Feb. 17—Bryan Krazel and Mark Williamson have taken control of their destinies.

They both started new businesses last year — joining about 5 million other U.S. entrepreneurs who did the same thing, according to the Commerce Institute, a website that curates small-business statistics.

Krazel had worked as a veterinarian for 25 years, including at an area corporate-owned clinic, when he seized the opportunity to start his own private practice. His Heart & Soul Animal Hospital opened in December at 319 W. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, in a large house dating from 1904 that he purchased and remodeled with the help of his wife, Amy.

Krazel believes he is part of an industry shift back to individual veterinary practices after a period when corporate entities purchased strings of clinics.

"The owners are living somewhere else," Krazel, 53, of Hempfield said of such clinics. "You lose that personal touch. That's when I decided to go out on my own."

Williamson, 33, a 2008 graduate of Lenape Technical School in Ford City, amassed experience working for area contractors in heating, ventilation and air conditioning and had a one-year stint teaching the trade to others.

In January 2022, he became his own boss for HVAC jobs, opening MW Mechanical Services at 2409 Leechburg Road, New Kensington.

"I just wanted to go on my own and see what I could do, with me being the guy making the decisions and growing the culture," Williamson said. "I had aspirations of how I wanted to grow a company."

Resources available

Both men, in making their entrepreneurial moves, drew upon free services available to small businesses.

The Small Business Development Center at Saint Vincent College helped Krazel in creating his business plan, a document that was instrumental in his being approved for a small-business loan. Williamson got advice from several mentors including volunteers with the nonprofit Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE).

Connecting small-business owners with helpful resources also is part of National Entrepreneurship Week, which concludes Saturday. This congressionally chartered week is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurship across the country. Relaunched in 2017 as NatlEshipWeek, it draws upon a network of partner organizations and stakeholders to offer a range of free in-person and virtual entrepreneurship seminars and events.

Launched in 1984, the Small Business Development Center is part of a national network of such centers, including 17 others across Pennsylvania. Last year, the local SBDC program boosted its visibility by locating an office at the new Saint Vincent College Community Center, at 911 Ligonier St. in downtown Latrobe.

The Saint Vincent SBDC provided nearly 2,700 hours of consulting services to 370 clients — including new and existing businesses — during the 2021-22 fiscal year, said Jim Kunkel, the center's executive director. During that period, center clients started 21 new businesses and collectively tapped into about $7 million in financing from banks or nonprofit sources.

While the SBDC doesn't provide direct financing for businesses, it can help with putting together financial projections that lenders require.

One of the biggest challenges for the center's clients, Kunkel said, has been filling staff positions — a challenge that has become more difficult with the pandemic.

"I talk to so many clients who are having a tough time attracting and retaining employees," Kunkel said. As a result, "they may be limiting hours or closing on certain days of the week. It crosses all industry sectors."

SCORE's Westmoreland chapter also has a presence at the downtown Latrobe center.

Last year, the chapter received 360 requests for free counseling provided by its volunteer mentors, who are mostly retired company executives. Topics vary, depending on the client's needs.

"It can be basics, such as registering a fictitious name, how you want to structure your business, or advice on advertising and marketing," said chapter chairman Ed McKinnon, who is a retired engineer.

SCORE's international organization also offers recorded webinars.

In addition to helping entrepreneurs pursue their goals, McKinnon said SCORE's mentors can help would-be business owners rethink whether they're ready to make that leap.

"Most people don't understand what's involved with starting a business," he said. "It takes a lot of hard work and talent. You have to wear a lot of different hats."

Loyal clientele

Relationships Krazel and Williamson developed while working for others helped each of them in their transition to owning a business.

Krazel said more than half of the clients at his new Greensburg practice followed him there after he treated their pets at his previous workplace.

"People want to feel that they're being taken care of," he said.

Finding the right location for his practice was another critical factor.

"We were looking at 10 different buildings, and the leases were ridiculous," Krazel said. Instead, he opted to purchase the Pittsburgh Street house, which was within his price range.

It helped that he was able to handle much of the remodeling of the house, which had developed maintenance issues while sitting unused after it closed as a funeral home.

"I have some knowledge in building repairs," he said, noting he completed all of the work except for electrical, plumbing and HVAC updates. "I don't know how I could have done it without doing the work myself."

Outfitting his office with a mixture of used and new equipment helped control startup costs.

Krazel's six-member staff includes three veterinary technicians, two receptionists and an office manager. He noted the house is large enough to accommodate growth of his practice as he gains clients.

"I hope to have most of my loan paid off in five to 10 years," he said. "That's the goal."

In addition to advice from mentors, Williamson started his HVAC enterprise with know-how absorbed from his parents, who operate a trucking business.

A major commercial client he had served while working for another company has stayed with him.

"That's been a really big help for me starting out," he said. "That's what made it possible for me to grow so rapidly."

Over the past year, Williamson has gradually increased his staff to five people, and he's looking to continue hiring as he expands his residential clientele.

"I want to grow a plumbing and electrical division and be highly competitive and be a staple in this community," he said.

Contacts from his past work have helped Williamson fill his staff amid the stiff competition for skilled HVAC technicians.

"I wanted to have a company where people enjoy coming to work," he said. "In order to have a business that's going to continue to grow, I have to make sure everybody is taken care of and bring everybody up with me."

He has developed a social media presence and has supported local charity and business events, becoming a member of the Alle Kiski Strong Chamber of Commerce. He's also remained open to helpful advice and resources.

"There's a lot of good information out there and a lot of good people who are willing to help and genuinely want to see you succeed," he said.

Valuable advice

SCORE mentors served as an important sounding board for Jay Bell as he expanded his Bella Terra Vineyards, based at 121 Sunny Lane in Hunker.

"They gave me a whole other set of eyes, so I didn't have a one-sided view of my business plan," Bell said. "It helped in getting a bank to believe what we were going to do was going to work."

Initially operating out of a garage, Bell opened his winery part time in 2016. A few years later, he increased operations to seven days per week and debuted an expanded building capable of hosting weddings and other gatherings as well as musical performances.

He has since added two other locations, in downtown Bedford and in Allison Park.

"Our staff has gone from a handful of people when we first started to close to 50 people on the payroll now," he said. "We're hoping this fall to get going with a new project. We would have done a 13,000-square-foot expansion on our building, but interest rates went up and there's been instability in the construction world."

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .