Need a Nerd?
Drives right to your door, ready to fix your computer . . . but we can't guarantee a pocket protector.
The word geek conjures up many images: Dungeons & Dragons
clubs, Star Wars debates, Anthony Michael Hall in John
Hughes' movies . . . and tech-savvy, "A+"-getting
people.
Richard Cole, 48, is betting on those associations to garner
customers for Geeks on Call, the franchise he founded to provide
on-site IT services to small and midsized businesses.
A former division president with media conglomerate Landmark
Communications, Cole grew frustrated having to take his computer to
a repair center when it broke down, often getting it back in no
better shape. He wondered why the technician couldn't just come
to his office or home, see the problem and fix it on the spot.
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After two years of testing, Cole put those thoughts into action
when he started Norfolk, Virginia-based Geeks on Call in 1999. The
company began franchising this year and already has 10 franchisees
up and running.
Geeks on Call franchisees don't need a tech background
unless they plan to service computers. The actual service, which
includes maintenance, training and networking, can be handled by
technicians hired by the franchisee.
The business also works for those who have lots of tech
experience but need the back-room support, because the franchisor
answers phones and does the advertising and dispatching. In that
case, says Cole, "a franchisee does what they really enjoy
doing, which is fixing computers." Sounds like geek
nirvana.
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