When Nitin Sachar left India to complete his post-secondary education in Canada nearly a decade ago, he says he was unsure of what his future held, but knew somehow computers would be a part of it.
“It’s in the blood,” said 29-year-old Sachar from behind the counter of SSL Computers, one of Chilliwack’s newest businesses.
“I’ve been interested ever since I was a kid. My father is a system administratorand my older brother has a computer store in India, and I’ve always been fascinated and interested in them.”
However, once he had completed his bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from the University of Fraser Valley in 2010, and a Masters’ degree from the University of Liverpool after that, Sachar said he had to decide whether to stay or go back home.
“I had this family magnet drawing me back, but then I got offered a job at UFV’s IT department and so I had to make up my mind that if I actually went to school for this, going back home would not get me a career like this.
“(Besides,) this is where I want to be and this is what I want to be doing,” he added.
Creating Set Web Solution Ltd. in 2012, Sachar began working out of his Delta-based home with small companies that needed help managing and installing an array of IT services. But as business grew, Sachar says he knew it was time to expand beyond the confines of his garage.
So in 2015, he opened the first SSL Computers in Abbotsford, and quickly found an IT niche that fit his personal brand. By providing affordable retail prices for computers and their components, as well as top-tier customer service, Sachar was then able to expand business and open an additional shop in Surrey in 2016, and now, in 2018, in downtown Chilliwack.
When looking around the city for the perfect business location, Sachar says he decided to open his doors in the downtown core because that’s where the heart of the community is.
“And this location fit almost every (search aspect): it’s visible, can see straight down Main St., and offers peace of mind,” said Sachar, who’s also recently relocated his family to the city from Delta.
“Chilliwack is like a different world, but a friendly world,” he said with a large smile.
And although computers is in the name, Sachar says SSL Computers goes beyond keyboards and screens: with services that range from retailing both refurbished and new computer systems, input devices, hardware components, networking options, printing, storage devices, website creation and SEO, and security systems, SSL Computers is a full, one-stop shop.
But, says Sachar, SSL Computers doesn’t stop there, they also provide custom-designed software applications and can provide remote virtual assistance to its entire customer base.
“We (also design) a lot of custom software applications for our customers (that range) from dispatch to invoicing,” explained Sachar. One of the programs they’ve designed is used by various dump truck companies across the province, and another is used at a busy door and window manufacturing plant.
At the end of the day, “our focus is to get technology into each and every hand, however the means,” said the entrepreneur. “And our excitement lies within servicing people.”
To ensure he’s achieving both, Sachar says his business model is aimed at creating loyal customers through the implementation of excellent service and reasonable prices.
“We don’t focus on dollar amounts as much as service … (and) we base our service prices on (a leading, national competitor): we take whatever they charge and then slash that in half. We have the sell the same stuff (as competitors) for a lesser price,” he said.
And taking it a step further than that, Sachar and the team from SSL Computers also take the time to thoroughly educate their senior customers, which can include an in-home tutorial.
“We are (just so) proud to be (known) in this field and are happy to serve the community,” Sachar added.
For more information on SSL Computers, or to contact Nitin Sachar, please visit SSLComputers.com, or email nsachar@sslcomputers.com.
@SarahGawdin
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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