Dawg Bytes

Our Team: Brian Kenny, CEO
Jim Dowell, CFO
Charlie Adams, Director of Operations
Joey Przybylinski, Marketing Co-Chairman
Nick Boyden, Marketing Co-Chairman

**The following question responses were written by Brian Kenny, Dawg Bytes CEO.

1. What is our business?

Dawg Bytes teaches technology assistance courses to generations that want to learn modern technology. We are currently teaching classes at retirement communities that are enhancing people’s daily lives through the utilization of various technologies! Sample class topics include, introduction to computers, cell phone usage, finding information on the computer, email, website navigation, etc.

2. How did we come up with the idea?

I came up with the idea for Dawg Bytes after my grandparents had asked me to help them with multiple technology questions they had. Because their generation has not grown up using technology, many of them struggle with technology and are hungry to learn how technology can benefit their daily lives. This made me realize that my grandparents’ generation has a demand for a technology assistance service.

3. How does it work?

Dawg Bytes contacts prospective retirement communities and works with a faculty member or activities director to see if there is an interest in our services. If there is an interest, we distribute surveys to residents regarding class topics that they are interested in taking. We then schedule one-hour class sessions at a time that is convenient for both parties. For our computer classes we borrow laptop computers from Butler’s IT department and bring them to the retirement community to teach our classes with.

4. Who are our clients?

Currently, our clients are retirement community residents. The typical age range for our clients are between 70 and 90 years of age. Many of our clients are completely new to using technology. Teaching our clients requires a great deal of patience because they are learning many new things in a small amount of time.

5. A couple of quotes about how rewarding it is and what you have learned.

“Starting Dawg Bytes has taught me how to respond to change in the business world, which is something that you simply can’t learn from a textbook. We have had to overcome numerous obstacles just to make our first dollar, but working as a team, we were able to rise above every challenge and make our vision a reality. It makes me feel accomplished to know that our business is helping to improve peoples’ lives.”

– Brian Kenny, CEO of Dawg Bytes

“Dawg Bytes has shown me what a true business is. From an idea that was once scratched off the board to what we made it is absolutely incredible. It proved to me that hardwork and team strategies really pay off in the real business world. We have had some ups and downs, but which businesses haven’t. I would love to have this experience again, and to see the final product of this semester’s work shows me my true potential and the potential of Butler business students.”

Joey Przybylinski

6. Goals

Our goal is to be run five classes per week by April. In order to do this, we will have to run classes at multiple retirement communities and we will have to hire workers to help teach classes for Dawg Bytes. Our goal is to achieve over $3,000 in profit by the end of the spring semester. We would also like to eventually franchise our company and continue the business beyond next semester.