New to BP in Buffalo, NY

[Jerry Ciesielski]

Hello, Everyone! I'm a new member from Buffalo, NY. For the first half of my career, I was in the toy business. My family and I owned toy stores in the Buffalo area for more than 25 years. Being a successful small business owner taught me many valuable skills and gave me a great sense of accomplishment, but with the decline of "traditional playthings" and the rise of electronics as children's entertainment, (do you know a young child that DOESN'T play with a 'screen device' more than wooden blocks?) and the financial collapse of the Great Recession, I decided to leave the toy industry. That led to a 5-year stint at as a Gourmet Food Buyer, which I enjoyed immensely, but couldn't see myself retiring from. Food and drink is a great passion of mine, but it will make a better hobby than career. So, I leapt at the chance to join a small group in Buffalo, that flips, rents, and wholesales residential and commercial properties. I'm the Acquisitions Manager with the group, and I'm learning a great deal each day, (and Bigger Pockets, and the Podscasts, are very helpful), and will be studying for my real estate agent license shortly. Coming into real estate with about 15 years left before retirement, I hope to quickly add properties of my own, that I can then use for passive income while retired. Looking forward to the journey together online. Cheers; Jerry