Fibrenew - Walt Wilms

You can't think of the month of October without thinking of Halloween. That's the time that many of us put on a costume and a mask and pretend to be something we're not.  When we do that, we become creative and open up our world to new experiences and possibilities. Sometimes we spend our career in one particular costume or job category. We tend to identify that job category as who we are and hide behind that mask. But, we are really so much more than that. If you have the courage to take off that mask, you may just discover lots of other career options that might even be more rewarding than the career you decided on when you were twenty-something. Our entrepreneur this month did just that. He had the courage to try on new costumes, learn about his core strengths and found a new career direction. Congratulations Walt, and welcome to the world of entrepreneurship!

I    Walt Wilms

Like many of my clients, I first met Walt Wilms when he was in a career transition. He had been downsized a couple of months earlier when his employer lost a large contract. Walt was educated as an architectural engineer, but spent the majority of his career as a plant engineer and facility and maintenance manager for major manufacturing companies. This was not the first time that Walt had been downsized, and at 56 years old he was having reservations about returning to the job market.  He and his wife, Linda, had bought a home that they were hoping to convert to a Bed and Breakfast someday. He had built a large wood and blacksmith shop behind his home as part of his plans to generate a retirement income. But with the loss of his job, that dream was put on hold. Walt was also a part time EMT Firefighter for his volunteer fire department and was committed to staying in the area. But jobs in his current area were very tight and he needed to generate an income to transport him to his retirement.

Here's what Walt had to say about it. "Around two years ago, I was laid off from a job that had sounded like a dream come true and was starting to regroup and look for a new position. I was able to get unemployment but for me, sitting around was not my life's calling. I had sent out a 3" high stack of resumes and got virtually no responses and was coming up on the end of my unemployment. With all the effort and no responses, I was feeling pretty disheartened and was wondering what I was going to do."

Walt was at a career crossroads. We found each other just in time. We started to build his possibilities profile. He did not want a lot of employees and if possible, would like to utilize his workshop. He wanted something service or manufacturing oriented where he could use his hands, see the results of his efforts, be recognized in his community and be rewarded for his efforts. He also wanted to take some pressure off his wife who was a busy RN. He wanted to work this business full time now, and then cut back and blend the business into his retirement.  

 

After reseaching various possibilities, we narrowed our search to three potential businesses that met Walt's criteria. "Marty helped me get information on them and meet with their marketing people. After each meeting, Marty and I talked and we reviewed my likes and dislikes for each one.  Ultimately, we eliminated 2 of the 3 and started honing in on the 3^rd one. Marty continued to work with me on contacting sources of financing and other things to get the ball rolling. After about a month of research and discussions with my wife and Marty, I took the plunge and bought my franchise with Fibrenew International."

Fibrenew is the worldwide leader in the repair, reconditioning and color restoration of leather, plastics and vinyl for the automotive, marine, aviation, commercial and residential furniture markets.  Walt and Fibrenew can repair rips and make worn and faded leather look like new again. He can also repair plastic bumpers and spoilers, instrument panels and moldings at a substantial cost savings. Walt sent me before and after pictures of a red leather corner couch that he had restored for a customer after the family dog had severely scratched it.  It looked as though it was ready for the junk pile. The restoration was amazing. Walt's customer sent him a thank you letter referring to him as the man with the "gifted hands."

If you, a friend or relative live in the greater Milwaukee area and could utilize Walt's amazing expertise, please give him a call at 262-268-1896 or e-mail him at greatermilwaukee@fibrenew.com. He'd be happy to come out and give you a personal quote and perhaps perform his magic.

As Halloween approaches, perhaps it's time for you to get out from behind your career costume or mask and see what your career options and possibilities might be. Walt didn't let the Halloween fear goblins hold him back and his new look includes a great big smile.