Dayal Bhagat is CMIT Solutions’ 2026 Franchise of the Year and the first owner to appear on the Featured Franchise podcast twice. Since his first interview in spring 2024, his team has grown from two people to six, with locations in Virginia and North Carolina serving Roanoke, North Charlotte, Concord, and Statesville.
There is plenty to catch up on. But one story captures his approach to customer service particularly well: a five-hour drive through the rain to help a chicken farm whose owner did not expect him to show up.
The call came at about 9 a.m. Dayal was in Roanoke, Virginia. The poultry business, in the Charlotte area, had found him on Google and needed someone to look at its IT that day.
“I’ll be there in five hours,” he said.
Then he made the trip.
Showing up before knowing the whole opportunity
As Dayal tells it, the caller stopped answering the phone because he did not believe Dayal would actually come. When Dayal arrived in the rain and knocked on the door, the owner was surprised to see him.
Dayal had made the commitment without knowing the size of the business. He thought he might be visiting a small chicken farm. He later learned that the operation had five sites: three in North Carolina, one in Florida, and one in the Atlanta area. It also had roughly 100 tractor-trailers hauling chicken.
Those details became important as he learned how the company worked. They had played no part in his initial decision to help.
The response was personal and specific. A business had asked whether someone could come that day. Dayal gave it an answer and followed through.
A postage machine became an unexpected test
During that first visit, the owner pointed Dayal toward a postage machine that had not worked for four months. Others had tried to fix it without success.
Dayal had never repaired that type of machine before. He was willing to try, and he got it working.
The repair gave the owner a firsthand look at how Dayal approached a problem. He would investigate it, put his experience to work, and make an effort even when the request fell outside something he had done before.
That happened before the proposal. The company subsequently signed a three-year agreement with CMIT Solutions, and the relationship expanded into support across its five sites.
By the time of the podcast interview, Dayal was discussing network improvements, farm Wi-Fi, truck-tracking technology, and the company’s 2027 IT planning. An urgent request had developed into an ongoing relationship in which the client could bring him business problems and work through the technology options.
The postage machine was one small part of that operation. Getting it working gave the owner a concrete example of the attention Dayal would bring to the rest.
Meeting clients where they are
Dayal describes his approach with a straightforward promise: “We will meet you where you are.”
That means learning how a business operates, understanding the technology already in place, and helping it determine the next step. He explains that his team is product agnostic and does not want to push technology a client does not need.
The poultry company’s requests reflect that approach. Its needs extended from the network to the way it managed transportation. Dayal’s role became helping identify options, coordinate vendors, and support the choices the business made.
It is a relationship built through useful work. The client knows who to call, and Dayal keeps learning what the business needs.
Available for the emergency and the confidential conversation
The chicken farm is not the only business that first encountered Dayal when it urgently needed help. He also restored a manufacturer’s systems over Thanksgiving weekend even though it was not yet a CMIT client. That company later became a managed services customer.
Other calls come before a problem occurs.
In the interview, Dayal describes a CEO contacting him at 10 p.m. about a confidential merger. The executive was planning to consolidate three companies and needed to understand how to handle their technology and financial systems without disrupting operations.
Only a few people knew about the plans at that stage. Bringing Dayal into the conversation showed the confidence the executive placed in his judgment and discretion.
For Dayal, accessibility includes being available when a client needs to think through a consequential decision, as well as when a system needs repair.
A growing team with a local connection
Supporting clients across Virginia and North Carolina requires coordination. Dayal travels between the markets, while shared systems help his team operate across locations.
As the company develops its service delivery, sales, and operations functions, he remains attentive to existing customers. Expanding into another market should not leave a Virginia client wondering whether he will still be there when needed.
He describes days that begin in Virginia and continue in Charlotte. Many clients also have his cell number and reach him directly.
The team has grown from two to six, but maintaining that local connection remains a clear priority.
Learning from the network and making time to give back
Dayal is open about the help behind his own progress. He turns to experienced CMIT owners for advice on managing multiple locations and working through operational challenges.
Their willingness to share gives him examples he can adapt to his business. He recalls fellow owner Doug Bates spending several hours with him to help him work through a challenge.
Dayal makes himself available in much the same way. He participates in validation calls with people evaluating CMIT ownership and shares his experience with new owners. When useful, he offers examples of documents, proposals, and processes.
The willingness to answer a call extends to his peers. Others made time for him, and he makes time for the people coming next.
Helping clients move forward with AI safely
Dayal’s conversations with clients increasingly include AI. Their questions often center on whether company data is safe, whether employees are using tools appropriately, and what protections should be in place.
His team helps clients establish AI use policies, consider security and operational requirements, and put controls around implementation. He also describes arranging Copilot training for executives so they could understand how to use the tools effectively.
The approach follows the same pattern as his other work: understand the need, bring the right expertise, and help the client put the next step into practice.
An award with a personal story behind it
Dayal’s 2026 Franchise of the Year recognition marks a new chapter for an owner whose team and service footprint have expanded since his first Featured Franchise interview.
The chicken farm story makes that progress tangible. Before the three-year agreement or discussions about networks and future technology plans, there was a caller asking for help. Dayal committed to a visit, drove through the rain, and arrived at the door.
He then kept finding ways to help, starting with a postage machine nobody else had been able to fix.
Hear more from Dayal
Listen to I’ll be there in five hours: Dayal Bhagat, 2026 Franchise of the Year for more about his growing team, client relationships, and approach to serving businesses across Virginia and North Carolina.
