About the business: The company, which has five employees, installs TVs above urinals in men’s restrooms and in vanity mirrors of women’s restrooms in restaurants. The channel plays advertisements along with the restaurant menu, specials and events. About 100 LCD screens are in operation across the area.
Owners: Michael Quijas and Zach Lund
Owners’ roles: “My responsibilities have me overseeing new construction, sales and research and development,” Quijas said. “Zach helps facilitate a smooth-running back office, takes care of the financials of the company and helps plan the strategy.”
How long did it take you to start your business:
“I started my business in April 2005. It was called In Ad Advertising. My business was putting plastic billboards on grocery carts. I sat for weeks waiting for the green light from a grocery store chain. My downtime felt like an eternity. So I started exploring new ideas and came up with the TV idea. I shifted gears (that fall) and put the grocery cart project on the back burner.“I realized that restaurant owners were more likely to let me install digital screens in their restrooms compared to the old worn-out poster boards that indoor billboard companies commonly use. I found a new business off the old business. Fuel American Made Bar & Grill and Raoul’s Velvet Room at 119th and Metcalf (in Overland Park) were the first two restaurants to participate.”
How did you come up with this idea?
“I was involved in the indoor advertising industry in San Diego. This is where a company puts a sign on the back of a restroom stall door or above the urinals.“When I was at Best Buy one afternoon, I was observing all the TVs on display when something hit me. The screens all had the same thing playing. This piqued my curiosity. So I asked the clerk how something like this is made possible. The clerk took me to the video switch and showed me how it all worked. That was the afternoon that my wheels started turning.”
What challenges have you faced?
“The sacrifice my family made for this dream was substantial. We couldn’t always afford to do the things that other families were doing. I’m embarrassed, but my health insurance lapsed more than a couple of times for lack of payment. Two months after re-enrolling, my 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia.“Appointments, sales and deadlines totally got lost. They didn’t matter. But the bills would continue to come. I knew I had to come up with a system that could have me juggle my day shift at Children’s Mercy Hospital with my daughter and somehow include time for business. My wife did nights at CMH, and I took over the days. I set up an office out of CMH. I worked in the room, in the hall, in the cafeteria. This helped me get back into the swing of things without leaving the most important girl in my life alone.”
How did this challenge affect you and your business?
“It has given me great appreciation for people, families and life. I am more aware of the fact that I have no idea what anyone is going through. I don’t know if someone is crashing financially; I don’t know if the guy driving slowly is on his way to sit next to his sick kid. All I know is that business and personal matters do connect. If you are lacking on the business side, it can affect your family. If you are unhappy at home, it can affect your work.”
What advice would you give to someone starting a business?
“Believe in yourself. Take each mistake as a lesson. Remember that the road will curve from time to time, and it can also get bumpy. I have learned that each obstacle or adverse situation has made me grow and has delivered me to where I am.”
Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell, special to The Star
