William (Bill) Pittman speaks at William A. Freeman lecture

April 14, 2012

It’s all about the opportunities.

Georgia Southern University alumnus William (Bill) Pittman (pictured left) took advantage of every opportunity which ultimately led to his development and ownership of several successful start-up businesses. Now Vice President of Product Development for Total Merchant Services, Inc., Pittman started up and sold two payment software companies.

Pittman spoke to a crowd of over 300 Georgia Southern students and faculty members Monday night at the Nessmith-Lane Assembly Hall. Pittman’s lecture covered his journey as an entrepreneur, the different opportunities he encountered, and what he learned from the experiences.

Pittman’s speech was a part of the William A. Freeman Memorial Lecture Series. Pittman was the fourth speaker of the series which takes place annually honoring William A. Freeman, a successful graduate of Georgia Southern who sponsors many scholarships and awards at the university.

Pittman began by saying, “We are all entrepreneurs today.” According to Pittman, it is important for all individuals to manage a career as if they are entrepreneurs no matter the profession. “Do whatever you can to advance yourself,” Pittman said. “You want to do whatever you can to improve yourself.”

Improving as an individual helps in preparation for change, which Pittman explains is inevitable. “You have to look at change and see how you can adapt to it,” Pittman said. “Look at change as an opportunity – not as a threat.”   

When Pittman first became involved with the credit card payment processing business, he realized the industry was constantly changing. He was worried as he continually saw new technology developing. Then he realized he could use this type of environment to his advantage. He made sure he produced faster than any of his competitors- he was simply taking advantage of an opportunity.

A graduate from the University of South Florida, Pittman received his degree in chemical engineering. He had his first job even before he graduated, but the real world came as a rude awakening for Pittman. “After I graduated I thought I would conquer the world,” Pittman said. “Nothing was going to be in my way.” Unfortunately, his coworkers did not feel the same way. “At the company where I worked, everyone was like zombies,” Pittman said.  “I couldn’t believe they didn’t share the same passion I had.”

Luckily, a few of his coworkers approached Pittman for help. They were working on starting their own credit card processing company and needed help examining and altering computer code. Taking his first step as an entrepreneur, Pittman proposed to be a partner in the business instead of just a contractor. “I recognized the opportunity and adjusted to it for the time,” Pittman said. “You will be exposed to all kinds of opportunities and you need to recognize them and then spin them to your advantage.”

A few years went by and Pittman decided he wanted to go into business on his own. “I realized I could have the best product in the world, but if I didn’t have a business built around it, it would fail,” Pittman said. Thus, he went back to school to get his master’s in business administration at Georgia Southern University. “Millions of people have ideas, but they don’t go anywhere,” Pittman said. “The actual challenge is to take the idea and make it into a real business.”

Pittman’s business was developing at 100 percent a year when he decided to sell it. According to Pittman, the best way to go about selling a business is by not blatantly announcing the sale. “The key is to make it their idea,” Pittman said. “Show all the benefits of your business to get someone interested, and remember the first offer you receive will not be the last.”

The first offer Pittman received he rejected. Although it was difficult, he understood the value of his company and its worth in the future. “I knew there would be other opportunities and I couldn’t just settle on the first offer,” said Pittman. “By the second time around, I learned from my mistakes and did things a little differently.”

When students were given the opportunity to ask questions, several raised their hands with curiosity. One student asked, “In your opinion, with the way technology is developing do you think there will be any technology that will be as revolutionary as the internet and email?”

Pittman answered with one word: tablets. In his opinion, tablets are going to be just as revolutionary as the personal computer (PC). He explained many people in the computer business are currently working on creating tablet applications. “The creativity and things people can do with tablets just overwhelm me, they’re endless,” Pittman said.

Junior marketing major, Ansley Adams attended the lecture because she was interested in the topic. “I enjoyed the lecture more than I thought I would,” Adams said. “He provided different information such as good practices to help a person begin a business.”

Junior entrepreneur and small business major, Zack Williams also attended Pittman’s lecture and was surprised by the information he learned. “He really gave a behind the scenes look at helpful information and tips,” said Williams. “I thought the lecture was very informative and definitely full of good information.”

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