An empty laundry building in the middle of a field may seem an unusual place to start a business, particularly one that prides itself on being at the forefront of technology.
But over more than five decades Roy Snelling has overseen the remarkable transformation of Snellings to become what is today a thriving multimillion pound television and technology company and a Norfolk institution.
Mr Snelling, now 85 and in failing health, stood down as chairman at the Blofield Heath company in January, 55 years after founding it in 1954, the year before television reached Norfolk.
And he said putting customers' needs before money had made the company what it is today.
Born in bungalow 100 metres from the Laundry Lane business in the 1920s, Mr Snelling left school at 14 to become an apprentice at former radio wholesaler Flinders at Hay Hill in Norwich, repairing radios.
But soon after, his manager was called up to military service following the outbreak of the Second World War and the teenager was left on his own in the company's servicing division, and he was forced to teach himself the trade from books.
Then in 1943 Mr Snelling was himself drafted, undergoing army training before being posted with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, training radio machinists across the country.
But after returning to Flinders as an engineer when the war ended, a story in the EDP's sister paper, the Eastern Evening News (now Norwich Evening News) was to spark an idea with far reaching consequences.
Mr Snelling said: "I used to walk around the centre of Norwich during my lunch hour, and one day I walked by Davey Place and there was an old boy selling newspapers, and he had a billboard up saying 'television comes to Norwich next year'.
"I thought if I'm going to do anything about that I have to do it now. I decided then to go on my own."
With money from his military service and from selling his motorbike, Mr Snelling managed to scrape together £1,000, and began his search for a shop to trade from.
Unable to find anything to meet his needs, for a shop downstairs and upper floor for servicing, he found out a laundry at the bottom of a track near his parents' Blofield Heath home was up for sale.
Then in the middle of a field, he bought the building for £400, an unlikely site but one that has served the company ever since.
After renovating the building, he began fixing radios immediately before the long awaited arrival of television in Norfolk on February 1, 1955.
"In those days no one had ever seen a television before," he said. "I used to get a set warmed up, which took five minutes in those days. I used to stand behind and watch people's faces when the picture came. They had looks of disbelief.
"My main interest was in servicing, not selling. It was just accidental that I got into selling, which was mainly through recommendation.
"Not many people could afford televisions. The wages then were about £5 a week and the cheapest television was about £80. No one had spare cash, not on £5 a week."
Despite the relatively slow start of television, Mr Snelling was kept busy by the constant stream of problems with the early sets.
"Every set used to go wrong three to four times a year, so I was very busy," he said. "I used to go round with a set of valves to replace the ones that were worn out.
"Everything was in a terrible state then compared to what you see today. The mains voltage used to go up and down, especially when everyone turned their cookers on at about 5pm."
Living with his parents, the business took up nearly all Mr Snelling's waking hours, and he ploughed the money earned back into the company.
"I didn't get married until I was 40 because I didn't have any money," he said. "Every penny was spent on the business. I didn't have a day off for 10 years and worked every weekend, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
"It was the technical aspects of it I loved. Everything was a challenge.
"When I was on my own at Flinders, people used to bring radios in from all over Europe for me to fix. They thought I was clever. I wasn't clever, I just couldn't leave until I had done it."
While a technical expert in his earlier days, as television and radio technology progressed and the company grew Mr Snelling handed on responsibility for repairs to younger members of staff.
About 20 years ago, following the death of his first wife Sheila, a phone call further increased Mr Snelling's determination to keep the business going.
"A couple of days after my wife died I got a phone call from someone offering a lot of money for the business, with no worries, everything taken care of.
"I was so devastated I said there and then I would never sell it.
"All they would have done was shut it down and turn it into a pig farm or something.
"I had spent all my life, and she had as well, seeing customers and looking after them. Money was never a worry to me. I have always lived in a little bungalow, with no big possessions and I have had the same car for 15 years."
Five years ago a new division, Snellings Business Systems, was launched in a new building on the same lane, designing, building and installing audio visual and communication systems in businesses, education and public sector organisations.
In a recent coup the company was appointed to install Europe's Largest Digital Media Gallery, a prestigious project which gained 'Highly Commended' Status at the AV awards.
But Mr Snelling retained an active role in the company into his mid-80s before finally standing down as chairman in January.
John Drake, former chief executive of Norwich YMCA, took up the role as chairman, with car business owner Richard Nash non-executive director.
With a turnover of about £4m a year and 40+ staff, the former laundry building is now a very different place than in 1954, with the walls lined with the latest flat panel LCD and plasma screens and home cinema systems, from quality brands including Panasonic, Sony, Loewe, JVC and Miele.
And while he has never found the time to watch television, he said the improvements in technology were astounding.
He said: "It's impossible not to be impressed with the natural evolution of the television. It's fashion as well. People now want a slim screen. If the picture is no better than the others it is just fashion."
While the technology and business had both changed dramatically since the early years, Mr Snelling said many of the original principles and practices which had shaped the business continued today.
He said: "One of the main things is honesty, I think. We don't pay a commission to our salesmen, they don't get paid to sell.
"They sell what the customer wants, there is no sharp practice like selling add-ons you don't need, like a Scart lead for £100.
"We gain nothing by selling the customer something they don't want.
"I am very pleased with how the business is today. It couldn't be any better really."
He said keeping customers happy had always been "far more important than making any money", adding: "That is lacking a lot now. You have only got to look at the banks. That is all about money. What do people do with £20m?"
Underlining the company's commitment to its customers, Mr Snelling has also launched a charitable trust, through which some of the profits from the company will be donated to local charities, overseen by the company's new chairman.
And as a lesson learnt from more than seven decades in the industry, Mr Snelling said one vital piece of advice was to "pick the right time" to start in business.
He added: "I was there before television started thanks to the article in the Eastern Evening News, and I got it dead right."