Before there was a Complete I.T., there was Gear Spinners: a one-person web design and hosting business working out of a small incubator office in Dade City. In the spring of 2015, The Laker/Lutz News stopped by to tell its story.
Third place in a Shark Tank-style pitch
On January 29, 2015, Thomas Giella took third place and a $1,000 prize in the first SMARTstart Business Challenge. The contest was sponsored by the Pasco Economic Development Council, the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the New Port Richey Economic Development Department, and SCORE as part of Business Development Week.
About 20 companies competed for five finalist spots. Each finalist had 10 minutes to pitch a panel of local business and college judges, followed by 10 minutes of questions. Thomas pitched TechSoft Academy and explained his approach simply: “I tried to think like a customer,” he told The Laker/Lutz News.
What the business looked like in 2015
- Gear Spinners: website design, development, and hosting.
- TechSoft Academy: classes that teach bloggers and businesses more advanced website skills.
- i-gent: website management for Realtors.
The company worked from the SMARTstart incubator at the Dade City Business Center, a Pasco EDC program that gave new businesses office space, mentors, seminars, and classes. The prize money was earmarked for new equipment, and Thomas told the paper he hoped to hire his first employees soon.
The article also noted that Thomas helped organize WordCamp, the local conference that teaches WordPress skills for blogging, business, and social media.
Those first employees did come, and the web design shop eventually became the IT and security company we are today.
Source: The Laker/Lutz News, April 1, 2015
https://lakerlutznews.com/local-computer-whiz-spins-success/
