Phil’s journey to establishing Phil's Computer Repository began out of a need to support his young family while studying in Korea. “I originally came to Korea as an international transfer student at the age of 20. At 21, I was going to be a father and needed to find ways to make money while studying. My partner at the time was a daycare teacher who didn’t make much, so I remember having to transfer small amounts from different bank accounts just to buy my son a carton of milk to bring to daycare,” he recalls. Facing financial hardships, he leaned on his tech skills and marketed himself as an English-speaking computer repair service.

The early business model was challenging but memorable. “I would meet customers who predominantly needed computer repairs at their closest subway station. I’d take the computer back to my home on the subway, repair it, and schedule a drop-off time at the same subway station,” he shares. “I remember how excited I was to make 30,000 for a repair, even if it meant spending 2 hours on the subway.”