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Computer Troubleshooters: “a great lifestyle business”

Sarah Stowe

As soon as he can, Paul Gottliebsen will be off to the Kimberley for a few weeks with family in a campervan and he’ll be taking his work with him. 

“It’s a great lifestyle business, I don’t need to be in one spot. We travel six to eight weeks a year in Australia,” he says.

Today’s technology allows for automated processes, so with a remote monitoring management tool Paul and other franchisees in the Computer Troubleshooters network can operate their business from wherever they like.

“We spent many years working in corporate IT, and I took a redundancy package. I always wanted to get into my own business.”

Working in the familiar IT world appealed to Paul; what was less appealing was the challenge of having to step out of his comfort zone to run the business. So he welcomed the opportunity to gain some expert advice from the franchisor team in areas he was unfamiliar with.

“Marketing was probably the hardest thing to learn but I got plenty of ideas through training,” he says.

Computer Troubleshooters franchisee Paul Gottliebsen | Inside Franchise Business
Computer Troubleshooters franchisee Paul Gottliebsen | Inside Franchise Business

Paul’s success comes from his subscriptions approach, which generates about 70 per cent of his income. Over the last 13 years he has built a client base around a services focus with monthly subscriptions for managed services. A subscription is based on the number of computers in a business. 

“We use a remote monitoring management tool. We automate the processes and I deal with any issues. It keeps things simple.

“There are a variety of tasks – morning is security and back-up checks, overnight issues, outsourced operations centre for critical issues, support and IT enquiries. I’m working on a small project basis – replacing computers, email migration.

“Things are changing all the time, and so is technology.”

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