Nikolai Hansome

Resident Since: 2009-09-15 (16 years, 6 months ago)

The Beginning

As a DJ instructor at Premiere DJ Academy, I often found myself tasked with upselling our clients. However, one item I never pitched was the streaming service we offered at our location. My decision was driven by the service's quality and price. I firmly believed that broadcasters deserved excellent support coupled with a reliable, affordable service.

The Cool Factor

While instructing new DJs, I was simultaneously acquiring the knowledge needed to set up a server and stream for my personal use while DJing. I must admit, it felt pretty good showing up to clubs and, when the managers asked me for my land URL, I confidently replied, "nikoiscool.de."

The Birth of an Idea

Over time, the knowledge I acquired gave me the confidence that I could offer streaming services to other entertainers like myself. A streaming service for entertainers, by an entertainer. "This service should have a name, right? Yeah, well. What are you going to name it?"

Location, Location, Location

My wife and I owned a homestead where she ran her home decor store, Pixel Creations, and I had a small corner where I was running a free-to-the-public movie theater. My wife was kind enough to allow me to parcel off a tiny piece of land from hers to set up a small shop. It was time to put on our construction hats!

Am I a Stalker?

A few days passed after the completion of the construction job, and I was flying around the sim as I normally do. Suddenly, that lovely green dot appeared on my minimap. Not only did it show up on the sim, but it also showed up on my parcel! My wife and I, both being new to SL business, would get excited when new patrons came across our sim. And this being my first customer, oh, the pressure was on! I immediately stopped flying and started to position my camera on this avatar and zoom in.

A Closer Look

Mere seconds later, from a perfect 45-degree viewing angle from inside my building, I witnessed this pink cloud floating casually into my newly established business. "Should I go over there? Nah, you'll look like a stalker. But it will look like I'm rude. Well, or AFK. (L$ Transaction) What do I do? Yeah, you're a stalker."

Casual Encounters

I must admit, I was a bit nervous. Even after reading countless documents on the operating system and software, I still wasn't sure if I would have all the answers the customer might ask. Finally, I just told myself, "It doesn't matter, because you'll look up and try to find a solution."

It was this first encounter over ten years ago that drove me to constantly seek improvements in service and tech advances, from operating single rental boxes to a fully automated system. So, the staff doesn't need to spend their time changing out notecards. Instead, they can focus 100 percent on support.

I've been blessed by my loving wife and a great supporting staff consisting of family, friends, and customers. Together, we built iShout, and I strive to continue to look for improvements to iShout's operations, both in service and tech.

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