Today we’d like to introduce you to Garrett Brown.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Garrett. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
GNB Technologies was not ever a dream of mine. I never had aspirations of becoming a business owner because the idea of owning my own business was not the primary focus in my family or academic environment. My grandmother, and teachers, solely focused on preparing me for the real world and obtaining a good paying job.
The idea of owning a business came from a classmate in a tech repair course, while in college, some six years ago. One day after class, I watched him repair an iPhone, and for me, it seemed pretty difficult. I lamented my technical deficiencies in regards to the iPhone repair and he responded that it was not that difficult if given time and patience. He said, “Better yet, Garrett, you should actually make a business out of it.” I admitted to him that I did not feel as if I had the required technical skills to do phone repair and furthermore, the idea of starting a business seemed far-fetched and unattainable. He did not push the idea any further.
However, after that conversation in July of 2011, the idea kept floating around in my mind for the entire summer. I began thinking of all the possibilities of making money if only I could learn the skill of fixing mobile phones. I came up with a tentative plan. First, I would acquire the necessary skills. To accomplish this, I began watching and studying YouTube videos on how to repair the iPhone 3G, which was at the time the most popular phone on the market. In short time, I was able to master this skill and my confidence grew. The next step was to create business cards, which I did on VistaPrint, and distributed to family and friends. September 2011, is when it all started for me. I started repairing iPhones for family, friends, and referrals. My business was launched and off to a great start.
Along the way, there was the struggle of wanting to complete repairs swiftly so that my customers could be in and out like a fast food restaurant. I did not realize that I was sacrificing quality of work in pursuit of numbers. Over time, there was one lesson that I learned from experience, and later expressed to my team, “A rushed job is an unfinished job. Perfect the skill first and the speed will come.” Once I applied this philosophy to my everyday work, customer satisfaction boomed and referrals began going through the roof.
About a year later, my passion for fixing computers propelled me to add this form of service to my business. I was infatuated with computers since I was a young boy. Growing up, I was known as the “go-to” person in my community for mitigating computer issues. I recognized that this was one of the missing key components to my business. This is when I decided to change my business name from “GNB’s Phone Repair” to “GNB’s PC & Phone Repair.” I believed that, by doing so, I could attract a larger number of potential customers.
As time progressed, I was afforded the opportunity to be a technical consultant for The Osiris Family Institute, a local mental health business located in the inner city of Boston. As a result of having three lines of business: computer repair, mobile repair, and IT consulting, the workload and keeping of the books became too much for me to handle alone so I hired a bookkeeper. Again, I did not feel that the current company name of the business adequately described the services I provided so I changed the business name to a more comprehensive title, “GNB Technologies.”
Since the inception of our business, the goals of the company remained the same: keep customer service at a premium and strive to create a cost-effective alternative for customers and businesses alike. So far, I think we have done a great job of that but there is always room for improvement.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, but, it would it have been nice if it were. As I aforementioned, I had no true business acumen. I did not know how to build business relationships with some of our current vendors and how to properly structure and incorporate my business. A lot of what I know now was either self-taught or through researching, reading, observing and asking questions of those who had successful businesses. I am grateful for the pitfalls because, without them, my company would not be as successful as it is today. I believe that without difficulties and/or failures, there is no true success in life.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about GNB Technologies – what should we know?
We specialize in IT consulting and tech repair support. These services consist of repairing your everyday iPhone or iPad’s cracked screen, to removing malware from your home desktop computer that you love or revamping and building a network infrastructure for your small business office. We are known for the same thing that sets us apart from the rest of the competition; having a company that provides three lines of services. Most, if not all of our competition, provide either one or two of the three services that we provide. Our customers also love the fact that they are given the option to either visit our local office or have technical service in the comfort of their home or business environment. As a business owner, I am most proud of being able to provide outstanding service for our customers, in any environment, at a cost-effective rate.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would have to say integrity. It is truly the staple of my business. So much of my business relies on customers trusting my expertise, my candor, and dependability in my diagnosis and delivery. If mistakes are made, own it and follow through with a course of action to make things right because my number satisfaction is customer satisfaction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 859 Willard Street, Suite 400
Quincy, MA 02169 - Website: www.gnbtechnologies.net
- Phone: 8669462832
- Email: info@gnbtechnologies.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnbtechnologies/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GNBTechnologiesLLC/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GNBTechnologies
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gnb-technologies-quincy
Image Credit:
Garrett B.
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
