For Scott Krentzman, the path to becoming a premier CMIT Solutions franchise owner in the Metro Boston area was a strategic pivot rather than a straight line. Growing up in a household where he learned to read financial statements before he could read prose, Scott entered the professional world with an engineering degree and an MBA. He eventually found himself at a crossroads. He knew he didn’t want to be employee number 7660 at a massive firm, but he also realized he was not at a stage to do a startup from ground zero.
When a franchise broker suggested a massage franchise, it was Scott’s wife who provided the ultimate strategic intervention. She encouraged him to find a path that utilized his deep technology and consulting roots. The result was CMIT Solutions of Boston, Newton, and Waltham. This business is built on the intersection of engineering precision and executive-level financial strategy.
The Long Game: Strategy Over Servicing
While many IT providers focus on the immediate “break-fix” needs of a client, Scott is obsessed with the “Long Game.” His philosophy is rooted in the belief that an MSP should be a strategic partner that grows alongside the client.
“We were given two eyes, two ears, and one mouth,” Scott notes. “Look and listen, and speak when necessary.”
This observant approach allows Scott to act as a strategic advisor for his clients, many of whom are in the high-stakes biomedical, engineering, and professional services sectors of Boston’s tech corridor. By understanding a client’s lifecycle, Scott ensures that IT is not just a line-item expense but a growth engine that scales as they move from small firms to 40 million dollar enterprises.
Security as a Financial Investment
Leveraging his background in finance, Scott approaches cybersecurity through the lens of risk management rather than just technical defense. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board for a major manufacturing firm, which gives him a unique perspective on what it takes to run a large-scale operation.
When it comes to the complex world of cyber threats, Scott simplifies the process for his clients:
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Data Discovery: Step one is always identifying where the data lives, whether it is on a personal laptop or a free cloud account.
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Insurance as a Roadmap: Scott works closely with clients to navigate the evolving requirements of cyber insurers. He uses their questionnaires to identify real gaps in protection.
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The Layered Defense: He champions a least privilege philosophy. This ensures that internal threats are managed just as rigorously as external firewalls.
The Soft Skill Advantage: The Joe Marino Standard
Scott knows that in the world of managed services, technical brilliance is the baseline, but empathy is the differentiator. This culture is personified by his lead technician, Joe Marino, who was honored as the CMIT National Technician of the Year in 2025.
Scott is highly intentional about hiring for character. He believes you can train someone on a technical stack, but you cannot send someone to a class to learn how to be empathic. By hiring team members like Joe and Darren, who understand the frustration a client feels during a technical glitch, Scott has built a firm where clients feel treated right. They may forget the specific technical fix, but they always remember how Scott’s team made them feel during the crisis.
The Power of the Game Changers Network
Scott does not just participate in the CMIT network. He leads it. As a co-leader of the “Game Changers” mastermind group, he treats the franchise system as a massive laboratory for collaboration.
He views the other owners not as competitors but as a collective brain trust. He says there is always someone who has gone through exactly what you are going through. This spirit of leverage allows Scott to bring “Big IT” resources to local Boston businesses. This provides a level of support that a standalone shop simply could not match.
Advice for the Next Generation of Owners
Reflecting on seven years of growth, including navigating the start of the business right before COVID, Scott offers two pieces of hard-earned wisdom for new entrepreneurs:
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Abandon the Recipe Myth: Do not assume a franchise is a “set it and forget it” cake mix. Success requires constant adaptation and executing well across marketing, sales, and finance simultaneously.
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Maximize Leverage: You only have one of “you.” Partner with vendors, lean on the home office, and build a team early so you can focus on the most important element, which is getting sales in the door to fuel the rest of the engine.
Final Thoughts
Scott Krentzman’s goal is to build a business so robust and well-managed that it can eventually run without him on a day-to-day basis. By combining the analytical mind of an engineer with the heart of a consultant, he is not just fixing networks in Metro Boston. He is securing the future of the businesses that drive the city’s economy.
