How can someone good at building computers make money?
 

I was chatting up this guy in Boston and he got into a bad business deal and now he's homeless and living in a shelter for military vets.
To make money he's been buying people's old used laptops, refurbishing them, and selling them. He does a lot with fixing the hardware too.

He's a great guy and smart to be able to do this and he's got a lot of work ethic and salesmanship. he's just got a lot of hustle to pull himself out of his situation and I like people who work hard.

Any ideas on how someone like that can make money?
I just think he's got a lot of talent and he's ultra motivated to pull himself out of his situation.
He's a hardware guy, he doesnt make websites. But I can make any website to help him out.
thanks

If he's got a car, there's plenty of free computers on craigslist that he can pick up to fix.
He can sell them on ebay and in his listing make note of his situation, etc and hopefully people would bid more as a result.

1. Cheap parts.
2. Service contracts or warranties.
3. In home/office service calls.

:2 cents:

Help him learn how to use EBAY. show him how to set up a paypal account. etc.. etc.. maybe help him build a personal ebay store and talk a little bout his situation. drop a line to some smaller local papers to suggest a human interest piece, etc.. he might get a story bout him going and boost his sales and interest in him.

funny that is exactly what he's been doing, using CL and eBay. He doesnt have a website, I told him Ill make him one. But I dont know what to make that would help him, if it would.

Thanks for the ideas. He's been selling laptops very cheap, for like $80, so I dont know if someone would pay $25/hr or whatever for a service call, but Ill pass the idea to him. thanks

Job.
Home.
Business.

Your actually thinking he should start a business? He has way more important things to tackle right now.

If he couldnt pull himself out of the gutter enough to feed and clothes himself, what makes you think a logical step would be to start ANOTHER business.

Im not posting to be critical, I'm quite serious in asking about why anyone would prioritize like that.

He needs help, not to be set up for another fail.

Start taking pictures for the rags to riches ebook

youre totally right, he should get a job right away.
If I was suddently homeless Id be looking for a job and collecting cans in the meantime.
But its pretty amazing to me that he has the talent to take barely working computers and fix them up to be functional and then to sell them to make money and he's been making a little bit. I never would have thought of that.

He's selling laptops cheap.. so he can't get $25 for service calls... ? ? ?

Oh please! Download some blank Google cheque images and make a landing page talking about all the bling your making off your new computer repair biz from adwords! :2 cents:

why doesn't he just get a job at Bestbuy or Frys?

Sounds like he's overqualified for that one.

we dont have Fry's in Boston. We have a few bestbuy's and a microcenter Ill pass that along to him ty

He could do very well with small businesses who will hire independents to save money
Build a client base he'd be set