Skip to main content

Original text


Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
As Flight School Takes Off, Entrepreneur Learns To Delegate

Published June 25, 2019

Having the ability to know that you don’t know everything is a trait that defines most successful entrepreneurs. It is certainly one that can be attributed to Charlie Smith of Green Bay, owner of Pilotsmith, Inc. Smith started his first business at age 13, but even with that early experience was driven to learn more about entrepreneurship, and several decades later, to complete a business degree at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

"My first business was a full computer store in Polk County, Florida," Smith said. "I started an LLC, did business with the schools, and also made financial mistakes."

It was an impressive start for a young teen. The store did hundreds of thousands of dollars in business but didn’t produce the profit it should have.

Smith said he bought too much inventory and made some bad financial decisions. After closing the store, he excelled as a code writer and found it easy to find employment.

"We were living in Illinois and my wife was offered a job in Texas (she has a doctorate in food science), and because I could get a job anywhere, I told Walgreens that I needed to resign," Smith said.

Instead of losing him, Walgreens encouraged him to stay on and work remotely. He did so for 15 years.

Near the end of his tenure, he was going to school at UWGB and essentially working two full-time jobs, spending about 40 hours per week on both his job and in growing Pilotsmith.

"I’m a go-getter. Even now I work 80 hours a week," Smith said. "I’m the person who can wear all the hats — accounting stuff, legal stuff, marketing, graphic design, website — I do it all."

Pilotsmith has had amazing growth. As it transitioned from a hobby to a full-time business, Smith left his other job.

He credits the classes he took at UWGB with giving him the business knowledge he lacked in his earliest venture.

"I couldn’t have accomplished all the things I did without those classes," Smith said. "They taught me how to be a business person. Previously, I was an introvert; not very social. I learned how to talk to people and how to motivate them."

He took an independent study class with Ryan Kauth, a business educator and also a Green Bay SCORE volunteer, and Lucy Arendt in 2015, and said he learned how to develop his business model. He also benefited from a mentorship relationship with Dan Pamperin, president of Titletown Oil Corp. in Green Bay.

Pamperin still meets with him regularly and Smith says he is a sounding board and always willing to share his expertise.

The result has been a business that has far exceeded a typical pilot training school. Smith found a niche in the higher-end market and is an official Cirrus Training Center.

He offers flight training for Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot,

Certified Flight Instructor and Certified Flight Instructor Instruments.

Pilotsmith has training and rental aircraft, and two on-site simulators. He also offers scenic air rides, aviation medical exams, commercial photography flights, and pilot supplies. Unlike most flight schools that struggle to survive, he has taken a hard look at the competition to craft a different business model.

"I have actually gone 180 degrees from what I thought the business would be," Smith said. "Every year, I set new goals, and am differentiating myself with high quality and by being a place that people want to go."

His challenge is in controlling growth and learning to delegate. He now has two flight schools in four locations, including airports in Green Bay, Appleton, and Manitowoc. He said there are three other airports asking him to expand, but he wants to be careful about his growth so that he has the resources in place to do it right.

"I have started adding flight instructors — I now have five — and am learning to delegate. I have an accountant on board and a legal firm. My 2019 mission is to fly less and focus on building the business. I’ll never give up instructing entirely, but I realize I can’t be the person who does everything. I have high-quality instructors to do that," Smith said.

Smith also wants to keep his focus on the gratifying aspects of the business.

"I love that I get a personal sense of satisfaction every time someone gets to fly by themselves or takes a rider with them for the first time. We trained that person — they worked hard, but I was part of it," he said.

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

SHARE THIS HEADLINE

Source

Green Bay Press-Gazette

CONNECT
2701 Larsen Road
}
Green Bay, WI 54303
1-800-634-0245

Copyright © 2024 SCORE Association, SCORE.org

Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

Chat generously provided by:LiveChat

In partnership with
Jump back to top