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Being a business owner means taking ideas and turning them into opportunities.
Mike Philbin, a longtime entrepreneur, has used that concept with his commercial enterprises.
Muncy Self Storage, 1603 John Brady Drive, Muncy, was launched 20 years ago out of a personal need.
"How this all started out was, I was building a house," he recalled. "The first thing you want to do is declutter your house. All the storage places were full."
Philbin, already the owner and operator of Keystone Bingo in Muncy Township, saw an opportunity on some unused land next door.
"I just couldn't find a space to rent. That's why got me started in the business," he said.
He decided to erect some buildings and rent them out for people who needed a place to store their items.
More than two decades later, the business is continuing to grow.
"It's a fenced in facility," he said. "I wanted to make sure people who rent here have their stuff safe."
Philbin's son, Jason, helps him run the business.
During a recent tour of the sprawling site, the father and son, showed off some of the different units they rent out for storage.
People need storage for household furnishings, large items, or just about anything, including vehicles. They include folks in the process of moving from one home to another in need of temporary space for their belongings.
The units vary in size to accommodate different needs. Some are even climate controlled.
"We are planning on building four additional buildings," Jason said.
"We are probably 90 percent full," Mike said. "It's probably been that way for two years. It's tough to say why. People go through lifestyle changes and need places to put their stuff."
And if they don't have space for someone, they are happy to refer them elsewhere.
He figures about 90 percent of people who rent space at his facility live within three to five miles of his business.
Individuals, families, and all different kinds of businesses need storage space, he noted.
In addition to rental units, Muncy Self Storage includes a large fenced-in lot for safe keeping of recreational vehicles, campers, and other large vehicles.
Mike said perhaps the most challenging aspect of the business is the decision-making process, such as when to expand or grow it.
He said Muncy Township officials have been good to work with over the years as he's grown the business.
Mike got his first taste of business through his family.
"I worked for my parents' shop in the Loyal Plaza - the Vanity Shop. My father was in business for a lot of years," he said. "I ended up leaving the business because I thought I knew a lot more than he did."
With a laugh, he realizes now those were youthful misconceptions, that in fact, he learned a lot from his father.
Mike eventually went into the bingo business and later launched Keystone Advertising.
He's glad, he said, to have different business enterprises and be self-employed.
"Being an entrepreneur is the best job in the world," he said. "If I don't work hard and don't make any money, it's on me. You control your own destiny."
The storage business has been good for his whole family, he added.