By Michelle Delaney, owner and editor of the South Lake Tablet
On Being An Entrepreneur
I come from a long line of local entrepreneurs. In the late 1960s, my mother and sister opened The Burger Hut, one of the first local fast-food restaurants in Clermont. Sad to say, The Burger Hut enjoyed a successful run but struggled and closed once McDonald’s opened.
My husband Bill and I visited my mother who lived in Groveland and never wanted to return to New York City. Clermont felt like home.
Clermont had a population of less than 4,000 at that time. There wasn’t a fast-food chain, superstore or large business in the area. It was truly a small town. In 1973, Bill and I arrived in Clermont with our two small sons and opened our first small business venture, a laundry and dry cleaner at Clermont’s “then” newest shopping center (next to McDonald’s). We called the business 2 Sons Cleaners, named for my 2 sons, Steve, than 5 years old, and Michael, only 5 months old. The business was later renamed 3 Sons Cleaners when my third son Patrick was born.
Before coming to Clermont, I worked for American Airlines in its Corporate office in Manhattan. On a good day, it took me between 1.5 and 2.5 hours to get from my hometown, Cambria Heights, to Manhattan (I could write a book on riding the subways and working in the city, but that’s for another story).
3 Sons Cleaner’s operating hours were 7 am – 10 pm, 7 days a week. Bill and I struggled to keep family and business balanced and I immediately formed a strong bond and empathy with other local, small business owners. My love for small business was recognized and I became the first woman “president” aka “director” of the “Clermont Chamber of Commerce” aka “South Lake Chamber of Commerce”. Women didn’t take or were accepted in many leadership roles in the 70′- 80s, it was not the norm.
We eventually sold 3 Sons Cleaners and both of us became Clermont Realtors (Rolling Hills Realty). I still have my Real Estate license though currently inactive. I worked for the South Lake Press (owner Ann/George Dupee); and at Clermont Elementary School (principal Sharon Powell), now Cypress Ridge Elementary. I was a Sunday school teacher and my husband was a Little League Coach for many, many years (Go Braves!). We have been very involved in the community. I need to say that I’ve been an active member of Beta Theta-Clermont, ESA for 41 years or my sisters will get upset.
When interest rates started to rise and the economy shaky, I decided to get a temporary summer job at Walt Disney World Co. I GOT PIXIE DUSTED! I worked in a magical WORLD for 29 years, leaving my beloved community daily. My husband opened Buena Vista Publishing, a family-owned publishing business in Orlando. Neither of us worked in Clermont for years, though we remained active and supportive of our growing community.
The family decided to move Buena Vista Publishing to South Lake County, eventually finding a commercial building only 2 miles from our home.
Neither did I plan to retire from Disney nor buy THE SOUTH LAKE TABLET; it just happened. I enjoyed the daily trip to and from Celebration; it was my time to wind down. But the constant road construction and traffic on Hwy 27 became increasingly difficult to endure. So, after 29 years at Walt Disney World Co., I impulsively retired, leaving behind a wealth of memories, and experience in Casting, Merchandise, Resorts, Public Affairs, Marketing and Minority/Women-Owned Business Development.
It took only a few days of retirement to question my decision to retire. I was bored or, perhaps, afraid I could become a TV junkie. The SOUTH LAKE TABLET was for sale. After some discussion, I cashed in some of my retirement funds, and my new MAGIC was created.
Celebrating Successes
It has been an amazing journey for me so far, though I can’t say perfect. All small businesses whether family-owned, woman-owned, or minority-owned have their share of ups and downs. This pandemic has caused great stress and hardship. It’s during stressful times, I celebrate successes and plan future goals and dreams.
The first thing that always comes to mind when I think about the Tablet’s successes is the publication’s growth. I’ve watched the readership rapidly increase. I find it rewarding to bring current news on businesses, events, clubs, meetings to our readership and even more rewarding to know it’s being read! When the pandemic hit, the TABLET created a COVID directory to help businesses easily communicate updated and ever-changing information with their customers. The TABLET also visited local small businesses and did articles and video highlights to help the businesses during the crisis. As you might guess, after all these years, I haven’t lost my empathy and love of the small business community.
In addition to the TABLET’s mission and goals.
- The platform and format have continually been updated to facilitate easier use.
- It has an interactive calendar of events for our readers to input and use. We also ask for feedback and suggestions from all.
- Readership has increased from about 34,000 in 2016 to over 300,000 to date.
- We recently improved our advertising reach to assist businesses.
- MOST EXCITING – We recently launched a Business Directory that covers all businesses in South Lake County for easy reference for locals and visitors.
Do you have news to share? -Submit your local events, articles and photos to news@SLtablet.com.
Want to advertise to all of South Lake County? Many people are home and have lots of time to surf the internet. Call Bill, Michael or Carl at 352-241-8900
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Thank you to our readers and advertisers.
