Fledgling Software Firm Launches New Product
Here's a success story anyone in the Fort Lauderdale computer service industry should read, and a product everyone should take notice of.
Everett Ulbricht and Joe Fryer invested their savings, worked long hours, and turned to friends and family to finance the dream of Whizzo Ultra, an all-in-one anti-virus, firewall and computer repair program that they feel the home computing world has been waiting for.
The home-based Windows computer software lets users click one button, and a big orange "W" pops up, scans the computer for viruses and spyware, puts up a firewall to stop the onset of new invasions, and cleans up areas that often require the extensive services of a Fort Lauderdale computer repair company.
First and foremost, computer users can save money on maintenance and keep their machines running with the click of a button, the creators hope.
Moreover, small Ft. Lauderdale computer repair shops will have it in their arsenal to make diagnoses and maintenance even easier.
CleanSuite, a scaled-back version of the Ultra software, has sold several hundred copies since becoming available in April.
Whizzo will need a second round of funding for Ultra's autumn launch to pay for the group's marketing. It's a big risk for Whizzo, a product which grew slowly but surely out of a small, mom-and-pop-style computer repair company.
One thing's for sure: Bringing the idea to life from its humble beginnings was not easy.
Raising $350,000 and hiring people in Bulgaria and Costa Rica to develop the software was step one. In addition to its own unique software, Whizzo bundles components from other computer services.
One key business relationship, with an anti-virus software company, fell apart during negotiations. Whizzo has a new anti-virus partner, and the final product is better as a result.
The company will advertise directly to consumers, but a bigger share of its sales will focus on computer repair shops. Fort Lauderdale, being a major South Florida market, will no doubt see this product up close and first hand.
