esse Safir bought a printing business in Manhattan in 2019.

9 months into his acquisition, things were going well.

Then Covid descended, and overnight the sales faucet just turned off.

And when I say "overnight"... Jesse's sales plunged 95% in literally 2 days.

So, this is the story of one acquisition entrepreneur's march through a generation-defining moment, how he held on and was able to come out the other side.

Now, Jesse actually doesn't yet take survival for granted; maybe he never will having been so close to death.

But sales are approaching pre-Covid levels, so there is cause for optimism.

My favorite part of this interview is when Jesse talks about a trial exposing whether you truly like your work. If the going gets tough, really tough, and you're still into it, you got yourself a vocation.

When I ask about Jesse's future plans in small business in light of his near-death experience, he answers:

"I really like owning and running a small business. I want to own more. I will own more." How's that for a natural owner-operator. Here he is, Jesse Safir, owner of ABG Print.