At 13, I Started a Company of Kids Showing Grandparents How to Use Computers. The Matching Shirts We Wore Taught Me An Important Lesson. The shirts were the first customer-focused system I ever built.
By John Winner
This story appears in the May 2023 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Everything I do today in business can be traced back to lessons I learned when starting my first company at the age of 13. That's why I still hang on to my first uniform: an oversized yellow Tommy Bahama shirt emblazoned with an orange and black logo for "Winner Computing." It looks like something a retiree would wear to a bowling alley, which perhaps explains why it was a hit with the customers in my gray-haired South Florida neighborhood.
I started Winner Computing during the PC revolution to help my neighbors — mostly people's parents and grandparents — set up and learn how to use a computer. I quickly had more business than I could handle on my own, so after six months, I started hiring my middle-school friends. But how could we look like a real business, and not just a ragtag group of kids? The answer: matching shirts! And yet, looking back on it now, I see that the shirts were about more than just appearance. They were really the first customer-focused system I'd ever built.
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How so? Well, first, people trusted the shirt — and once they came to us seeking help, a marvelous chain reaction would follow. As we fixed their computers, we learned that most customers used these machines to communicate with their kids and grandkids around the country. This meant our solutions tangibly enriched their lives. In turn, our company became stronger — because my young team could rally around this important, shared mission.
Second, the shirt was incredible marketing — but only when combined with a job well done. The best marketing strategies and "swaggy" shirts won't get you anywhere in the long run if you can't deliver for people. But when we did come through for happy customers, the shirts sealed the deal and led to a lot of referrals.
Lastly, the shirt was a good reminder of the special joy that comes with being a builder and an entrepreneur. Which just made me want to build even more.
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