Company solves technology problems in residential and commercial markets
Name: Bobby Bailey.
Job: General manager, Louisville Geek, 3932 Shelbyville Road. (502) 897-7577. Started the business in 2004 with Patrick Mann.
Age: 27.
Education: Bachelor's in finance. University of Louisville.
Family: Single.
Fixing it: "Louisville Geek is a full-service IT firm. We provide those services to both residential and commercial markets. We aim for turnkey solutions, ongoing maintenance and making things very transparent for our customers by clarifying what we do and being there when they need something."
Residential support: Bailey said the company does a variety of repairs. "Residentially, it would be if someone has a wireless network or a network not working . virus problems, spyware, their computer is running bad, the hard drive is broken or a power supply is broken. . A lot of times people will bring a computer in and I will just be honest with them that it is just not cost-effective for me to repair it, but I can give them the consultative element of getting new hardware."
Commercial support: "In the commercial realm, it could be just about anything from network infrastructure placement, security consulting and making sure their network is secure, having the right firewall appliance there, auditing to make sure their antivirus-ware is up to date and they are adequately doing things in the scope to keep their data safe and their business running."
Creating the company: "Technology has been a passion since I was a kid. It just seemed like a natural (idea). I had done a few things in the financial sector when I first graduated and realized that was not going to make me ultimately happy in life. So I got some guys together and they shared this vision."
Making contacts: "We got out there, and we attacked the residential market first because there are lower barriers for entry into that space. We got in there and did a lot of advertising. We did some spyware cleanup and did some basic stuff to get enough revenue so that we could survive. We have since shifted our effort to get some more commercial clients on board. . We are really aiming to get the brainiest group of kids here so we can do the job right."
Multi-tasking: "A small-business owner kind of does everything. It's a lot of business. I help my partner keep the books, we make strategic plans as to where the company is going to go, we make marketing decisions and I get my hands dirty quite a bit as far as fixing stuff. I am well-versed in all levels of technology, and I take care of all the problems."
Customer satisfaction: "My partner, Patrick Mann (who is 26), does not do IT work. He runs the marketing and customer service and interacts with our market. He helps with making sure everyone is happy in a non-tech side. Most IT firms have just IT workers. We have shifted our focus . to have a solid interaction with our customers and products."
Name game: Louisville Geek got its name for two reasons: "Geek has got a better connotation than nerd. Although, we are definitely those. We have a lot of hometown pride. The whole crew is University of Louisville fans. (Most) are U of L alumni, and Patrick is an Alabama alum but he is a diehard U of L fan. We have a lot of civic pride and express that with our brand. Geek is the way of expressing our subculture."
Meeting expectations: "We strive to make sure (our work) is done well and that it's taken care of right away. . Every successful business makes the same product -- happy customers."
Headache reliever: "We are the aspirin for technology headaches out there. Sometimes you are just ready to pull your hair out, and we'll get there and if we can't fix it, it's real, real broken."
Fun, rewarding work: "I get to play with computers all day. We do fun stuff, and we have a really cool job. . We are well-respected and taken seriously. We find the problem, and we do the job right. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people, and I am being a good steward of the talents I've got."