Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Kirkpatrick.
Hi Johnny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always had a passion for figuring out how things work and was drawn to technology at an early age. I built my first computer when I was 12 years old. I got my first IT job when I found vulnerabilities in my high school computer system, and shortly after graduating in 2007, I was offered a job as a computer technician for the school district. I continued to work there until I graduated college.
I attended Texas A&M – Commerce University starting the fall of 2007. During my time there, I was the President of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity as well as the Student Body President. I also played semi-pro football for the TUFL North Texas Longhorns and competed in regular racquetball tournaments. It was also there that I met my wife, Renesa, my freshman year of college. I received my undergraduate degree in computer information systems in 2011 and my graduate degree in technology management in 2013.
Out of college, I took a position at an IT MSP in Dallas, where I worked for a few years. After 8 and half years together, I proposed to my wife January 1, 2017, and got married that following September. In the midst of planning our wedding, I had spoken with my wife a few times about my desire to start my own company. My parents have been business owners most of my life and I had always loved the freedom they had to travel and be so present in our lives growing up. While on our Honeymoon, I turned to my wife and explained that I was ready to start that business. I told her I recognized that it was not the best time with her starting a new position 2 weeks after our wedding, but I knew that it was now or never. Without hesitation, she agreed and told me she would support me in realizing this dream. My wife grew up with 2 very hard-working parents who both held multiple jobs at times and could not always be there for big moments. She knew what this could mean for our future family. I don’t think I can ever thank her enough for that.
So, in Late 2017, Raptor IT Solutions was born in our home office with just two clients. The inspiration behind our company’s name, ‘Raptor,’ stems from our German Shorthaired pointer, Drake, who earned the moniker ‘Raptor‘ due to his remarkable resemblance in personality to ‘Blue’ from the Jurassic World movies. From his agile movements, while hunting in the grass to his personality, the name was a perfect fit. We lost him this last January at 12 years old, but we have a constant reminder of him in this company that we will always cherish.
A few months after starting the company, we found out that we were expecting our first son. Prior to launching this venture, we recognized that our demanding jobs and schedules wouldn’t be sustainable once we started a family. Our motivation for starting Raptor IT Solutions was the desire for the freedom to prioritize quality time with our children and achieve self-sufficiency.
The first few years were a slow burn, I would say. The growth was consistent, and a lot of hard work. In August 2021, after having several complications from the birth of our 2nd son, my wife and I felt that God was telling us it was time for her to move on from her job and go full in with Raptor. Our dream was finally realized in full… We now had the freedom and ability to engage fully in our children’s lives and had become self-sufficient financially. We became partners in every aspect of our life at that point. Working with your spouse is not always easy. It took us a while to find a way to work together well, as we both have different learning styles and ways of managing things. People ask us often how we make it work and honestly, it’s a lot of patience on her part and a lot of listening on mine. Finding the best way to communicate with each other is a big priority. But what we have now with our company and our family has been worth every obstacle and struggle.
Since then, Renesa and I have both become more involved in our community. I have been heavily involved in the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce as an Ambassador, Graduate of the Rockwall Leadership Class of 2020, and the current Chair for The Young Professionals of Rockwall. Renesa has been heavily involved with the Royse City Tri-County Chamber of Commerce as an executive member of the board, currently on the committee for starting the Young Professionals of Royse City, the Chair for the Royse City Tri-County Chamber Emerging Leaders Program, and a graduate of the Hunt County Leadership Class of 2023.
Raptor IT Solutions was established to provide professional IT Support for small to medium-sized businesses. As a small business owner ourselves, we understand that downtime means money, and that can be detrimental to a small business. With technology constantly evolving, it can be difficult for small businesses to stay on top of their IT infrastructure. By providing IT Consulting, we can help them resolve issues before they become a high priority. We have created the best practices and workflow procedures to keep a business owners focus on their company and not on the technology.
Through the mentorship of our fellow business owners and the support of our community, Raptor IT Solutions has been able to thrive and grow. We recognize without their support and trust in us and our company, we would not be where we are today.
Now that our business has firmly established itself, we devote our time to our sons while also striving to make a positive impact in our vibrant community and among fellow business owners.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. In the beginning, figuring out how to reach out to businesses and gain their business was a struggle. Our brand was not well known, and asking someone to trust in a brand-new company was difficult.
Our first few clients were people that had known us and took a chance on Raptor IT Solutions. From there, we began growing by word of mouth and referrals. The slow burn that I mentioned before began. I began networking and joined a few local chambers early on. I didn’t see much growth initially, but I found the more I became involved in the community, the more Raptor started to be recognized and respected.
Once Renesa came on fully, she dedicated a lot of time into our Brand Awareness and Social Media presence. A combination of that and the two of us being heavily involved in the community has provided the perfect environment for our company to grow at a faster pace.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Raptor IT Solutions was established to provide professional IT Support for small to medium-sized businesses. With technology constantly evolving, it can be difficult for small businesses to stay on top of their IT infrastructure. By providing IT Consulting, we can help you resolve your issues before they become a high priority. We have created the best practices and workflow procedures to keep your focus on your company and not on your technology. While providing 24/7 helpdesk support, you can sleep well at night knowing that you are always covered. From your servers, networking equipment, computers, and mobile devices, we provide end-to-end solutions for all your technology needs.
Our Services Include:
Managed IT
Protect your infrastructure with 24/7/365 proactive monitoring and maintenance for your company. We support your existing infrastructure.
Data Backup & Recovery
We provide solutions to ensure your data is backed up and recoverable when you need it most. Backups should be local and in the cloud. These are checked daily and audited frequently to ensure your data is backed up properly and recoverable.
IT Consulting
We will work with you to provide your business with the appropriate IT solutions that fit your company’s needs.
VoIP Phones
Protect your infrastructure with 24/7/365 proactive monitoring and maintenance for your company. We support your existing infrastructure.
Cyber Security and Compliance
Ensure your company is protected from the latest and greatest cybersecurity threats. We use the industry’s best practices to prevent your computers, data, and network from being compromised.
Cloud IT
Cloud IT is the future; we can provide you with solutions that will keep you in front of technology and not behind it.
We also do all of our own networking projects in-house. From a business needing a simple network drop to building out their whole IT infrastructure, we can handle it all.
What are your plans for the future?
Right now, our plan is to focus on growing our team. Building a solid team around Raptor IT Solutions is a big priority for us as our growth rate has sped up the last 12 months. Anytime we bring a technician on, our hope is always that they want to stay and grow with us long-term. We are a family-owned and operated company, and we treat our employees like family, always trying to put a good work/life balance first. Since starting the company, one of our main objectives was always to keep focus on how important family is and make sure that is reflected in how we run our company.
Our hope is that Raptor IT Solutions can get to a point one day where my wife and I can work at more of a higher level and get out of the weeds so that we can continue to grow our company and our team.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://raptor.solutions/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raptorsolutions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaptorSolutionsIT
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@raptorit
Image Credits
Emily Jacks Photography
