Mississippi State University student Glyn Freeman started his computer business, Freeman Enterprises, as another steady source of income but more importantly to provide affordable tech service to those in need of electronics and who may be a little light in the pocket. In fact, affordable technology is one of Freeman’s core principles of business he learned from his father, also a computer technician.
“The world is turning toward computers (…), and I like to give people prices they can afford, especially on a college campus,” he said.
Freeman said he also believes in teaching younger children to use computers of their own to familiarize themselves with modern technology.
“You have 10, 11 and 12 year olds that do not have laptops (…), and I like to get them situated at no cost. It is something I really enjoy doing,” Freeman said.
Function over flash is a belief many non-tech savvy people share and Freeman recognizes this.
“Most people who want laptops want something simple I have noticed (…) I had a lady (…)who wanted an old version of Microsoft Office and instead of her being charged $120 in a store, I installed it for her for $20. I had another lady who drove down from north Mississippi (…) to buy a computer because it was at the right price (…), and she asked me on the phone if the computer had a CD drive (…) so it is pretty amazing when you realize people do not want the top-of-the-line thing, they want something functional,” Freeman said.
Freeman not only sells rebuilt laptops at a reasonable value, but, as he mentioned, he also does repairs — both hardware and software.
“I have dealt with a lot of screen replacements (…) and I have done things as random as unlocking administrator passwords (…) and the biggest thing I have done is a complete system wipeout and rebuild.”
Freeman is also in the process of broadening his business image as he operates now on mainly word of mouth and flyers he posts around Starkville.
Admittedly, Freeman does not plan on repairing computers for the rest of his life because of his major’s associated career path. However, he is still undecided on whether or not to make Freeman Enterprises a full-time commitment.
“This will be my third year on talking about doing it (…), and I have always been laid back like I’ll do it when it comes around, but once I started noticing the problems in college (with computers) I caught on and really thought about doing it bigger,” Freeman said.
“It is something I enjoy because of the problem — solving aspect of something I would be doing in the future with my major, and I like the thrill of a new problem (…) I always told myself if I could buy a place and manage it on the side then I could see it being long term,” he said.
Though Freeman Enterprises’ future may be undetermined, it is presently a business Freeman said he strives to cater to the computer literate or illiterate. Freeman said he realizes the world is growing, and he has made it his mission to be there with his simple business model: currently, everyone deserves an affordable computer.