Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil Kent.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve spent my entire professional career in and around the Apple universe, including nearly 5 years at Apple Corporate as the Executive Producer of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Almost every great thing in my life has been tied to the company (Apple®) and its products, so when I was making a career change and the opportunity to own my own store focused on Apple products presented itself, I had to do it.
In the late 80s, through Apple products I transitioned from blue collar work to a white collar job. Working for Apple as the producer of WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC), I got invited backstage to meet rock stars, met my former wife and stepson, bought my first brand new car, and bought a house in Northern California. My wife and I divorced a few years after moving to Marietta (we’re still close friends). One night I was sitting in a restaurant having the “Macs vs PCs” argument with one of my friends when this beautiful women overheard the conversation and said she was studying graphic design and had never used a Mac but heard they were great. Long story short, we just got engaged! So truly, every great thing in my life was tied to Apple.. I am the very first franchisee of this brand and just began our fourth year.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road is definitely full of bumps, twists and turns. One of the “exciting” parts of owning a retail store is that you’ll never know who will be next to walk in your door. Like any small business, brand awareness is always the hard part- even four years in. We’re on the front page of Google and that’s really important but there’s a lot more to marketing a brick and mortar store than that and that is our daily struggle.
As we have grown, we’ve found that the two most challenging areas are 1) getting people in the store, and 2) having the right mix of inventory at various price-points to meet the customers need. We’re pretty good at it, but there’s always room to improve.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Experimac Sandy Springs – what should we know?
Experimac specializes in the sales and service of pre-owned Apple® devices. For sales, we aim to save people anywhere from $300-$1000 (up to 60%) off of full retail prices. We’re known for our ability to work on devices that authorized dealers consider “vintage” and won’t (or can’t) work on as well as the fact that most Mac repairs are completed within 24 hours, and iPad and iPhone repairs are usually complete within 30 minutes.
People enjoy coming to us as we are a much calmer environment than most big box stores, and we’re known for our knowledge, integrity and our customer service. There’s rarely a wait, and no appointments are necessary. We’re friendly, know our stuff and we can impart technical concepts to people who aren’t technical In general.
We pride ourselves on our customer service, and the best day is when we get a repeat customer or when someone tells us they were referred by a previous customer. As a small business, marketing is one of the hardest tasks for us, so I think our year over year growth by referral is magical!
I’m most proud of the fact that we have more than 200 reviews online and all but three are 5-star! We don’t ask the 1-star review folks to edit or take it down as I feel it legitimizes us.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have two employees in particular whom have been with me for a few years, Nick and Dajie, whom I’m thankful for every day.
Nick, our Master Technician and store manager will do whatever it takes, no matter how long into the night he has to work, to make a customer happy. I am amazed that he knows virtually every customer by name and the specifics of their devices, even if they haven’t been in the store in six months!
Dajie is my other technician and she has been with me almost since we opened. She’s extremely smart, calm, reliable, and patient. Although our store specializes in Apple devices, Dajie is able to repair Android phones, Sony PlayStations, Windows computers- you name it! Dajie is dedicated to making our customers happy, so she fits right in with my store philosophy towards customer service, and she’s smart as a whip. I’m blessed to have them both here.
Contact Info:
- Address: Experimac Sandy Springs
5920 Roswell Rd, Ste B-115
Sandy Springs, GA 30328 - Website: www.experimac.com/sandyspringsga
- Phone: 770-857-3070
- Email: sandysprings.sales@experimac.com
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