Scott Hitz joins the podcast to discuss his new adventure experience company, Your Sailing Adventure. An endeavor designed to show tourists everything Erie has to offer, they're currently accepting their first bookings for early July (the Memorial weekend date mentioned in the episode has been adjusted). Along with the origins of the company, you'll also find out how Scott came to love sailing in the first place. Then, you'll get the inside story on how he came to work with the NWPA Innovation Beehive Network, and how he'll be involving other local businesses in Your Sailing Adventure (Facebook).
Sponsored by: Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership
Music: Kevin Macleod’s "pamgaea" available via Creative Commons Attribution-International 4.0. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, No changes were made.
Music by audionautix.com. Audionautix's "Roboskater" by Jason Shaw available via Creative Commons Attribution-International 4.0. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, No changes were made.
Transcript
SCOTT HITZ: At the price points we're talking, we're going to bring dollars into this economy. And we're going to spread it around. That's part of the goal. It's not just about me and my business. But I really want to support the wineries and the breweries and the restaurants, and all of these other things that are crucial for this experience.
NARRATOR: That's Scott Hitz, owner of the Erie-based Your Sailing Adventure. He's the newest guest on Buzz Generated, a show that introduces listeners to businesses and community leaders that collaborate with the Northwest Pennsylvania Innovation Beehive Network. Your Sailing Adventure is a new adventure experience company aiming to bring additional tourism to the Erie area while tapping into the massive potential of both the city's natural and cultural resources.
One centerpiece of this endeavor is the exciting four-day adventure package, which you'll hear more about in this episode. We also talk about how Scott came to love sailing in the first place. We discuss the current demand in the boating industry. And we get the inside story on how he plans to work with local partners in the crafting and refinement of these adventures.
Scott worked with the Mercyhurst, Gannon, and Edinboro hubs of the Beehive in the development of this concept, along with several other Erie business resources that he'll mention in detail. Join host Tony Peyronel, the executive director of entrepreneurial development for Edinboro Center for Branding and Strategic Communication as he sits down with our guest. Together, let's discover what the buzz is all about.
TONY PEYRONEL: We're joined on the podcast today by Scott Hitz, founder of Your Sailing Adventure, a new business that will be launching later this spring. Scott, it's a pleasure to have you on the program, and welcome.
SCOTT HITZ: Tony, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.
TONY PEYRONEL: Great to have you here. Why don't we start out by having you provide our listeners with a bit of a summary of what Your Sailing Adventure is all about?
SCOTT HITZ: So Your Sailing Adventure is basically an idea. It's a thought that has blossomed into this business in the last six months. Essentially, what it is, is a way to bring tourism to Erie by creating this adventure experience.
So what people are going to do is one of three different service offerings. The first would be a sunset sail. So they would go out on our sailboat for a two-hour sail. And we'll go out of the bay in Erie for an unimpeded view of the sunsets, which everybody knows are so spectacular and raves about them. So that's one package offering.
Another package offering is our private charter. So we're going to do a four-hour sail in the afternoon that anybody could book. And what that would be is a customizable thing.
They can choose from say, for example, a relaxation charter, a team building exercise charter-- because sailing is actually very much a team building kind of sport. There's a sunset sail package, where they could-- it's a four-hour thing that starts mid-afternoon, and then, enjoy the afternoon on the bay and go out. And there are some other offerings, too.
So the third and final offering, which is I believe the big attraction, is the four day adventure. And what this is-- as far as I can tell, anyways, never been done in the country, much less in this region on the Great Lakes. And what we're going to do is, we're going to bring people to Erie. And we're going to show them a really good time.
We're going to show them all the cool things about Erie that we all know about from having lived here, but unless you're from here, you wouldn't think to experience those things. So it's a chance for us to showcase Erie, put a bow on it, package it up into a nice, digestible package, and a four-day adventure, we're calling it. And that's pretty much where we're at, right now.
TONY PEYRONEL: Wow. I have to say, you touched on some of this. But when I first looked at your website, I was shocked by the variety of options and offerings that you have. You're a lot more than just someone being able to schedule a boat ride on the lake.
You've got a lot of different options and ways to go. I'm just wondering where you got the idea for this? And how much work has been involved in coordinating with other tourism-driven businesses in the area?
SCOTT HITZ: So it is a lot of work. And that is being done right as we speak. So I'm coordinating with all these different adventure activities-- anything from say, maybe a horseback riding experience, to wine tours in the wine country region, to kayaking on Presque Isle. It's a guided kayak tour, which I didn't even realize was a thing until I went online this winter.
So this has been a learning process for me, too, to understand what is out there for us to do. We all know there's a lot to do. But because of our winters, we compress all of our stuff into this real short window. And we all have more than enough things to do in the summer.
TONY PEYRONEL: There's an ice fishing season. And then, there's a little bit of time for other things.
SCOTT HITZ: I like to say we go into hibernation. And then, we come out of it. But there's just so many different activities. I think I have 12 on the website right now. Now, I will say, that though, as of this podcast, those are ideas.
I have not formally developed those relationships, yet. So I'm hoping that these businesses are willing to work with me on these things. And I think they will, because why wouldn't you?
TONY PEYRONEL: For sure.
SCOTT HITZ: So at the price points we're talking, we're going to bring dollars into this economy. And we're going to spread it around. That's part of the goal. It's not just about me and my business.
Obviously, that's a key element in it. But I really want to support the wineries, and the breweries, and the restaurants, and all of these other things that are crucial for this experience.
TONY PEYRONEL: Well, when do you anticipate starting to offer these different adventures?
SCOTT HITZ: May 28th is the goal. It's aggressive. That's Memorial Day weekend.
And basically, we'll get into the backstory of how I got all this started. But I'm basically condensing what would be normally-- some people start a business just by starting a business and figuring it out as they go. But others do a lot of planning maybe for a year, year and a half. And I'm condensing all of that into a five-month window. So it's a very aggressive plan to get moving on this thing, and get it up and running for the sailing season.
TONY PEYRONEL: Well, I tell you what-- why don't you take a couple of minutes. Why don't you share some of that back story right now?
SCOTT HITZ: I'd be happy to. So this all came about when COVID hit. I was working for a non-profit in the area. And I was teaching kids how to sail boats and build wooden boats and navigate, and stuff like that.
I got into sailing when I was a kid. I was about 10 years old, and I got invited on a family weekend up to a country lake. And I'd never even thought about sailing. I grew up on a grape farm in Ripley on the lake shore.
I loved the water growing up as a kid. That was our reward for a good, hard day's work in the July sun. It was, OK, now you've earned it. Mom and dad said you can go down to the lake, go for a swim, cool off, enjoy yourself. And so at a very early age, I had this relationship with the water.
It's just calming to me. It's refreshing. And it's just peaceful. So starting there, I went on this vacation.
And my uncle happened to have a very small dinghy sailboat. People might know what a sunfish is, which is just a triangular one-sail sailboat. And I took one ride in that thing. And I was absolutely ensconced.
I was hooked right from the very beginning. I just love the mechanics of it, how you trim the sail, how it changes the speed of the boat, just how moving your weight forward or back changes the performance of it. And the fact that it was all generated by nature, that there was no engine driving this, that it was just the natural wind that was happening, and you could harness that, and then use that to move an object in the water just fascinated me.
I didn't realize it at the time, but I didn't know anybody that had a boat like this. I had no other access to that. And so it would be 25 more years before I would get a second chance to be in a sailboat. And I found that chance as I worked for a company who was sponsoring the annual Red Cross charity regatta on our bay.
And I got a chance to be a crew mate on one of those boats. I begged the owner. I said, can I please go on the boat? And he said, yeah, absolutely. We contacted the owner of the boat. He said, yep, great. We'd love to have you.
And off I went. And it was an experience that was so cool. There were about-- I don't know if you've ever seen, or seen pictures, or been around that thing, but it happens every year. There's 40, 50 boats that show up in the bay. And they all just go out and have a good time and raise some money for the Red Cross.
And it was really just a cool experience to be part of a team, to go out there. And each person, I learned, had their own part and their own job on the boat. And they all had to work together in order for the boat to perform well, and just to get around the course, basically. But even more than that, to be successful at it, you really had to have good communication and learn how to work together, and refine your skills.
And it was just it was a challenge that I enjoyed. So they were very gracious to me. And they allowed me to come back a second time, and a third time, and a fourth time. And I've been racing out of the Erie yacht club for the last 11 years.
And that's how I learned how to sail. So as a sideline, anybody who has any interest in sailing-- I would highly recommend that you go down to a local yacht club. And you let them know that. You tell the person at the bar or in the administration office that you'd be interested in doing something like that.
You don't have to have any experience. In fact, the less experience you have, the better off you are. Because then they can train you the way they want. And a lot of times, what happens with these sailboats is that you might need three or four people to run the boat. You can't operate it with less than that.
And it's the summertime. Given people's schedules and vacations and this and that, in a fleet of 30 more boats, there's always somebody down there looking for an extra person to get on the boat.
TONY PEYRONEL: That's a good tip.
SCOTT HITZ: So they taught me how to sail. Sailing a boat and racing a boat are two different things. When you're racing a sailboat, you learn about all the fine-tuning things that make just a quarter of a knot difference in the speed and the performance. And you can really use that as a great foundation for learning and utilizing for your own boat.
NARRATOR: This episode of Buzz Generated is sponsored by the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership-- the voice of the business community in the region. The Chamber provides advocacy and access to people, education, and information, so the businesses have the leadership, resources, and expertise needed for continued prosperity throughout the region. Schedule a time to meet with the business action team and learn more about how the Chamber can help.
Or visit the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership online at www.eriepa.com. The growth of our vibrant community in Erie, PA depends on a dynamic business environment. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership aims to provide just that. Let's get back to the episode.
TONY PEYRONEL: Well, Scott, it's obvious that sailing is a passion for you. One doesn't have to listen very long to be able to tell this is something you're really, really into. Now, if I'm interested in that, or I just want to check out one of those great sunset tours, or maybe have some people coming into town and they want to do either the winery or the overnight restaurant thing, I'm sure a lot of our listeners are going to be eager to sign up for a lot of what you offer. What could we tell them right now? What's the best way for them to do that?
SCOTT HITZ: The best way to find me is on my website, yoursailingadventure.com. And you can also reach me on social media. I do have a Facebook account, Your Sailing Adventure.
I have an Instagram account-- same thing, Your Sailing Adventure-- and a LinkedIn account.
TONY PEYRONEL: Excellent. Now, you received significant assistance from at least two of our partners in the Northwest PA Innovation Beehive Network-- Mercyhurst University and Gannon University. Can you tell us a little bit-- what our Beehive partners did for you?
SCOTT HITZ: One of the things that has blown me away is the support that I've got from the community with this idea, and the help that I need to be able to launch it. Rewind years ago, I was a co-owner of a small, family business. And so I learned business early on.
All of my relatives or business owners. My parents were business owners. My aunts and uncles are business owners. My brother's a business owner. My wife's a business owner.
It just runs in the family. And I thought I knew a lot about running a business-- until you start one. And you quickly realize that it takes a team. You have to surround yourself with a group of people that act almost like a shell.
And they can help you with the different facets. Because there's no way that you can master all of the things that you need to-- all the skills. You have to rely on other people to get all that done. And the Beehive has been incredible for me-- absolutely fantastic, exceeded every expectation I could have had for the amount of help that they've given me.
They've encouraged me and supported me in a way that's taken this idea that I had of a way to bring money into the economy and to introduce people to sailing. Initially, my approach was, let's wait and see. Let's see if this is financially feasible thing. And they've helped me to figure out whether it is or not.
Because I wouldn't even sure three months ago that I was going to start this thing. I had been doing the preparation work, in the event that it would start. But the Beehive actually-- it's all right with you, I'd like to namedrop.
TONY PEYRONEL: Sure.
SCOTT HITZ: Brian Fuller, the director of operations at the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Science-- and I'm not sure for the students, whether it's OK to use their last names or not.
TONY PEYRONEL: Oh, sure.
SCOTT HITZ: So Kenzie Schroeder, Nick Brodfuehrer, Abby Lesniewski, Claire Orr, Olivia [INAUDIBLE], and Stephanie [INAUDIBLE] have been all very, very integral in helping me get this thing going. And what they've done specifically, is market research for me. So I went to them.
And I said, how much can I charge for these things? What is the market rate? Because it's a unique idea. There's never been anything that packages-- you could go get a traditional sailing charter.
But you can't get the adventures. And so how do you figure that out? What can you charge for that? And who do I market it to?
And where would the interest come from? Would it be Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh? Would it be small, rural areas away from the water? Would it be as far away as Tennessee?
Would it be in the cities that have direct flights into Erie International Airport? That's Chicago, Washington, Charlotte-- and once we get out of this whole COVID haze-- Detroit. Especially as a startup, there's only so much money to go around for advertising.
And you need to make sure that every dollar counts. And they did exhaustive research for me, in two separate rounds, to put together this picture for me, of who to talk to, what makes sense, market demographics, what's my customer avatar look like. In other words, what age are they?
What's their income? What gender? All that kind of stuff. And they've really done some deep digging.
And basically, the outcome of that was, yes, you do have a viable idea. Your price structure could work. And those were cues that I used to springboard off of, and take that to the next step.
TONY PEYRONEL: Now, you almost had the distinction of being the first guest on Buzz Generated who had never actually worked with our Beehive here at Edinboro. But we changed that. You recently reached out to my colleague, Chris Lantinen, who also happens to be-- along with student Keith Hepler-- he happens to be the coproducer of this podcast. Why don't you tell our listeners exactly what Chris was able to help you with?
SCOTT HITZ: Chris has been helpful, in that the Beehive-- Brian's team at Mercyhurst that I mentioned-- had put together for me not only that market research, but also some graphic design help. They assembled a branding manual for me. They developed a logo for me.
They did some mockups on t-shirts and stuff like that, even so far as to go as to have my logo on a sail on the boat. And part of the branding manual that they put together-- which was awesome, by the way-- had different fonts in it. And so I'm trying to follow the rules. This is the brand.
This is what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to use these fonts on my website. And Chris was able to really thread the needle, and show me how to use my Squarespace website with my own custom fonts that matched my brand. So that was very cool.
TONY PEYRONEL: That's interesting, because with Mercyhurst, there's some overlap. We do a lot of graphic design and branding. We don't have capacity. We can only take on so many clients, the way we do it.
And so there is a lot of referral activity that goes back and forth. And it's funny. We do stay in touch with each other a lot. And as I told you, just us meeting here before the interview, I just got off a Zoom with the other Beehives.
And Brian is relaying information to me, to give you a message to call our other Beehive partner, Jake Marsh at Penn State Behrend. Because he might be able to help you develop an app. So you and your business really are a good example of the Beehive in motion, and the fact that it's not necessarily working with just one site. And we readily pass clients between one another for things that we could help each other out a little better with. So having worked with multiple Beehives, would you recommend the services of the Northwest PA Innovation Beehive Network to other startup businesses?
SCOTT HITZ: Oh, absolutely. In fact, I think you'd be foolish not to take advantage of those resources that are out there. They're no charge. They're people that have a vested interest in our community. And they've shown that they're able to deliver. So, yeah.
And also, I'd like to mention the SBDC at Gannon-- Bill Dietz, Eddie Hobaugh and Jacob Jones. And I know they have a connection with the Gannon part of the Beehive.
TONY PEYRONEL: Yes.
SCOTT HITZ: And they've helped me tremendously. So that's another aspect of it. And where they've come in is with more business development stuff-- teaching me, here's how you write a marketing plan. Here's how we need to package your finances so that when you go to ask for a loan from a financial commercial lender, this is the format that the numbers need to be in, and that kind of thing. So they've been really helpful with that.
TONY PEYRONEL: And you are, again, an excellent example of a new business owner, a business startup who has really worked with virtually every Hive in the network. And that's certainly a cool thing. What I'd like to do, Scott-- I'd like to circle back now a little bit to earlier in our conversation, where you talked about not just being a small business.
You're just not looking at this as how your short and long-term profitability is going to be. You see a larger picture, here. And it sounds like part of what you want to contribute to is the overall-- you want to bring revenue into the Erie region.
You want to tap into the tourism component of that. And people have a lot of ideas, when it comes to economic development. We think of this area, and they think about traditional manufacturing, and then service jobs, and tech jobs.
But there's a whole line of thinking that what's in our lap, here, is being a city right on a bay looking over a great lake that has these organic, super sunsets, and a lot of other things. And those people really think that entertainment tourism is really a key to economic development. It sounds like you agree with that, that you want to be part of that movement.
SCOTT HITZ: Absolutely. I think it's foolish for us not to utilize the natural resource that we've been given. We live in the gem city in Erie. And it's one of the few naturally protected ports on the Great Lakes. So we get over 4 million visitors to Presque Isle every year-- 4 million.
I'm told that-- and I can't confirm this myself-- but if you look online, it's common knowledge that we're one of the top 10 visited state parks in the country. In fact, we're not even in state parks. If you factor in the national parks, we're still within the top 10 visited parks.
TONY PEYRONEL: Wow.
SCOTT HITZ: And you're getting all that volume of people coming in, that influx of people coming in through the summer season. And why not take advantage of that and leverage that? To me, from an economic standpoint, every dollar that we can bring into this economy-- we didn't have to create infrastructure to create it.
We didn't have to have a manufacturing facility and sell widgets. Essentially, every person that we can convince to come here and spend money on a lunch or something else is just free money into our economy. So why not take advantage of that? And I think that there's money out there.
Right now with the industry, with COVID and everything that's happening, we're in a prime position to leverage that. So I've sat through a lot of tourism webinars and things like that in the last few months. And all of the indicators are pointing in the direction that this summer is going to be enormous for tourism. People are doing staycations.
They may be doing weekend adventures, coming up from Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh. They're sitting on stimulus money. They're sitting on last year's vacation budget that didn't get spent. And you talk to people in the boating industry, and there aren't any boats to buy right now.
They're all scooped up. Because people went out and bought them, last year. They're ready. They want to do this.
A rising tide raises all ships, I'm fond of saying. I'm sure you've heard that before. And the idea with the business is, let's bring this money into the area and spread the wealth around. Let's get all these other companies-- like I'm in discussion with a limousine company that might help get people from A, to B, to C, to D, on my adventures.
Let's support them. Let's get some money moving on a Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, and a Thursday during these four-day adventures where they may not normally have those spots booked. Let's go to the wineries, the breweries. Again, I keep mentioning those. But there are just so many more that could benefit from this.
TONY PEYRONEL: It's funny. I have a story to share with you, when you talk about demand for certain products, especially recreational coming out of the pandemic. But I have some property in Crawford county, where we live-- about 30 acres. And we put in a small pond. And last summer, my wife decided she wanted a kayak if for no other reason than to be able to paddle around the pond.
And man, that was one of the most difficult missions I had, was tracking down a kayak to purchase for her. I can remember pulling up to a sporting goods store and having a person who had pulled in in front of me in a white work van with a trailer leaving with the last eight kayaks in the store, and wanting to tackle them, just to get a kayak. It took me at least half a dozen trips to various sporting goods stores before I could purchase a simple, basic kayak. So what you say is, I guess it's absolutely true at all levels, from the large, sophisticated boats down to the kayak.
SCOTT HITZ: It's amazing. Who would have ever thought, two years ago, that you would have trouble buying a kayak. It would have been the furthest thing from your mind. And I would have never guessed, starting this, that there was that much demand for big boats.
The boat that I have in mind is a 32-foot sailboat. It's a fairly average size for this area. But finding something that fit the bill and did so in a way that our guests could be very comfortable, and have all their needs met, is proving to be a bit of a challenge. You never think of that.
But we were very fortunate. Also I'd just like to mention that this is the beginning of the idea. So where it goes from here, it's really difficult to say. A lot is going to depend on how early people adopt this summer, and how well it goes this first season. Next year, it might be two boats or three boats.
We might be doing different locations. There could be something on Chautauqua Lake, or other small bodies of water. And what that could do for those places, too. So the price points that I have in mind-- which are not confirmed, yet. We're still working through a lot of that. But the price points. I have in mind, I have to say, are a little bit on the high side.
It's aggressive. And it's done so in a way-- I've designed it that way on purpose, so that let's bring the money here. There are people out there with money and other parts of the country who would love to go on these kinds of adventures. Let's bring that money here, and not $15 at a time.
Let's do it in a way that's significant. So some of the other adventures that I keep forgetting to mention, some of the ideas I had were create sushi with an executive chef. Make chocolate strawberries with one of the local chocolatiers. Learn how to brew beer with some of these brewers around town.
Go down to the flagship Niagara museum. And inside of that museum, there's a rig. It's a historical reproduction of the tall ship rig on the St. Lawrence. It's just identical to the one on the Niagara.
It's a full, three-story rig. And actually, they'll teach you down there how to pull the sails, trim the sails on the thing. You'll learn how to take them up and down.
There's airplane rides available in Erie. There's private winemaker tours. You could go sail on a schooner, the Lettie G. Howard. You can go to a baseball, game kick back and enjoy that.
You can even spend an evening doing comedy and magic, down at the comedy club. So there's so much that Erie has to offer. Why not show everybody what this is all about? Let's show everybody else how cool Erie is.
It really is a gem city. And with this piece, I feel like this could be the crown jewel on the gem. I've talked with beds and breakfasts around town, and they're thrilled to have this new offering for their guests.
Steve and Lisa down at Spencer House Bed and Breakfast, or Vicki at the Victoria Inn-- they both have told me that they have to tell their guests, there's no access to the water. Their guests will come and say, wow, this is amazing. How do I get on a boat? And they have to turn them away.
So here we are, with this great resource. And they can't get to. It they can go out on a Victorian Princess, which is awesome. They can go on the Scallywag, which is really fun. But outside of that, if they want to have a personal, or a private experience, where it's just them and their family or something like that, I don't think there's any other way for them to access that.
So this could be the piece that enables them to go out on the water, and not just spend money here, and have fun here. But if you're from Pittsburgh and you do that, it may be it makes an impression on you. And you say, I want to move to Erie. And I want to have a boat up here.
Because I really enjoyed it. I really like what I was doing. And this is something I can't get in Pittsburgh on the three rivers. So you never know where this could go.
TONY PEYRONEL: No, no. Your ideas, a lot of them are great. I think there's really a massive potential. And I know we've covered a lot of ground in this interview. But I'm going to close it, Scott, by asking you if there's anything else that you would like to share about your business with our listeners?
SCOTT HITZ: Thank you. I'd also like to-- if it's all right-- plug some of these other people that have supported me.
TONY PEYRONEL: Sure.
SCOTT HITZ: To start with, the city of Erie. This all came to start because of a Thrive In Erie program that was funded through a community development block grant. I was awarded the Thrive In Erie grant, which enabled me to utilize the resources of Paramount Pursuits, which is a business consultancy out of Cranberry.
TONY PEYRONEL: Not part of our Beehive, but someone that we have worked with more frequency.
SCOTT HITZ: Have you?
TONY PEYRONEL: Yeah.
SCOTT HITZ: That's really cool. So Trish Digliodo, who has been my mentor, personally-- and she has been invaluable. So without that Thrive In Erie grant, I would not be starting this business this soon, this quickly, this aggressively. I wouldn't have the confidence to do it.
And I wouldn't have the resources. She's been able to pull a lot of that together for me. And Jennifer Hoffman at the city-- she's the business development officer-- and of course, Mayor Schember, they've really been helpful. I'd also like to mention Emily Fetcko, the assistant director at the Downtown Erie Partnership.
She's reached out to me. Janice at Visit Erie has reached out to me. They've heard about my idea. And they want to be a part of it. Turk Hamilton here in Edinboro-- Hamilton Insurance. They're are a broker agent here in Edinboro. And she has basically said, I'm not an expert at writing boat policies. But let me see what I can do to help you, because I really like your idea, and I want to see you succeed for our community.
Penn State Behrend-- you mentioned, I think it was Jake--
TONY PEYRONEL: Jake Marsh?
SCOTT HITZ: Yeah. He has offered to help me. They have a program where if you have legal expenses-- so for example, in my business, I have to have liability waivers drafted, photo releases, all sorts of things, mechanics contracts. They have a program where basically, it funds up to 50% of your expenses on things like that.
He's offered to work with me. He's also mentioned, and put me in touch with Penn State Main Campus. They have an entrepreneur assistance clinic. And Stefan Bergman down there has helped me. Basically, if you're thinking about starting a business and you have these kinds of legal expenses, they will do this for no charge.
So you'd be foolish not to use those. He helped me found my business. He sat down. We did a Zoom meeting in a half an hour's time. He'd said, all right. Share your screen with me. We're going to go to Pennsylvania's website.
Here's what you click. Here's the answers you need to do this properly so that there won't be any hiccups with your filings. We'll draft your articles of incorporation. And we'll do all that for no charge. So they're willing to do that.
And finally, I'd like to just mention my wife, Missy, who owns Monacella Massage and Kinesiology, which is located in the 13th floor of the Renaissance Center. She's been in business for over 20 years. She's one of the largest massage therapy practices in the city. And with her experience, I have ideas-- she knows how to get it done.
So she'll say, all right, well, here's what you need to do. Here's how you need to set up your Google My Business. Here's how we need to set up your chart of accounts for accounting. Here are all the details.
So it takes a village. And I would encourage anybody out there who's even considering-- and again, it was a thought. It was an idea. And I wasn't sure that I was going to do it. If you have those ideas, definitely go apply for the Thrive In Erie Grant.
There's a new round the city just released. It's open right now for application. So go submit your application and start the ball rolling. There's no commitment, in terms of-- you don't have to use this money and then start the business. It can be a fact finding thing. Go do it.
TONY PEYRONEL: Well, thank you, Scott, for that advice. And thanks also for talking with us about Your Sailing Adventure.
SCOTT HITZ: Thank you very much for having me, Tony. I appreciate it.
TONY PEYRONEL: My pleasure.
NARRATOR: The Northwest Innovation Beehive Network works to enhance business expansion and development in the Erie area. The Beehive is made up of five grant-funded centers that collaborate to encourage business growth. The centers work together to form the Hive Network, while each location operates in its own, specialized area of expertise.
Blasco Library, Penn State Behrend, Edinboro University, Gannon University, and Mercyhurst University are each responsible for a specific service. You can contact us at nwpabeehive.com. You've been listening to Buzz Generated. This podcast was released through Edinboro University's Center for Branding and Strategic Communication.
It's produced by Keith Hepler and Chris Lantinen. Thank you to our guest for their insight, and to you, our listeners, for taking the time to experience innovation alongside us. Consider subscribing if you liked this episode, to get more as soon as they drop. And if you really enjoyed it, jump over to Apple Podcasts for a five-star review. Thank you for listening.
