NORWICH — The old adage “when the times get tough, the tough get going” have been words to live by for many a visionary entrepreneur, and that's exactly what one area man did after leaving the security of his full-time day job to pursue his lifelong passion.

As a former IT Specialist at NBT Bank headquarters in Norwich, Michael Sepello had spent much of his free time doing what he loves: producing and recording media – both music and video – for several independent musicians and artist from a downtown studio space that’s been a staple location for generations of musicians.

“I've been recording as a hobby with a number of local acts from this location for a while now,” said Sepello. “The late Bob Arnell and now Teddy Arnell both had the vision to offer studio space at prices that local working musicians could afford, and that really was the one of the inspirations for my business model,” he said. “I owe a great deal of credit and thanks to them.”

Whether forged out of love, necessity, or both, Sepello has taken on one of the most difficult challenges in one of the most difficult environments – entrepreneurship in an economically depressed climate. But to Sepello, the payoff was worth the risk.