We believe that computers should make our lives and work fun and easy, they should allow us to interact seamlessly with the people we care about, produce tremendous results while making us more productive – and not get in the way in the process. We’ve built MinuteFix because we too have felt the frustration of wasting endless hours not knowing how to solve a technology problem, then watching, in awe, how someone who does, fix it in an instant.

Because the Internet makes it possible, we believe everyone should have access to an expert, at any time, any day. This expert should be on our side, help us answer our questions, give us expert advice, help us with technology problems, no matter the time of day, and regardless of the problem.

MinuteFix is the first service of its kind. We’ve removed the barrier to get instant support, making it next-to-free just to use. In fact, the first time you use it, the first five minutes are free. We’ve also made it easy. You can get computer support no matter the time of day. If it is 3 am, and you are having trouble printing an Excel project due that morning, there will be an Excel expert ready to help. Or, if you are trying to transfer your music to your iPod, and you simply can’t get it to work, an expert will help you do that too. Best of all, there is absolutely no risk to you, if the problem is not fixed, you pay nothing. And if we fix it, you only pay $0.99 for each minute you use.

We know we can only deliver the world’s best technology support service by leveraging the power of a global community. That is why we’ve built our company as a platform that opens up our business to any expert, regardless of where they live. These technicians must pass rigorous tests to be part of the elite Certified MinuteFix Technician Team; they must be excellent communicators and sincere, friendly people. They must be part of us because they love what they do, because they are passionate about technology and get a thrill out of helping others. And for that, we’re willing to share the profit. We believe in paying well for the best in the world and it makes us very happy that in doing so, we make this world a more level, fair marketplace.

We believe in our mission, and stand behind it. That’s why we guarantee that we’ll solve your technology problem, or it’s on us.

Diego Orjuela
Founder and CEO

Great thinkers–and great companies–have always been capable of boiling concepts and products down to their very essence. Making things simple takes a lot of effort, that is why we don’t see it so often. As one of my favorite quotes confirms, from none other than from the pen of Sir T.S Eliot: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”

Behind this, it is my belief, is a simple concept of the human psyche. As rational people, we perform best with simple concepts. But, as rational beings we are encouraged as children to make our world complex. In marketing school, they will teach you that your messages must contain as little information as possible. People can digest very limited data, and in marketing like branding, people will only remember one thing, if anything. If we think of the world’s great brands, you will find that they stand for one strong, differentiating attribute, not two, not more. Volvo: Security. Coca-Cola: Refreshing. Ikea: Value. Google: Search. Apple: Design. When companies begin maturing, they often feel they need to diversify their message and their brand, and start clouding the consumer’s perspective if it.

I recently came across Presentation Zen, a blog that preaches the values of Zen design in public presentations (talk about a niche). The foundation of the Zen aesthetic, we learn, is simplicity. A clear example of the theory can be seen by comparing Bill Gates’ and Steve Jobs’ slide presentations.

The Japanese understand simplicity very well, and use the Zen values in designing their enchanting Japanese gardens. Dr. Koichi Kawana, a world-renown artist, designer and architect famous for his Japanese gardens, says “In order to reach the essence of things, all non-essential elements must be eliminated.”

The technology world is filled with bad design. Technologists are given the task to design interfaces, and anyone with a personal computer can write software. As a result, we get a amalgamation of interactions with complex interfaces, and a ton of technology headaches. That is why we believe so firmly in what we do. In the video below, David Pogue, personal technology columnist for the New York Times provides an entertaining Ted talk on the importance of simple design and how the world needs a solution for the technology problems that are all too frequent. My favorite line, of course, is “Man, if someone figures out how to make money on this…” Boy David, are we going to give you something to write about.