ACE Canada 2009

Western Regional

Exhibition

Presentation by:

Dan Campbell

Owner of

Dan’s Computer ServicesAnd Business Student attending

Canadian University College

In Lacombe, Alberta

Dan’s Computer Services offers:

•PC Repair / upgrades•Troubleshooting / virus removal•Data Recovery & transfer•Sale of refurbished and custom-built systems•Basic networking•On-site and in-shop service•Computer consulting &•Multimedia

It is currently a home-based business and a sole proprietorship

Custom-built Systems:

•Advantages: usually higher-quality, more powerful than name-brand systems•Consultation with customer, customization•Order and set-up in-home for customer as per their requirements

Some specific enhancements include:

•Top-quality components•RAID hard drive arrays•Flexibility in OS choice•High-degree of upgradeability

The Entrepreneur—Dan Campbell

Some Background:

• Originally from southern Ontario, moved to Alberta to study at

Canadian University College (CUC) in Lacombe

• Computer Enthusiast since 1992

• Taught himself programming at age 13

• Became interested in business at 15

• Completed one undergraduate degree and now working on a

second in business

• Began Dan’s Computer Services in 2006

Experience:

•Over 15 computing experience•Subcontracted for two local computer companies•Ran CUC computer service shop•Home service calls since 2006•Continued serving and building my direct client base while subcontracting•Clients from all over central Alberta

Multimedia Services:

• Cassette tapes to CD• VHS to DVD• Mini-DV to DVD

• Coming soon:• LPs to CD • 35mm slide scanning

Business Ethics & Quality of Service:

•Always deal honestly and with integrity•Trustworthy, thorough and high-quality service•Good communication & soft skills•Protection of customer data privacy and security•High availability of service

•Benefits:•Development of a good name / reputation•Word of mouth referrals

Challenges Overcome

•Financial: have successfully self-funded through re-investing profits in the operation

•Time Management: juggling the demands of school, work, continuous learning in IT field

•Advertising: have successfully been getting my name out through business cards, word of mouth referrals and now my ad in the Yellow Pages

Lessons Learned:

• Good Communication Skills• To refurbish or replace?• Avoid delays in payment when possible• Extra caution before reformatting a HDD• Value of good advertising• Value of organization and thorough record keeping• Importance of building customer relationships

Growth So Far:

Total new Customers

Repeatbusiness

ThroughAdvertising

Referrals/word of mouth

2007 36 37 8 28

2008 53 49 11 42

2009 YTD

18 9 13 5

Totals: 107 95 32 75Target market is primarily home clients in central Alberta, and secondarily small business.

IT Skills Training

•CompTIA A+ certification•Working on Network+, 70-270 in MCSE•Significant programming experience in BASIC, learning C++•And more!

Further Certifications I hope to attain:

CompTIA:

•Network +•Security+•Server+•Linux+•CTT+

Microsoft:

MCSE: Messaging, SecurityMCITP: EnterpriseMOS, MCAS

Cisco CCNA

EC-Council: CEH, LPT, MSS

IT Certifications Completed:CompTIA A+

Future Plans—Overview:

• Move to a commercial location in next 2 years• Begin hiring computer / network technicians by that time• Continue attaining industry certifications

– MCSE in 2010– MCITP, CCNA in 2011– CEH, LPT in 2012

• Develop each of the following departments:– General Computer Service– Corporate networking solutions– Multimedia– Computer Security consulting

• Possible expansion in Red Deer, Olds & Calgary• Goal of doing $1 million + of business in 2015

Planned Future Corporate Services

Complete line of networking and business solutions, including:•Design, implementation and support of Windows Server and Linux based networks•Setup and support of SQL Databases, MS Exchange e-mail servers and more•Custom application development in

•VBA, Visual Basic.Net•C++.Net, C#, Java

•Security consulting services•Security audits•Penetration testing•Implementation of security solutions

•Higher-level applications / systems such as CRM, ERP, BI, SAP, Oracle, E-commerce, VOIP, SAN, KM, Citrix

Question & Answer Period