Posted Under: Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Tom Burtzlaff is today’s guest under the “Our Heroes” series. Tom, a 30 year veteran executive who worked for multiple cosmetic companies in various capacities from manufacturing to general management finally took the plunge in the entrepreneurial waters in late 2009 when his last employer shut down his facility. Now, a proud entrepreneur, he is the President of CMIT Solutions of Columbia – a nationwide provider of IT services and solutions for small business. Tom shares his journey from being an employee for three decades to an entrepreneur now. Let’s talk to Tom… 

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

TB: Hello, my name is Tom Burtzlaff and I am a small business owner.  I am President of CMIT Solutions of Columbia.  CMIT Solutions is a nationwide provider of IT services and solutions for small business.  There are more than 125 franchise offices across the country and I recently opened the first one in Maryland.

Before my transition, I was a manufacturing executive in the cosmetics industry for most of the last 30 years. I worked for Avon, Maybelline, L’Oreal, and most recently as General Manger for a cosmetic sampling company in Baltimore.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

TB: Actually, my last job left me as the company closed my facility at the end of 2009 and I opted not to move to the new location.

It is painful to shut down a facility with 75 people that you had worked closely with for almost 10 years.  So that process really made me think about what was important to me and I decided that taking ownership of my own future and providing a valuable service to other small businesses would be my new career direction.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

TB: Taking the entrepreneurial classes at the outplacement firm really opened my eyes to what individual ownership was all about.  I tested as mildly entrepreneurial and worked with a franchise broker to help find business models that appealed to me and would be successful.

I took 2 months and went through the “discovery” process with 2 different franchisors.  I validated with multiple franchise owners to understand their experiences and how each franchise model worked for them.  I then took a trip to the headquarters of the franchise to meet the team of people that would support me in my new endeavor.   I found that franchising meant being in business for yourself but not by yourself as the franchisor provided significant training, marketing materials, and business start-up advice.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

TB: (A) If you are “out of work”, use this pause in your life to reevaluate your priorities. (B) Ask for advice from everyone about owning your own business.  I have been amazed how many people are willing to help you in starting a business. (C) Face the FEAR head-on.  Owning a business is not like a corporate job.  You don’t get a regular paycheck.  But you do get to keep all the profit you make and you can’t get laid-off.  Plus as the business grows in value, that increase belongs to you. (D) Money can be found to finance your new business. I was able to get an SBA loan from my local bank to start my business. (E) Be sure that your new business is something that you can be proud to tell everyone that you do and it something that you will have FUN doing when it is successful. In my new job, I get to help small business folks get their computer systems working again. Seeing the smiles of people without computer frustrations makes my day!

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

TB: I am working harder than I ever have and I am loving it because I am building something for me.  I am focused on meeting fellow business owners in my community so that I can prove to them that CMIT Solutions of Columbia can be their trusted IT advisor.

I am also working with the franchise to open other CMIT offices in the Baltimore Washington area.  Getting to share my experiences with other potential entrepreneurs is great for me.  I hope that I can help other folks see the benefits of owning their own business and, as a result, owning their own future.

Thanks for letting me tell my story.

DD: Tom Burtzlaff, everyone! Definitely check him and his business at – http://www.cmitsolutions.com/columbia

Given the current economy, job loss and pretty hopeless economic recovery overall, I believe the very first piece of advice that Tom offered ‘If you are “out of work”, use this pause in your life to reevaluate your priorities’ is something I believe all of us can make use of. Take a look at your career, your goals, your work situation and feelings about last job(s), industry, colleagues, career prospectives, finances… Is this what you want or always wanted? If not, it’s time to re-evaluate priorities and make changes.

Let me ask you – Are you on track to achieving your career and life goals?

Success to all!