SUCCESS STORY

Tim Landers
Beep-a-Geek Computer Services, Euless
Certified IT Solutions LLC, Euless

Tim Landers, president and founder of Beep-a-Geek, is shown with his fish tank on his dual office monitors.

Age: 33

Position: Owner

Education: Bachelor's degree in recording industry management, Middle Tennessee State University

Type of business: “Beep-a-Geek provides fast, reliable on-site computer services and consulting to offices and homes, as well as reliable Web hosting. Certified IT Solutions provides 'not-to-exceed' contractual agreements with medium-sized businesses.”

Years in business: “Beep-a-Geek is in its ninth year, and CITS is about a year old.”

How did you get your foot in the door? “I started working for family and various contacts. In addition, we were initially successful with yellow page advertising and some ad campaigns in the print media.”

What is your toughest professional challenge? “Now that I have a number of employees, I have to work more on the business side than the computer side. Working on computers is my strong suit -- business is not. A lot of time and effort has to be shifted as the business expands.”

What are characteristics of an indispensable employee? “An employee with a strong work ethic is very important. They must view themselves as part of the business since our ladder is very short. Someone who learns quickly, doesn't get discouraged and enjoys their job is a must.”

What are the hiring trends in your industry? What positions? “There will always be computers (in some form or another), and they will break or need to be setup and networked.”

Susan Kreimer