Stephanie
Butterfield has found her niche helping seniors and juniors with their
technology phobias, questions and basic knowledge one-on-one and in their
homes.
Children
like to give their parents and grandparents iPads and laptops to keep them
connected, but without teaching them how to use it, it sits there.
“It’s
a language they don’t know. They’re scared of it, but they can do it,”
Butterfield said.
Butterfield
owns Grammy Geek, a place for seniors to turn when they have questions with
their computers, iPads, tablets or any other piece of technology.
“I
ask them to tell me what they like and why, and I’ll show them what the device
can do for them,” she said.
“I
was always ending up helping family and friends. I’m going to start my own
business when I retire,” she thought. She had been dabbling in the business for
the past three years, but when she retired earlier than expected, went to full
time last spring.
For
17 years she worked for a company that worked with developmentally challenged
adults. “I did all of the IT work there. I knew more than the others and it
ended up being something I loved doing,” she said.
When
she started she always expected that she would add into the business her love
of photography and videography. She now takes old photographs and turns them
into slideshows on DVD for special birthdays or anniversaries. She also does
memorial DVDs for funerals and table top books.
Grammy
Geek travels within 40 miles of Bridgton, where she lives. She has regular
customers in Gorham and Westbrook as well as Portland, Windham, Raymond and
Naples.
One
of her oldest clients is a 90-year-old man, she said. He just needs to know how
to use his technology. Some older people pay for computer help, but then ask
her to sit for a cup of tea once she’s there. “I don’t mind,” she said.
She
does one-on-one support for any device or program. She also teaches classes for
larger groups like at a nursing home. In one hour, she can help a customer
learn new things. She also created guides to leave with the clients so they
have something in their hands to go back and reference.
Butterfield
fixes Malware, removes viruses and works with Windows 8. “They can have me come
in and set it up right at the beginning,” she said, avoiding having to fix the
problems later. She also can set up and show a client how to use Skype to video
chat with family members, or simply help them navigate around their new
operating system.
Prices
vary by service starting at $50 for a one-on-one 1-hour session. “If you go to
the big guy, you’ll pay big bucks,” Butterfield said.
“I
like being the little guy. I like not over charging and not identifying
customers by a number. I like running into them on the street and calling them
by name. I think that’s important,” she said.
The
younger clients are in their thirties. “That’s the gap that didn’t have
computers in schools. To live in the world these days, everything is online,”
she said.
Butterfield
said that she knew nothing about computers 15 or 16 years ago. Her son had to
write a note for her on how to turn the computer off and on. What a difference
a few years makes.
“Seniors
suffer at feeling [out of place] in a world where they’ve lived full lives with
stories of things they’ve done. I have a real passion for them to have what
they need,” she said.
Butterfield
is 64 years old and she knows that her customers are comfortable asking her
questions that might seem stupid to someone younger, but to her she can explain
the answer in ways that the client can understand. “We have the same reference
points that make sense to them,” she said.
One
of the most gratifying situations she had was helping a woman get pictures off
an SD card from a big celebration. “She thought she’d lost the pictures,” Butterfield
said. “I can recover data.”
She gives 100 percent at any job. She’s a member of National Cyber Security Association.
“I consider myself a geek and proud of it. I love
technology,” she concluded. Find out more at: www.grammygeekstephanie.com or call
her at 207-310-0289. <
No comments:
Post a Comment