Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviews Thomas Barnes. Thomas is a product of the Atlanta Public Schools; he attended Morehouse College and has a degree in Management from GSU(Ga State) with an emphasis in CIS(Information Systems). He is an example of seeing an opportunity and pursuing it to its fullest. He did not let Covid or stereotyping stop him from pursuing his dreams. Thomas owns Experimax, a complete retail computer store specializing in sales, service, and support of all things Apple.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Money Making Conversations.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's to show that she is the secrets of success
experience firsthand by Marketing and Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I
will know he's giving me advice on many occasions. And
in case you didn't notice, I'm not broke. You know
he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry decision make
because it's what he likes to do, it's what he
likes to share. Now it's time to hear from my man,
Rashan McDonald. Money Making Conversations.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's always good to start out your day with positivity, happiness. Well,
I'm happy the weather was not burning down on my
shoulders and wasn't burning down on my bald head. And
so guess what I'm here to just bring on some
guests that's going to change your life with information And
I'm Rushan McDonald. If I didn't introduce myself, it was
(00:51):
introduced prior to that. I'm your weekly host of money
making conversation, masterclass and interviews and information that this show
provides is for you.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and
start living your own.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But let's get this show started.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
My first guess is a proud supporter of my home
radio station, WCLK. His name is Thomas Barnes. Thomas Bonne
is a product of the Atlanta Public school system. That's
important because a lot of people the public school system
gets a negative a lot of times when they talked
about education. He attended Morehouse College and he has a
degree in management from Georgia State University, and an emphasis
(01:28):
on that management degree is CIS Information Systems. He's an
example of seeing an opportunity and pursuing an opportunity to
the fullest. He did not let COVID a stereotyping stop
him from pursuing his dreams. Thomas owns Experimax, a complete
retail computer store where they specialize in sales, service, and
support of all things Apple. Please work with the money
(01:51):
making conversations, Master Class, Thomas Barnes.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
How you doing, Thomas, it's evening good, evening good, even
if mister McDonald, are you sir? I'm doing great. Thank
you for having me to see you that. I'm humble,
I'm great.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Opportunity Thomas, A black man owning a computer store?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Is that normal? Come on, come on.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I would have to say it absolutely is not. I mean,
quite candidly, my background, as you mentioned, is it in
the IT space in general, we as a people a
minority in business ownership, having a computer store, any type
of technology related store. That's even a smaller number. So yeah,
(02:32):
I wouldn't say I one of one, but one of.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
A few because you have to chuckle because I know
you expect me to ask ask a question to you
like that. But that's the honest space that we are in.
And that's why I mentioned the fact that you know
in your introduction that Atlantic Public School a student, that's
where you came from. Because interested the kids, the kids
who come to the get get educated in these particular
formats because I came from public school, and we get stereotyped,
(02:59):
and you talk a little bit about overcoming those stereotypes.
As you described to us, who is Thomas Bonds.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
I'll be very honest with Atlanta's home as I mentioned,
as you just mentioned, I am a product of Atlanta
Public Schools, graduated from Venician Hills Elementary. Thereafter I went
on to attend DM Thoro High School and I'm a
proud allumvenments of DM Thereoll High School. When I first
went to Theale High School, they were opened a vocational
program offering several different tracks that you'd go in, one
(03:29):
of which was electro mechanics. From a very early age,
probably around ten or eleven. I can't explain that this
guy had an interest in electronics and so forth, and
before gaming as we know it today, I always had
an interesting games. Back then we had the Mateil handheld
games and so forth. So I was always pretty good
at math and science. So as I excelled through high school,
(03:51):
going through my senior year, I took some ap courses
at ap CAALC and so forth. So you know, I was,
you know, going back to stereotypes, you know, I was
a person that all its like math and science. I
was always just kind of gravitated to it or come
from a family educators, but math and science was just
kind of my thing. So I knew early on that
I wanted to go to college, and quite candidly this
(04:12):
way I was brought up in my family. I never
had a conversation with my mom and my parents in
terms of so what are you gonna do when you
finished high school? Because going to college it was kind
of like second nature for my family. My grandparents, unfortunately
they were weren't college educated, but they saw that all
of their kids were college educated, and I just followed suits. So,
(04:34):
you know, my brother attended Georgia State University, had another
cousin who went to Northwestern, and another cousin with the UGA.
So I just followed what I saw. It was natural
to me. So for me, it was just a matter
of choosing the school, not so much what I was
going to do. And I remember applying to more House.
I was going to take the essayt a second time,
And actually, once I received my septance letter from more House,
(04:57):
I didn't even really bother applying the other schools. What
I wanted to do was accomplished. I started off the
more House as a double major. Morehouse has a program
with Georgia Tech. We can do three years of more
House and two a Tech. I lady decided that I
didn't want to do electrical engineering, but I still had
an interest in computers.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
And why didn't you want to do electrical engineering? Why
didn't you want to do that?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I don't know how, I guess the best way I
could explain it just in terms of all of the
nuances that one has to do as an engineering and
I wouldn't necessary to say it becomes mundane. But for me,
I wanted to do something different, something more. And again
(05:37):
I always kind of gravit towards gravitated towards technology. I
always had an interest in business. I always had an
interesting business as well. My brother was an accounting major
at Georgia State, and I can remember I could have
been no more than about the fifth grade. My brother's
ten years my senior, and he had come home one
day with an accounting book and I just remember looking
at it and I was thinking to myself, I can
do that, because again not that was a brain child,
(05:59):
but always like math and science.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
It's interesting about your story is that it's about influencers
when I get you to tell your stories, because like
I said, you know, when I was growing up, you know,
my father's a truck driver, nothing negative about that, and
I was influenced. The first job he ever gave me
was an opportunity. I was fifteen years old, was at
a trucking company. And that trucking company, everybody that was
(06:23):
around me was manual labor. You know, unloading boxes, were
driving forklips, and guess what, no matter how good I
was in high school when I graduated, because that has
such influence on me. Thomas went and got a job
as a forklip driver, even though I could have went
to college, because I was influenced and I want people.
That's why I brought up the Atlanta public school system,
(06:44):
because people need to understand how you can influence a
child's life, especially early on especial whly become a team
just by making an impression of what they can be,
of the possibilities. You always saw the possibility of education
in your life, correct, Thomas, That is true.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
I was very fortunate. I can honestly say I was
very fortunate. My upbringing, my grandparents, my mother I had,
my brother is an example, my cousins, aunts, uncles. Again,
I gotta say I come from a family's educators. Most
of my family either went to Jacksolle State University or Tugaloo.
But of course Atlanta is home for me and for me,
(07:22):
I'll never forget. This is very important, now that I
think about it. I never forget probably my sophomore year
high school, being around the family a Christmas times is
you know, we're all familiar with and I was reilling,
retting off all these schools I was considering going to,
but they were all PW eyes. And I never forget
my late uncle who passed away a few years ago.
(07:43):
He answered the question why not a HBCU. I honestly
didn't have a good answer for I don't know, you know,
I don't know, like you know, I'm gonna looking at
you you think of another name of major, ew I
that's what I was leaning towards. Now you I said,
I had a cousin who was a civil engineering major
right Northwestern. So it was at that point, Christmas time
(08:07):
of my sophomore year in high school, I started giving
HBCUs a consideration. And from that point, I remember taking
the psat my sophomore year in high school, and from
there I just start looking at boring the possibilities at HBCUs.
And I said, my senior year comes about. I took
the SAT. My school was decent. It wasn't the best,
(08:29):
but it wasn't you know, horrible. Had some high school classmates,
some of which were going into engineering as well. They
went to Alabama A and M. I literally only applied
to two schools coming out of my senior year outside
the Moorhouse and the school was formerly called Southern Tech
here Marietta, which is now part of Kennessas State University. Again.
(08:52):
So I wanted to go into engineering, and looking back
at I had an opportunity to go to Hampton Clark,
several other schools I never even really bothered to apply again,
I applied to more House. That was kind of where
I knew I wanted to go based upon his reputation.
It's history, uh, the legacy of MOREHT.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
But you wouldn't even have considered that unless your uncle
would have said, whoa, I'm.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Very honest with you again, my my late uncle iy Richard. Wow.
Just even thinking about him, his influence on me makes
me wow. Yeah, honest, what you just said is true.
I mean until he said that to me Christmas time
of our sophomore year in high school, all I was
(09:36):
ever considering was p w Es God untruth.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know then, because you know, when I bring guests
on the show, I like to share their stories because
the fact that this is a whole this part of
the interview is really about influencers.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It's really about people playing a role, you know, subtly.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
You know, all he was doing was making a suggestion
open your mind, you know, no stereotype, don't don't under
educate your self because there are opportunities out there that
they say this is where you should go.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Not necessarily that's true.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Options are available if you show curiosity, if you show research.
And that's what led you to more House, which was
an HBCU where all of us school not saying anything
negaive about Georgia Tech. Can I say anything neggara about
University of Georgia. I went to the University of Houston,
but I did consider going to Southern University in Baton Rouge.
I remember I went down there doing the uh, you know,
(10:28):
ramp up weeks to school. And the only reason I
didn't go because it reminded me of my high school.
The colors were blue and gold, the mascot was Jaguar.
That was my high school. And I say, and that
so that that that's that's what I'm not going to
experience that again. And that's why I wind up going
to the Universe Houston. That's a whole nother story. But
when I look at you, a guy who has been
has been influenced by educators, has been influenced by individuals
(10:52):
who have been used academics to be successful. That allows
you to say I'm an owner store and not even blink.
How did that come about?
Speaker 4 (11:04):
I'll be very honest with you, Rashaan. Since a very
early age, I've always known I wanted to own my
own business. Wasn't exactly sure what I knew. I always
wanted to own my own business. I've always been interested
in franchises over the years. So I can remember going
back to even being an undergrad my early twenties, going
(11:26):
to the bookstore, picking up Ink magazine and other similar
type magazines and looking and seeing, you know, who are
the top fifty of the top one hundred, top five,
you know, the hottest new companies that were around at
the time. So I just always knew I want to
have a business. I've always been interested in towards franchises
on ask me why, just something I've always been interested in.
(11:49):
And so as a result of that, that curiosity never
has gone away. So started working in my field when
I was about twenty two, and even to this day
I still do some it consulting. But that really is
what led me to where I am, and back in
twenty twenty, really when COVID first started. I was working
(12:12):
for a corporate job up in Alfaretta here in Atlanta
then twenty twenty one, rows around and my project, my
contract at the time, so I do a lot of
contract work. Came to an end that may, and so
here I am at home and seeking another job and
also was doing some IT training on my own. But
(12:34):
at that time I start pursuing what I always knew
I wanted to do a business. But interestingly enough, as
I'm looking at researching companies, the very thing that I do,
it technology computers, was the furthest thing from my mind.
I'm looking at jog at stores, I'm looking at all
types of other businesses other than the very thing I do,
(12:56):
not because I didn't want to. I was afraiding thing.
I was just kind of looking at it'storing my options
and other things because I myself think I'm a self
proclaimed foodie. I love no food, eating out, the dying experience.
So I was looking everything. But then my research led
me to my now owned store experiments for franchise, and
(13:17):
my research and that like wow. This company is founded
in the South Florida. It was founded up on Apple
products back in twenty four.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Do you use Apple products?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
I do? I do? And so I sat there and
thought it. I went, wait a minute. I was like,
you know, when you think about it, Apple is a
very niche market. Apple's a very niche market. So much
so just up to date right now, we just went
to our iPhone users. This one point eighty five billion
(13:55):
b billion iPhone users in the world.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Okay, so yeah, to repeat that, put that b on there,
billion billions.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
We're just about iPhones. We're not talking about their other products.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Hey, Tomas, know that idea because I want to go
to break to cut your story short. If you hear
his story. His story is about uh, not be his stereotype.
His story is about influencers. His story is about research.
His story is also about not thinking you are qualified
to go over here, but realize that your qualities over here.
(14:34):
You know your strength, go to your strengths instead of
your something you might like to do. What you might
like to do might not learn lead you in the
right direction long term, but your strength can hold you there.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
When you fall down, it can pick you up.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
We're right back with more of my interview with Thomas
Barnes on money making conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
HBCUs represent Black excellence.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
If you attend or are an alumnus of an HBCU,
we want to hear about your story. The My HBCU
Story Digital Library will allow current HBCU students and alumni
to share their stories. More information is available at HBCU
College day dot com. You can upload a photo.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
The photo can.
Speaker 6 (15:23):
Be recent or from when you attended your HBCU. More
information is available at HBCU College day dot com.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Now let's return to Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I'm talking to Thomas Barnes.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
He did not let COVID a stereotype and stop him
from pursuing his dream. Thomas owns a spiramacs as a franchise,
a complete retail computer store where they specialize in sales,
service and support of all things apples. And as we
were going to the break, he was talking about one
point eight billion phones and that's just one portion of
(16:00):
the old industry. What really made you believe that there's
a franchise and what are the advantages of going into
business with a franchise.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
So great question. So for starters, I just always been
a firm believer anything that's quote unquote subscription base is
gonna make money or to support or supporting services around it.
You're going to make money. Why do I say that? Simple?
You have if you have any at the home, if
you have cable a home, that subscription base. So whether
(16:29):
you use that service or not, you don't watch any TV,
if you got comcasts, you're gonna pay that bill every month.
You have a cell phone, whether you use that phone
or not, you're gonna you're gonna pay that bill every month.
You have a lot of us have gim memberships, and
then since January this year, guess what, you're still paying
that monthly membership. So when I think about technology and
you look at iPhones, anything revolving around that, people going
(16:52):
to always need a phone repair. You don't need your
battery replace. You're gonna need the grass, the glass on
your phone own replace. You're gonna buy a laptop, the
battery's gonna have to replace. You're gonna always need technology.
I never forget my freshman year of our college at Morehouse,
Tony Brown, the journalist. I remember him coming to visit Morehouse,
(17:14):
and he made a statement that I to this day
I believe it is so true. And he just talked
about technology and computers, how that it was the one
thing that leveled the playing ground because you look at
so many things, we are always behind and we're lacking.
We don't get these things first. When you talk about education,
you talk about technology. Computers have changed the world. You know,
(17:37):
you look fast forward to today, you talking about artificial
and artificial intelligence AI. So computers they run the world.
So you talk about technology, That's just something I've always
been drawn to. And as a result, I said, you know,
subscription based services or any supporting services ancillary services around that,
You're gonna need those items. You're gonna need that service.
(18:00):
So hence, you know what I said, Apple is a
niche product. People love that Apple products.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Let mess this question right quick, Thomas about Apple just
a june because my daughter she uses an Apple phone.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I'm an Android guy, I'm an androider. Okay. My wife
she got Android and a Apple.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Okay, that's that's I have one to be.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Why do you need two phones? You just tell me.
She just looked the other way. Just look the other way.
Respect and so so, But is there age group that
they may favor a particular Apple. Is that a younger
group or much more or I get that feeling that
is the case.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Can you help me out with that?
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yes and no. I remember a good friend of mine
at long saying to me, when I was first pursuing
this business, and you said, here's a alements of Clark.
I remember him saying to me, He's like, gee. He
was like, man, if you were in high school, if
you're a teenager, you're a young adult. He was like,
you don't have a phone, and you're not cool. You're
not cool. On the flip side of that, I can
(18:59):
tell you based upon the users I see each and
every day. My customer base range is from fifteen to
eighty five. I'm not exaggerating. I would say the majority
of them are probably between that twenty to fifty group.
I do have a fair amount of people that are
sixty sixty five plus or singers if you will, that
(19:22):
use iPhones because you know, they have come to use
Apple over time. I've had some customers come in and
have given me computers that they used to use upon
a time they just simply won't recycle. I have a
laptop sitting at my store right now is one of
the very first Apple products. Product probably came out Circle
nineteen eighty four. So, you know, you talk about people
(19:45):
who have gone up with technology, Apple was it way
back when? You know, when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
or competing against each other, if you will, they're competing
against you know, each other in a different space. But
Apple again, one point five billion iPhone users, You're talking
about a product that's not going anywhere anytime soon. People
(20:09):
are gonna always need their their product, service or looking
to buy the next new things.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Really interesting when you said that, you brought up Steve Jobs,
you brought up Bill Gates, You can bring up the US,
You can bring up uh, the owner of Facebook, Zucker
You know you know that that's really that really tells
you how technology has made these guys superstars. Because you
can't tell me who runs four. You can't tell me
(20:38):
who runs a Hunter. You know, you can't tell me
runs Ge. You can't tell me who runs Comcast. But
in that world and that social media world, these guys
are stars and you say their name and the average
person knows who they are or who they were, And
that really such such a tone for how technology has created.
Like you said, that leveling plan field, leveling the plan field.
(21:01):
But I think when I when I talk about your business,
where's your business located? And what exactly do you do
at Experiment?
Speaker 4 (21:08):
A great question. Thank you for that question. We're located
at fifty nine twenty five nine two zero Roswell Road,
Sweet Bears, some Boy one five, right outside of the perimeter.
If you're going two eighty five north going towards perimeter,
mall get off, take a left. We're in the park
side shopping Plaffa, directly across from Loads and Chick fil A.
We're not even two minutes off the expressway again.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Landmarks, Lows and Chick fl A.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
We're directly crosses on the other side of the street. There.
We're open ten to five money through Saturday. And what
do we do, Like I said, as you said earlier,
we do sales, service, repair, all things Apple. Whether you're
trying to buy a new computer, buy a computer, laptop, desktop,
buy iPads, get one fixed upgrade of computers. If you
think you may possibly have malware, your computer is slow,
(21:57):
you need to do hard drives. You run out of
this space. All of those services. So we offer plethora
of services from A to Z. I always tell people
it's not much that we don't do. When it comes
to Apple products. Sometimes we ask so we are authorized
Apple repair store. Actually we are not quote unquote an
Apple repair store, which it works to I advantage as
(22:17):
well as you the consumer, and reason being because we
don't necessarily have to operate up front of the Apple guideline.
Go to that. If you go to an Apple store
and you say you have a twenty eighteen laptop and
you're trying to get it upgraded, more than likely they're
going to tell you your computer is too old. You come
to us, We're gonna work on it without a problem.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Okay, everything we service to do.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
We also provide warranty. All repairs come with a ninety
day warranty. Everything that we sell in the store comes
with the twelfth month warity was a possible warranty extension.
That's phones, iPads or computers.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I never ask you this now I know you say
you're all Apple all day? Okay, what about Android? Can
the brother just stumble in there with Android and anything?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
You?
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Absolutely we can. As I mentioned earlier, I myself I
have both an Android and an iPhone. I have both
an Apple Mac computer and I have a Wonders based computer.
But if you want to come in and get a
Samsung device repaired, need to get the glass fixed on it,
or battery replaced. Or even if you have a Windows
computer that you got a virus on, you need to
get a check up on you.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Let's talk about that virus's let's talk about that.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I'm gonna tell you somebody, I've hit some buttons and
then it comes back and tell you if you if
you shut down, your computer would never work. And I'm
sure I'm not the first person who's been frightened to
death by these threats, these computer threats.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
What is real and what's not real? When you get
these threats, you have.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
To be extremely careful in this day and age. With that,
I can assure you. Within the last six months, I've
probably had no less than five customers that have come
in and in some cases not just a potential threat,
but literally in it the're only cripped on something they
thought was legitimate and it wasn't. I can think of
an older couple, we'll mention their names, put a seventy
(24:01):
plus their accouncil compromise. They literally had to go to
the bank's close accounts, get brand new license everything. I
just had a young lady to come in probably about
two months ago, same thing, bank account compromised. So when
we talk about viruses, and we talk about not mailware
and threats, particularly something from a non trusted individual or user,
(24:26):
you have to be extremely careful. And sometimes some of
these texts and emails come across it look so legitimate.
You have to be extremely careful. I myself, and I'm
a technologist, about two months ago, received a text on
my phone and I was about to click on it,
and something told me not to it. I didn't. I
(24:46):
later called my bank and so forth and come to
find out what I was about to quick on what
not from my bank. And when I went in there
and showed things, the screenshot and everything, the gentleman at
my bank told me. He said, good thing that you
did not quick on it. He's like, that is no,
because everybody does this two factory authentication these days when
you're trying to verify stuff. He was like that, he said,
(25:09):
we do send two factory authentication text messages, but the
one I was about to quick on what's not legitimate,
So we talk about viruses. That is something we can
also ass issue with, either removing a virus or malware
or potentially getting software installed against those threats. That's another
service that we offer Expear Match and especially now back
(25:31):
to school we offer right now for a limited amount
of time, we can do free PC tune ups. You
come in and let us success it. We can tell
you what's going on with your computer and what services
need to be performed at a nominal costs. Have a
very confident, very confident and capable team that can assusue
with just with all matters. So whether I'm president in
(25:51):
the store, which usually I am there, or any of
my team members shout out to John and Trey can't
do what I do without them. We can take care
of you. That I can assure you we can take
care of you. And quite candidly, I think the reviews
that we get on our we have out there posted online,
they speak from themselves. Those aren't paid reviews anything like that.
(26:13):
Things that people have organically expressed to us in terms
of what they experience in terms of the services provided
at Experience Max and Family Springs again five nine two
zero Roswell road sweep B one one five seven seven
zero eight five seven across lows.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Got to put that in there, brother, got to put
that in there.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Cross.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Hey, Thomas Man, I want to thank you, brother. I'm
glad I finally got you back on the call. You
know you have been running around there man for a year,
because you tell your story and I like telling your strength.
Allowing you allow me to tell your story again, Thomas Boys.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Thank you, humble and grateful opportunity. I'm sure you and
I will talk again soon. Be blessed and have a
safe from president evening.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Let me tell you about the host of Money Making Conversations,
Rich McDonald. Rushan's a two time Emmy Award winner, three
time n DOUBLEACP Immage Award winner, sitcom writer, stand Up comic,
and former IBM executive. Thank you for joining us for
this edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Money Making Conversations
(27:17):
Masterclass with Rushan McDonald is produced by thirty eight fifteen
Media Inc. More information about thirty eight to fifteen Media Inc.
Is available at thirty eight fifteen media dot com. And
always remember to lead with your gifts
Welcome to Money Making Conversations.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's to show that she is the secrets of success
experience firsthand by Marketing and Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I
will know he's giving me advice on many occasions. And
in case you didn't notice, I'm not broke. You know
he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry decision make
because it's what he likes to do, it's what he
likes to share. Now it's time to hear from my man,
Rashan McDonald. Money Making Conversations.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Here we go.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's always good to start out your day with positivity, happiness. Well,
I'm happy the weather was not burning down on my
shoulders and wasn't burning down on my bald head. And
so guess what I'm here to just bring on some
guests that's going to change your life with information And
I'm Rushan McDonald. If I didn't introduce myself, it was
(00:51):
introduced prior to that. I'm your weekly host of money
making conversation, masterclass and interviews and information that this show
provides is for you.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
It really is.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
It's time to stop reading other people's success stories and
start living your own.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But let's get this show started.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
My first guess is a proud supporter of my home
radio station, WCLK. His name is Thomas Barnes. Thomas Bonne
is a product of the Atlanta Public school system. That's
important because a lot of people the public school system
gets a negative a lot of times when they talked
about education. He attended Morehouse College and he has a
degree in management from Georgia State University, and an emphasis
(01:28):
on that management degree is CIS Information Systems. He's an
example of seeing an opportunity and pursuing an opportunity to
the fullest. He did not let COVID a stereotyping stop
him from pursuing his dreams. Thomas owns Experimax, a complete
retail computer store where they specialize in sales, service, and
support of all things Apple. Please work with the money
(01:51):
making conversations, Master Class, Thomas Barnes.
Speaker 4 (01:53):
How you doing, Thomas, it's evening good, evening good, even
if mister McDonald, are you sir? I'm doing great. Thank
you for having me to see you that. I'm humble,
I'm great.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
Opportunity Thomas, A black man owning a computer store?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Is that normal? Come on, come on.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
I would have to say it absolutely is not. I mean,
quite candidly, my background, as you mentioned, is it in
the IT space in general, we as a people a
minority in business ownership, having a computer store, any type
of technology related store. That's even a smaller number. So yeah,
(02:32):
I wouldn't say I one of one, but one of.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
A few because you have to chuckle because I know
you expect me to ask ask a question to you
like that. But that's the honest space that we are in.
And that's why I mentioned the fact that you know
in your introduction that Atlantic Public School a student, that's
where you came from. Because interested the kids, the kids
who come to the get get educated in these particular
formats because I came from public school, and we get stereotyped,
(02:59):
and you talk a little bit about overcoming those stereotypes.
As you described to us, who is Thomas Bonds.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
I'll be very honest with Atlanta's home as I mentioned,
as you just mentioned, I am a product of Atlanta
Public Schools, graduated from Venician Hills Elementary. Thereafter I went
on to attend DM Thoro High School and I'm a
proud allumvenments of DM Thereoll High School. When I first
went to Theale High School, they were opened a vocational
program offering several different tracks that you'd go in, one
(03:29):
of which was electro mechanics. From a very early age,
probably around ten or eleven. I can't explain that this
guy had an interest in electronics and so forth, and
before gaming as we know it today, I always had
an interesting games. Back then we had the Mateil handheld
games and so forth. So I was always pretty good
at math and science. So as I excelled through high school,
(03:51):
going through my senior year, I took some ap courses
at ap CAALC and so forth. So you know, I was,
you know, going back to stereotypes, you know, I was
a person that all its like math and science. I
was always just kind of gravitated to it or come
from a family educators, but math and science was just
kind of my thing. So I knew early on that
I wanted to go to college, and quite candidly this
(04:12):
way I was brought up in my family. I never
had a conversation with my mom and my parents in
terms of so what are you gonna do when you
finished high school? Because going to college it was kind
of like second nature for my family. My grandparents, unfortunately
they were weren't college educated, but they saw that all
of their kids were college educated, and I just followed suits. So,
(04:34):
you know, my brother attended Georgia State University, had another
cousin who went to Northwestern, and another cousin with the UGA.
So I just followed what I saw. It was natural
to me. So for me, it was just a matter
of choosing the school, not so much what I was
going to do. And I remember applying to more House.
I was going to take the essayt a second time,
And actually, once I received my septance letter from more House,
(04:57):
I didn't even really bother applying the other schools. What
I wanted to do was accomplished. I started off the
more House as a double major. Morehouse has a program
with Georgia Tech. We can do three years of more
House and two a Tech. I lady decided that I
didn't want to do electrical engineering, but I still had
an interest in computers.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
And why didn't you want to do electrical engineering? Why
didn't you want to do that?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I don't know how, I guess the best way I
could explain it just in terms of all of the
nuances that one has to do as an engineering and
I wouldn't necessary to say it becomes mundane. But for me,
I wanted to do something different, something more. And again
(05:37):
I always kind of gravit towards gravitated towards technology. I
always had an interest in business. I always had an
interesting business as well. My brother was an accounting major
at Georgia State, and I can remember I could have
been no more than about the fifth grade. My brother's
ten years my senior, and he had come home one
day with an accounting book and I just remember looking
at it and I was thinking to myself, I can
do that, because again not that was a brain child,
(05:59):
but always like math and science.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
It's interesting about your story is that it's about influencers
when I get you to tell your stories, because like
I said, you know, when I was growing up, you know,
my father's a truck driver, nothing negative about that, and
I was influenced. The first job he ever gave me
was an opportunity. I was fifteen years old, was at
a trucking company. And that trucking company, everybody that was
(06:23):
around me was manual labor. You know, unloading boxes, were
driving forklips, and guess what, no matter how good I
was in high school when I graduated, because that has
such influence on me. Thomas went and got a job
as a forklip driver, even though I could have went
to college, because I was influenced and I want people.
That's why I brought up the Atlanta public school system,
(06:44):
because people need to understand how you can influence a
child's life, especially early on especial whly become a team
just by making an impression of what they can be,
of the possibilities. You always saw the possibility of education
in your life, correct, Thomas, That is true.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
I was very fortunate. I can honestly say I was
very fortunate. My upbringing, my grandparents, my mother I had,
my brother is an example, my cousins, aunts, uncles. Again,
I gotta say I come from a family's educators. Most
of my family either went to Jacksolle State University or Tugaloo.
But of course Atlanta is home for me and for me,
(07:22):
I'll never forget. This is very important, now that I
think about it. I never forget probably my sophomore year
high school, being around the family a Christmas times is
you know, we're all familiar with and I was reilling,
retting off all these schools I was considering going to,
but they were all PW eyes. And I never forget
my late uncle who passed away a few years ago.
(07:43):
He answered the question why not a HBCU. I honestly
didn't have a good answer for I don't know, you know,
I don't know, like you know, I'm gonna looking at
you you think of another name of major, ew I
that's what I was leaning towards. Now you I said,
I had a cousin who was a civil engineering major
right Northwestern. So it was at that point, Christmas time
(08:07):
of my sophomore year in high school, I started giving
HBCUs a consideration. And from that point, I remember taking
the psat my sophomore year in high school, and from
there I just start looking at boring the possibilities at HBCUs.
And I said, my senior year comes about. I took
the SAT. My school was decent. It wasn't the best,
(08:29):
but it wasn't you know, horrible. Had some high school classmates,
some of which were going into engineering as well. They
went to Alabama A and M. I literally only applied
to two schools coming out of my senior year outside
the Moorhouse and the school was formerly called Southern Tech
here Marietta, which is now part of Kennessas State University. Again.
(08:52):
So I wanted to go into engineering, and looking back
at I had an opportunity to go to Hampton Clark,
several other schools I never even really bothered to apply again,
I applied to more House. That was kind of where
I knew I wanted to go based upon his reputation.
It's history, uh, the legacy of MOREHT.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
But you wouldn't even have considered that unless your uncle
would have said, whoa, I'm.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Very honest with you again, my my late uncle iy Richard. Wow.
Just even thinking about him, his influence on me makes
me wow. Yeah, honest, what you just said is true.
I mean until he said that to me Christmas time
of our sophomore year in high school, all I was
(09:36):
ever considering was p w Es God untruth.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
You know then, because you know, when I bring guests
on the show, I like to share their stories because
the fact that this is a whole this part of
the interview is really about influencers.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
It's really about people playing a role, you know, subtly.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
You know, all he was doing was making a suggestion
open your mind, you know, no stereotype, don't don't under
educate your self because there are opportunities out there that
they say this is where you should go.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Not necessarily that's true.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
Options are available if you show curiosity, if you show research.
And that's what led you to more House, which was
an HBCU where all of us school not saying anything
negaive about Georgia Tech. Can I say anything neggara about
University of Georgia. I went to the University of Houston,
but I did consider going to Southern University in Baton Rouge.
I remember I went down there doing the uh, you know,
(10:28):
ramp up weeks to school. And the only reason I
didn't go because it reminded me of my high school.
The colors were blue and gold, the mascot was Jaguar.
That was my high school. And I say, and that
so that that that's that's what I'm not going to
experience that again. And that's why I wind up going
to the Universe Houston. That's a whole nother story. But
when I look at you, a guy who has been
has been influenced by educators, has been influenced by individuals
(10:52):
who have been used academics to be successful. That allows
you to say I'm an owner store and not even blink.
How did that come about?
Speaker 4 (11:04):
I'll be very honest with you, Rashaan. Since a very
early age, I've always known I wanted to own my
own business. Wasn't exactly sure what I knew. I always
wanted to own my own business. I've always been interested
in franchises over the years. So I can remember going
back to even being an undergrad my early twenties, going
(11:26):
to the bookstore, picking up Ink magazine and other similar
type magazines and looking and seeing, you know, who are
the top fifty of the top one hundred, top five,
you know, the hottest new companies that were around at
the time. So I just always knew I want to
have a business. I've always been interested in towards franchises
on ask me why, just something I've always been interested in.
(11:49):
And so as a result of that, that curiosity never
has gone away. So started working in my field when
I was about twenty two, and even to this day
I still do some it consulting. But that really is
what led me to where I am, and back in
twenty twenty, really when COVID first started. I was working
(12:12):
for a corporate job up in Alfaretta here in Atlanta
then twenty twenty one, rows around and my project, my
contract at the time, so I do a lot of
contract work. Came to an end that may, and so
here I am at home and seeking another job and
also was doing some IT training on my own. But
(12:34):
at that time I start pursuing what I always knew
I wanted to do a business. But interestingly enough, as
I'm looking at researching companies, the very thing that I do,
it technology computers, was the furthest thing from my mind.
I'm looking at jog at stores, I'm looking at all
types of other businesses other than the very thing I do,
(12:56):
not because I didn't want to. I was afraiding thing.
I was just kind of looking at it'storing my options
and other things because I myself think I'm a self
proclaimed foodie. I love no food, eating out, the dying experience.
So I was looking everything. But then my research led
me to my now owned store experiments for franchise, and
(13:17):
my research and that like wow. This company is founded
in the South Florida. It was founded up on Apple
products back in twenty four.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Do you use Apple products?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
I do? I do? And so I sat there and
thought it. I went, wait a minute. I was like,
you know, when you think about it, Apple is a
very niche market. Apple's a very niche market. So much
so just up to date right now, we just went
to our iPhone users. This one point eighty five billion
(13:55):
b billion iPhone users in the world.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Okay, so yeah, to repeat that, put that b on there,
billion billions.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
We're just about iPhones. We're not talking about their other products.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
Hey, Tomas, know that idea because I want to go
to break to cut your story short. If you hear
his story. His story is about uh, not be his stereotype.
His story is about influencers. His story is about research.
His story is also about not thinking you are qualified
to go over here, but realize that your qualities over here.
(14:34):
You know your strength, go to your strengths instead of
your something you might like to do. What you might
like to do might not learn lead you in the
right direction long term, but your strength can hold you there.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
When you fall down, it can pick you up.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
We're right back with more of my interview with Thomas
Barnes on money making conversations Masterclass.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass
with Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
HBCUs represent Black excellence.
Speaker 6 (15:04):
If you attend or are an alumnus of an HBCU,
we want to hear about your story. The My HBCU
Story Digital Library will allow current HBCU students and alumni
to share their stories. More information is available at HBCU
College day dot com. You can upload a photo.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
The photo can.
Speaker 6 (15:23):
Be recent or from when you attended your HBCU. More
information is available at HBCU College day dot com.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
Now let's return to Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rashawn McDonald.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I'm talking to Thomas Barnes.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
He did not let COVID a stereotype and stop him
from pursuing his dream. Thomas owns a spiramacs as a franchise,
a complete retail computer store where they specialize in sales,
service and support of all things apples. And as we
were going to the break, he was talking about one
point eight billion phones and that's just one portion of
(16:00):
the old industry. What really made you believe that there's
a franchise and what are the advantages of going into
business with a franchise.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
So great question. So for starters, I just always been
a firm believer anything that's quote unquote subscription base is
gonna make money or to support or supporting services around it.
You're going to make money. Why do I say that? Simple?
You have if you have any at the home, if
you have cable a home, that subscription base. So whether
(16:29):
you use that service or not, you don't watch any TV,
if you got comcasts, you're gonna pay that bill every month.
You have a cell phone, whether you use that phone
or not, you're gonna you're gonna pay that bill every month.
You have a lot of us have gim memberships, and
then since January this year, guess what, you're still paying
that monthly membership. So when I think about technology and
you look at iPhones, anything revolving around that, people going
(16:52):
to always need a phone repair. You don't need your
battery replace. You're gonna need the grass, the glass on
your phone own replace. You're gonna buy a laptop, the
battery's gonna have to replace. You're gonna always need technology.
I never forget my freshman year of our college at Morehouse,
Tony Brown, the journalist. I remember him coming to visit Morehouse,
(17:14):
and he made a statement that I to this day
I believe it is so true. And he just talked
about technology and computers, how that it was the one
thing that leveled the playing ground because you look at
so many things, we are always behind and we're lacking.
We don't get these things first. When you talk about education,
you talk about technology. Computers have changed the world. You know,
(17:37):
you look fast forward to today, you talking about artificial
and artificial intelligence AI. So computers they run the world.
So you talk about technology, That's just something I've always
been drawn to. And as a result, I said, you know,
subscription based services or any supporting services ancillary services around that,
You're gonna need those items. You're gonna need that service.
(18:00):
So hence, you know what I said, Apple is a
niche product. People love that Apple products.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Let mess this question right quick, Thomas about Apple just
a june because my daughter she uses an Apple phone.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I'm an Android guy, I'm an androider. Okay. My wife
she got Android and a Apple.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
Okay, that's that's I have one to be.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Why do you need two phones? You just tell me.
She just looked the other way. Just look the other way.
Respect and so so, But is there age group that
they may favor a particular Apple. Is that a younger
group or much more or I get that feeling that
is the case.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Can you help me out with that?
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Yes and no. I remember a good friend of mine
at long saying to me, when I was first pursuing
this business, and you said, here's a alements of Clark.
I remember him saying to me, He's like, gee. He
was like, man, if you were in high school, if
you're a teenager, you're a young adult. He was like,
you don't have a phone, and you're not cool. You're
not cool. On the flip side of that, I can
(18:59):
tell you based upon the users I see each and
every day. My customer base range is from fifteen to
eighty five. I'm not exaggerating. I would say the majority
of them are probably between that twenty to fifty group.
I do have a fair amount of people that are
sixty sixty five plus or singers if you will, that
(19:22):
use iPhones because you know, they have come to use
Apple over time. I've had some customers come in and
have given me computers that they used to use upon
a time they just simply won't recycle. I have a
laptop sitting at my store right now is one of
the very first Apple products. Product probably came out Circle
nineteen eighty four. So, you know, you talk about people
(19:45):
who have gone up with technology, Apple was it way
back when? You know, when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
or competing against each other, if you will, they're competing
against you know, each other in a different space. But
Apple again, one point five billion iPhone users, You're talking
about a product that's not going anywhere anytime soon. People
(20:09):
are gonna always need their their product, service or looking
to buy the next new things.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Really interesting when you said that, you brought up Steve Jobs,
you brought up Bill Gates, You can bring up the US,
You can bring up uh, the owner of Facebook, Zucker
You know you know that that's really that really tells
you how technology has made these guys superstars. Because you
can't tell me who runs four. You can't tell me
(20:38):
who runs a Hunter. You know, you can't tell me
runs Ge. You can't tell me who runs Comcast. But
in that world and that social media world, these guys
are stars and you say their name and the average
person knows who they are or who they were, And
that really such such a tone for how technology has created.
Like you said, that leveling plan field, leveling the plan field.
(21:01):
But I think when I when I talk about your business,
where's your business located? And what exactly do you do
at Experiment?
Speaker 4 (21:08):
A great question. Thank you for that question. We're located
at fifty nine twenty five nine two zero Roswell Road,
Sweet Bears, some Boy one five, right outside of the perimeter.
If you're going two eighty five north going towards perimeter,
mall get off, take a left. We're in the park
side shopping Plaffa, directly across from Loads and Chick fil A.
We're not even two minutes off the expressway again.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Landmarks, Lows and Chick fl A.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
We're directly crosses on the other side of the street. There.
We're open ten to five money through Saturday. And what
do we do, Like I said, as you said earlier,
we do sales, service, repair, all things Apple. Whether you're
trying to buy a new computer, buy a computer, laptop, desktop,
buy iPads, get one fixed upgrade of computers. If you
think you may possibly have malware, your computer is slow,
(21:57):
you need to do hard drives. You run out of
this space. All of those services. So we offer plethora
of services from A to Z. I always tell people
it's not much that we don't do. When it comes
to Apple products. Sometimes we ask so we are authorized
Apple repair store. Actually we are not quote unquote an
Apple repair store, which it works to I advantage as
(22:17):
well as you the consumer, and reason being because we
don't necessarily have to operate up front of the Apple guideline.
Go to that. If you go to an Apple store
and you say you have a twenty eighteen laptop and
you're trying to get it upgraded, more than likely they're
going to tell you your computer is too old. You come
to us, We're gonna work on it without a problem.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Okay, everything we service to do.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
We also provide warranty. All repairs come with a ninety
day warranty. Everything that we sell in the store comes
with the twelfth month warity was a possible warranty extension.
That's phones, iPads or computers.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
I never ask you this now I know you say
you're all Apple all day? Okay, what about Android? Can
the brother just stumble in there with Android and anything?
Speaker 5 (22:57):
You?
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Absolutely we can. As I mentioned earlier, I myself I
have both an Android and an iPhone. I have both
an Apple Mac computer and I have a Wonders based computer.
But if you want to come in and get a
Samsung device repaired, need to get the glass fixed on it,
or battery replaced. Or even if you have a Windows
computer that you got a virus on, you need to
get a check up on you.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Let's talk about that virus's let's talk about that.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I'm gonna tell you somebody, I've hit some buttons and
then it comes back and tell you if you if
you shut down, your computer would never work. And I'm
sure I'm not the first person who's been frightened to
death by these threats, these computer threats.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
What is real and what's not real? When you get
these threats, you have.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
To be extremely careful in this day and age. With that,
I can assure you. Within the last six months, I've
probably had no less than five customers that have come
in and in some cases not just a potential threat,
but literally in it the're only cripped on something they
thought was legitimate and it wasn't. I can think of
an older couple, we'll mention their names, put a seventy
(24:01):
plus their accouncil compromise. They literally had to go to
the bank's close accounts, get brand new license everything. I
just had a young lady to come in probably about
two months ago, same thing, bank account compromised. So when
we talk about viruses, and we talk about not mailware
and threats, particularly something from a non trusted individual or user,
(24:26):
you have to be extremely careful. And sometimes some of
these texts and emails come across it look so legitimate.
You have to be extremely careful. I myself, and I'm
a technologist, about two months ago, received a text on
my phone and I was about to click on it,
and something told me not to it. I didn't. I
(24:46):
later called my bank and so forth and come to
find out what I was about to quick on what
not from my bank. And when I went in there
and showed things, the screenshot and everything, the gentleman at
my bank told me. He said, good thing that you
did not quick on it. He's like, that is no,
because everybody does this two factory authentication these days when
you're trying to verify stuff. He was like that, he said,
(25:09):
we do send two factory authentication text messages, but the
one I was about to quick on what's not legitimate,
So we talk about viruses. That is something we can
also ass issue with, either removing a virus or malware
or potentially getting software installed against those threats. That's another
service that we offer Expear Match and especially now back
(25:31):
to school we offer right now for a limited amount
of time, we can do free PC tune ups. You
come in and let us success it. We can tell
you what's going on with your computer and what services
need to be performed at a nominal costs. Have a
very confident, very confident and capable team that can assusue
with just with all matters. So whether I'm president in
(25:51):
the store, which usually I am there, or any of
my team members shout out to John and Trey can't
do what I do without them. We can take care
of you. That I can assure you we can take
care of you. And quite candidly, I think the reviews
that we get on our we have out there posted online,
they speak from themselves. Those aren't paid reviews anything like that.
(26:13):
Things that people have organically expressed to us in terms
of what they experience in terms of the services provided
at Experience Max and Family Springs again five nine two
zero Roswell road sweep B one one five seven seven
zero eight five seven across lows.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Got to put that in there, brother, got to put
that in there.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Cross.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
Hey, Thomas Man, I want to thank you, brother. I'm
glad I finally got you back on the call. You
know you have been running around there man for a year,
because you tell your story and I like telling your strength.
Allowing you allow me to tell your story again, Thomas Boys.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Thank you, humble and grateful opportunity. I'm sure you and
I will talk again soon. Be blessed and have a
safe from president evening.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Let me tell you about the host of Money Making Conversations,
Rich McDonald. Rushan's a two time Emmy Award winner, three
time n DOUBLEACP Immage Award winner, sitcom writer, stand Up comic,
and former IBM executive. Thank you for joining us for
this edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Money Making Conversations
(27:17):
Masterclass with Rushan McDonald is produced by thirty eight fifteen
Media Inc. More information about thirty eight to fifteen Media Inc.
Is available at thirty eight fifteen media dot com. And
always remember to lead with your gifts
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.