Computer business

[meltdown75]

Hello everyone.

I was wondering if anyone else here has ever been involved in small business ventures such as computer repairs. I live in a relatively small community and have offered my services to home PC users in the local vicinity. Can anyone share with me the pros and cons of such an undertaking, and any general tips you may have?

So far my customer volume has been extremely light. Also since I'm just starting out, I don't really have any fixed rates ie. how much to charge for a house call or a specific job. I'd also appreciate it if anyone could direct me to a good FAQ etc, although I prefer the opinions here. Thanks

 

[AdamSnow]

I live in a small town of about 700 people... and unfortunatly, with my father being the fire chief the entire town knows who I am...

I have never had to advertise my computer work, etc... but people are always calling me... and that is why I disliked doing it in a small town environment with no actual "business". People feel that they can call you 24 hours a day... no matter what day. Sunday doesnt matter to most people. They want their day off but dont want to provide anyone else with one...

People also dont expect to pay normal prices when they have you come to their house to fix their computer, or when you have them drop it off and you fix it at your place. Sure, they would feel fine driving an hour and paying a store $100 to fix their machine... but when they come to pick it up for me they get angry that I want $50 to do the job even though it's probably done better, and was certinly done faster then it would have been done at the store...

Just small stuff like that makes it not worth it... but, the money can be good and if I am ever in a need for cash I can just let people know I'm free for a week and I get $200-300 extra per week just doing computer stuff...

It has it's good points and its bad points... just like everything else.

 

[meltdown75]

Hey wow, you're from Chatham. I live near Belle River but I am originally from the Comber/Tilbury area. Of course, I work in Windsor. so i'm all over SWO.

Thanks for responding - that is one thing I am afraid of - getting sorta "popular" in the repair business, and getting more than I bargained for. My 8-4 is my bread & butter, I am just looking for some extra cash without having to apply at the local Rogers Video or gas station. Something where I am actually enjoying myself is much preferred.

 

[dquan97]

I advertise by referral alone and charge a flat $30/hr for friends/acquaintances (or exchange favors)

 

[apac]

Yesterday 2 of my friends stopped by to "say hello" ...on a cold, snowy night. It didn't take long for them to pipe up and tell me their computer problems. On the plus side, they're making me lasagna on friday so I'll come over and fix them .

 

[SagaLore]

I tried it before, and that was before Dell and Gateway took over the market.

ADVERTISE. Gain customer loyalty. Target small businesses, they are able to pay more and more often for the work because it's cheaper than highering internal I.T. Don't open up a shop, just get a van or suv and put your name/logo on it and keep that stocked with your supplies.

I generally charged $48 per visit, while other businesses were charging $59 per hour.

Sell parts, but don't build computers. It is not worth it. At first you'll make a little money but once you add up warranty repairs (time to fix and extra cost if it can't be rma'd), you're losing money. That usually happens within the 2nd year of the warranty and problems all at once will bankrupt you.

Until you have a large client base, you could fill in the extra time by contracting your services to Dell - they'll send you a part and phone/location, you just contact the customer and make a quick trip that lasts about 20 minutes.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: dquan97
I advertise by referral alone and charge a flat $30/hr for friends/acquaintances (or exchange favors)

Especially if your "friends" are HOT.

I was actually thinking of doing this same thing since I have a lot of free time. Of course I do tech support as my day job too but it doesn't bother me. Being Dell Certified is nice as well since so many people have them these days and I can order parts myself.

But as for what to charge and how to work call backs and things like that, I have no idea. I don't want to have people calling me to ask questions or anything like that. I'm thinking about just offering specific services like setting up a home network (wired or wireless), spyway removal, etc. I don't want to deal with any hardware problem someone might have just because they installed the wrong drivers or spilled soda in their box.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior

Originally posted by: dquan97
I advertise by referral alone and charge a flat $30/hr for friends/acquaintances (or exchange favors)

Especially if your "friends" are HOT.

Are you refering to the exchange of favors, or the $30 per hour?

 

[AdamSnow]

Nice man... I actually live in "Bothwell" but work at Duke Energy/Union Gas in Chatham...

My girlfriend lives in Windsor... where are you working at ?

We have a few tech jobs open here at Duke Energy right now... send me a PM if you are interested...

 

[meltdown75]

Nice. I work downtown on Ouellette Ave in an office. I'm in property assessment. The job has enabled me to develop excellent customer service skills... working with the (not always happy) public for 5+ years.

A friend of mine just left here to work at Duke Energy. His name is Kevin. I'll PM you for sure. Thanks

Any other opinions & experiences on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all

 

[acemcmac]

I do it for alcohol. Word of mouth does me well

 

[SchrodingersDog]

I started doing it around town for extra money and soon had to start refusing work. Referalls are the way to go. Anyone who is clueless about their computer know a few people that like them are clueless. I charge $20/hr with a $40 minimum, but that $20/hr doesn't kick in very often unless it's a small business job and I'm setting up a new office or something. Contracting will Dell works the same most times with any local computer stores you have in the area. If you're not getting enough business it couldn't hurt to call around all the shops and ask them if you could work on-call, holidays, or go to areas or do things the regular employees don't do.

 

[meltdown75]

Just as a side note to anyone that was viewing this thread...

I found a nice site with some extremely insightful book excerpts, and as far as sites primarily made to sell the book, this one was excellent. If you are interested in the topic, it is highly recommended that you check out this link:

Starting a Computer Business - book excerpts

A lot of it talks about computer busineses on a larger scale (retail operations etc) but there are some nice tips and anecdotes for the home-based 'little guy' as well. Enjoy