Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Slein.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Craig. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I worked at Spring Woods HS (Spring Branch ISD) for 6 years (as a “technologist”) and at St. Thomas High School (Archdiocese of Galveston / Houston) for 16 years (as their “Director of Technology). My job was to teach teachers to use computers and to do simple computer repairs. Both jobs had 11 month contracts, so summers were relatively short.
In 2012, I transferred to Cypress Woods HS (in Cypress Fairbanks ISD). There were plenty of interesting challenges to face and a much shorter contract, which meant a much longer summer vacation.
While working with teachers and education support staff, I discovered that the computer repair skills that I employed every day was also needed by these same people to service their home technology. As a result, I often visited teachers’ homes to help them get their computer working properly. I was frequently asked if I thought that opening my own business would be a good business opportunity. I simply wasn’t sure. I had never tried anything like that before. I was also unsure about giving up a steady paycheck and group health insurance.
The summer of 2013 was my first long summer vacation in 20 years. I decided to give the idea of running a small business a shot while I still had a “safety net” under me. I got set up with Angie’s List and had them e-mail blast a “discount” offer (three hours of in-home service for the price of one). In the biggest surprise of my life, I received 27 requests for service in the first 3 days. I ran around all summer trying to keep up with customer requests. In late July, the calendar forced me to make a decision. There was too much computer repair work to do it as a part time job. So, I had to decide if I was going back to school or if I was going to give the business a chance.
I decided to keep the business running. The school district could find someone else to do what I was doing, but my customers didn’t have that luxury. My services were needed by a lot of very nice people who didn’t have anyone reliable to turn to.
By the end of 2013, I had earned enough positive reviews on Angie’s List to be given their “Super Service Provider” award. I have won that same award in 2014, 2015, and 2016. In December of 2013, I was mentioned in Angie’s List magazine’s monthly “Super Service Spotlight” section. In January of 2014, I was written up in the Angie’s List magazine in an article titled “Best and Worst Contractors in your area”.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Mostly smooth. I have had one or two “odd” customers who were a pain, but Angie’s List customers and my personal referrals are usually a joy to work with.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Family Size HTS – what should we know?
We clean up and upgrade computer software (Mac and PC). We fix computers that have experienced hard drive failures, power surges or water damage. We install Internet Security software and battery backup units. We extend the reach of wireless networks. We set up new machines and transfer data from the old machine to the new one. We fix a lot of printer problems – Sometimes the software needs to be removed and correctly installed and sometimes we reprogram the printer.
We try to do the work “in-home” to reduce customer downtime. We treat customers more like family and friends. The personal touch is probably the biggest difference between us and our competitors. We value the relationships that we create and the customers seem to appreciate the ability to call me and know exactly who they will be dealing with.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
After all of the teachers and staff that I have serviced, there’s only one person who really stands out as an inspiration and a cheerleader. Her name is Alicia Clemens. At one point, her son (who attended St. Thomas High School where I was employed at the time) brought in his malfunctioning computer for me to work on. I fixed it and Mrs. Clemens came to pick it up. She mentioned that she was having a problem with her laptop, so we set up a time for me to do a home visit. That visit went nicely and she was very happy with the condition of her laptop and her son’s PC.
About two weeks later, Mrs. Clemens, who works as the office manager for her father’s dental practice, called to say that they were having a problem with one of the office’s computers. I went there after school and fixed that. She and her father were both very appreciative.
When considering a name for my new business, my wife reminded me that I had worked for three generations of the Clemens family, providing them with the kind of expertise that can usually be afforded only by businesses that employ a full time IT staff. She pointed out to me that I provided those same services to an entirely different and smaller scale of customer. My business was designed especially to provide services to these unserved customers. Instead of providing for “business class” customers, I would provide services to “family size” homes and offices.
A couple of jobs helping people set up an X-Box, a PlayStation, an Apple TV and a Roku box kept me from including the phrase “computer services” in the company name because I provided services that are not strictly computer related. That’s where the “home technologies” part of the name comes from.
So, the company became known as Family Size Home Technology Services (also known as Family Size HTS).
Contact Info:
- Address: Family Size Home Technology Services
1928 E. Allegro St.
Houston, TX 77080 - Website: http://www.familysizehts.com/
- Phone: (281) 330-9229
- Email: info@familysizehts.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FSHTS/
- Other: https://www.angieslist.com/articles/houston-best-worst-contractors-2013.htm
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