If you’re a gamer, there’s a decent chance you’ve got gear made by Alienware. But did you know? It was started in a garage on the outskirts of Miami by a group of first generation Cuban Americans, none of whom had tech experience or fancy diplomas from prestigious colleges. Back in the 1990s, if you wanted a really fast PC, you had to build it yourself. The problem? Most people didn’t know how. So Nelson Gonzales and Frank Azor decided to start a business doing just that. And they targeted gamers. The major PC makers didn’t even care about gamers. Nelson and Frank started taking out small ads in computer magazines offering their services, and soon the orders started to come in. By the early 2, Alienware became the leading PC maker for gamers, beating out Dell, HP and Compaq. And unlike the big guys, Alienware offered all kinds of customizations, even different colored PCs. Just 10 years after launching Alienware, the brand was acquired by none other than and Dell computers. And today it’s one of the leading gaming PCs in the world. All started in a garage in Miami by a group of guys with no contacts, no money and no advantages. Just a really big dream. To find out how Nelson and Frank turned a garage brand into a global brand, check out my interview with them on my podcast, how I built this. We’ll stick a link in the bio.