John and Angie England, owners of Hot Tomatoes Pizzeria in Williamstown.[Photo by Sue Bush]
Northern Berkshire leaders from North Adams Mayor John Barrett III to Williamstown's Town Manager Peter Fohlin and others have said that the region's economic revival relies significantly on developing a diverse economy made up of small companies and private business. iBerkshires correspondent Andrew Arvedon recently interviewed Hot Tomatoes owner John England and England's wife Angie for a candid look at the dynamics of one privately-owned small business.Williamstown - It was 9:30 on a recent Friday night. The dinner rush had come and gone and John England breathed a sigh of relief.
The Hot Tomatoes Pizzeria would close in about a half-hour. For England, who had worked about 35 hours that week, it couldn't come soon enough.
Hot Tomatoes is a busy, popular pizzeria that draws customers from all parts of Western Massachusetts. People from Pownal and Bennington, Vt. and Petersburg, N.Y.. come to England's pizza place.
It has not always been this way. England acknowledged that he's failed numerous times but with determination, intellect, and learning experiences, he owns and operates a popular eatery.
How did he do it?
England knew he wanted to become a businessman when he was 14 years old, he said during a recent interview. England lived in White Plains, N.Y. until 1970, when his family moved to Williamstown. John started a lawn mowing venture when he was 14 and he later worked as a carpenter and construction worker.
In 1986, England opened a deli that operated for about a year and a half, he said. The deli had loyal customers but failed due to competition and a lack of new customers. England closed the deli but rented the building out to other would-be entrepreneurs.
Learning Curve
England opened Hot Tomatoes on April 13, 1993. When the business first opened, England served breakfast, he said. National chain-type restaurants and local coffee shop competition doomed England's breakfast business but England said that was a blessing in disguise.
"There were more drawbacks to having breakfast hours than there were positives," he said. "Most notably, the hours were killing me and my wife. Waking at seven in the morning to bake all the goods for the breakfast hour, then quickly changing into lunch mode and after lunch getting ready for the dinner rush, I would not get out of there sometimes until 11 at night or later, only having to wake up six hours later and start all over again."
England hired morning shift employees to help him out.
"The employees I did have working for me in the morning were not reliable at all," he said. "More often than not, I would have to come in because someone had called out or not shown up."
Trial And Error
In 1995, England attempted to expand the Hot Tomatoes name with an annex next door called "Hot Tomatoes Annex." The restaurant served prepared meal items such as chicken dinners, mashed potatoes, and other "to-go" meals. The annex did not go as well as hoped and England closed the business. He cited an inability to generate new customers as the main reason.
England subsequently opened another pizza shop in nearby North Adams but said due to poor location, frequent break-ins, and a low customer base, he again closed shop.
The Water Street pizzeria remained viable and England focused on that business.
"One thing I kept telling myself throughout was that I should never give up and always hope for the best," he said. "I knew what I was doing but I also knew that the odds are against you when you open a business."
During its' early years, the pizzeria was doing well but England explained the business could have been managed better.
He cited employee reliability and theft issues and personnel personality clashes as small business challenges. Hiring appropriate employees is a challenge as well, he said.
England has been left to work 80-hour weeks, which has caused him to think of selling the business at certain points, he said.
From 1993 to February 2005, handwritten restaurant order checks were used to record customer orders.
Business Investment And Fine-Tuning
Handwriting and reading issues caused some orders to be prepared incorrectly. England decided to invest in a Point-Of Sale system though the system cost over $8,000.
"Now, 99 percent of my orders are made correctly, with maybe one or two per month made wrong," he said. "It used to be five or six[mistakes] per week. In addition, this system keeps track of what I'm selling, when I'm selling it, repeat customers, phone numbers, payroll, gift certificates, and a whole lot more. Instead of running around and doing a ton of things all day, this system will allow me to do everything in one place."
England has expanded his menu to include salads and appetizers and also has invested in used restaurant equipment. He has a full-color menu that has pictures of the items he sells.
"The majority of the equipment is in phenomenal shape and is being auctioned off due to bankruptcy, fire, or other problems," he said.
England shared business tips and strategies that he believes may be helpful to entrepreneurs.
* When looking for a business location, research extensively.
"Besides your business plan, this aspect of your business should be second in time allotted," England said.
* Become involved in community events and activities.
"People like to know that you [as a business owner] care about them."
* Treat employees with respect.
"If your employee happens to make a costly mistake, do not yell at them, it solves nothing. Not only will you be stressed out, your employee will be stressed out an if there are any customers present, they will be stressed out. Consumers want to have good feelings associated with your business."
* Before opening any new business seek an objective opinion. Determine whether the economy and demographics of the area are favorable for the business.
Wife And Partner
England's wife Angie has been at England's side throughout his business ventures, and had worked many hours in addition to being mother to sons Matt, Nick, and Riley. She offered her perspective on small business ownership and its' impact on family.
"There are pros and cons to owning your own business and I'll share some crucial ones," she said. "The pros are being able to be your own boss. You come into work knowing that every dollar you make is yours and you're not working for someone else. You know that if you communicate well with your employees you'll be able to get the job done."
Community involvement is another plus, she said.
"My children are well-known throughout the community which is a good feeling for me as a parent," she said. "I try to help out in the community as much as I can."
Business needs rule the family, she said.
"The cons are the fact that because my husband, my sons and I at some point work crazy hours, we are never able to have a consistent dinner at home as a family," she said.
Appreciating customers is a key to business, she said.
"You can have all the new customers you want but if they don't come back, you won't be in business very long," she said. "In my interacting with customers, I give it 100 percent no matter how I'm feeling or how I'm treated. If someone comes in and is rude, I might not like it but there could be circumstances out of my control. There could be sickness in the family, money issues or marital issues. The fact that the person chose my business instead of others makes me happy, period."
Employee relationships are another key, she said.
"You have to have the guidelines for your employees to follow," she said."Sometimes you have to have a talk with employees about negative things, and they don't like the answer sometimes, but that's life."
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Good luck with your magazine writing career, Andrew! Hope you learned a thing or two in my class!
Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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