Venus McNabb
Company: 1-800-GeeksOnTime, Lynden, Washington
Company Description: 1-800-GeeksOnTime was founded in 1999 by Venus McNabb, who was 22 at the time. They offer a variety of computer-related services for corporate and individual users. They now have more than 700 technicians and operate in throughout the U.S. and Canada. They have serviced more than 45,000 unique customers since 1999.
Nomination Category: Stevie Awards for Women Entrepreneur Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Young Entrepreneur
Nomination Title: Venus McNabb, Founder/CEO, 1-800-Geeks-On-Time
Tell the story about what the nominated entrepreneur achieved during the eligibility period (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
It’s been said that adversity is the mother of invention, and that has certainly been true for Venus McNabb, the 27-year-old founder of Geeks On Time. In 1999, while living in Toronto, Canada her computer -- the life blood of her company -- broke down. To get the immediate repairs she needed, her only option was to take her desktop, riding a bus in the middle of a Canadian winter, to a service center. The experience was time-consuming and costly. It took all day to fix the computer and then she faced a long bus ride home. But the experience proved to be an
epiphany for McNabb. She vowed to find a better way to provide computer service, and started formulating what was to become the basis for Geeks On Time.
McNabb moved to Arizona and activated service in December 1999. Within 8 months, 1-800-GeeksOnTime’s service expanded to California. Initially, the company focused its efforts on the residential marketplace. As their success and reputation grew, they began to serve business owners and eventually larger corporate clientele. 1-800-GeeksOnTime moved into Washington, D.C, Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL. Representatives were hired in South Florida; New York City, NY; Atlanta, GA, and, Boston, Massachusetts. By 2003, the company had set up regional service in every part of the U.S. By calling a toll-free number, customers could reach a trained technician 24/7/365, and, within 24 hours or less, could expect an on-site visit and/or remote support.
In the past year, 1-800-GeeksOnTime has doubled its revenues. They have expanded their staff, and they now have some 700 technicians who provide service calls to all 50 states and to parts of Canada.
The biggest challenge in the past year has been to expand the customer service department to accommodate the 1-800-GeeksOnTime's rapid growth, while still maintaining the same quality of service for which the company has become known. They have hired and are training a tier of national service managers to start taking on client services, technician support, and management of service so that McNabb can devote more time to marketing and business development.
The company has designed a service management system where there is a service manager who is in charge of every call, and who knows whether the onsite technician is coming or going, how long he has been onsite, if there is a potential problem, etc.
They’ve developed a Level 2 Department that enables technicians on-site to access information they need immediately. This often eliminates the need for a follow-up visit, saving customers’ money.
They are in the process of expanding their remote support program, so that if a customer has an Internet connection, they can remotely connect to that computer and remove viruses, find programs, or fix other software problems, without having to go onsite. They presently do this with their current customer base and are developing a small business program geared toward minimizing network down time.
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]. NOTE: You may submit supporting materials for your nomination offline, but only judges who request them will see them:
http://www.geeksontime.com/press_2.html
http://www.bizaz.com/features/articles.cms/itemid=younge_jf2003_
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography of the nominated entrepreneur:
Venus McNabb, 27, grew up in Burlington, Ontario, went to York University for Domputer Science, and earned a Programmer Analyst degree from CDI College. She’s started a couple of successful Internet companies, but is most proud of 1-800-GeeksOnTime, which she began in 1999, as a 22-year-old. As a parent of two young sons, McNabb has sought ways to break from convention and still enjoy the rewards of being a successful entrepreneur. GeeksOnTime has serviced more than 45,000 unique customers since it was founded and offers service in all 50 states and parts of Canada. It has some 700 technicians under contract and has doubled revenues in the past year.