Building a Business from the Ground Up: How Tek-Work is Transforming Computer Repairs in Ada
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker
Mike Smith was 10 years old when he learned that he could successfully take apart a computer and put it back together. His parents grounded him and forbade him from playing computer games. However, as many 10-year-olds may do, he thought he could sneak some computer time in without his parents noticing. It was all going as planned, until the disc for Command and Conquer got stuck in the CD-ROM drive. If he wanted to avoid an extended punishment, he would have to think quickly. He carefully took the computer apart, removed the disc, and put it back together. His father never noticed, but this moment stuck with Smith and helped shape him into the tech entrepreneur he is today, where he takes apart computers almost every day while operating his own business, Tek-Work.
Mike Smith was destined to be a tech entrepreneur. In addition to taking apart computers to avoid punishment, he was raised around technology. His mother was a coder, his father was a graphic designer, and he started using a computer by the age of 4. He has experienced the changes in technology over the years, starting out with a Commodore 64 and Windows 3.0 to now building state of the art computers to accommodate any individual’s needs. However, even though he is well versed in the current technology and trends, he still has a soft spot for the more vintage or retro models and enjoys working on them as well.
Mike and his wife, Kay, have been together for ten years and married for five, but they have been in business together for the past two. They were living in Florida when Mike started doing freelance computer repairs and officially named his business Tek-Work. Together they make an excellent team; Mike takes care of the technical work, but Kay takes care of everything else, such as the accounting, emails, scheduling, and social media. It is a huge perk that they get to work with each other and spend time together. What began as a freelance opportunity to bring in extra money has grown into something much more as Mike and Kay work to provide an important and much-needed service to the community.
The Smiths moved to Ada in June of 2023. Mike’s grandfather, local cardiologist Michael Hunsaker, had recently passed and left Mike an acreage in the country. Before Hunsaker passed, he invited Mike and Kay to look at the property to see if they wanted to inherit it, and they fell in love with the beauty of the Oklahoma countryside. While Mike lived in Virginia and Arkansas when he was young, he had spent the vast majority of his life in densely populated areas of Florida, and Kay was born in Miami and lived in Broward County her whole life. However, they were both up for the adventure of trying something very different than what they were used to. As they started their business, though, they fell in love with more than the beauty of the countryside, they fell in love with the sense of community you feel in a small town.
When they first moved to Ada, Mike was looking for a tech job, but the market was saturated. However, as Mike and Kay were starting to get to know Ada, they realized that there weren’t any computer repair shops in the area. While Mike originally started Tek-Work as a freelance venture to supplement his income, he and Kay realized that it could become its own stand-alone business in Ada. They rented office space in the Shaw Center on Main Street and started promoting themselves.
Computers have become a necessity. They are crucial components of our work and also our play. However, sometimes things go wrong and, according to Mike, “Repairing a computer usually costs less than buying a new one.” But first, someone needs to have a place to actually repair the computer, which is why the Smiths opened Tek-Work. Their standard services include repairs on desktops, laptops, all-in-one pcs, as well as apple desktops and laptops. They can also diagnose the problems plaguing your system and figure out how cure them. They can install or upgrade individual parts, change or reinstall your operating system, and even build custom computers. They also do data recovery and transfer and can also set up home networks.
One of the things that they love most about their business is the fact that every case is different. It is rare that two systems have the exact same problem. Sometimes it might be a virus or a failing hard drive. Each customer presents a unique challenge and Mike loves the problem solving aspect of his work. In addition to this, though, Mike and Kay also love getting to know and help their customers, who are as varied as the problems they bring into the shop. Most of all, though, Mike takes joy in making people happy. He says, “They will come in frantic but then leave calm and peaceful.” A 30-day warranty covers all the work at Tek-Work, which helps extend that peace of mind.
When Mike and Kay moved to Ada, they knew they were embarking on a new adventure. Even though they were from the bustling metro areas of Florida, they ended up finding a happiness and contentment in small town Oklahoma that they probably never envisioned. And it was the training in technology and an entrepreneurial spirit that helped make this happen. For more information about Tek-Work visit their Facebook page or their website at Tek-Work.org.