One of Barrington’s newest businesses founded by three of the community’s youngest entrepreneurs is offering a gift that keeps on giving this holiday season. Founded by three Barrington High School seniors, FuntasTech Tutors provides friendly and fun, in-home tutoring to adults seeking help with technology. Their sessions make the perfect gift for anyone who could use a hand setting up those cool new mobile devices, e-readers and techie gadgets they’re asking Santa to put under the tree this year.
FuntasTech Tutors is one of the six student businesses that received funding in the spring of 2014 during the inaugural year for Barrington High School’s INCubator Edu Business Startup Curriculum. The company’s mission to provide friendly teen tutors that help make technology fun was inspired by an exchange CEO Scott Arnett had with his own grandmother.
“My family gave my grandma an iPad last year but, because she lives in Bloomington, Indiana, there was nobody nearby to help teach her how to use it. I hung up the phone after talking with her one night and thought, I wish there was somebody who could help her out in person. She needed somebody who could provide the hands-on attention and friendliness that I would give to her if I lived closer.”
With a carefully crafted business plan, FuntasTech’s founders made a successful case for starting a business to answer that need during the first “Pitch Night” hosted at BHS in late May. By the end of the program, two local entrepreneurs invested $15,000 in FuntasTech in return for a 10% share of the business.
Co-founders Scott Arnett, Jake Coon and Jake Orr spent the summer and fall putting those funds to work, covering start-up costs including attorney, insurance and marketing fees. They’ve purchased a company computer, accounting software and completely redesigned their website, which offers visitors a clear and easy way to purchase their services.
FuntasTech’s tutors now help a growing client list with anything from setting up computers, printers, phones and e-readers to syncing devices and adding apps. To date, their tech tutoring has earned them a 60-percent client retention rate and an increasing number of raving fans including retired head of Barrington High School’s Social Studies Department, Tim Dunn.
Tim, who also co-chairs the committee planning Barrington’s 2015 Sesquicentennial celebrations, says he first called FuntasTech for help increasing the speed of his computer at home. They also transferred files from his computer to his iPad and have since helped him free up space on his iPhone to take more photos. Tim says FuntasTech’s tutors will be the first call he makes if Santa brings him the iPhone 6 that’s on his Christmas wish list this year.
“I would highly recommend that people take advantage of FuntasTech’s services. They’re a team of very outgoing, intelligent, business savvy and talented teens who really know their stuff,” Tim says. “Plus, they deliver. They come to you, they use their computers when necessary, they’re worth every penny and I’ll definitely be using them again!”
FuntasTech’s co-founders say it would be their pleasure to help your loved ones become more tech savvy, too, with sessions you can bundle with devices you purchase as gifts this holiday season.
“A lot of people don’t realize just how much the latest technology tools, apps and devices can change their lives. Once you set them up with things like Facebook or Facetime and they realize they can talk to their grandkids wherever and whenever, it’s an eye opening thing. When we show them the types of things they could do with their phones, they’re blown away by possibilities they never knew existed and that’s really rewarding.” – FuntasTech CEO, Scott Arnett
“Sessions with our tutors are an enriching gift because they help people in so many different ways. If you get someone an iPad for the holidays and pair it with three of our sessions, it can improve their lives because of all the ways we can teach them to help stay connected with family.” – FuntasTech COO, Jake Orr
“Something we pride ourselves on is just being friendly and being open. We can teach you technology and we can answer your questions, yet we also want to provide therapeutic conversation. If a client’s computer is a little slow or a file takes a while to download, that allows time for them to tell us about their story or their grandkids. And there’s nothing better than sitting down to work on something with a client and having a nice conversation while you address all of their questions.” – FuntasTech CFO, Jake Coon
Sessions with FuntasTech tutors cost $60 per hour and they offer a discount if you purchase multiple sessions, with a bundle of three, hour-long sessions priced at $150 and a bundle of five, hour-long sessions at $200. You can specify online that you plan to gift your purchase and they’ll be sure you have a gift certificate to leave under the tree this year to make somebody’s holiday truly FuntasTech!
If you or anyone you know might appreciate a visit from a friendly, knowledgeable and eager-to-please FuntasTech tutor, give them a call at 847-788-1913 , click HERE to follow their Facebook page and check out their new website at FuntasTech.com.
We’re honored to welcome FuntasTech Tutors as the latest member to join our Marketplace here at 365Barrington.com. To learn a little more about FuntasTech’s story, check out this video about the BHS Business Startup Incubator produced by reporter James Owen for 365BarringtonTV.
