What are the ingredients for success? This seems to be a question on the minds of so many young people. For some, success is having a dream and working diligently towards it, while for others it is a need to fill the void in their lives. However, every now and then you may meet someone who rode the tide until they stumbled on their pot of gold. Neil Joseph, a young and budding entrepreneur and owner of The Computer Store shares his voyage with Dazzle Magazine.
Tell Dazzle Magazine a bit about your childhood years?
I am from an extended family of eight. My grandmother played the father-figure role in my life, instilling the discipline and values that I possess today alongside my mother who provided for my older sister and me. My family originates from the west coast town of Soufriere but I was born and raised in Lastic Hill, Leslie Land. My childhood was a struggle as I’m not one who was born with a golden spoon but nonetheless, I can’t say that I had any bad experiences. Everything that has happened in my younger days, I use as learning examples in life today. Sports were an interest for me very early in my childhood and were an avenue that I wanted to explore and better myself in.
What schools did you attend and what activities were you involved in at school?
I attended what I would consider to be the best schools in that of the RC Boys Infant and Primary Schools and the Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School. At tertiary level, I attended the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. At Leon Hess I participated in practically every sporting discipline, from basketball, football to volleyball. I even played some netball as well. I was able to take my basketball career to the national level representing St. Lucia for two successive years in the annual Windward Islands Schools Championships. Sports have been an integral part of my life, from school till now. Although I did not attain any records at Leon Hess, I graduated with the accolade of “Footballer of the Year” Class of 1996.
What do you currently do?
Currently I am the proud owner of The Computer Store. I have been in the IT business for the past fifteen years. The decision to branch off and have my own business, related to my field, was not without much deliberation and thought. However, to date it has been a great decision and one that I have yet to regret. As with every new endeavor, there were some challenging times and sleepless nights, but through perseverance and determination I was able to overcome the early hurdles. The Computer Store has been established for the past six years. The store provides the latest in technological gadgets, technical support and IT consultancy. We continue to grow and strive to provide more options to our local IT market. I am sort of a libero (player who is practically everywhere on the court in volleyball). Here in the business, I do everything from sales, advertising, managing and when necessary, get my hands dirty in doing repairs. We have a staff complement of four persons, which is well gelled together to meet our customers’ needs.
Tell Dazzle what pushed you in this direction?
After completing my computer maintenance programme at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, I got my first employment opportunity at Microwest Limited, where I was employed for about a year before leaving to work at B.O.S.S (Business Office and School Supplies). I was employed there as a computer technician for three years and was then promoted to the head of the IT department for the next four of the seven years I was employed there. It was then I decided to do more. I saw there was quite a bit of scope and possibilities in IT at the time, as a lot of persons and businesses required more knowledge in the benefits of computers and technology for personal use and for their companies. It started with me operating alone, providing technical support and consultancy from my home to clients, until four years ago when I moved to the American Drywall Building in Vide Bouteille where The Computer Store is still located. We’re always trying to add other aspects to what we do at the store. With that in mind we recently added a new dimension to the store in that of the business service section where we provide copying, printing, laminating and binding services, just to name a few.
What services does The Computer Store offer?
We retail computer-related items, which include ink cartridges, memory cards, flash drives, desktop computers, laptops, the best tablets and more. Our technical support and IT Consultancy services are still the backbone of the business. We offer data backup options, data recovery, structured cabling, network installations and support services, to name a few. As mentioned earlier, we also do binding, laminating, printing, copying and scanning services. We also provide cell phone recharge services for both telecommunications giants, LIME and DIGICEL. Our aim is to provide an even wider variety of IT services to our valued customers. We are the recognized distributor for DELL products locally and their service/retail partner.
Describe your typical day.
I always say that there are not enough hours in a day. It is always hectic, being involved in everything that happens here. As the sole proprietor, my hands are always involved in practically everything, even when tasks are assigned to my employees. Some may say it’s an autocratic approach. However, I think this is a requirement for any business owner – to keep themselves continuously abreast with the day-to-day operations within their business.
How do you find balance between work and your personal life?
My wife is very supportive when it comes to, not just the business, but other aspects of my life as well. I have also voluntarily given my time to the St. Lucia Basketball Federation (SLBF) in the capacity of the public relations officer (PRO) and with that come quite a lot of tasks and responsibilities. It also demands quite a bit of time and dedication. I always tell people when they ask that I can still play on the court, but I have decided to give my time to assisting with the developing and organizing of the sport of basketball in Saint Lucia. Balancing work, the SLBF and maintaining my family (wife and two boys) is less challenging because my wife is very supportive and she understands everything where the business is concerned, as well as my sporting aspirations and she plays a part in them all. My wife has been the rock behind me. I could not do it without her.
What is the most difficult part about managing your own business?
I think it’s financing and getting the revenue in, both from the financial institutions with the lending power and the constant cash flow from clients. You may have all the big plans and aspirations but without financing it’s just not going to happen.
With the advent of all these technological advances, how are you able to meet the demands of your customers?
We are doing quite well at that. The retail side of our business caters to the ever changing technological field. We offer competitive prices and quality products, including the latest techie gadgets for home users and businesses, such as tablets and more. With the technical support we have grown a client base of several local businesses and we have been quite efficient in providing our support aspect. We have also built a great rapport with our clients, to the point where we are considered staff within their establishments (without the monthly salaries, of course). We are assured that our services don’t go unrecognized. We make it our duty to keep ourselves abreast with the changes in technology so that we can better meet our clients’ needs.
What is your vision for The Computer Store?
We would like to continue to see the store grow. Short term, we would like to branch off and have another store location on island to provide more options to our clients. Long term, our goal is to be the elite computer store in Saint Lucia and continue providing the reliable and professional service that we’ve been known for. Building on our public awareness and sensitization is critical to our growth and we’re focused in bettering that aspect as well.
What advice would you give to young persons pursuing their dreams?
Everything good starts with a dream. It starts with a passion; you need to be passionate about what you are doing. You need to have a love for what you are doing. If you are passionate about it, determined and you possess the foresight, GO FOR IT! Having your own business is incredibly beneficial. There will be down sides but if you are persistent and willing to put in the time, you will reap the benefits in the end.
