JL Computers

Photo by Art Sidner

Fairmont: JL Computers

John Landsteiner is only 21, and as a Fairmont native before age 18 attended two different high schools in Wisconsin, and two colleges, Presentation College and Minnesota West. He technically began his business two years ago, but didn’t have a storefront until recently. He owns JL Computers on 206 East Third, a computer sales and service business.

“Our family had a complex dynamic because I had seven siblings growing up,” said Landsteiner in a Connect Business Magazine telephone interview. “My mom stayed home and my dad is a 3M supervisor. They stressed hard work and honesty.”

When he was 15, Landsteiner’s parents sent him off to a Roman Catholic minor seminary in Wisconsin for high school, and then to a different minor seminary the next year. He returned home to Fairmont to attend classes at Presentation College and Minnesota West under the PSEO program, which offers under-18 students free college tuition.

At 19, he began working for a Fairmont computer service shop, and soon thereafter founded his business, which sells and services home computers. He said, “I had a public opening three months ago in a commercial building, but in the beginning (my first two years) it was just me, a computer, and a countertop in my parents’ garage. I ignored the traditional business model. Given my age, a loan was out of the question. So I self-funded. I couldn’t afford advertising and grew business by word-of-mouth.”

His business does computer tune-ups, including virus removal and software diagnostics. He replaces hard drives and helps customers switch over old computer information to their new computer. He sells laptops and off-lease budget computers, with the most popular of the latter a $350 tower.

Landsteiner claimed he had his father’s curiosity about learning how things work, patience from having lived with seven siblings, and a solid work ethic gained from parents.

JL Computers
Address: 206 East Third
Telephone: 507-235-9418
Facebook: JL Computers