SAUK RAPIDS — When it comes to what he’ll help you with, Kyle Waytashek isn’t picky.
He and his partners offer tech support for PCs and Macs, including hardware and software repair. He’ll try to fix your computer, TV or cell phone. He’s into custom 3D printing and PC building. He’ll sell your bicycle parts or DVD collection on eBay for you.
For Waytashek, 19, it’s all about becoming the go-to person for Central Minnesotans’ technology questions.
“We want to bring up solutions they may not have thought of,” Waytashek said.
Together with co-owners Blaze Campina and Camden Cipala, this is Kyle’s360tech.
Waytashek graduated from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in 2020, where he said he took as many technology-based electives as he could. There are photos of him as a toddler with his father, on the computer.
“Ever since I was born, I’ve been curious about computers,” he said.
As he grew, he got serious about their inner workings. He started taking apart the old family laptop. He’s self-trained into the tech business.
Waytashek said he likes technology because he’s interested in new advances and being in the know about how things work.
“I just see it as the future,” he said.
He works remotely for a Coon Rapids company, helping people with disabilities handle their Social Security claims. But his goal is to make Kyle’s360tech a full-time job.
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Waytashek said he and his business partners all have disabilities. He wants his story to be a story of triumph: of what people can do if you give them a chance.
“Just because people say you can’t do something doesn’t mean you can’t,” Waytashek said.
Waytashek also wants to make it a business focused on giving back. He’s given a few talks at local organizations, including the Rice VFW and Sartell Senior Connection, Waytashek said. He’s spoken about how smart home devices can help people as they age, or about avoiding tech scams. Waytashek said he wants to help bridge the technology gap for anyone who may keep tech at arm’s length because they don’t understand how it works.
“If you just have a simple question, I’m willing to answer your question, regardless of if you pay me or not,” Waytashek said. “… I want to be — you know your grandmother, they call you and they go, ‘I need help with my computer. There’s a problem.’ I want to be that person that she calls.”
Waytashek is willing to be flexible with his pricing and plans to offer discounts and work with customers who are struggling financially. Tech support should be affordable, Waytashek said.
“I don’t want price to be a discriminating factor, because some people just can’t afford it and they get stuck with a broken computer that barely works — and then they lose out on opportunities,” Waytashek said.
One of Waytashek’s earliest and most consistent customers, Craig Gondek, doesn’t own a computer. But he does own a bike shop he operates out of his home in Rice. His interest in eBay sales was piqued, and Waytashek ‘s father introduced them. (His dad is where Waytashek gets his entrepreneurial skills, he said.) Gondek said he was impressed with Waytashek’s presentation. That was more than half a year ago.
Gondek said Waytashek manages the eBay sales of some of his old or obsolete bike parts. He estimated these eBay sales make up about 60% of his business.
“I see a big need for the kid,” Gondek said. “Someday I hope to see him on Shark Tank. … He filled a need for me that I could not do.”
Sarah Kocher is the business reporter for the St. Cloud Times. Reach her at 320-255-8799 or skocher@stcloudtimes.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahAKocher.