Executive Summary
premium support of the Mac (formerly known as Macintosh) operating system and to assist in the conversion
of Microsoft Windows users to the Mac. Recent trends indicate that market share of Mac computers is rising
quickly with recent Apple Inc. developments aimed to accelerate this growth. Currently, there is no company
with a strong market presence in Calgary that exclusively support Macs or advertises support for switching
users over to the Mac. The opportunity is promising for Apple Addicts to enter the market and establish itself
as the name to know when switching from Windows to Mac, as well as the ultimate Mac support resource
amongst current Mac users.
Apple Addicts will be targeting two distinct markets: (1) those that are looking to switch from the Windows
system to the Mac system, and (2) home users and small businesses that are already using Macs. An
aggressive marketing strategy has been planned to penetrate both of these markets and to establish Apple
Addicts as the first premier Mac support company in Calgary. This will allow Apple Addicts to capture the
majority of Windows users when they decide to convert to Mac. In addition, Mac users currently bringing
their Macs in-store to have them serviced will be inclined to try our in-house service.
For new Mac users, Apple Addicts will continue to provide exceptional on-site and online training and
support. The goal of our service will be to allow the customer to focus on using the computer in their
personal and business endeavours without the inefficiencies, heavy IT costs and frustrations that are
associated with typical computer experiences. This will be accomplished through routine visits that aim to
prevent potential problems from occurring and offering instant online help that allows smaller issues to be
solved within minutes as opposed to within hours or days.
Apple Addicts is currently in its infancy stage. After the acquisition of funding, immediate efforts will be made
to initiate the start-up. The principal owner and operator, Mr. Pinter, has recently graduated with a Bachelor
of Science and will pursuing this opportunity full-time. Retaining a diverse range of IT and business operation
experience over the past five years, he will be expected to operate all faucets of the business during the initial
start-up. As the company grows, he will have to react appropriately to attain additional employees to fill key
roles of the business, including contracted technicians.
Apple Addicts is a service-based company and thus requires minimal overhead and admin costs for start-up
purposes. An initial investment of $15,000 would be sufficient to cover the vehicle and marketing costs while
maintaining a healthy cash flow. Specifically, the initial investment will be used to procure a company vehicle,
a vehicle advertisement wrap, a ‘smart’ mobile phone, a basic software and hardware inventory, Apple
certification for Mr. Pinter, website domain, business license and trade name and the initial advertising
campaign. This loan will sufficiently pay for ongoing monthly expenses such as rent, utilities, mobile phone
charges, website hosting, automotive maintenance, gas, continued marketing efforts and a proprietor’s draw.
An application to the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is currently underway in order to obtain a
$15,000 business loan to cover this initial investment and also to provide mentoring support and counselling.