ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – Ayden Craine, the 20-year-old owner of Altoona Heritage Pizza, has seen business since opening two weeks ago on the corner of 13th Avenue and 16th Street. Hot.
Craine graduated from Bishop Guilfoyle High School just two years ago and has been pursuing her dream of owning her own business ever since.
“People kind of pushed me to go to college, but I never wanted to go to college,” Crane said. “And I knew that from the beginning. I knew I wanted to own a business. To own a business, you don’t need to go to college. So, I figured I’d either spend four years in college, or I’d spend four years studying and to start my own business, so that’s what I did.”
Craine said he knows being a young business owner is becoming less and less common in today’s world, but he’s been able to adapt and figure it out as he goes along.
“Almost all learning happens on the fly,” Craine said. “That’s one of the fun parts about it. I’ve talked to other business owners who’ve started companies and stuff like that, and I’ve said ‘hey, you know what it takes to start a business before you actually start?’ And they’re like there’s no way.”
He knew the previous owner of the vacant building and said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity when it was vacant. As for where to start, he said you don’t have to be rich to start your own business.
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“There’s city funding, there’s state funding,” Crane said. “Looking for investors, all kinds of things, because believe it or not, you can start a business very cheaply.”