Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Sound advice can contribute to your success. We recently asked area business leaders, what was their best advice they’d ever received. Here’s what they said:
“The best advice I ever received was from my then –boss, Gerry Church, Fulton plant manager at Miller Brewing Co. He told me that whenever I wanted to discuss a business problem or issue with him, I should also be prepared to offer possible solutions. It’s the difference between being proactive or reactive. It’s also the difference between being a leader or follower. That has served me well in any business relationship I have had since then.”
— Stephen Chirello, Owner, Steve Chirello Advertising, Fulton
“Someone will always do it for less; they will also take the most effort to service or satisfy and leave you for the next lower price.”
— John M. Henry, Owner, Speedway Press, Mitchell Printing, Phoenix Press, Oswego
“I’m going to answer this question by turning it around and giving my own advice that is, ‘Always treat every customer as if they were your only customer!’ We are celebrating our 50th anniversary in business this year. We started our business on March 25, 1976. My advice works.””
— Nick Chervinsky, President, Brewerton Pharmacy, Brewerton
“’You need to toot your own horn, my grandfather, Howard D. Dice, told me.”
— Beth Ann Dice, Women’s active aging and cancer recovery coach, Mission Movement Wellness Studio & Breast Cancer Recovery Studio, Fulton
“In the micro enterprise class, they taught, ‘Get a good lawyer, accountant and bank.’ That was over 30 years ago and I still have those three today. I chose good people I could grow with.”
— Tony Pauldine, Owner, Anthony M. Pauldine General Contractors Inc., Oswego
“From my grandfather; ‘Listen to everyone! You never know where you will get the solution you need.’”
— Kevin Dean, Executive director, Oswego County Opportunities, Fulton
“‘Preparation is the mother of success.’ My dad always drilled that into my head growing up, and it has helped me avoid a lot of snags in both my personal and professional life. Thanks, Dad!”
— Bekkah Frisch, Owner and president, iHeart Holdings, Inc., Fulton
“If you don’t take a risk and try, you will never know.”
— Justin Taber, Owner, Torbitt’s Service Center, Oswego
“Be ready to take a loss.”
— Cody Seymour, Manager, Damiano’s Eatery, Mexico
“I’ve received so much good business advice over the years. When people are giving you advice, always be curious rather than judgmental. Follow your gut. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.”
— Dana Decker, Principal owner/broker, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Oswego
’Do it and figure it out later.’ It hasn’t failed me yet. Too many people take time to think about doing this and this and this and then the opportunity is over with. If it’s somewhat reasonable — if it’s not something outrageous — do it and figure it out later.”
— Jeremy Allen, Licensed real estate salesperson, Acropolis Realty Group, Syracuse
“’Try to meet the needs of the customer. Treat them like you’d like to be treated.’ It’s like the Golden Rule says.”
— Douglas Dickson, Physician and associate at CNY Foot Surgery and Podiatry Care, East Syracuse
“The best piece of business advice I’ve ever received applies to life in general: always be honest. Never overstate your capabilities and always be willing to ask questions. The more specific you can be in any given topic will always lead to a better outcome.”
— Tom Fernandez, President, Woodbine Hospitality, Syracuse
“As a business owner, the advice would be ‘Don’t overextend yourself. Especially in agriculture, expect issues to come up.’ If something is going right, it’s not true agriculture. This last season, we scaled very hard to field another crew. We got more drones, crew and generators based on projections. This last season hit the ag community hard with a very wet spring. We did 15,000 to 20,000 acres for fungicide and the same for cover crop seeding in 2024. We scaled to 25,000 to 30,000 for 2025. We ended up doing 2,000 for fungicide and 3,000 for cover crop seeding. That’s why that advice was good.”
— Rick Jordan, Operations manager, CNY Drove Services, Clinton
“’Keep your head down, mind your own business and do the best for your clients that you can do.’ It has a lot to do with my success in working for Galloway Century 21.”
— Ed Fayette, New York state licensed real estate agent, Century 21 Galloway, Oswego
“’Expand in all ways, always.’ It just keeps you going and keeps you growing.”
— Stephen Baier, Licensed real estate person, The Real Estate Agency & Bouck Commercial, Auburn
“The best advice is, ‘Your biggest asset you won’t see on the books because it comes from your employees.’”
— David Flickinger, Owner, Edible Arrangements, Syracuse
“Don’t take things personally when you’re working with the public.”
— Leeann Desimone, Manager, Annie’s Hallmark Shop, Auburn
“‘Follow up.’ The customer knows that you care about what you are doing and that their opinion counts. Sometimes they might be on the fence about whether they want to use your company. If they’re asking your opinion on things, they feel you are concerned about what you’re doing. They like to be kept in the loop if they’re spending money with you.”
— Dorothy Casper, Saslesperson, SweetWoods Memorials, Phoenix
“The best business advice I received is ‘Never be the smartest person in the room. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.’ That’s how you learn.”
— Debbie Bilello, Owner, Virtual Office Solutions, Central Square
“’You need to grow your business but you can’t grow too big too fast.’ That’s what we’ve done at Pinnacle Maintenance. We’ve tried to grow but not too fast. Along those same lines, there’s another good piece of advice, ‘Don’t take on more than you can handle because it only leads to a bad name for your business and a bad experience for your customers.’ It goes along the same lines as growing your business slowly and carefully.”
— David Wines, Owner, Pinnacle Maintenance, Central Square
“Always be on time and do what you say you are going to do.’ I’ve done very well following that advice. Most of my work is referral and I don’t really do any advertising so I have a pretty good customer base. It’s mostly word-of-mouth from satisfied customers.”
— Robert J. Fleming, Owner, Bob Fleming Windows & Doors, Brewerton
“’Concentrate on your finances, always pay your taxes, and form a team you can depend on. Try to help the community you’re in as much as you can.’ We do all of these all the time here. We give and give and give to the community and the community gives back to us always.”
— Susan Bonnet, Co-owner, Bonnet Sales and Service, Central Square
“Keep smiling. It brings a positive attitude to the workplace.”
— Karin Lindsley, Vice president, DTS Truck Service, Syracuse
“‘Customer service above all.’ Following this advice has served us very well.’
— Guy Fox, Owner, Fox’s Discount Parts, West Monroe
“The best thing to do is to make sure you’re taking in more money than you’re spending. I wish I could say I’m a good businessman but I have been in business since 1981. I’m not a bean counter but work well with my hands and its’s served me well all these years and I am still in business.”
— Matt McGill, Owner, Matt McGill Collision, Brewerton
