Hello World!

Hey there!

So this is the first post huh? 

Let's write an introduction then! I'm David and I'm just a small town nerd from Durham, NC. I grew up there in the late 80's and have always had a fascination with gadgets, tech and consumer electronics in general. I'd often get in trouble with my parents because I was the kid that liked taking things apart to see how they worked.

The 80s were great. Look at that TV!

Today, I live with my beautiful wife, happy dogs and cats and family in Raleigh, NC. I'm an instrument engineer in the biomedical technology field, but my real passion has always been computers and tech. For the past 15+ years, I've been building, troubleshooting and repairing computers and it's been fun for me, every single time.

That happy couple.

But enough about me, this blog is meant to be about That Neighborhood Nerd, the passion project that's been in the back of my mind for a couple of years now. It's a computer tech service made for the local community and I have a ton of ideas for it.

What inspired the idea? A couple of things!

• I've always had friends and family come to me as that guy that can help with tech.
• I LOVE the video game "PC Building Simulator". In it, you run a PC repair shop. I love that!
• I want to be a tinkerer of tech until the end! It's always brought me such joy to learn how things work, make them work and teach others about them.

At this point in time, That Neighborhood Nerd is still in it's infancy, it's still in the oven, it aims to launch in about a month. The LLC approval is likely to happen this week, and then the business bank account will be next. I've been marketing the business for about 3 days now on LinkedIn and Nextdoor and the response has been light but positive!

Today in fact, I had my first breakthrough post on Nextdoor where I received tons of valuable feedback from the community and I was so excited and grateful to receive it. I also got my first sign up on the early access form that I created too! This is exciting stuff!

I know there's a lot to learn about this whole small business thing and I'm eager to learn it. The r/smallbusiness subreddit has been a great community for learning the ins and outs of this. Google itself has also been a great resource. Also, my niece runs an LLC for pet care in Roxboro, NC so I've learned a great deal from her as well. Another valuable resource has been the book, "The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love and Create a New Future." by Chris Guillebeau. It's an excellent book so far, the stories in it are fascinating and I really do like the way it's lessons are presented.

So here I am starting a blog for the business before the business is truly live. Will this be beneficial? Will people read it or be interested in the trials and tribulations of a small business owner techie in Raleigh, NC? Who knows! But I like writing and I find it helpful to get all my thoughts out in the written word.

That Neighborhood Nerd is currently just me, my tools, my laptop and my knowledge. Future plans include a large service van, like the ones mobile pet groomers use, but as a mobile tech workstation on wheels! What a dream it'll be!

But for now, that's the future. And as far as I can tell from here, it's "possible" because anything is. But what will the journey getting there look like? Stay tuned to this blog to find out I guess!