Amid the dour news of the Dow, layoffs, bankruptcies and foreclosures, there were cheers, laughs and clinking champagne flutes in one northern Westchester community.
Some 200 colleagues, friends, family members and clients stopped by the Holiday Inn in Mount Kisco Sunday afternoon to celebrate Cappy Devlin”™s successful 35-year career in the travel industry.
Guests also vied for a variety of prizes, from T-shirts and tote bags to cash and luxury cruises.
“Owning a small business is like being on a rollercoaster,” Devlin told the packed room, “and you”™ve been there for the ride.”
Devlin is a fixture in these parts. Her roots are deep: In 1973, at her parents”™ kitchen table in Mount Kisco, she signed the papers to incorporate her business. The agency was in New York City, where Devlin lived at the time.
Four years later, she moved the business to Mount Kisco, into the former Mount Kisco Bazaar Mall, which, Mayor Michael Cindrich whispered, had a curse put upon it by an elderly Italian woman whose family had once lived near the site.
Has the curse been lifted, we asked?
He shrugged. But, as the mayor noted and the casual observer could attest, the new mall ”“ Mount Kisco Commons ”“ is bustling these days, with shoppers flocking to the huge A&P and Target stores there.
And that”™s good news for Devlin, whose Cappy Devlin International Inc., Cappy”™s Travel Center and Travel-by-Net Inc. are right in the heart of the action at 195 N. Bedford Road.
Still, these are tough times for all businesses and the travel industry has been hit hard. So we asked Devlin to share some secrets of her success, and to offer advice to weary and wary small-business owners.
“Be very honest ”¦ take off the rose-colored glasses. And, something I learned long ago ”“ watch your cash flow.
“This (economic downturn) is a new situation. Do a chart, be realistic, set benchmarks. Then figure out, what”™s plan B? Otherwise, you will be closing your doors.
“Even when it is a down time, keep following your passion. Love your clients. Distinguish your business from the competition. The economy will come back up ”“ you need to take steps now.”
But toughing it out is nothing new for small-business owners, she added:
“As an owner, you know it”™s 24 hours a day. There”™s no shutting the door and not thinking about your business. Entrepreneurs go through tough times and just keep going.”
On the good side, she said, these times are making for some very hot deals, travel-wise.
“They cannot have empty ships, empty hotel rooms,” she said, so cruise lines and hoteliers are offering specials.
“Vendors are the backbone. They are going to give you (travel agents) those opportunities ”¦ it all comes down to relationships.”
And, from the showing last week, Devlin has developed many relationships over the years.
“It was such a joyful moment for me,” she said after the event. “It was very nurturing and will help me get through these next few months.
“During all this negativity, we had a couple of hours of just celebrating.”
