By Karen Hendricks
My father passed away recently. I’m still grieving and processing, both memories and thoughts. As I was running the other day, I thought of the perfect symbol to describe what it’s like, to be re-cataloguing and filing my life’s memories, with this shift: the old Amtrak sign at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station.
If you don’t have this frame of reference, check out the YouTube clip below and imagine your brain, as mine is, shifting, resurfacing and reshuffling its memories.
My father worked in manufacturing the length of his career–in printing, to be precise. When I was inducted into Honor Society during my high school years, my journalism teacher spoke on my behalf during the induction ceremony by saying that I likely had ink, and not blood, running through my veins. Could be. My father believed in the value of a good work ethic and an honest, hard day’s work.
I don’t know if my father read some of my latest published works, but I’m sure he would have loved them. Number one, they were printed (with ink) in the newspaper. And number two, they fit right into his lifelong theme that a good work ethic will take you places.
I’m grateful to the editor of the York Daily Record for asking me to scout around and develop a series of feature articles that profile some of the many long-standing York businesses that are still thriving today. We loosely titled the series, “How they made it,” not only to capture the entrepreneurial sparks that ignited their businesses, but the secret sauce that allowed them the longevity to continue their businesses–some for 100 years or more.
People love stories about the American dream, about entrepreneurs and small business success. (Amirite?) But these dreams can be elusive.
I learned that for every 10 small businesses, about half (48.9%) survive their first five years in business. The success rate declines as time goes on. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 33.7% stay in business for 10 years, and about a quarter (25.6%) reach the 15-year mark. Small businesses are defined as those having less than 500 employees.
So, dedicated to my father, enjoy four stories capturing four unicorns of small business success in York, explaining “How they made it” to these milestones.
“The Watchmaker’s Daughter Has Stood the Test of Time,” York Daily Record, April 22, 2024.
And in case you missed it, I recently announced a big decision: I’ve put all freelance journalism on hold (although I still have submitted stories publishing through the end of the year), in order to work on a book project that’s been on the back burner for a few years. It’s truly going well! It’s been a wonderful shift of gears… not unlike that old 30th Street Station icon.
Wishing you a wonderful end of summer,
Karen Hendricks 