If you want to be the guy people in your city call when they have a computer problem there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. First and foremost you have to ask yourself am I ready to take on this role? Do I have the right tools? Have built up the right skills set to meet the demands of customers? And perhaps the most important question if you want to do it full time is, do I have the financing? In this article I am going to address these questions to help you get started. Let’s start with the most important of these questions.
Do I have the financing?
I started my computer repair services with about $500 back in 2006 from my dorm room. Obviously living in a dorm room paid for by scholarships and grants cut my expenses even more. My biggest expense was and still is gas.
Why? Not just because gas is expensive but I do onsite repairs. I go into people’s houses and businesses and perform most of my services there. On really slow units I take with me to cut opportunity cost. Having a commercial office is important but a home office gets the job done as well.
The key is cutting your expenses as much as possible. With less money going out the more you get to keep and before you know it what starting out as a hobby becomes very profitable.
The clients pay for the software so you don’t need to buy volume licenses but I did just to be able to offer them a discount rate. Licenses is another expense to worry about but one that pays off in the long run.
As far as tools are concerned, being knowledgeable is your greatest tool. I write more about needed tools that will make your job a lot easier. The bottom line is, you don’t need much to be the local computer repair guy. You need your brain, some hands on experience if possible, lots of patients and courtesy and you will do just fine.
Am I ready to take on this role?
If you love computers and don’t mind tackling issues and trouble shooting them then you are a step ahead of the crowed. Depending on your town it could start out slow so you will have time to adjust or it could kick off right away. The only way to be sure regardless of what happens if you want to be “the guy or gal” is to be organized. When you are organized things move a lot smoother even if they catch you off guard.
Do I have the right tools?
If you have a deep knowledge of computers then you have the most important tool of all. But that’s not all. You will have to have both component oriented tools such as screw drivers, thermal compound, power supply etc handy. On the footer of this page the tools section will aid you along with future articles. Staying informed is important.
As far as building up the right skills, will you start a business you know nothing about?