About Us
The Goal:
Bean's goal is to be a trusted source of computer expertise for those who need one. Somebody you won't hesitate to ask for advice or help. The key word here is "trust." Lots of people are out there that will try to give you advice or fix your problems, but who either don't know what they are talking about or don't have your best interests at heart.
How Bean's is different:
Bean's focuses on meeting peoples' daily and regular needs for computer and technology help, rather than only on fixing what's broken. There is no commission or ulterior motive for selling products when they aren't necessary. Pricing is not based on extortion, trying to take advantage of those who are vulnerable because of their lack of computer expertise. Pricing is based on being competitive in the market while at the same time making customers feel comfortable calling for support without worry. We do our best to be fair and make sure the customer is never surprised by the cost.
History:
Bean's Computers was started in August of 2005. It is a one man operation, started and run by Alex Khitrik. Alex has been a computer enthusiast since he was first introduced to them. His general knack for solving problems applied well to the computers, and he has been fixing other peoples' computers since. Despite his lack of costly certificates or formal education in the field of computers, he is trusted by his friends and customers with their computer and technology issues. Alex has done IT, and PC Tech, work for his former colleges Simon's Rock College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as Macromedia (now Adobe). Before starting Bean's Computers, Alex worked full-time for the local computer service company TekTuners as the go-to technician. Alex left under friendly terms to start his own company and continued to sub-contract for TekTuners, until TekTuners was co-opted by Nerds2Go. Running Bean's Computers has been a challenging, educational, and liberating experience for Alex and continues to be more rewarding with each new repeat customer.
The Name:
"Bean's Computers" was the first name Alex thought of because it sounded good to him and his alias online has been "Bean" since he had a regular internet presence, both in the computer enthusiasts scene as well as gaming. The name "Bean" came from a supporting character in the book "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. Alex highly recommends that book, as well as the detailed story of Bean in the "Ender's Shadow" series. Bean was the smallest, youngest, and smartest student at a military school aimed at finding the ultimate commander to lead Earth's forces against an alien threat. His extreme intelligence allowed him to see the hidden intricacies behind peoples motivations as well as come up with novel ideas. There is much more to the story and by reading it you will get a bit of insight into why Alex identifies with Bean.
The word "Bean" has other positive connotations that Alex liked. He likes to use his "bean" as in his brain. And sometimes he works better when he has brewed some coffee Beans into the magical and delicious drink called Coffee, which Alex enjoys black. Coffee Beans have a very pleasant and comforting smell to them that quite possibly appeals to everybody despite a taset for coffee itself. In general Bean's are versatile, nutricious, and can be delicious as well. So Alex imagines that when people think Bean's Computers they will think: brain, pleasant, attentive, versatile, and nutricious.
Other names that were under consideration were:
- Neticine
- A friend of Alex owned the domain neticine.com. It was a clever name, think "medicine" but for the internet, but too focused for Alex's interests. While he is very talented at providing and being the neticine computers need to be healed of spyware, malware, and viruses, in record times, he wants to provide other services beyond healing computers.
- A variation on "Next Door Geek" or "Geeky Neighbor"
- Alex was thinking he'd like to be the Geeky Neighbor that people never had. It allowed various interesting tag lines but had too many negative implications. Alex wanted to help small businesses as well as home computer users. He also wanted to more trustworthy and professional than a neighbor or friend may be.
- Free Geek
- This name was before Alex's idea to provide free computer services was shot down by anybody with some business sense. The general plan was to officially provide all services as free of charge and just work for tips. Alex was upset with the unfair rates and pricing systems by companies and the aweful "services" they provide. The prices for competitors would be published so customers would know what the going rate is. There were too many flaws in this system to resolve in a simple way. The current system is a compromise. Bean's rate is much less than competitors, doesn't charge a five minute visit as an hour, and also provides free help over the phone and e-mail. A more robust system for taking and answering peoples' questions and publishing them is in the works as well.
The Future:
Bean's Computers does not plan on expanding to beyond 1 employee. Alex believes it is unlikely he will meet somebody who he can trust to represent the company, its values and services, as well as Alex can himself. Alex is always learning new skills and making connections to be able to provide the best service possible to his customers. Being the sole person responsible and accountable for quality of service makes Alex feel that his focus on meeting customers' needs and exceeding their expectations results in the finest business/client relationship people could wish for.
Thank you!
Thank you for reading about Bean's Computers. I hope you let me know what you think.
-Alex 'Bean' Khitrik