RepairQ WISE Certification Scholarship Program Independent Tech Scholarship Winner

WISE: Congrats on being selected as the winning entry for the WISE Technician Certification Scholarship recently rewarded by RepairQ! There were many applicants and you rose above the rest. We are excited to continue to expand the WISE Certification program across North America and beyond!
KM: Thanks for reaching out and I’m thrilled to be selected to have the opportunity to participate in this program. My work is very important to me, I put everything I have to offer into it and this is another way to take the skillset to the next level.

How long have you been repairing smartphones?
I have been repairing and servicing smartphones now for around 10 years. Professionally as a business owner closer to 3.

What did you do before becoming a technician and business owner?
Prior to operating a repair business as a technician I really just stayed in the technology sector through various roles like systems administrator,  geo-science data interpreter, technician trainer, and senior support professional with Hewlett-Packard.

What do you like to do with your time when you are not stuck at the repair desk or running the business?
Outside of work hours, I work. I enjoy what I do with passion. If I’m not working for a client I’m working for myself wither that be device teardown, reversing engineering or developing software/hardware ideas. If none of those things are going on, I’m learning. I keep on track with the latest news on what’s developing in market or following technology trends that are growing so I can study and be prepared early.

What is one thing you wish someone had told you in the beginning of this business that may have saved time and money?
One thing I wish someone had taught me early was how to efficiently track and manage customers. As you scale larger and larger it is hard to keep in contact with all your clients and remind them that they are important and are vital to your business success and stay engaged. Even today after servicing around 2000+ I try to keep up with everyone of those clients to make sure the customer service provided is top notch. Striving for that excellent all around experience is something that has been able to keep every review received 5 star and will continue to work around the clock to maintain that flawless service standard.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
5 years from today based on current growth I anticipate I should have successfully kept over 10,000 devices alone from landfill and will scale to the area leader for device servicing. I have already started working with carriers and other big box stores to show them independent can be a positive thing in many ways and providing this service helps all of us. I had signed into the WISE portal the night I received the email and read the 96 page document and completed the testing. I am looking forward to excel to level 2 and beyond whatever CTIA will offer in the future.