Check out how this U.S. military veteran and entrepreneur used networking and word-of-mouth advertising to expand his small-town business.
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean in northern California, Crescent City is home to fewer than 8,000 people and best known for its commercial fishing port. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to be a prime spot to start a computer repair and information technology business. But entrepreneur and veteran Tanner Mills, owner of Repair-IT, thought otherwise.
“I’ve always had a passion for information technology from a young age. Living in a small, rural area, I never had much of an opportunity to work in information technology. After serving four years on active duty, I decided to come home and serve my community. I closely watched the community and noticed a niche market—there were very few quality information technology repairmen around. So, I started my business to provide quality and affordable services,” he says.
Mills knew that launching a business in an area with a limited customer base would be an uphill battle, but he quickly learned to focus on the benefits of a smaller pool of prospects. He explains, “Living in a rural community has advantages and disadvantages. There are fewer customers, but word-of-mouth can play a big factor. I’ve been overcoming this by involving myself with the community more and more and spreading the word about my business as much as possible.”
Despite the unique challenges he faces, Mills relies on many of the same tools other small businesses turn to, including Google AdWords, Facebook, email and other forms of advertising and communication. He elaborates, “Surprisingly, Facebook has done a lot for me even without constantly running an ad on it. I also believe opening up all channels of communication helps.” His favorites? “Facebook messenger, email, text and internal messages through my website, to name a few,” he answers.
Mills’ focus on networking in his community, low-cost marketing strategies and stellar services have allowed him to expand into Oregon. Today, he services his county in California and the adjacent Oregon county. He also handles repairs from all over the country via mail.
His success has been hard earned, and he credits fellow military members as his inspiration for taking a risk and starting his own business. He says, “I think the biggest inspiration for me has been all the successful veterans and active duty military men and women I’ve worked alongside. They’ve shown me that you can start from very little and still make a big name for yourself if you never give up and keep trying.”
For other entrepreneurs out there facing similar challenges, Mills points out that no competitor can truly corner an entire market, “Don’t give up even if it’s slow. Someone is unhappy with them. It’s your job to find those people and bring them to your shop. I’ve found that the ones most unhappy with other places—that you make happy—become a fountain for referrals.”
You can check out Repair-IT’s website at www.delcurrrepairit.com and follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.
