The TechConnectors Story

In 2004, a young entrepreneur from Nova Scotia, Canada met a seasoned IT executive from the U.S. and launched a Home Technology Services company called Tech Connectors (TC). They embarked on a journey as business partners and friends that would change their lives forever.  

In 2003 Sean Storin left a successful 10 year career in the IT Staffing and Solutions industry, went back to school to get an MBA, and launched his own venture.  During school he researched the next “big thing” and was convinced that a 3rd party home technology services company was a huge opportunity.  He spent months writing a business case and researching companies.  

After unsuccessfully trying to partner or acquire several companies in The U.S., he stumbled upon Future Homes in Halifax Nova Scotia.  He immediately felt that the web site and services offered by Future Homes was exactly what he envisioned for his company.  Future Homes shared Sean's vision of a service company that aimed to be a trusted source for consumers as electronics seemed to be getting more complicated and required technical assistance.
 
The first time Sean spoke to Kirk, they chatted amiably for over an hour.  After months of visits, relationship building and negotiations, Kirk made the bold move of uprooting and moving to Chicago to pursue this opportunity.  Kirk knew he had built a great company, but always felt he needed a larger venue in which to realize the full potential of his vision.  Chicago, Illinois and investment capital was just the catalyst he needed, so he left it all behind and drove to the States with his entire life in the trunk.
 
The business plan plotted a strategy to partner with large retailers who sold TVs.  TC would be a fulfillment company for retailers as well as a direct resource for consumers.  Best Buy was doing their own installs (which spoke to the opportunity), but many others had no solution.  TC signed on with Circuit City and swiftly grew their business.  Within a year TC was one of Circuits largest providers and was invited to sit on their vendor's board to assist in the design of Firedog (a hybrid internal/outsource model for delivery of Home Technology Installations).  TC leveraged that experience and footprint to land other retailers and soon Sears was a sizable partner.  In 2008 Tech Connectors was the first to sell installation services inside of Costco stores.  The relationship was unique as they maintained the TC brand within the warehouses.  TV installation services are offered today in Illinois and Indiana warehouses.

 

Today’s shopper is more educated and the era of learned Salespeople providing guidance at the large scale retail location may be gone forever.  Tech Connectors watched as Circuit City laid off 3000 of their highest paid sales people and then went out of business a year later.  Many analysts attribute the failure of the second largest US electronics store to poor decisions such as that one.  We see the same decisions being made today by Best Buy, as they lower wages for the people we trust to help us make our large electronic purchases.  As consumer electronic prices fall and margins erode, it is easy to understand why the big box retailers are making such bold moves to improve their bottom line.  Consumers however, require that expert guidance now more than ever.  

Well...he was laid off, and now he probably works for a company like Tech Connectors.