About Tech Next Door

The Internet has changed our world drastically in a short period of time.

  • You want to be a part of it. 
  • You want to stay connected with family and friends.
  • You don't want to be left in the dust of the Internet Super-Highway.
  • You want to do practical and productive things with technology.
  • And you want to do so with confidence…


But there is one thing that  gets in the way: Fear

  • Fear that your computer (or tablet or phone) is not working properly
  • Fear that you already have a virus or fear of getting one
  • Fear of embarrassment by making a mistake
  • Fear of doing something that will break your computer (or tablet or phone)


The Tech Next Door mission is to take away that fear by resolving your computer problems and providing learning that gives you confidence to use your technology.

So, Tech Next Door was built on the foundation of a few core beliefs…

  • We protect the vulnerable - We do everything we can to make sure you do not get hacked, scammed, infected or taken advantage of.
  • We are friendly, patient techs who are experts in their fields - We not only fix your problems, we help you use and feel confident with your technology.
  • We provide top notch customer service - Need same day, evening or weekend service? No problem. Book online if you like… or call and speak to a friendly human to help you book. Expect the finest courtesy and kindness from your tech.

About Joel LaRusic

My name is Joel LaRusic and I am the founder of Tech Next Door. I am also the original tech and continue to do technical jobs as my schedule permits.

I have always enjoyed being self employed. After college I started cutting grass on evenings and weekends and before I knew it I was running my first very own company, Dirty Deeds Landscaping, full time!

For 10 years we maintained many lawns and gardens in and around Vancouver. At it's peak we had 3 crews going and we were among the first to bring revolutionary new services to the Lower Mainland such as lawn renovations using slit seeding technology.

During my ten year tenure I put everything I learned about running my business into a book which was published by Self-Counsel Press.

Landscaping... been there, done that, wrote the book!

In 2000 I sold my landscaping company and went back to school for 5 months of intensive IT training. It was enough to get my foot in the door of IT and I had found a new passion. Troubleshooting and providing IT support was something that challenged me and gave me much satisfaction as well. I spent 5 years working for a company doing advanced tech support and then I felt it was time to do my own thing again.

In 2005 I started, again on evenings and weekends, providing tech support to friends, family and a few customers as The Computer Guy. I made the commitment and quit my job and was doing it full time within a few months. There were a few lean years in there but I persevered and was able to provide a living for myself.

One day I was looking for ways to grow my business and I happened upon Computer Troubleshooters. They were a franchise and I liked their model so much that I bought a franchise. For the next 8 years I operated Computer Troubleshooters - North Shore and for much of that time operated a repair shop on Mountain Highway in North Vancouver.

The franchise served its purpose but after so long it was not providing any value so I decided to re-brand again and became Crucial Tech in 2015. I gave up the shop so I could focus on doing onsite visits which is what I enjoyed most.

At around the same time I started thinking about how I could reinvent in-home and in-business IT support. I saw areas that needed improvement and wanted to bring to market a model that provided faster professional service and a stronger focus on security. I also wanted to find a way to make it easier for people like me, who love providing IT support, to do their own thing and be self-employed. After many months of planning, Tech Next Door was born.

By using a pool of qualified and independent techs we can offer fast service... even same day. Evening and weekend calls are also no problem. As well, all of our techs are trained with an emphasis on security. For the techs, we provide an umbrella from which they can grown their business. Recalling how difficult it was for those first few years starting my tech support business, I wanted to find a way to make that easier. So, we look after the most challenging parts... the marketing and much of the administration. We are happy to say that Vancouver techs love this model and as of this writing we have 15 techs who are ready to go to work!

We sincerely hope we can provide honest, fast and professional IT services in the Vancouver area and beyond for many, many years to come.