Meet Rick Hogan of Hogan’s Systems Consulting in Northwest Suburbs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Hogan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After studying Computer Science in college, I went on to various IT related jobs in corporate America. As the years went on, working in corporate IT got to be more and more stressful. Corporate mergers and outsourcing jobs to foreign countries has taken a toll on everyone who works in big corporations. In the mid-2000s, my employer at the time started sending jobs to India. I knew it was a matter of time before my job went, so I started making plans to start my own business.

In 2011, my job was eliminated. That’s when I started working at my own business full time. My business provides computer support, computer repairs and other computer-related services to home and small businesses throughout the northwest suburbs. We can handle anything from virus removal, fixing a broken laptop screen, etc., all the way to servers and network support for small offices.

Today, my son works with me and we are taking care of a wide range of customers. We have older customers who just need some basic help learning to use their computers. We have small businesses that need an “IT guy,” but are too small to hire a full time employee to take care of their computers. We have gamers with high-end gaming computers who occasionally need some help with an upgrade or a repair. Whatever it is, we’re here to help people get the most out of their computers!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been much more difficult to build up this business than I had expected. Before I started, I had heard many stories from others who were doing what I am. They all talked about how quickly they got to the point of having more customers than they could handle. They made it seem like all they had to do was open their doors and customers came pouring in. Maybe it was like that in the 1990s or 2000s, but it’s not that easy any more. There is a lot more competition now. And computers are a lot easier to set up, use and maintain now. Also, because computers have gotten so cheap, there is much more of a tendency for people to think they are better off just throwing away a broken computer and buying a new one, rather than trying to fix the old one.

Getting our name out there and getting to be known in our community has been challenging, but we are getting there. We belong to two different Chambers of Commerce, which has proven to be an invaluable resource for meeting other business owners and finding new customers. We also use other services, like Angie’s List and Thumbtack.com for finding new customers. Every little bit helps and I believe we are on the right track to continue growing our business.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hogan’s Systems Consulting – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At Hogan’s Systems, we specialize in providing professional computer support services to individuals and small businesses. We are able to offer a level of support you won’t find in a big box store, or by calling a customer service phone number where you’ll be connected to someone half-way around the world who is just reading from a script. We are known for providing the highest quality services at prices people can afford. People feel safe trusting us with their computers. We always get compliments for being patient, understanding and being able to explain complex technical issues in terms that non-techie people can understand. There are the things that set us apart from our competition.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to continue growing the business at steady pace. We don’t have any big changes planned as of now. If things continue on the right path, we hope to eventually be expanding, hiring more people and becoming more well known.

Pricing:

• Virus Removal – $89
• Laptop Screen Replacement – $130 – $175
• General business IT support $100/hour

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.Hogans-Systems.com
• Phone: 847-989-8768
• Email: service@hogans-systems.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hoganssystems/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HogansSystems/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HogansSystems
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/hogans-systems-consulting-llc-hoffman-estates
• Other: https://www.thumbtack.com/il/hoffman-estates/videographers/computer-repair

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