Started How I Got By Lou Sorendo
Gail Jones
Making the jump from being an employee to a business owner: Fulton florist and owner of DeVine Designs by Gail parlays experience, knowledge into gratifying career Q.: When did you launch your business and what steps did you take to become an independent owner? A.: I opened the business in April of 2009. I worked at Tops Markets in the floral department for 18 years until they closed. After that, I went and worked for several area florists, some of them that aren’t here anymore. My last opportunity was at Dowd’s House of Flowers, which my girlfriend owned. She eventually sold it and I did not connect well with the new owner. I said, “You know what? Dowd’s is not going to be Dowd’s any more. It was my main competitor, so I believed that was the time to open. That’s what I did. “Fly or die” is what they say. Q.: You were an employee at that time. Where did you learn the basics to open the business? A.: One of the best steps I took was taking a class through the U.S. Small Business Administration in Oswego. I give them credit for taking me step by step through the process of writing a business plan. I then got a $10,000 loan from a bank and cashed in my 401(k) that I had from Tops, which wasn’t huge. That’s pretty much how I got started. I started in 1986, so had 23 years of experience before opening my own business. I worked in six or seven shops, and I found niches in each shop that I liked and incorporated them into what I like now. Q.: What were some of the foremost challenges when launching the business? A.: Being the new kid on the block is the biggest challenge. People don’t know you and people don’t
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2020
