As owners of a Computer Troubleshooters USA franchise, John
Enot Sr. and Sandy Schaap's days are filled with
computer-related rescue missions. Attending to technical matters
including computer repairs, upgrades, Web site design and IT
consulting, they work on location and don't leave or charge for
a job until the problem has been fixed. But their lives haven't
always been devoted to saving distressed computer users.
Both Schaap, 57, and Enot, 62, spent the majority of their
careers in the automotive industry prior to becoming franchisees.
When Schaap was asked to retire from his postion as CIO for
Toyota's technical R&D center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he
went in search of another job. He came across an article about
Computer Troubleshooters when his wife was having computer problems
and recognized it not only as a solution to his wife's
technical troubles, but also as a solution to his own dilemma. He
started researching the franchise and approached Enot, his friend
of 20 years, about going into business with him.
Enot had retired from his job as a plant safety director at GM
and had to weigh the pros and cons of going back to work before
deciding to give the franchise a try. "I had to think about
whether I wanted to get busy again, to make that type of
commitment," says Enot. "I figured I'd give it a good
four or five years."
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The pair purchased the Northville/Novi, Michigan, territory in
January 2003 for $10,000 and immediately got off to a running
start, completing both their business and advertising models before
the franchisor's two-day training had even begun. They also
built their client base early, attracting 30 to 40 percent of their
initial customers by joining their local Business Network
International chapter. By March, they had recouped their initial
investment and were feeling confident enough to purchase a second
territory. "Suffer the pain and anguish, but write a business
plan," advises Schaap. "Without it, you'll never know
if your business is growing or shrinking, because you'll have
nothing to measure it by."
While Computer Troubleshooters franchisees are expected to be
technically proficient, they're not required to have any
special certifications or degrees. Schaap and Enot appreciate their
franchisor's support system and turn to their regional director
for technical support. They also regularly access Computer
Troubleshooters' 24-hour, worldwide forum to seek assistance on
technical matters from other franchisees. "We have yet to find
ourselves [out] on a limb," says Enot.
The partners project sales to reach $180,000 in 2004. In
addition to enjoying the financial rewards, Schaap is happy just to
be out of the corporate world. "I was working 15 hours a day
in corporate technology, getting my brains beat out for someone
else," he says. "Now I'm still working 15 hours a
day, but it's because I want to. And no one is beating my
brains out."