What is All About Technology?
All About Technology, a Certified Minority Business Enterprise, is a total solutions provider and value added reseller of IT products and services. We specialize in computer hardware and software procurement, service, training, electronic waste disposal and recycling for residential and commercial clients. All About Technology is also a community hub and serves as an employment partner to help youth that are interested in IT gain meaningful work experience by providing job shadows, internships, and summer employment. All About Technology is staffed by certified, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable professionals executing our mission to build a bridge to the digital divide and make technology accessible and affordable for all.
What was your experience in the Build class?
Build allowed me to retool and assisted in strengthening my existing business plan. I left with additional innovative ideas and the ability to understand the financial impact of every decision. One memorable experience was developing a different prospective to increase profits by identifying and creating additional business opportunities. As a result, operations have been expanded by offering cellular phone accessories. It was determined that it could be a profitable venture after I applied the numbers to the financial plan that was developed in class. I realized we could no longer miss this huge opportunity.
I found that all of my Build exercises and experiences added immediate value to my leadership toolbox. My best Build take-away was when I realized the importance of sharpening my marketing message, strategically targeting customers, and deploying scarce resources more efficiently—all of which helped us realize a 20% increase in revenue.
“Build allowed me to retool and assisted in strengthening my existing business plan. I left with additional innovative ideas and the ability to understand the financial impact of every decision.“
What has your experience been with other aspects of Build?
The access to Build resources and networking with other entrepreneurs was phenomenal. The funding panel that came to our class connected me to Kiva Zip (a 0% interest micro-loan), which was instrumental in allowing us to build out our store.
The Build staff members are extremely supportive. For example, I wanted to talk with my facilitator, Delphia Simmons about issues that were brought up in the classroom that were applicable to my business, and she a made special appointment for me to talk with her one-on-one.
Networking with other Build program participants, as well as with staff members, has been especially valuable to me and my relationships make me feel like we’re one big family. We continued the dialogue and the exchange of ideas and strategy even after the class ended. We continued to maintain an open network and Build is really good about hosting alumni events and workshops, which provide ample opportunities for support, to learn and stay connected.
What are your recent developments?
We just opened our brand new street level retail storefront at 6450 Michigan Avenue in Southwest Detroit and hired a new employee from the community. The Michigan Avenue retail storefront is our new flagship store where all foot traffic and walk in customers are directed.
We recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a digital window sign to advertise our existence and capture more walk in traffic to our Michigan Avenue store.
What is your long-term vision?
My vision is to make the Michigan Avenue flagship store an overwhelming success, because although it is currently serving as a pilot, it will be used as a blueprint for replication in other targeted neighborhoods to continue to make technology accessible and affordable for all.