RESCUECOM Part of Crains New York Article

RESCUECOM Gets Press in Crains New York

12 September 2005
By Steve Garmhausen
Crains New York Business, Small Business Report
(c) 2005 Crain Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.:


Computer fixers buying franchises

Home-based tech doctors growing; styles vary widely After being downsized from his computer programming job at a large bank a few years ago, Larry Zuckerberg figured the time had come to be his own boss by using his severance money to buy a franchise.

He looked into restaurants. He even thought about a flower shop. Then the Brooklyn native stumbled across an opportunity that seemed tailor-made: a home-based franchise to repair and service computers and their related hardware.

"The demand is growing, because people are a lot more networked than they used to be," says Mr. Zuckerberg, who became a franchisee of Texas-based CMIT Solutions last year. "And [technology] is constantly changing, so it seemed to me that people are always going to need this service.New field

Similar logic has been attracting a growing number of entrepreneurs since computer service franchisors started popping up less than a decade ago. The largest half-dozen now boast between 100 and 200 franchisees each.

Syracuse-based Rescuecom, for example, has 87 franchisees nationwide, including 15 in New York City. The company expects to add 200 more nationwide by the end of next year. Chief Executive David Milman predicts that franchises will gain 50or more of the computer services market over the next 20 years, up from a tiny fraction today.

What franchisors provide is everything from a recognized brand and advertising to a ready-made business model, plus training, referrals and field support. But the number and quality of building blocks given to franchisees vary widely.

"What franchisees get is very much driven by the level of fees they pay,"says Steve Hockett, president of FranChoice, a franchise referral consultancy.

Computer repair franchises also have a large range of target markets. Some focus exclusively on the small business market, containing many firms that lack the resources to have technical staff. Others aim to serve consumers.

In some cases, franchisees do what Mr. Zuckerberg does, parceling out work to small teams of technicians who are on call.

Others follow the lead of Susana Ramos, who bought a franchise three years ago from Georgia-based Computer Troubleshooters USA for the 10016 ZIP code, in the Upper East Side.

Picking and choosingv ms. ramos, a former field service engineer for Compaq, works out of her home in Jackson Heights, Queens, and handles all calls herself. "I don't have to punch a clock," she says. "I work at least 40 hours a week, but I have the liberty of setting my own hours.

"She focuses much of her efforts on the residential market, charging $90 for the first 30 minutes and $45 for each additional half-hour. She figures she could get $150 an hour from business customers but does not want to wait a minimum 30 days to get paid--the payment cycle for most commercial accounts. The three-year-old business is already paying Ms. Ramos as much as she made in her old corporate job.

Some fixers have done very well for themselves. Josh Kaplan bought a Rescuecom franchise in northern New Jersey in 2003 and was so successful that he snagged franchises in Manhattan and Phoenix.

Is the former IT supervisor for a home health care company surprised to find that he has become a computer repair mogul?

"I haven't had time to be surprised," he says. The work has its share of frustrations, though, like trying to translate computerese into comprehensible English. "I think I'm making sense," Mr. Zuckerberg says. "But I know sometimes I'm speaking gibberish."

Google Reviews

Carli Wittkowski
Carli Wittkowski
a week ago
Amazing service! This is my first time with Rescuecom and I am extremely pleased. Great Customer se
...Amazing service! This is my first time with Rescuecom and I am extremely pleased. Great Customer service and so very helpful. I would most definitely recommend. less
Karen Beller
Karen Beller
2 weeks ago
Rescuecom is excellent. I was scammed and Roy cleared my desktop. Excellent service and Roy was very
...Rescuecom is excellent. I was scammed and Roy cleared my desktop. Excellent service and Roy was very knowledgeable. Thank You. less
Robin Penick-Funderburk
Robin Penick-Funderburk
3 weeks ago
A hacker with the alias "DEATHRIDGE" entered a company Teams meeting via someone invited as a guest,
...A hacker with the alias "DEATHRIDGE" entered a company Teams meeting via someone invited as a guest, and started taking control of my computer and my life. They sent emails pretending to be me that really looked like they were coming from me. They tried to take control of our corporate bank accounts, added themselves as a user to my Microsoft account, and locked me out of my computer as my passwords no longer worked. My ability to run a telecom company ground to a halt, and all my company and personal information was at their fingertips. I felt so helpless, and I needed folks smarter than the hacker(s) to do battle for me. Our typical computer pros couldn't handle it, and neither could other "experts" I called. Lucky for me I called RESCUECOM, and they immediately got to work. They didn't complain though I was asking for help in the middle of the night, but immediately got to work and worked non-stop to restore everything and protect me going forward. The team at RESCUECOM are my knights in shining armor, and they're the absolute best! less
Krishna Kambhampati
Krishna Kambhampati
2 months ago
Roy was very helpful for fixing my booting issue. I called really late (10pm) and there was someone
...Roy was very helpful for fixing my booting issue. I called really late (10pm) and there was someone to answer my call. I would recommend them to anyone that needs tech support. less
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