Last week they started something new at Dymin Computer Systems: 24-hour service at their retail store and repair shop in Johnston. But trying something new is nothing new for company president Scott Breitman.

He started a flea market in 1990. It failed in 90 days. He started a self-help program only to realize that he would have to market it by going on the road and leaving his young family behind, so that didn’t work out. During his door-to-door insurance-selling days, he figures he rang 32,000 doorbells.

“From the age of 18, I knew I didn’t want to work for others,” said Breitman, now 35. “Basically, the only two jobs I can have are broom-pusher or president.”

Fortunately, along came the computer business. Breitman had developed enough interest in computers to start building them for friends, and a fellow Ames native, Todd Struthers, thought they should turn his hobby into a business. They started Dymin (for “dynamically inspired,” plus a hint at “diamond”) in November 2001.

Again, things didn’t go as planned. “The initial idea was that we would sell the ultimate in customized, high-end computers, but in less than six weeks we realized that wouldn’t be profitable,” Breitman said. They quickly clicked on a different business plan. “We knew there was a big market for people over 35 who need to use computers but don’t have a lot of technical skill,” he said, so they began to emphasize repairs.

Struthers is no longer part of the Dymin team, but the concept has worked well enough to carry the company through three years of business. Breitman said he and Bill Stasak, now the only owners, have paid themselves “less than minimum wage” as they’ve worked to establish and grow the operation.

Dymin guarantees repair within 24 hours unless its technicians need to order a part. That’s usually not necessary, because the company’s in-house inventory includes 1,300 types of computer components. “Generally speaking, on desktop PCs there are only about 20 interchangeable parts,” Breitman said.

The company has 12 employees and makes repair calls to small businesses within 30 miles of Dymin’s office at 5500 N.W. Johnston Drive. On-site visits cost $80 per hour; if you bring in equipment to be fixed in the back room, Dymin charges $39.95 for a diagnosis and a service fee that ranges from $13.95 to $69.95, depending on the type of work required.

Computers and various related components are for sale in the showroom, and Dymin also sells equipment through eBay auctions.

During busy times, the company repairs as many as 25 computers in a day. This year, Breitman expects revenues to end up somewhere between $1 million and $2 million, compared with $500,000 in the first year. He hopes to add a second metro location within the next 18 months.

The new offer of 24-hour service makes the company rare, if not unique; Breitman can’t find a similar operation anywhere as he searches the Web. At any hour of the night, a customer will be able to drop by the store for help. However, he said, “I don’t think the repair business will last indefinitely.” As computers become less expensive and people become more and more likely to simply replace a broken unit, Dymin will try to change once again.

Breitman expects the services and equipment involved in providing Voice over Internet Protocol service (using the Internet to send phone calls and other information streams) to carry his company into its next phase. “We’re not emotionally attached to any one idea,” he said.