Skipper Hot's Lounge
When Ford Blake started his main establishment, Skipper Hot’s Lounge, he
had some previous experience from businesses that he ran in Seal Cove.
He opened a grocery and hardware
store in that area. Mr. Blake then sold the store later on. After this, Mr.
Blake started his main business in Straitsview; the night club which he called Skipper
Hot's Lounge.
Mr. Blake started the night club in October, 1,1993. The reason he began this
was ,as he put it , "I am from this area, and at the time the
opportunity for opening a night club in this area looked good to me." Ford
Blake had a grade ten education and the experience of starting up other
businesses and making them work. The knowledge he gained from his previous
experience was invaluable. Mr. Blake’s main business, the night club, has
expanded over the years since the beginning. These expansions include the grocery store and take-out adjoined to the club called,
"Blake’s Cash And Carry", and Snorri Cabins. Mr. Blake saw the
demand for accommodations
for tourists in the summer and developed the Snorri Cabins to help meet
this demand. His cabins provide facilities where tourists can rest along with
overnight accommodations.
Mr. Blake has an employee base of seven people regularly, but this number
expands to 15 during the busy summertime when many tourists arrive. Mr. Ford
Blake finds that the most satisfying thing with owning his own establishment is that
he is his own boss and makes his own rules and hours. Mr. Blake's only source of
income comes from the success of his business ventures. Mr.
Blake considers the challenge of getting enough money to get set up the most difficult obstacle
to overcome in starting
a business. Most
entrepreneurs need financial help from the government to get started and keep
going for the first year or two. Mr. Blake said that he had enough money from
the sale of his two previous businesses to buy the land for the night club.
When asked what advice he would give entrepreneurs in starting up there own
business his suggestion is that "when you start your own business,
don’t hope to see much profit in the first few years. It will take at least
five to six years, of hard work before you attain anything from your
efforts." The lessons that Mr. Blake has learned from running his own
business are that "When you get started, you devote all your time to your
enterprise in the first few years. After that, you may have more free time and
start to make better profits."
