Looking for some advice...


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Hi all,

I currently have been thinking about trying to start a small home based PC Repair service. There are some things that I'm confused about and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. I'm sort of young, only 17. I want to do this because I want to do something I enjoy compared to doorhanging(hanging coupons on homes) at a pizza shop as I do now. Getting $5.50 an hour doesn?t get really please me. I read these forums and see how many younger adults are grabbing computer related jobs and getting paid a good sum of money for doing that. Well for one I think the area where I live is different. Where I live you either work fast-food or a retail outfit. I'm not familiar of any guys my age grabbing some good computer related jobs and for one wouldn?t know where to look. I always hear people complaining about some type of computer issue that is easy to resolve, but just don't want to pay the price to get it fixed or don't think it's that big of a deal. I have in the past done house calls and fixed some friends computers and have done some home networking and all seemed to be good. I'm now thinking of trying to start a small home business repairing PC's. Do you think this is nuts or could be done for someone by age? I realize there is a lot about this I don't know and that's why I'm posting asking for advice and things I need to take in account. I'm thinking of providing some simple services at first, I wouldn?t want to get over my head. Some things I was brain storming were:

PC RAM Installs

Spyware and Virus Removal

General Hardware Installation

PC Troubleshooting

OS Installs

Performance Tweaks - defragging, etc.

Simple networking services

These are just brainstorms at the moment of course. I wouldn?t want to get into building any PC's right away because that can be a huge mess with warranties and things. I think I could do these things for a lot cheaper than other companies because I'm just a small guy. Larger local companies have to pay for multitude of things that are not of any concern to me. What do I need to know and what do I need for this to become a reality. Any advice or anything is appreciated! Thank you!

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Yeah, I did the same thing with the help of my mom. I made some fliers and photocopied a bunch and she posted them at her workplace for me. She also told everyone at the chorus that she sings in about it as well. I got quite a few calls and made a nice amount of money. I never "charged" my customers or set any prices with them but they would always give me more money than I would have ever asked for and would insist it wasn't enough. Made quite a few hundred dollars that way! :)

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Well, when you have a computer repair service, you cant just pick and choose what you want to fix. If you want to have a reputable service, you have to fix whatever people throw at you. The best thing to do is google around or post your problems here. There is always a way to fix it, even if its a format/reload of the OS. You cant go out there and say "I can fix this and only this." You just wont get anywhere...

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Be prepared to spend a lot of money getting things started, I doubt you will see any profit until some time down the road. And remember the key is all in the advertising.

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If you charge low enough prices and even offer to buy the siftware or hardware for them (include it in the price, obviously) I don't think you'll too bad for yourself. The key is getting word out and then doing a really good job. For every mistake you make, 10 people will know, but you'll be lucky if one person finds out about a good job you did.

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there is a program called burnin i think and what it does it run the pc hard for couple of hours to test stability and speed .

ad-aware is best for adware i think

u can use free antivirus like avast if u wanna save money .

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uuhhm If you are asking about the technical side of running a computer repairs business, then i cant really say much as i am pretty hopeless with them myself.

But other things you may need to consider are;

1) How you are going to finance this project- the money wont come in until you have actually purchased some parts/software in whch to fix the first computer in the first place.

2) Make sure you have the proper contacts in which to get parts/software etc at the best prices.

3)MaKe sure you have enough spare time to do these repairs- its no good promising something will be done on a certain day and then it isnt, customers will not be happy.

4)Target your clientele- school/college kids may not be able to pay as much as working people.

5) If you are not fussed about who your customers are, then advertise anywhere, but if you are targetting kids at school/college, advertise on student billboards around campus.

6)Consider whether you will be providing a 'pick up & drop off' service, as not everyone has transport.

7) Lastly, consider where you will be doing all these repairs. When business hots up and for your sake i hope it does, then you need to have a little 'workshop' in which to work. I dont think your mom will be too pleased if her house is littered to death with computer parts...lol

8) Tax implications....but wait, am going over my head!!..you just a teen trying to make some pocket money right?? ok we'll leave that part..hahaha :laugh:

Good Luck..hope things work out for ya!!

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;) I wish you luck, tho there's a lot of computer competition out there. Buy some good computer repair books and learn all you can. Maybe start small, with referals thru friends and relatives first. Post a small ad at your school ?

Good luck.

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;) I wish you luck, tho there's a lot of computer competition out there. Buy some good computer repair books and learn all you can. Maybe start small, with referals thru friends and relatives first. Post a small ad at your school ?

Good luck.

Very smart.

Word of mouth is powerful, especially in this age. I know a lot of people that would prefer to do business with an independent computer repair shop and get quality service, rather than fork over LESS money, but get sh*tty results.

Good luck. Have your friends and family spread the word!

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I've been considering doing this also and in July I'll prolly make business cards and flyers, I'd offer hosting services also since I run a server, also I wouldn't consider quitting my current job for this since I prolly wouldn't make as much as I do with the crappy job I currently have, but you could do it as a side job to get more cash flow, just set your mind to it and you can do anything :)

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Things you have to ask yourself;

- Is there uberhaupt demand in your local area? Is there a high competition?

- How you?re gonna advertise? let people know about your bussines

- Most Important, how do people know how reliable you are? since your just 17, dont think many would pass their computer to ya with a assured heart:pp

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Thanks for all your support and thanks to the people who are encouraging. Advertising isn't a problem because I said before that I doorhang for a local pizza shop. So what I was thinking is just take some flyers along with me as I work and just hang those as well. I do easily about 150 houses in 2 hours. I only do that for about 6 hours a week. So that is a good way of advertising along with hanging some in clipboards at stores or such. I think there is a demand in the area, there are lots of people who do it themselves or at least try and screw things up by doing this. A large number of people are clueless about networking as I have worked with a friend?s family before. On the note of people trusting me, all I can do is give some type of guarantee with the work and offer a contract of some sort to save my butt in case something bad happens. I do have the experience in the field though. I'm not going into this not knowing anything about or reading any repair books. I have attended a year a my local tech center during school and have taken courses in A+, Net+, Help Desk, along with some programming and various other things. I have many helpful friends that can help as well if I need it. Having a space isn't a problem because I have an entire basement to myself.:D:D On the note of transport, I have a car so I'm able to deliver if needed. Also I'm not sure what way to charge. A flat rate is probably the best way after I have examined the problem. If I were to charge an hourly fee, how do they know I'm not goofing off. I wouldn?t trust a person and wouldn?t trust myself if I was in another persons shoes. I guess it's just a risk that a person has to take. I?m not even sure what a good price for certain types of PC Repair. I think Best Buy charges like $30.00 for a ram install and I have heard of companies that charge $80.00 an hour.

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