and it was his friend asking if he still was interested in buying his pizza business. Renaldo bought the business in the following weeks. Three years later Pizza Oven is a growing success in the pizza and chicken wings business.  “I feel this was a very good move for me and my family,” he said.

What makes the Pizza Oven stand out from other pizza places is their specialty sugary sauce and thin crusted pizza dough. Without giving the recipe away, John explained “we put a lot of sugar in that sauce to give it a unique flavor. A lot of people who have stomach acid problems come here because they can eat the sweet sauce because the sugar takes a lot of that acid away. For the most part, you either love my pizza or hate it. A lot of the older Italian people are used to a spicier sauce and are not used to it (sweet sauce) but some people crave it. I’ve sent pizza to Texas to Florida and I have people call and say I’ll be there in an hour to get your pizza… when you have a unique flavor; people are willing to travel 45 minutes to get it.” When asked if they sell their sauce outright; they don’t. The original owner never sold the sauce either and he believed that was a good idea.  The original owner concocted the sauce in his own kitchen at home one day the story goes…adding in the sugar and found that this particular recipe tasted really good. He ended up opening the pizzeria and making a great success of it.

“Most restaurants dabble in a few different things, we are strictly pizza and wings. You know, you put your focus on one or two special things and perfect them. That’s why I think we’ve been around for such a long time, over 40 years. I think that is what sets us apart. We don’t have an extensive menu but what we have; we try to do it well. Our goal is to make everything go out of the building perfect. It doesn’t happen all the time especially when you have physically 80 orders on a Friday night…things can get messed up once in a while but I think most people understand that. We love our customers - If we make a mistake, we make it right for them.

“We are in a constant state of remodel. We’ve cleaned the place up tremendously in the last three years with new granite countertops and new flooring. I think probably next year or the year after I will close down the place up for about five days and pull the ovens out and do some major remodeling. I can close down on a Thursday and re open on a Sunday. Then everything will be brand new. That’s my goal.  Things are going real good. We are up on sales. We’ve been up on sales every year since I’ve taken it over. I am very happy with that.  The economy hasn’t really affected us when you can feed a family of four or five for about $15. It’s a good value. You can get a good meal for your family,” Renaldo confirmed.

The Pizza Oven proudly participates in community events such as the Cancer Foundation fundraisers for cancer research, donating gift baskets and gift certificates. They are open Monday -Thursday, 4 pm -11pm, Friday and Saturdays, 4 pm to midnight and on Sundays, 2pm to 9pm.