Business: My guys know how
Address: 10S059 Shoger Drive, Unit 23, Naperville
Phone/website: 815-714-9489; www.myguysknowhow.com
Owner: Brian Toki, 44, Channahon
Years in business: 15
What does your business do? “We provide reliable, repeatable and simple solutions for the modern smart home. Audio, video, networking, surveillance, lighting control, shade control, outdoor audio. A simple button for your digital life,” said Talkie. “We are updating these older systems to modern technology.”
What's the background? “It really all started when I was 4 or 5 years old. … I loved LEGO and spent hours, days working on these projects. … I built entire cities. I loved it.
“Fast forward, I went to Joliet College and realized college wasn't for me. … I started working at Circuit City and quickly moved into car stereo. That started my career in electronics. … I was very good at it … extremely detail oriented. … My manager was impressed with me.”
What happened next? “I started working at Nicor, but in my third year I realized I had worked 3,800 hours and was getting paid the same as everyone else. It wasn't for me. My manager at Circuit City went to Tweeter's home entertainment business. … He told me he thought of me because I was a phenomenal salesman at Circuit City. …
“I went to learn the basics of home theater and entertainment at Tweeter, and it was wonderful. Tweeter went bankrupt in 2008. I went to work for someone else. … In 2010, I broke my ankle (playing paintball). … I decided to start a company called My Guys Know How … I decided to become the person I needed to be, and technology was my way out.”
What is your goal for your employees? “I want to teach them to be productive, positive people who are able to go out and touch the world, and right now electronics are the vehicle for them to do that… I've learned quite a few lessons (in my life).”
How many employees do you have? “Salim Garcia is our social media manager. I have two installers, Trent Hatten and Nick Romano. … I will (soon) be hiring two more installers. We have so much business.”
What is your business philosophy? “We show up when we say we're going to show up. We do what we say we're going to do. … My uncle trained me when I was 15 in his HVAC business. He taught me to treat everyone fairly. … You can get there in a Yugo. You can get there in a Ferrari. How do you want to get there? There's a solution for every budget. There's a solution for every need. … I treat their home like it's my home.”
Any plans for the future? “If Elon (Musk) is going to send us to Mars, I want to be the guy who builds your own smart home on Mars… We will have a base in Florida in 2026. Fort Lauderdale.”
What happens when someone hires you? “A real-life example is a client we serve in Wheaton. Before they move, they renovate it the way they want it. It hasn't been touched in 40 years. We're upgrading it. Because they have painters and painters, we can run cables wherever we need them. Wireless is great for things that are designed to be wireless. … Hard wire will pay huge dividends in reliability, ease of use and overall interface.
“We recently built an entire farm where they have 40 acres of Wi-Fi… This is what they needed for what they wanted.”
Do you like your job? “It's not rocket science, but it's hard work. Harder than anything I've done in my entire life. But I really enjoy it, especially when I see the look on the guy's face. When I give a customer his new toy and he plays his favorite song on his sound system in the backyard, it's worth it. … I want to make it as easy as possible. You just have to have the desire to want to learn.”
How has the pandemic affected your business? “I was flying Southwest every week, just going to clients' homes. I got sped up because of COVID-19. … Last year at this time we were in Lake Tahoe with four clients.”
What problems are you facing? “I'm the biggest challenge. It's my fault if we don't succeed, if my guys make a mistake.”
What about prices? “It can be whatever you want it to be.”
What advice do you have for those starting a business? “Choose something you enjoy doing because you will work harder than you ever have in your entire life.”
Steve Metch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a company you'd like to see featured in Down to Business, contact them at [email protected].
