Markevis Gideon - NerdIt Nation, Let's Get Nerdy

In this episode, Dara interviews the founder of NerdItNow, Markevis Gideon! NerdItNow is an IT recycling company based in Delaware. Markevis was inspired by his own experience as a student to launch a company that gave back to the community the way he was given to. 

"Yes Genius!" is a podcast that explores the power of affirmative thinking, celebrating the impact of saying yes to unexpected opportunities and the unknown.

Transcript

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Hello and welcome. I'm your host for this episode, Dara McBride. Joining me is Markivis Gideon. Markivis' mission is to inspire innovation. The gift of a computer changed his life as a young student, and eventually that led him to found Nerd It Now, the first IT recycling company in the state of Delaware. He has since donated thousands of computers to at-risk communities. Mark Kivis and Nerd It Now have been featured on ABC's Shark Tank, NBC News, The Washington Post, and more. Currently, he has focused on the continued growth of Nerd It Now and building an IT apprenticeship to help close the digital divide. Welcome Markevis. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's such a pleasure to be here and really share our story about how we got to where we got in with the word yes and really just trying to continue to make that community impact. Yes, it's so cool to have you on. I've heard you speak in person and just throughout different platforms, So it's great to have you here in person. You've spoken about discovering your unique path and purpose, that it can make a world of difference in your fulfillment and impact. And you memorably call this finding your China. So could you tell us about saying yes to study abroad and how that changed your life trajectory? Yes, so it was an interesting story. I was living with a few females in college and 1 day I wake up and I see they're all diligently working towards this application. I'm like, where are you applying to? And they're like, oh, we want to study abroad in China. And immediately I thought, that's dumb. I laid back down. But then as I thought, I'm like, wait, they're all going and some of their friends maybe this could be an interesting opportunity. Though the motive wasn't the right 1, I later found out that this was 1 of the best opportunities I could ever really get presented. So I decided to apply to go to China and I did a 1 month study abroad. In that moment, you know, I thought this is kind of cool. I never really left the country, let alone the continent. So going there, it just opened me up to more diverse demographic, different culture, different religions, it just really opened me up. And that later translated to after college where I had the opportunity to live there for what started off as 4 months, it ended up being 5 years living in China and really just broadened my perspective on a lot of different topics and maybe the person who I am today. Wow. So how did 4 months turn into 5 years? I learned how to say, which means I want chicken nuggets and ketchup. It was like an explosive moment. Like wow, I can really eat now. And as I thought like, well, I can order food. I guess I could stay a little longer as my language was getting better. So then around month 8, I said, okay, maybe I'll leave then. But then I start making more friends outside of the university, like more Asians. We're able to communicate. Instead of talking like I'm talking now, I'll be like, you, face, red, glasses. But no, I start being able to speak better because then a year and a half later, leave me anywhere in China, I was perfectly fine on my own. I was able to hold daily conversations. I began to really start traveling on my own, which exploring different countries in the area, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. I'm like, wow, the world is very small and I want to step out and do a bit more, which really helped me want to stay even longer. So you just said the world is very small. Why do you feel that way? Because like you're just here and you're seeing things, but honestly, you can get to the other world, other parts of the country and you realize we're actually really similar, though our culture may be different, may look a little different. We're actually really interested in the same thing. Like I'll go to China and ask like, who's your favorite basketball player? And we'll all say similar names. Like the world is small. We can really get along together. We just got to break past a lot of these differences. So tell me about how that study abroad experience and living abroad experience, what from that did you bring home and how did it affect Nerd It Now? So when people think of like China and what I did initially, I couldn't say hi. I was like really doing a whole bunch of good things. It was like I start at the university, I got kicked off the campus. So then I was like, okay, now I need to find a job to maintain my visa. I started teaching children how to speak English. And fun fact, I don't like other people's children, so that wasn't really good for me as well. So then I'm like, okay, what next? I start teaching at the university. At this point, I didn't really like teaching. However, this was a good opportunity. Like I'm working at the university, it was minimum hours. So I was able to explore other opportunities. Well, I met 1 lady who husbands owned the Imporex per Company. That gave me the opportunity to really travel all throughout Asia. I'm like, oh wow, I'm really traveling a lot. And then I met 1 guy who worked at Honeywell, and together we opened up a bar. And when I thought of this, I'm like, wow, I never thought I'd run a bar, but this like a legitimate bar. Like we had 12 waitresses, 3 bartenders, a bar manager. It was inside the base of a hotel, a five-star hotel. So it was like a really classy bar, which we call Foreigners. But what that taught me was how to run a business. Now prior to China, I was always knowing how to make money. Like I started my first computer company when I was 14 years old, selling candy in high school. Like everybody always knows selling something, but it was nothing more than a hustle. Like it would last for a season and then it would go away. It didn't really build onto anything. But watching this bar really hire its first few people then even more people. And it wasn't like a contract opportunity. I ran the bar for 3 and a half years before I moved back to America. I was like, wow, I'm actually learning how to run a business. So when I moved back to America, I'm thinking, okay, I don't want to do a side hustle anymore. I want to actually run a business, something that's going to actually grow into something. And when we start looking at Nerd It Now, funny, I kind of revert it like, no, I think just flipping computers was good. But as I realized the impact that I was having on our local communities, I realized I needed to make it a business. So I had to revert back to everything I learned running the bar and use those same principles running this business. And that's how I've been able to really scale this business up over the past few years. So tell us about Nerd It now. What is the concept and what kind of impact have you had through it? Yeah, so Nerd It Now has been here since 2015. It started off as a IT repair shop, repairing computers, phones, tablets. And the intent was really to make sure that we're able to donate technology back into underserved communities. So I'm like, okay, we're going to do that. And over the years, we started to scale up quickly, like repairing more devices. We became 1 of the fastest growing IT companies in the state of Delaware. And as we're getting all of this recognition, I'm like, wow, this is making a bigger impact. I'm able to donate better computers, do even more. We started our nonprofit in 2018, but I wanted to have a bigger impact. I needed to find a way to get even more computers. So I sought the certification to become a IT recycler. And when I looked at that, I'm like, cool, this is a big thing we can do because there's not 1 here in Delaware. While we're able to scale up from a 5, 000 square foot retail operation to over 50, 000 square feet, hiring more individuals, donating more computers, but then also generating enough income so that we can actually make sustainable jobs and really sustain this business. I know it's been a lot of growing pains, the ups and downs, but I've been learning so much and it's really been expanding here in the New Castle County and I'm looking to see how I could do even more because I have clients across the country right now. It's just been an amazing opportunity. So I have a question here for you, but I'm not sure if it's actually phrased right now. My question is, what advice do you have for someone considering an unexpected opportunity? But it also sounds like you've done really well at each step of your life, building from that experience and turning it into something else. So do you feel like a nerd it now or study abroad, living in China, were those unexpected opportunities or were they all thoughtful moves? Yeah, if you look at my life, it was a comic book. I could have not planned this to save my life. Like even getting into technology, It was at 12 years old, a teacher giving me a computer. I didn't expect that. I didn't know what to do with that. Like my family would really couldn't afford 1. And I did the unexpected. I took it apart and put it together. I kept doing this and people were like, what are you doing, Mark? He was like, I don't know, I'm having fun. And the teacher said, well, let me show you more computers. I started doing it with more, which led to another opportunity. Now, you know, I grew up in the city and there was a lot of trauma around me, but when I moved to Claymont, Delaware, it was like more suburban, I felt more comfortable. They said, Markie, let's go back to the high school in Wilmington. And I'm like, no, this is a horrible idea. But that was a great opportunity. I became a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer by 17 years old. I'm like, wow, this was like a great, and that led me to go to college which will later Lead to me going to study abroad which will later lead to me like these aren't things that you expect and what I tell people is sometimes you got to just go with it Like look at the opportunity and just think like, when would you have the chance to do this again? And if you think it's somewhat interesting and it's different, like go for it because that could lead to a ton of opportunity that you would have never otherwise had. So it sounds like you've had some helpful nudges along the way. Can you tell me about the 3 most influential people in your life right now? Oh man, to say it narrow it down to 3 people, that would be a challenge for me. Like, 1 person I would definitely say is like, my parents, like, they guided me, they showed me through their rights and their wrongs, like, I learned so much about what I should or should not do watching them. I look at my faith, which is by far like I know it's not a certain person, but like as a man of faith, a Christian, like That's like my steering compass, which really helps me go. And then I look at like just the community leaders. There's like so many different people that look at to help mentor me in so many different ways. That just gives me so much inspiration. I look at like my competition. I look at other nonprofit leaders. I look at for-profit leaders Like you're all like motivation to me motivation to really do good for Me my family like me and my wife we do this together and We we look at some of the other people and like yeah, we can't aspire to do more so I tell people don't limit yourself to like 1 thing a lot of times my own son you ask him. What's your favorite vacation spot? And he goes he's like well, I really like Disney World now. But then Mark the Vineyard is really cool. But when we went to Singapore, that was cool. And what we're telling him is, it's okay if you like different things. You know what? There's no favorite because each 1 has a different impact on your life. It's okay. So trying to teach that to a 5 year old, it's fine. Do you think he'll do study abroad? My hope is like, when I look at opportunities for kids, when you go to high school, a lot of people tell me, like, you said about 529, 529 savings plan. I say no, I don't want to do that. Because what if my kids decide they don't want to go to college? Then what like They're like, well, maybe you want to pass it on to a relative. Well, no, I'm talking about my kids right now. And for my kids, what I want to do is create well-filling opportunities. So how do I invest my money in ways that will help sustain their life regardless of what they do? So I figured my kids would have 1 of a few different options. 1, go to college. Great. I want something that can help sustain that. Or do they want to go study abroad? Cool. Great. Do they want to come work with their family business and grow that? Cool. We'll do that. Start your own business. Cool. I helped you do that. Or you'll be a bum. I won't help you with that. But what I do know is like, well, 1 of those 4 opportunities, I want to be able to help create the opportunity. And I did my wife and I we really decided we said, when it's time for our kids to be teenagers, they've been to so many countries at this point that it's almost the normal. So when my son turns 18, we wanna make sure that he's comfortable enough to take his, at the time, 16 year old younger brother, and they're gonna do a 3 month travel abroad without us. I want you to go to Southeast Asia go have fun we've done it so many times you know which hotels we stay at you know which restaurants to eat at, you know where to go and where not to go. We want them to be able to feel so confident in themselves that they can do it on their own. I think more kids need that. Wow. That does sound like a very exciting opportunity. I wish, yes, could you adopt me? I'll go too. So you've talked about this being a family operation, but with the business comes challenges. So what is the most challenging moment you faced while building Nerd It Now? And how did you overcome it? Yeah, I think scale has always been the most challenging challenge that I've really faced. You got to think like every 2 to 3 years, my company has taken a big jump. And then when I look at it, and at class, I'm like, the challenge was not really different than it was 2 or 3 years ago. It's just bigger. But with that, my resources have grown as well. So it's actually the same. I remember I was talking to a colleague of mine yesterday and we're sitting there talking and he's like, man remember that time when I needed some cash, I needed $15 and you look in your wallet you only had 7, you gave it to me and said, this is all I had. I was like, yeah, I remember that. We were hungry. We had nothing to eat. We were growing this business. It's like, yeah, it's no different from now. So where before, my payroll was a few thousand to like several thousand every other week. It's kind of the same. It's just scale. It's a challenge that a lot of entrepreneurs aren't taught. Like, yeah, I think in college, we don't really talk about how to run a business. We talk about how to work for a business. But when you're trying to run it, it's a lot of challenging things you got to do when you're trying to scale. I do know if I was to say, I want to just stay here. Like Marquis, Me and my wife, we're just completely content right there. We don't want to grow. We'll probably be okay for a while. I mean, eventually we'll get old and that'll be nothing to really continue generating revenue for us, but we will live a comfortable life. But when you're trying to grow, it's a different beast. So through Nerd It Now, you've appeared on Shark Tank and you've been name dropped by Joe Biden. What is the biggest pinch me moment that you've had because of your career? Yeah, I think, So I'm gonna answer this in 2 different ways. I'm a first answer, because a lot of people ask me what's the best thing I've ever done. And my answer to that, which is really indirect, it's what I'm gonna do tomorrow. I always look at what's next. Like, it's great that I've been on Shark Tank. It's great that I've had presidential shout outs. And every single time that was a pinch me moment. Like we're on shark tank right now. Like I couldn't believe it. But was that any different from 4 years prior to that? Wait, we got a business with its own location. Like I never imagined this. We're hiring people. I couldn't. So I look at continue to grow because I want to have a life full of pinch me moments. That's nice. Yeah, I would like that too. What a beautiful answer. Okay. So speaking of looking to the future, we're going to move on to a rapid fire section. This is going to be fun and we're just going to get to know you a little bit better, a little bit different. So are you ready to play? Let's play. Okay. What is your favorite breakfast? Pancakes. What time do you usually wake up in the morning? Since 30, I don't like it, but I have to help my kids. Do you believe those, this isn't rapid fire, but do you believe, you know, what they say about entrepreneurs like, you know, having to rise early and having to make your bed to have a good day. Yeah. I do believe it. Yes. It's very imperative because it keeps things in order. When you wake up and it's flustered, it messes up the whole day. However, it's 2353 and a five-year-old. Oh my goodness. Can't wait. How do you usually answer the telephone? My kid was speaking, how may I help you note it now? What is your favorite movie genre? Horror. Why is that? I don't know. I really like scary movies though. I really do. Better to be scared by a movie than scared by what is happening with your business or your life, right? Yes. Yes. Is there a movie that you enjoy quoting the most? No, actually, I don't. I've never really cared for TV movies. So I think when I do watch movies, it's really just empty space for me. I'm not really thinking, it's just on TV. I much rather read or work. I much rather be the 1 that working so hard that 1 day someone will read a book about. Yeah. As a tech person, do you find that you have to like get us an unplug in a certain way? Is that something important to you? Are you able to do it? Not even a little bit. I thought about it, but with AI, the way it is, it's like, We better just keep on going with the flow. Like technology is it. Yeah. Do you think of yourself as a tech person or an entrepreneur or a business person? What's your category? Ask me that all the time. Is technology my passion? No, it's a hobby. I'm an entrepreneur. That's my passion, which is so happy to use my hobby to make money. Okay. Does that mean that you will have another business venture 1 day? That's my problem. I have too many different business ventures. I started, even when you look at Nerd It Now, I started off at the retail space, then I had an ambulance, then I had a kiosk, now I got a warehouse, and then I start doing these kiosk things again, and now I'm doing real estate, and now I'm doing the non-profit. It's like, yeah, entrepreneurs, it's a hard life. Okay. What is a good spy code name for you? TV What is that would be TV TV okay It's a weird 1, but I recognize it. You can go with it. Okay. And then last but not least, if you were to write a book, what would it be about? Find my China. Yeah. I found purpose where I wasn't looking. Would there be a children's book edition? There would be. I actually started doing this thing while speaking at kids and I call it throwing darts in the dark. I believe that often a lot of people are doing that. If we could teach kids younger to turn on their lights, identify your goal, they might get there sooner. All right, so on to our last section. Again, it's a little bit fun. It's called Chatbot Says. So we know that AI is only as smart as the people using it. Given your experience on Shark Tank and penchant for helping others, we asked a chatbot to help us come up with an entrepreneurial game show for you to host. So of these titles, which 1 are you most likely to pick? Nerd it nation, the tech-tastic tournament. Marquis is the tech guru and you're the next big thing. Let's get nerdy. Let's get nerdy. That is it. That's it. Okay. I have a few more for you. Innovation, ignition, the spark of success. Marquis electric personality will ignite your innovation, pitch your idea, and let's see if it sparks. These are all equally weird, equally punny. Code crunch, the battle of the brains. Your brain is the supercomputer. Prove it to Marquis and the investors. And then the last 1, digital dreams, the Silicon Valley sleep athon dreaming of tech greatness. Pitch your idea to Marquis and see if it's worth a million bucks or at least a good night's sleep. I don't know why sleep is a bomb. It's very interesting but yeah like a good night's sleep is hard for an entrepreneur. Like if you could get a good idea of where you get a good night's sleep. I need to know about it. You know, that does make a lot more sense now. I think a million bucks would be nice, but sometimes you can't put a price tag on a good night's sleep. You can't. Especially if you wake up at 630 or earlier to get the kids started and the business going. Yup. Definitely. See, what I didn't mention is I'm waking up at 630, which is much later than I'm about to, but when you're not going to sleep until 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, it's a very, very sleepy life. OK. The 1 thing that I don't like about that 1 is that it mentioned Silicon Valley and you're not based in Silicon Valley. I'm not, so it was interesting. Yeah. Do you think that you have to be in a certain area to be successful or do you think it's just about no not at all that you're in now when you look at individuals living in undeveloped countries look at the content of africa you look at various countries in asia there was this 1 guy that I met every day while living in China and we'll sit outside the grocery store and play this game called Do Di Ju. And every time we're playing, he was 1 of the guys that would drive a Tuk-Tuk and help taxi people around. So 1 day he invited me over to his house. He was like, hey, you know, we're gonna have high pie. I'd love for you to come by. I'm like, sure. So we go on this Tuk-Tuk to his house and he pulls into this community and everyone's greeting him. I couldn't understand why. And they're like Saint Lauban which means boss in Asian and Mandarin. I'm like okay he's a boss of the Tuk-Tuk I guess. But then we go up into 1 of the buildings and He had 3 of the floors and 1 of the buildings, all his apartment. I was like, this isn't an apartment. This is like a fortress. He's like, oh yeah, I own this community. I'm like, wait, what? He's like, yeah, I've made a deal with the post office so that I make a lot of money. So I bought all this for all my people. And I'm like, what was the deal? It was genius. You know, it was this 1 thing that was selling on like the Chinese version of eBay called Taobao. It was selling these things and then realized it was too competitive. So rather than selling it at the same price, because everyone sold it for the same price, he reduced it by 1 yuan. So by reducing it by 1 yuan, he was able to sell a whole lot more. So he went to the post office and said, Hey, can I get a deduction in all of my shipping since I'm selling in volume? And they gave them to you an off the shipping cost. So in essence, he made a dollar more than everybody else and so the ton more. And he said he's been doing that for years. I would have been like, it doesn't matter where you're at. It doesn't matter what you do or don't do, how smart you think you are. There's opportunity everywhere. That is so savvy and so simple, yet at the same time complex, I would not have come up with that myself. Like it blew my mind. I'm like, what? And like when you look at them, that's what I tell people. Looks can be very deceiving. Sometimes someone looks very successful and they're not. But this guy, I would have swore he was just like a beggar who writes his tuk-tuk. He was the smartest dude I've ever met. Like we became really good friends because I'm like, yo, you could teach me a lot though. Like this was amazing. That's great. All right. So Marquivis, we've had a great conversation. Do you have any final words of wisdom or neat stories from around the world to share with us? What I will share is just don't let anybody impose their limitations onto you. A lot of times people are gonna say what you can or can't do. But when you look at it, look in their eyes, often they're looking down at you. You know what they're doing? They're looking at a younger version of themself in a mirror that you're holding up for them to see. You need to step from behind that mirror and walk down your own path. You can become a trailblazer so that people can follow you. There's so much opportunity out there, so don't let anybody limit you. Like when People told me I would never go to college. I graduated with 2 degrees. They said I would never leave the Tri-State area. This is it, well, forget me. My five-year-old has been to 12 countries. My three-year-old's been to 7 countries. Don't tell me where I can and can't go. And they said my business will fail first 3 years. Yeah, year 3, I'm freaking pitching on Shark Tank. Like you can do it if you really stay focused on it. You just gotta really trust in something. Like for me, it's a higher power. Like God, I'm like, You can order my stuff and that is everything for me. Like you can do it as well. Thank you so much for coming on to Yes Genius and sharing your story, your many stories, both international and local stories. If people would like to connect with you or find out more about Nerd It Now, where can they find you? Yeah, you can go to our website, nerditnow.com. You'll find me on LinkedIn at Marquise Gideon, or you can find me, my business on LinkedIn, Facebook. Just look up Nerd It Now And just know we're here to help you nerd this and nerd that. That's Nerds here at Nerd It Now. All right. Thanks again, Marquivis. We'll talk again soon. Awesome. Sounds good. Thank you.