Exploring Life & Business with Brian Judon of Tech Next Door

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Judon.

Hi Brian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m originally from Illinois and now reside in Nashville Tn. In my spare time I DJ, write music and spend time with family and friends. I’m the owner of a tech company called Tech Next door. Sounds great however, the process in getting here was an intense journey.

When I first moved to Nashville, TN I was in the process of rebuilding my life. I had visions of expanding my music career, becoming a big-time actor, and owning my own business, I wanted to do it all. Little did I know God had a different plan for my life. Excited about exploring new opportunities I hit the ground running. I found a contract position for a Home Theater installation technician. It paid $12 an hour with the potential for full-time employment. After two weeks they ended the contract. They were looking for an experienced tech and I knew NOTHING about home theater work.

Shortly thereafter I landed a job delivering mats and toiletries for $15 an hour plus commission. It was solid for two years then the recession hit. They were laying people off in groups like every month. By the third month, I was laid off with the next group. During this time, I was living with my parents and needed income for my bill and eventually moved out. No one was hiring. So, I got a job at McDonald’s making $7.50 an hour. I tried other ways to make money. Which included, acting, creating music for local artists, djing local weddings and events. I even delivered phone books at night. (Uber didn’t exist yet lol) The money wasn’t adding up fast enough and I was still living with my parents. I found some part-time work mounting TVs and installing Verizon internet.

This was the first time I got true exposure to mounting TVs. Before this, I knew nothing about it. I finally started to see light at the end of the tunnel.  However, after adding up all my expenses versus what I was making, I was literally breaking even. Pondering on my next steps it dawned on me that the person over the A/V at my church had an Audio Visual company. After meeting with him, he gave me a shot.

He brought me in at a very good hourly rate that made me feel like things were looking up. I was new to A/V and technology and really didn’t understand the job, so I got relaxed and didn’t take it seriously. I was only thinking about the money and not the opportunity.

Almost a year into the job he called me in his office and said he couldn’t pay me anymore, because you don’t have a skill set worth paying for. Excuse me! He told me I could continue working and learn however, being paid wasn’t an option because my skill set wasn’t up to par. He told me never to chase money, always provide value, and money will follow. Develop a skill worth something, provide as much value to the marketplace as possible and you’ll never have to worry about money. This taught me a valuable lesson. He said for starters you should look into IT. (Information Technology) He said Technology was the future. I left extremely upset!

I felt that because he knew me and knew my financial situation, that he wouldn’t have let me go so abruptly. I had never ever been laid off or fired from a job up to this point in my life. This was the beginning of a spiral of rejection after rejection in my job search. I started questioning myself as to where my life was headed. I had no plan in place and felt like a failure. My parents suddenly moved to Atlanta, GA which left me homeless. BAM, double whammy! I had hit rock bottom. I was at a crossroads, either moving with my parents or figuring things out. I chose to stay. I asked everyone I knew or felt close to if I could stay with them until I found a place. Denied by everyone, except a lady at my church who moved and was selling her home. She allowed me to stay there at night only, for which I was grateful, because the house was being shown during the day.

This chapter of my life was truly challenging. It was at that moment sitting in that empty house of complete silence where I surrendered my way and allowed God to speak to me and order my steps that night. I had no clue what to do and what would be next. I just knew there had to be something better. The only thing I knew how to do was mount TVs, DJ and produce music.

However, I had sold all my equipment, software, keyboards, drum machines, and everything else of a valve to keep my car from being repossessed. I didn’t have a job, so I hid my car in my church’s parking lot for a while but eventually, they got me! Carless and homeless I asked God for forgiveness and direction. I took the advice given by the person over the A/V at my church and pursued IT. I put a plan together and started working on that plan.

This next phase was called development. Even though I had found a place and secured a contract job in IT, I was struggling financially in secret. Working to bounce back from my car being repossessed and getting through multiple eviction notices over time.

I remember the year before I started TND my apartment’s front office had my apartment up for rent and told me I had one day left to come up with rent. They suggested that I start moving out that night so they can schedule for a cleaning crew. By the grace of God, I was never evicted due to my selling household valuables on Offer up and craigslist. I worked in different IT contract positions to gain the experience needed. I would go to Barnes and Noble to read books and gain information.

I read them there because I couldn’t afford to purchase them. Yes, my finances were that tight! I used the hotspot from my cell phone for internet service for three years out of the five years I was in that apartment. Every chance I had after work, days off and weekends I watched videos, took free classes, and did whatever it took to learn IT. Unexpectedly the company I was working for called a mandatory meeting amongst all employees. They announced a merger and restructuring, some departments were being eliminated. You guessed it! Laid off again, even my manager. I knew it was something serious then.

While working there to gain extra income I had started mounting TVs as a part-time job for friends and family and anyone else they may have recommended me to. I’ll never forget this one guy who told me I was really good at this, and I should consider starting my own business. Well that day driving home from work it kept ringing in my head, start a business. Interestingly enough after all I had been through, I figured I may just move to Atlanta with my parents as a grown man, depleted and feeling defeated. I couldn’t sleep that night. As I was up pacing the floor at 2 am, wondering should I just pack up and start over.

At that moment I looked at the mail I brought in that day and saw a sample subscription for entrepreneur magazine. I remembered there was a brief description on the cover that read “smart home is the future”. I paid no attention and tried going back to sleep however, I was extremely restless. I woke up again. That’s all I could hear in my head. It was almost like someone was in my kitchen shouting “Smart Homes is The Future”!! I stopped got up and read the article about smart home technology. God was giving me direction. Start a Smart home automation company!

Fast forward, it was first a computer support company, then computers and TV mounting which two years later turned into Tech Next Door, a Smart home Automation company that provides other services. I wrote out what I knew how to do, what I liked to do, and what would bring value to people. I was intentional about my next move in life and what that would intel. For things I didn’t know, I partnered with other technicians in the industry and built relationships. In return, they recommended classes and trainings so I could become certified.

I started learning the ins and outs of this industry, good and bad, then developed that skill to ensure my work was rock solid! We eventually grew more into Home automation, Home theater, security, and Network Integration Technology applying the same concept. Endless nights of studying, taking courses, going to conferences, working on the website, cold calling, studying marketing, and more, TND has become a top ten, 5 star,s and A+ rated contender in Nashville for this industry. We’ve extended our services for residential and commercial clients to include Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama.

Alright, 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?
I’ll say, learning IT work and trying to gain experience was a struggle. Being fired from 3 different IT companies in the beginning stages, while trying not to get evicted or have my car repossessed was the most stressful. I faced 5 eviction notices however, by the grace of God I was never evicted.

However, the life-changing point for me was when I didn’t even have enough money to catch the mega bus to Atlanta because my father was having surgery. I said never again! When starting the company I used my father’s EIN number from his computer business because I couldn’t afford a proper LLC or corporation.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tech Next Door?
Tech Next Door specializes in custom installations for home theater, TV mounting, and network enhancement. This entails wire-free installation projects, drywall patching, painting and single remote programming. Services that we provide include:

1. Advanced TV mounting
2. Home Theater Installations
3. Security Systems and Surveillance
4. Smart Home Automation
5. Network Integration and Enhancement
6. Multi-zone Audio Systems
7. Video Conferencing
8. Network cabling

Our brand brings an intimate more personal feel to installations. There are installers and then there are professionals. We pride ourselves on being a client’s personal, professional technicians for all of their technical needs. If you’ve ever been in a situation where you’ve expressed concerns on a project dealing with electronics (tv mounting, internet slowness, etc) to a friend, family member, or colleague and they say, I know a guy, THAT’S US!

Everyone has had a moment where they may need technical assistance and have asked someone, who do they know that provides these types of services. They’re asking for other people’s opinions on the experience and quality of work. Are they good, dependable, great to work with?

Of course, you can google and find companies however, you’re not sure what you’re going to get. It’s not every day where you find quality work and customer service mixed in one.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I will say I’ve been blessed to build relationships over time with other professionals and contractors in this industry who have shared great information and offered tips for improvement for maximization. Other information from books and conferences we’ve attended.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://technextdoor.co/
• Instagram: @technextdoor65
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tech-next-door-nashville