Topic: Thinking about starting my own computer repair business- need advice

[JAG]

Speaking of business cards this guy is wayyyy over the top. But I can see how his business cards are effective.

[sangyo soichiro]

Speaking of business cards this guy is wayyyy over the top. But I can see how his business cards are effective.

I actually like it.  I want to give that guy money.

[JAG]

Image IS everything. From my experience, 90% of sales that I've encountered is that actual act of selling not the product but yourself... people are pleased not by the product their buying but the person they're buying it from. And the differences between good sells and bad are confidence. I've seen people stumble over there words. Fidgeting . Leaning on things.  Jiggle change in their pockets. I've seen all things of what not to do.  

I know not only am I selling my service Im selling myself.

[gregimotis]

I have been in that business both for myself and with two companies so here is my .02:

Set customer expectations - If your installing parts, tell them there could be problems with drivers; if their machines are old, warn them of the hazards of working on old busted crap; ask if they keep backups, etc.

Set a minimum fee, and charge that in advance.  This does two things, it gets you paid and it proves they have money - if they can't come up with 30.00 now, how are they going to come up with 130.00 later today?

Carry copies of anti-virus and anti-spyware/security software.  Mark it up like 50% or more and sell it to anyone who doesn't have it.  Same with backup software, an external drives.  A surprising number of people will buy stuff just because you say they should.  You don't have to be dishonest, you just have to say 'you need anti-virus software or this is going to happen again next week.'

Don't be afraid to refuse business.  This sounds funny, but you don't want to work for the guy with twelve win98v1 computers and a dot matrix printer - either he's broke, or he doesn't believe in paying for things, same difference to you.

Get a part time job.  You can always quit when things get moving.

[GammaFlat]

I'm a one-man business (graphic design) and have been staying afloat for the past few years. My advice would be:

• Get good-quality business cards. If you can't afford to pay a graphic designer, find a family member or friend who has decent taste to do it for you. Print them on heavy, matte paper stock. Nothing says "fly by night" like a cheap, thin, glossy business card.
• Count on 1 out of 20 clients screwing you out of the money they owe you. It makes it easier to take when someone does refuse to pay. To help keep the damage to a minimum, I invoice at the end of the first job, or after the first four hours of work. If they have a hard time paying the small invoices, they're not likely to pay the big ones.
• Be a little more cocky than you think you should be and charge a little more money than you think you should.
• Try marketing yourself as something a little different. Be memorable. Weird briefcase, funny hat, whatever. It's competitive out there and a little eccentricity is expected from small business owners, especially computer guys...it adds to the mystique. People love to brag about what a weirdo genius their "guy" is.
• Never say "no", even if you're not sure you can fix it. Either you'll figure it out or pay someone else to show you how.
• Once you're irreplaceable, they won't even think about calling anyone else.
• Be careful who you take advice from. None of us really know what we're talking about.  
• Just start doing it and worry about the planning and details later. You'll figure it out as you go.

I like what Jinx has to say (a lot).  

I've done computer consulting and I'll jump into details a little.  

At a minimum, buy a few spare power supplies (500 watt).  They are 30 bucks at www.tigerdirect.com.  That's over a hundred bucks for that service call and you can get it done in 20 minutes.  Power supplies fail more than anything and they are very easy to replace but look (to the observing customer) like major surgery.  I also have a power supply tester (20 bucks I think).  Later you may want memory, hard drives and computers on hand.  

You will run into many scenarios where the machine you are looking at is old, tired, the small drive is full and it doesn't have enough memory yet the customer would like you to fix it.  Tell them you will make it right!  But!!!!  have a new basic spare machine on hand and tell them it is a loaner with option to buy while you fix theirs.  7 out of 10 times, they'll buy the "loaner" when you call them the next day (if they don't call you).  Computers are friggin' cheap.  

Insist that customers use good backup strategies like Mozy (this is such a no-brainer and buys so much peace of mind).  Many of your customers will be facing data loss the first time your meet them.  Tell them you'll set them up so it never happens again.  Data recovery is usually possible.  With a dead clicking drive you can usually get the data off for between three hundred and a couple thousand bucks.  With a widely variable recovery price some will opt for recovery, some not.  Depends on the importance of the data.  

Also insist on good protection in other ways... virus protection (I've always opted for free stuff with excellent results), anti-spyware and if you get close with the client, establish the ability to remote into their machines and agree that you'll perform regular maintenance through that channel (for a fee).  

If you become intimate with certain types of business like property management, physicians offices, etc., you may want to start calling that one of your specialties and sell to target markets.  

When you impress the snot out of someone, word travels.  Your reputation is absolutely key.  When you get your first phone call that is a reference from another customer, you'll suddenly start to understand that.  For this reason, always be circumspect about what you say in front of a customer.  Never say anything like, "I'm not sure what's wrong".  All of your actions and all of your words are on showcase at the customer site.  Be all business all the time and do not dawdle.  

Good luck - you will do well.  

[gregimotis]

You will run into many scenarios where the machine you are looking at is old, tired, the small drive is full and it doesn't have enough memory yet the customer would like you to fix it.  Tell them you will make it right!  But!!!!  have a new basic spare machine on hand and tell them it is a loaner with option to buy while you fix theirs.  7 out of 10 times, they'll buy the "loaner" when you call them the next day (if they don't call you).  Computers are friggin' cheap.   

Hey that's a good idea.



Also, don't work on anything without backing it up.  Even if just copying their 'my docs, desktop, and email' files (for the love of god, never lose sombody's email and never see the pictures of thier wife).  If you were working on thier machine within a week of it failing, they will blame you.


I believe, based on real experience, that there is money to be made with this.  I believe the trick is covering your bases so you don't take too many baths (back up, get money in advance, recognize an impossible job from the outset, cross-sell other products at well marked-up prices).
The other trick is hustling up business.  You're a businessman first and a technician second.

[Trevor from Warragul]

Put up flyers at retirement villages.

In an awful lot of instances retirees have:

(1)  Kids & Grandkids who want them to become computer savvy (e.g. e-mail, facebook, etc)

(2)  Money to spare

(3)  Minimal computer skills

Trevor

[Cqyqte]

I have a computer repair/service business "LAN House Calls" where LAN stands for Local Area Nerd.  It's a part time business now with just a few key customers.  It was booming for a while a couple of years back, but I pulled the plug, because I couldn't stand the hours.  90% of the work is performed between the hours of 5:00 pm and Midnight, and on weekends.  Most people work and want to be there when you perform your magic, so that means they call you when they're not working which is evenings.  

Some will buy into you taking their PC home to work on the bench, but most not.  The biggest frustration is that the porn mongers don't listen or understand.  You clean their machines, give it back to them with virus and spyware cleaners loaded and they ignore your warnings, click OK to every popup and then call you and tell you that you didn't fix the machine 'cause it's still freezing up!   I've even clean their machine, demonstrated that it works fast and stable, gone to their favorite chicken choker site, allowed the popups to appear and let them tell me how they deal with them and showed them the out come.  Cleaned the machine again and then showed them how to prevent getting suckered again, BUT nope they just got to click okay just incase it opens the door to the porn motherload.

I usually walk away from them after they refuse to pay for the service.  So now I have a few key corporate customers that need me to deal with day to day issues, a guaranteed cash flow to support my hobbies.  That's my warning to you, best of luck I hope you make a go of it.

[Blasbo]

+1 on looking at small businesses as clients. My wife works at a place that does that. The thing that impresses her with a tech are the ability to get a problem fixed in a timely manner, friendliness, taking time to explain the problem in terms she can understand and professionalism. There are lots of people with great tech skills but no personal skills.
As far as certifications I don't think they are necessary, but they are a plus. Reputation counts for more than anything.
Look at remote desktop software, logmein, gotomypc, bomgar. Instead of traveling to a client just remote in to the machine when you are able to.
Also look at being able to do cabling, termination, etc. plus server administration and set up.
I'd also look at Ubuntu and Open Office where applicable. Can't beat the price.
Good luck with it. I hope it works out for you. 

[GammaFlat]

I am a huge fan of OpenOffice and Ubuntu (and any of the the high quality free software).  You have to be careful about how you talk about it though as it characterizes you as a fringe weirdo in many circles (keep remembering... we're all about image in front of the customer).  In spite of this it is something I might offer to a client but consider that although you'll find software to do anything you want for free, you won't be able to get things like the version of QuickBooks your customer wants working easily. 

Having said that... Ubuntu has been much more stable than any Microsoft operating system I have run.  There is the ability to run Windows applications under "Wine".  I am dumbfounded by how well Ubuntu recognizes hardware (much better than Windows) yet it does have shortcomings on the video driver front - they work but can perform substandard compared to Windows. 

For someone that wants to manage a browser and mail, Ubuntu is awesome, and as I said, you can get applications for free that do anything you want.  Highly specialized applications may not work out of the box but Wine will probably get there with some effort.  You're also in the clear in terms of virus protection, anti-spyware crap and "after-market" firewalls.  Ubuntu doesn't need any of it.  Does your machine inexplicably move like molasses after a year of use - no.  Huh?!  It's shocking to me that it's not more popular.  One of the reasons I think is that vendors like Dell get OS's from MS so cheap that offering a machine with no cost for pre-installed Ubuntu isn't appreciably different.  Smart move MS . 

For those that want to get some Ubuntu experience, you can pretty easily make your existing machine boot either way (Windows or Ubuntu).  You'll find that after a while, you'll want to hang in Ubuntu more.  Be cautious, lest you become a fringe guy....

[Don R]

I heard of a guy that wanted into the powder coat business, he traveled out of his area and worked for a company in the business for free. He learned what he needed to, and bought some used equipment from them to get started. Just an idea.

[MCRider]

I heard of a guy that wanted into the powder coat business, he traveled out of his area and worked for a company in the business for free. He learned what he needed to, and bought some used equipment from them to get started. Just an idea.

That is always a great idea! Work for someone first. Learn the ropes on someone else's dime, though you are giving of yourself too. Figure out what they are doing wrong, or how you could do it better or different.

My nephew takes care of my business computers. When he was 12 I taught him what i knew, now I pay him for what he knows $60 per hr and I'm getting a deal. He's taking the step away from a 9 to 5. Figures 5 to 10 billable hours per week at $90+ would cover what he makes on salary fixing printers.

On weekends he's doing what has been suggested here, helping the old folks with their computers, mostly email and internet connections. Simple stuff that is greatly appreciated. Cookies and cokes and cash on the barrelhead.

[JAG]

These are all really great guys I can't begin to show my gratitude.

I have a lot to think about.

I'm still working on a title/name for the company and/or a slogan.  What I am curious on is how do I find out if I can use a name or not? And is it possible for someone to ??"trademark"?? or own a business name where no one can use it? I was thinking of "That Computer Guy". With a quick search on Google I found a "That Computer Guy LLC" in Australia, and "That Computer Guy" in Central Wisconsin. But nothing with that title in Tennessee that I have found.

As far as websites, "That Computer Guy" .com and .net as well as a few others are taken, but .org, and .co are not..

It was stated earlier (I should have put in the quote) that I should try and set myself apart from the mass of other IT guys, and I was honestly thinking about wearing like a bowtie or something stupid. With a company name like "That Computer Guy" and a guy wearing a bowtie is pretty unforgettable. Haha..  (Disclaimer- I am open to any and all suggestions, and this is just something random that popped in my head while the ball was rolling..) I only worry that I may not be taken seriously, and more laughed and remember not for quality service but for looking remarkably dumb.. It's a tough call.

The others that I found were, (and I don't know if they are taken yet)

Bits&Bytes
(The) Right Click
Broken Windows
   -Window Washer
   -We Do Windows
-Troubleshooters
-Geek on the Go

I thought about using something with my name in it but name isn't the best to use (Jonathan German).. If I had more of a generic last name, then maybe it would be okay.. I was just trying to find something catchy, and not the typical "Jonathan's PC repairs", "PcRepairMan", etc etc.

I've thought about using Ubuntu in the past but I'm not sure if trying to in a sense sell and different OS to people is something I would want to do, unless someone is actually wanting something different.

I am setting up a meeting with my lawyer buddy. I don't pay by the hour or minute but by the beer.. He will hopefully help me go in the right direction in terms of the legality of things and give me more peace of mind.

My uncle has his own high end Home Theater business, where he does everything low voltage like security cameras, intercom, telephone, in wall speakers, theater rooms, etc etc.. He has some clients already lined up for me for the Computer aspect of things, but I think I am going to not only do the computer repair but some low voltage stuff too. I have met plenty of people who buy these big screen televisions and home theater systems and dont have a clue on how to set it up. And I thought about maybe doing security cameras and things like that. However I am offering those services I will probably enlist my uncle to do those jobs, and take a cut of the profit. Kind of throw me business, Ill throw you some too. He also has the contractual stuff, that I can change some words around and make my own. He passed along to me some software to keep up with the finances. The tidbits of stuff.. I'm making up a letter head for the invoices.. Something with the logo transparent in the background, with the normal name and address at the bottom.. There is nothing more unprofessional than hand writing an invoice and handing it someone as a bill..

I don't think I'm spreading myself too thin, I have also done all this stuff for years. I'm just hoping to make myself more universal.

Only thing holding me back now, is the Name slogan and or logo. W/O the name I can't really get the business cards, flyers, letter heads, website and all that under way.

Just trying to iron out the kinks..

Thanks again guys, this has been very inspirational, and helpful..

JAG

[seaweb11]

Ha!  My home theater system died today

Gona cost me 3 hours of ferry time @ $70.00 per hour just to get them here to look at it.  Same guys who installed it
Seems like a good way to branch off your business for sure!

Once you have me, you will always have me as a client

P.S. As a 26 year self employed business owner I think much of what has been said would have cost you at least $3000.00 in College

[KeithTurk]

One advantage of the security business is the residual value.... ( they Pay you Every month )  So I love that idea... ( down side is start up time and maintenance )

New Home Theater and anything associated with the Building industry might be slow for a while....

As for the name... keep it wicked Simple.... I see your point with your last name .... it could get confusing...
so just keep whatever you do easy to remember and search for a Phone number that doesn't require effort to remember... ( my buddies is 000 8008  or as he explains it.... 000 BOOB...  )

Hmmm  These guys that have or are in the business have a clue... find more of them...

K

[Duke McDukiedook]

PC Sensei.
Master PC Blaster.
PC Shaman.

[sangyo soichiro]

It was stated earlier (I should have put in the quote) that I should try and set myself apart from the mass of other IT guys, and I was honestly thinking about wearing like a bowtie or something stupid. With a company name like "That Computer Guy" and a guy wearing a bowtie is pretty unforgettable. Haha..  (Disclaimer- I am open to any and all suggestions, and this is just something random that popped in my head while the ball was rolling..) I only worry that I may not be taken seriously, and more laughed and remember not for quality service but for looking remarkably dumb.. It's a tough call.

I thought about using something with my name in it but name isn't the best to use (Jonathan German).. If I had more of a generic last name, then maybe it would be okay.. I was just trying to find something catchy, and not the typical "Jonathan's PC repairs", "PcRepairMan", etc etc.

I have your answer!  

"JoGer IT"

And dress like this guy:




 

[Stev-o]

Not sure if this was mentioned, but get a website! These days, most people don't "let their fingers do the walkin' in the yellow pages", they are google searchin!

Our geek at work always wears his baseball cap backwords - guess that is his trademark?

Good Luck!