Fire Starter

Anthony Thomas, founder/owner of Cytext Mobile Marketing Solutions.

By Kimberly Hunter

How Do You Re-ignite Your Fire?

You KNOW which fire…. the fire of being in business. Remember when it all began? There was only one match, no fuel and two sticks to make some kind of miraculous business take place. You think to yourself, “Now what?

Anthony Thomas, founder/owner of Cytext Mobile Marketing Solutions, and recent recipient of the Business Plan Award at MEDWEEK, understands precisely how that happens. But what he also brings to the table of our community is the unique “Biz-Gyver” ability to keep a spare match or two in case of unexpected trouble.

Anthony’s first business was a construction-site cleanup business
during the great housing market boom of the early 21st century. “I
started the company with the intention of providing commercial
janitorial service, but quickly realized there was a need for
construction clean up, and no one else was offering that line of service
at the time,” Anthony divulges. Referrals were happening, and there
were more jobs than he could count — “the fire was “a-fannin’” with
endless opportunity. Right?

Wrong! The housing market crashed, jobs were lost, building
construction ceased altogether and the Fire Starter’s dream came
crashing with the downturn. After dealing with the devastation that loss
of a business brings, Anthony assessed the damage, and located the
reserve match he had saved in case of disaster.

“I decided to start back at the beginning,” says Anthony. “How did I
get here? It all began with an idea and invaluable community resources.
Mountain BizWorks helped me develop a strong business plan through its
Foundations course, and A-B Tech’s Small Business Incubator provided
awesome support services. To get my spark back, I chose to seek
community assistance and enrolled in Eagle-Market Streets Block Academy
to brush up on business education. It’s nice to have that fire burning
once again.”

Anthony stresses that it’s important for those starting out to take
advantage of local resources that can assist in fleshing out an idea for
a business to help create a strong and viable business plan. “Couple
training with opportunities for coaching and financing and it’s a recipe
for a successful and sustainable business endeavor,” he says.

Mountain BizWorks, a local nonprofit, helps small businesses grow and
larger businesses thrive. They offer basic business planning tools and
advanced classes to assist small business owners in developing the
skills they need to successfully manage a small business.

There is no doubt that having the proper tools to start the fire needed to develop a business is paramount.

Cytext Mobile Marketing Solutions, (828) 582-5865, www.cytextmobile.com. For more information email [email protected]