Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dakota Murphy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Dakota thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Here at Cactus Computers we strive to exceed every customer’s expectations when it comes to computer retail and repair. When we opened just over two years ago, we set out to disrupt the computer service industry by creating and finding ways to say yes, versus getting stuck on policies stopping us from accomplishing what the client set out to achieve. Our competitors tend to stick to traditional repair styles that are cookie-cutter and create hurdles, whereas we ensure we find a way to fix a device, in an affordable way and with quick turn around. A computer has become a crucial device in our everyday lives, from going to school, to paying bills, to connecting with loved ones, and therefore we know how important it is to stay up and running reliably.
Dakota, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up with my father running a custom home framing construction business. I remember going into the field with him, learning all the ins and outs, and seeing what was truly possible with being your own boss. When I landed my second job at 17, I was working for a big box retail electronics store. I worked my way up to ladder while attending Arizona State University to receive my bachelor’s degree in business administration. However, 8 years later we were midst a worldwide pandemic and I was starting to question my role at the store. At the time I was considered a key holding manager overseeing 17 employees, yet here I was running product out to customer’s cars in the parking lot in the middle of an Arizona summer. I decided to make a big change for myself and my family, selling a small collection of vehicles I had put together over my early adult years. At the age of 25 I made the leap into entrepreneurship and opened Cactus Computers in January of 2021 in the heart of Queen Creek, Arizona. I knew the industry, I had the repair experience, and now I wielded the ability to take care of our customers without corporate boundaries. We focus on computer retail and repair. With the retail side ranging from small components to full blown one of one custom built gaming desktops. The repair services include diagnostics, repair, data transfer & recovery, desktop assembly, and so much more. We were able to segment a niche market particularly in the high-end gaming desktops, from optimizing current systems, repairing broken ones, and building new ones from the chassis up. If I had to choose one thing I would want our current and future clients to know, it’s that I arrive to work everyday eager and happy to help those in our community. This business is truly a dream job as I get to do what I love and help people along the way.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When we initially opened there was a massive focus in the computer market on video graphics cards. Prices had absolutely sky rocketed, and supply was slim to none. When others decided to wave their white flag, and not stock these components at all, we decided to pivot and find ways of getting our hands on the product in order to stock them for our clients.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Funding a business is a massive hurdle. An entrepreneur has a few options from bringing on partners/investors, taking out high-risk loans, or starting small and building their way up. I like to think I tackled the capital hurdle in a somewhat unconventional way; I had spent my young adult life from when I received a driver’s license absolutely fascinated with cars. This led to buying my first car, modifying, and absolutely enjoying every minute of driving it. Then I felt the desire for more, so I saved my paychecks and started working towards another project car that I could build and tinker with on the side. One thing led to another and by the age of 25 my now-wife and I had accumulated several vehicles, mostly 90’s Japanese coupes. This is right around when I felt the urge to branch out of my very secure 9-5 job and take on my own career by opening a store-front retail business. I had those options available as previously mentioned, but I wanted this to be my very own, so taking on investment or partners was out of the question. I already was not a fan of any sort of loans financially, so this too was not going to work. I had dabbled with small side businesses, but none of them really went very far, so I knew if this was going to work how I wanted, I’d have to make some sort of financial sacrifice which led to selling all seven of our cars at once. Thankfully the market played in my favor, and the seven cars sold within six days. I couldn’t believe it. I now had the majority of the funding I believed would help me take on opening my doors.
Contact Info:
- Website: cactuspcaz.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/cactuspcaz/
- Facebook: facebook.com/cactuspcaz/
- Youtube: youtube.com/cactuscomputers
- Yelp: yelp.com/biz/cactus-computers-queen-creek
- Other: 21803 S Ellsworth Rd Suite 102 – Cactus Computers Queen Creek, AZ 85142 Tuesday – Saturday 9AM-5PM
Image Credits
Colton Blackmore @sixspeedsoul