Alum’s computer shop takes off
Geek in Pink owner Regina Miller said she didn’t imagine she would turn a passion into a career when she graduated from Franklin College in 1991. Little did she know that she was already laying the groundwork for her future business endeavor while still on campus.
“Before I even got out of college I had more of an affinity and a passion working with computers,” said Miller, who is now the owner of a fast-growing computer repair service with branches located in Greenwood and Fishers.
After graduating with a double major in Spanish and business administration, she chose to stay home with her children, co-author a book and work as a part-time translator. It wasn’t until her two youngest children entered the first grade that she wanted to work full-time again.
“I wanted to create a position that would allow me to continue to mother and be there for them,” Miller said.
Her hobby had attracted a number of “neighbors.” Miller said she jump-started her business through a website four-and-a-half years ago. Because her number of clients doubles each year, she eventually secured a drop-off site with Gold Coast Tan. Since opening the “brick and mortar” site, Miller’s staff has grown to six.
A second Geek in Pink location opened in Fishers a month ago. Miller said she will be opening more locations in Central Indiana and has aspirations to push out farther than that. She said she sees the potential for the company to grow and has several locations in mind for new shops.
“We have a customer base,” she said. “Our customer base dictated us opening up [in Fishers].”
The business provides on-site and in-shop service. Miller recommends on-site service for Internet and printer issues and in-shop for viruses and data recovery. Another consideration for service is how much time is required to fix a problem with each computer. Geek in Pink tries to turn over each system in one to three days.
“Viruses require special order parts… we try very hard to manually clean them off to avoid it,” Miller said. “Sometimes they can take up to three days.”
Geek in Pink technicians work primarily on PCs but can service hardware for Macs, as well.
“We have one technician that can do some things with [Macs],” Miller said. “We just don’t push it … it is not my strong suit.”
Prices also vary according to time. There are hourly service rates, $90 for on-site and $65 for in-store. Geek in Pink provides estimates over the phone before any work is done. Some services, like virus clean up, are capped at certain prices because they take a significant amount of time.
Previous clients have included college students. Miller said some of her customers have had computers which were still under warranty, but came to her because she could get the computer fixed and back to the customer more quickly. “We’re very focused on the needs of the customer and that’s something we strive to maintain as we grow,” Miller said.
