LVC and HACC alum 2009' CIS and BS/BA

"My passion for technology began in 1992 when I decided that owning a Jeep was not fiscally possible, so I purchased 2 Junkers for $500 each--rented a 2 car garage from Walt Zering and proceeded to Frankenstein them together!  I know, I know, no computers were involved in the making, but more of a discovery to the ability to problem solve, tinker, turn a wrench and most importantly, read the Haynes Manual--no YouTube back then kids.  Real dedication and hard work went into figuring out how to merge the systems together. I loved fixing things. Especially things that I was interested in. (insert 1982 C-J 7 and 1975 C-J 5 about info)

In 1996 I obtained my first computer, flatbed scanner, printer--all of which were Apple. I also had over 5000 hours of AOL! Lol.  Microsoft had clearly gained software and hardware market share.  Back then, nothing worked with Apple products--Software, peripherals, accessories, very limited on options for "usability".  This un-usability forced me to learn more about computers--and it was fun!  In 1998 I got my own laptop (Windows 98) and email address, That's when technology really started to interest me.  The Dotcom bubble started to burst and settle and people started to realize I could be of assistance to them.  My wife said, "You need to start charging people", so I did just that. $20 an hour is what I started charging friends and family as well as anyone else through referrals that needed tech repair and software consulting.  Originally, I began "Rich Ideas" as a food and beverage company, but learned quickly that the lions share of the market was working directly with the community.  Google had recently acquired Where2 and Google maps was born in 2005.  It was at this moment when I realized I could register my address as Rich Ideas and have a permanent place for people to search for Computer Repair and it would navigate them right to my front door!  One of the front runners of "working from home", Lol.