Nomad Internet and Jaden Garza: How a Problem-Solver Built an Empire
What is the life of a digital nomad? People who roam from place to place aren’t always looking for anything in particular, sometimes they’re just exploring for the sake of exploration. However, just because they can pack up and leave at any time, doesn’t mean they have everything they need, no matter where they are. Those in rural areas often lack one of the most basic necessities of the modern world — a strong internet connection.
Jaden Garza and his wife Jessica started their business with a simple goal: they wanted people in RV parks in Texas to have access to their devices. This simple, straightforward business model launched the beginning of Nomad Internet. Since then, the company has amassed tens of thousands of customers in their home state, and it’s established a strong reputation for quality, affordable service. For any entrepreneur or small business who wants to draw on the lessons of Nomad, there are plenty to be found.
2017 in Johnson City
In 2017, Jaden Garza was aware of the discrepancy between Wi-Fi in the country and Wi-Fi in the city. As as easy as it was to hop and off a device in the center of town, the experience in a location like an RV park was the exact opposite. He may not have had a Ph.D. in computer science, but he knew that there were solutions out there. Instead of demanding that RV park owners take action, he took the answer to them. This was a win-win for both parties at the time: business owners could charge a little more for their site thanks to the improved Wi-Fi and the Garzas got their foot in the door of the industry.
Jaden Garza’s first professional job was in Johnson City, at an RV park that already had Wi-Fi. The goal was to improve bandwidth, enough so people could simultaneously operate multiple devices. The Garzas were successful enough on this project to move their services to Seguin, TX, where they encountered a different kind of park.
For a company that offers Wi-Fi services to digital nomads, the founders understood there were plenty of people who lived in rural areas who were there to stay. A full-time RV park is home to residents for the duration, not just for a night or two as they criss-cross the country. (This is not to say that travelers don’t require the internet, only that the two types of customers have separate sets of expectations.)
Garza knew that there was less leeway for failure in Seguin, particularly when parents and professionals alike were counting on reliable Wi-Fi. After the installation, the bandwidth improved by 40 megabytes per second, which was a relief to anyone in the park who wanted to access anything from healthcare portals to school schedules. This job taught Jaden Garza a lot about how to scale his ideas to fit the park. A common problem with most startups, Garza had to tailor his approach based on both the size and the needs of the locale. He had to know what the residents were looking for, what the owner’s goals were, and how he could fit his services into their expectations.
The Power of Word of Mouth
Jaden Garza started small, but he was able to get some traction going by being creative enough to be flexible. It’s no wonder that when the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) found themselves in need of Wi-Fi for their RV park in San Jacinto, they called Garza to see if there was anything he could do. It’s important to note that GSA didn’t contact Jaden immediately, the organization only got in touch with him after hearing quotes from other vendors. After one said it would be six-figures for the installation, GSA thought they’d contact a few more providers.
It’s a good thing they did get in touch with Garza, because he was able to negotiate a killer deal. He decided that LTE, a technology that wasn’t nearly as popular today as it was back then, would be a smart way to outfit the park without crushing the Girl Scouts’ budget. He chose BaiCells Technology to purchase the equipment from, which included an LTE kit and base station. Thanks to his excellent negotiation skills, he made a difference not just to the girls who would use the park, but also to the future of his business.
Changing Audiences
Garza spent much of the next two years building a customer base and learning the ropes of entrepreneurship. He tackled it all with a fearless attitude, whether it was a question of how to spend his limited resources or how much to charge his customers. He was steadfast during this time period and continued to work with RV park owners to improve their facilities.
By 2020, though, he decided that it might make sense for Nomad Internet to cater to consumers directly, rather than working with business owners. It turned out to be fortuitous timing. Garza might not have been able to predict the pandemic during this time period, but he did know the necessity of this basic utility was only growing. By the time people knew what COVID-19 was, he was on the precipice of serious growth.
Doubling Numbers
Since the park in San Jacinto, Garza has continued to use LTE services to bring up to unlimited internet in rural areas. Affordable and reliable, this approach was far more practical than fiber lines for the majority of customers. It wasn’t long before Garza started to grow his company with additional staff.
By 2020, the company had 10,000 customers (doubling quickly from 5,000). They were able to move from shared office space to their own private offices. Once they’d made the transition, the employees of Nomad Internet wasted no time personalizing their offices — a fact that speaks to the culture of the company and the commitment of the staff. People who work for Garza are invested in what they’re doing, particularly as they saw so much of the world move online.
By June of 2021, Nomad Internet had built their base to 20,000 customers. This was driven in part by the pandemic, but also in part due to the ingenious marketing for the company. The referral plan was a generous one, and it gave customers a reason to sing the company’s praises besides steady service. By offering a month’s worth of free internet for free for every successful installation and a lifetime of free service after 5 successful referrals, the company gained plenty of traction. Jaden Garza was thrilled to move his business from the private offices he had to a stand-alone building on 10 acres.
Outside Recognition, Culture, and Community
By April of 2022, the company received an endorsement from CNET, a trusted consumer organization known for being upfront about their audience’s options. When it came to getting internet in rural areas, CNET recommended Nomad for its rates, reliability, and professionalism. Reviewers gave people the straight facts about how to access the internet even if they were located far from a city center, and the reviewers made sure to single out Nomad after all the success it had enjoyed in the state. By trying to accommodate people from all backgrounds, they were able to offer a high-demand utility at a price people could swallow.
From the beginning, Garza was thinking about how he could help other people. This is truly the mark of all great entrepreneurs, as those who want to solve a problem will go further than those who simply want to make money. Now that he has the space and the land to spread out, he’s encouraging his staff to have the same mindset. He wants people to get outside and enjoy the sun and the greenspaces that surround the building. It’s an inspirational place to work, one where people feel free to speak up. His strategy has led to a community of people who are all out to give back to their state.
About Jaden Garza
Jaden Garza is a business owner and the feature founder of Nomad Internet. His success stemmed from not only understanding a changing technological landscape in his home state, but also his ability to leverage available resources to answer a basic modern question: How can people access the internet even in rural areas?