When Iowa native Mike Hamilton graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, he had a burning ambition: to make it in the world of the performing arts. Eventually his vision shifted from the movie screen to the computer screen when he started his own business, Tech Doctors Inc.

Upon graduating from college with a degree in drama and business administration, Hamilton decided to become an actor. He moved to Los Angeles, and after struggling to land acting jobs, he accepted a position with Lincoln Property Co. When given the opportunity to transfer to Dallas, Texas, he took it.

“I decided L.A. wasn’t where I wanted to be,” Hamilton said. “I wanted to be back where people were real.”

The company made him a property and network manager for a village of 12 apartment complexes containing a total of 526 units. He was in charge of managing the properties and keeping their computer system in working order. Hamilton worked in Dallas for two years before coming home to Iowa.

“My family is all here, and I figured I had traveled enough,” he said. “Iowa is a great place to raise a family.”

To Hamilton, a father of three, that was a major factor. He took a job with Kerr Consulting, where he worked with his brother Scott Hamilton.

“My brother is a founding partner with Kerr Consulting, and someone I look up to for business acumen,” Hamilton said. “He’s probably done everything I would like to do, businesswise.”

Hamilton then joined K & R Consulting, where he worked for the next year before deciding to go out on his own, creating Tech Doctors Inc. in October 2002.

“I realized that there was a niche market here for someone who would actually come to your home and fix your computer there so you [wouldn’t] have to box it up and send it away,” Hamilton said.

His clients include a few businesses that look to Tech Doctors to provide upkeep and maintenance of existing networks or to establish new ones. But the majority of its workload comes from private homes.

“Making the business grow from an idea in my head to having $25,000 to $40,000 income in the first quarter — I’d say that’s a fairly good accomplishment,” Hamilton said. “I’m proud of it, anyway.”