Brent Tilson’s business, Tilson, grew out of his recognition of a market need at a former job.
“As a CPA, I worked with many small businesses, and I recognized that, while they were good at their core businesses, they were struggling to keep up with the challenges related to nonproductive and time-consuming responsibilities related to human resource management,” he says. “I decided to start a business that would focus on these challenges and allow entrepreneurs the opportunity to focus on the business of their business.”
Tilson’s services include payroll and benefits administration, medical and workers’ compensation programs, personnel records management, liability management, recruiting and selection, performance management and training and development services. Tilson also offers a complementary web-based platform that provides clients with management and HR tools and information. They’ve been in business for 20 years and have 58 employees.
In addition to being named to the Inc. 500 list three times, including 11th fastest growing company in the nation, they’re now providing services to businesses throughout the entire country and have experienced double-digit growth in the past six months.
“The best part of being a small business owner is the thrill of building a growing and thriving business,” Tilson says. “I’m proud to have founded a company 20 years ago that started as a dream and has become an organization where employees want to stay for their entire careers.”
Tilson is aware of the need to stay ahead of the curve to remain successful, however.
“One of our challenges has been ensuring that our technology stays in step with the current state-of-the-art,” he says. “It’s important that we maintain our technology leadership position. Another challenge is to anticipate the needs of businesses in the future and to make the necessary investments that will allow us to meet those needs.”
NFIB has been one way Tilson stays on top of new information.
“My business helps small businesses grow, thrive and prosper,” he says. “As such, the information that NFIB provides to small businesses helps us continue to stay abreast of the current needs and challenges for today’s companies. This allows us to continuously improve our services to meet their needs.”
In addition to his involvement with NFIB and running his business, Tilson serves as the chairman of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, and when off the clock, he enjoys golfing and reading.
