Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Jaratanian and Minas Martirosyan.
Adam and Minas, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I guess we can say it all started 15 years ago when we met in middle school and became close friends. As we got older, our definition of hanging out was going over to each other’s house to talk about business ideas and what we had to do to become successful businessmen. But over the years, we kept trying numerous different ventures and we quickly learned how common failure was.
It was July of 2013, I had just moved back from college facing piles of student loan debt, and Minas was preparing to get married in 2 months.
We started AM Cell Phone Repairs in Thousand Oaks after noticing how the industry and demand was taking off. We realized that society (us included) are becoming more and more dependent on technology and there was a real demand to fix our phones and tablets since they would break so easily. As scary as it sounds, these small little devices are like the remote control to our lives.
So we found a location we liked, signed a lease, and built our first location by ourselves in 3 months with no contractors, architects, or even an advisor to give us suggestions. We went completely over budget and invested everything we had, plus more. But we didn’t cut any corners because quality was the main focus.
When we first opened our doors, we didn’t even know how to fix phones as crazy as that sounds. We just knew we had a good thing going and that we wouldn’t fail this time because we couldn’t afford to. Customers would bring in repairs, we would go on YouTube and figure out how to fix them. There was a big learning curve and in those first few months we paid for a lot of devices that we damaged. We did everything we had to do though to make sure every customer left our store happy and with a willingness to recommend us to their friends and family, no matter what it took.
The first two years, Minas and I worked every single day. I would do marketing, manage our brand and online presence while Minas would deal with the day-to-day operations. We would help customers in the front and our team would do the repairs in the back. Once the store was closed for the day, work continued on our phones. The majority of the inventory in our industry is manufactured and sold in China so we would be up until 1 or 2am placing orders, negotiating prices, giving feedback on quality, etc. The only thing we thought about and did was work.
A year after our we opened our first location, we opened our second store in Burbank. A year after that, we opened our third and fourth in Simi Valley and Granada Hills right after each other. About 2 months ago we opened our 5th location in Pasadena. Our goal is to have a location in every major city in Southern California first and then the rest of U.S. so we can be more accessible for those who need us.
We’re blessed to say the least.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all, but that’s what makes it exciting and worthwhile honestly. There’s no value in anything that comes easy. For startups especially, there’s a lot of trial and error. There’s so many mistakes you make every day as you’re learning about the industry and how to really run a successful business. You learn things about yourself you never knew. There’s countless sacrifices you make for your team and to keep everyone happy.
It was difficult finding reliable vendors in a foreign country because their values and focus in business and trade don’t align with ours. There were a lot of trips to China including a lot of time and effort spent working on quality until we really got it down.
Another struggle was also how time consuming and tiring it was to keep moving at full speed for 7 days a week when we had families and personal lives too. We made sacrifices in every aspect of our personal lives for our company and our goals.
When we were going through all of this, it was really tough. But looking back, we wouldn’t have it any other way. It taught us invaluable lessons along the way that we know will pay off exponentially in the future. We learned so much about our strengths, our weaknesses, and where we needed to improve. We’re really excited for the road ahead.
Please tell us about AM Cell Phone Repairs.
We started AM Cell Phone Repairs to build a reputable brand that you can rely on to get your phone, tablet, or computer repaired by.
Our company specializes in fixing iPhones, Samsung, Androids, iPads, MacBooks & more.
We would say the characteristics that set us apart is definitely service and dedication. Our team puts in every effort possible to fix any problem and we always do our best to ensure our customers leave our store happy and knowing we did everything we could to help them. In our industry that’s probably the most difficult thing to do due to the nature of our work.
Our team’s commitment to service and excellence is what’s made us one of the highest rated cell phone repair brands in LA and Southern California. That’s what we’re most proud of. None of this would be possible without them.
Contact Info:
- Address: AM Cell Phone Repairs & Accessories
Corporate Office
16204 Devonshire St.
Granada Hills, Ca 91344 - Website: www.AMCPR.com
- Phone: 8187923355
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: amcellphonerepair
- Facebook: AM CellPhone Repairs & Accessories
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/am-cell-phone-repairs-burbank-3?osq=AM+Cell+Phone+Repairs
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