In January 2010 AJ Forsythe launched his iphone repair business, iCracked.com, along with Anthony Martin and Leslee Lambert.  AJ got the idea for this business after breaking his phone countless times and finally deciding to try and fix it on his own by ordering parts online. He was a junior at California Polytechnic State University at the time and decided to take a chance and “go for it.” The business started on their campus and within a year grew from serving one university to serving 65 universities. They currently have 109 locations worldwide which is impressive considering the company is only four years old.

The business is run on a turn key business model similar to that of a franchise. Cracked is comprised of iTechs who are equipped with the marketing, training parts, operations manuals and backend support to successfully repair iPhones and other Apple devices at any of the iCracked locations. Their company also offers mail-in services, wholesale distribution, iPhone buyback and refurbishing and has just recently entered the retail space.

One of my favorite parts about this company, and what I find most unique is that the repair men, “iTechs,” come to your house to fix your device.  They liken the importance of fixing your broken phone, to fixing a broken down car, and say they are the Triple A for phones. iCracked currently has 295 employees and 1079 iTechs located all over the world. To ensure the quality of their service all of the iTechs are trained and overseen by the iTech manager who keeps in constant contact with all of the locations. iCracked.com capitalizes on the inconvenience of mail in repairs, or traveling to the nearest Apple store and offers customers something no one else does.  Not only is this a much more reliable option than bringing your phone to that repair kyosk in the mall, but it makes it one step more convenient for the customer by bringing the repair right to their door.

Forsythe has a passion for giving back to the community and has done just that by opening a retail space in Long Beach, CA which will be run by youths ages 18 to 21 who have outgrown the foster system, whose wages will be subsidized. They refurbished a 1920s era hotel into a retail space and above the offices they created rooms for the youth to help them in their transition out of the foster care system. They train the youth and teach them skills to help them become responsible adults. A few of these youths will be hired to work in the retail space of the store and will be managed by a former iCracked repair technician.  I admire Forsythe’s extreme success and unique business idea as well as his desire to give back to the community and help people who are often overlooked. His story is an inspiration because he was my age when he started it all.