Entrepreneur Spotlight: Joel Baranowski
Constantly evolving and continuously diversifying - according to Joel Baranowski, owner of North Bay Sport & Liquor, this is what keeps a business thriving for over three decades.
“The basics of the business are the same from the beginning, but we've expanded more and diversified,” the Green Lake native said. “You have to pay attention to what the customers ask for if you want to be successful.”
Baranowski, a fixture of the Green Lake business community, is being honored as one of Town Square’s 2021 Entrepreneurs of the Year. The annual award is sponsored by Huberty, a CPA-led, professional service firm offering accounting, analysis, strategy and planning services.
Baranowski has had his store in Green Lake since 1987, but his journey with the business began years before he owned it. As a college student, Baranowski began working summers there in 1981 while he attended UW-La Crosse.
After graduating college, Baranowski came on as a partner with previous owner Leon Schroeder in 1987. He then bought out Schroeder’s share of the business in 2008 and started offering guided fishing trips.
“I've been doing it so long that now I'm fishing with a lot of the grandchildren of guys I started with,” Baranowski said.
Today, North Bay specializes in sporting goods and offers products including fishing equipment, live bait, Green Lake souvenirs and apparel, fine wines, liquor, beer, and ice cream. North Bay is Green Lake’s “one stop shop” for everything from hardware essentials to hunting equipment to snacks for your boat ride - even fishing licenses if you need one of those.
With a diverse product line, Baranowski draws an eclectic clientele of locals and tourists, many of whom have become friends.
“I do it for all my friends,” he says. “I don't know what else I would do if I didn't do this. I definitely wouldn't want to retire.”
Baranowski credits much of the store’s success to the employees he’s had over the years, including his two children, Kristen and John, and longtime store manager, Kelly. Despite the challenges of being an entrepreneur, Baranowski finds freedom in running his own business.
“The best part is you're responsible for everything. If something goes wrong, there's no one to point fingers at,” he said. “I guess it's the best and worst thing, but you are in control of your own destiny.”