wow man thanks for advice.. how did you get your initial clients?

I actually obtained my first clients by printing out brochures at about $0.01/copy on semi-decent not-white-but-not-parchment paper at Office Max, and some business cards I paid almost $80 for 1000 (two color, nice paper, imprinted) business cards from iPrint (shows how long ago I started), going door to door, wearing a nice shirt (not a t-shirt, but not Armani, either), a pair of slacks, and comfortable dress shoes.

I went to a part of town that was almost exclusively smaller businesses, many of which shared a common building (same entrance, multiple levels). I walked in, spoke with (the few that had) a secretary, asked if they required any computer support, and if so, if they were happy with their PC support. I didn't use a lot of 'nerd' terms. Most of them said 'Well, we can't understand our technician, and he's rude, but he seems to get it fixed, most of the time.'

That's where I learned one of the most important lessons: Speak English.

I actually won clients by saying "I'll only bother you with what was wrong if you want me to, otherwise I'll just fix it after you sign off on an estimate; I'll contact you if it goes over that fee. I'll be happy to tell you the technical details."

Non-technicians can sometimes feel like they're being 'talked down to' if you blather on and on about stuff they don't understand.

Also, don't feel the need to fix it all 'on site', unless it's an emergency. If it is, you may not be able to fix it, but most clients are happy to let you take their 'sick computer' when you leave. (This also ensures you get paid, if you're not sure they will reimburse payment: If they don't, they don't get it back.)

Keep a car with a semi-healthy sized trunk to carry stuff. Get a large box. Fill it with misc size HDs, a few PCI modems, a few PCI ethernet cards (including old and used ones that you know have drivers, like NE2K; they'll work under NT 4. You will find clients that still have NT 4 in production), at least one crossover cable, a hub, USB mouse & keyboard, PS/2 mouse and keyboard, and finally, at least one standard ATX 400w power supply, ATX tester (they cost about $10), and all of the standard tools (screwdrivers, backup CDs with XP, 2000, Vista driver packs, antivirus software, etc).

Good luck! :thumbsup

Yup


Just like other people said computer repair businesses are shit. You may get lucky. But almost all fail. Or you'll want to close it down because it pays shit and customers are shit.

I think a computer business is decent.. its not high paying but it beats earning $30k/yr as a recent college grad..

You are on the right track. Service contracts are the way to go. I would try to focus on small businesses. Just make sure you can get to them in a timely manner. Another way to get in the door is to scan a neighborhood for open wireless connections. There are still plenty of them out there. After you find their location canvas the neighborhood with a flyer aimed at showing how an unsecure wireless connection can be used to get them in trouble. There are plenty of stories out on the internet of someone using somebody else?s wireless for kiddie porn.

A buddy of mine ran a comp repair biz for a number of years. He was making around $30k/yr after bills (he had a small office). They had contracts with other smaller businesses and "leased" out computers to people who had bad credit. He would go to walmart, buy a computer for $600, then lease it out for $100/mo for 12 months. He also bought a couple of exisiting phone numbers from other computer businesses that closed up shop and got their old clients that way.

The company slowly started losing money and he ran it into the ground. I think hes a "cook" at captain D's now.LOL.

damn all those clients and only 30k/yr??

pretty shitty

On the other end of the spectrum - if you get off your ass and find clients, you can charge them $75/hr for a normal call, and over $100/hr for emergencies. Decide if you wanna do PPS or revshare :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

bump..lol

Bump!!!!

1000 customers * 1 hour month = 1000 hours

You won't be able to handle 1000 customers on your own.

I just noticed this thread (sorta old) - i wanted to offer some free advice. I have done this before a few times.

DONT DO IT! I did this at least 3 times from 96-2006 the market has become ultra saturated with a large amount of people who read a PC Shopper mag, or less and feel they are qualified. I don't know your talent level, but lets assume your the shit, and everyone else is less than you. In that case i suggest DONT DO IT.

No real money, clients that want to watch over your every move, ask redundant questions, waste your time, and bitch about the bill. Always get the money upfront, or at the time of completed service, never invoice unless you have a contract. Each of the 3ish times I did this in the past i did it in Florida in the Palm Beach Area - areas that are known to have money.

This is what happens you will get a few little clients, say 20-40 that will cover the expenses you paid in the adverts to obtain them. Then evidentially your name will land in a larger clients hands maybe a 20 (or so) workstation office building with 1-3 servers. They will want you to support them part-time - as they have given all the machines admin rights to everything. Becuas eyour parttime and you want to stay independant you'll give them a hell of a deal for a contract. About that time --- Your other 20+ clients will call or refer and each time will look for the fast trick. Your time gets consumed, your profits are bleak - so i would again suggest DONT DO IT.

concepts that i have tried.

per minute, per hour, contract, onsite/offsite - google them there everywhere
these eeksquad types are now taking this work, and look at what you get a low end, barely educated techs (9 out of 10 times) - you'll get to follow their screw-ups. That kind of salt fucked the game up.

If you get the pleasure of following someone elses mistakes, the client often times will associate any future mistakes to your work, and want you to refix it for free.

I have worked on computers for so many years its scary ... 10 years ago was the time for your service. The ability to build a PC is easy these days, everything down to jumpers are color coded and snap in parts are everywhere. But how do you compete with Dell - they will sell a full PC for 300$ with a flat screen 19" monitor.

and then the show stopper - most of the consumer and corporate level clients will want you to come to their office or home to "quick" fix it - GAS man, the drive time without compensation - it gets to be a bit much.

I really hate to piss on your parade man, but seriously - if you can work on PC's - stay in this realm or go mainstream with dev/design and marketing. Thats my 2 cents, good luck on whatever you choose.

You'll do just fine until 5 people ring you the same afternoon, ALL wanting you to look at their shit that afternoon.

Bank on that happening.

It ALWAYS does.

2c

Computer repairmen make less than mechanics.

hehe thanks al ot man.. so nobody here is making cash repairing pcs?

No! No one makes money repairing computers in a residential setting.
Service people you like and get payed in booze or other stuff you need.
Do it cuz it makes you feel good and they really appreciate the help.
But to actually make a living repairing home computers...why it's easier to make money in the affiliate game and ya'll know how tough that is.

Computers are too cheap and on the verge on being disposable, customers are not total morons when it come to math. Why pay a guy for 10 hours work at $30.00 an hour when you can just buy a new box?

If I think like this, probably you think like this and no doubt your customers think like this as well and all those service calls you are expecting just won't materialize.

If you really want to make a go of it open a store front operation, and sell them as much hardware and software as you can to make up for the loss in the service dept. Do a lot of frowning when you boot up their box and tell them it's not reparable and sell them a new machine. That is really how it works if you want to make money in the computer biz.

Good luck with whatever you choose :)

Market your services to college students. Go a step higher and talk to the university... See if they'll incorporate some $X number in the tuition to keep the stress off of their IT people.

:)

Better yet, go to the University that you are graduating from.

Scenario: 10,000 students at the school, manditory $30 added to tuition for PC services for a semester. Say this $30 includes some astronomical # like 5 hours of on-site service excluding any major parts/components/software. Thats $300,000 a semester... Its all a numbers game... If you get overwhelmed, pay some computer science majors to do the work for cheap...

I thought about doing this a few times.

wow thats a brilliant idea man.. so the students pay and i basically fix their pcs for them?

The students wouldnt even directly pay if you work it right... It would be factored into the tuition... You would be paid in advance so I imagine (working on the scenario stated above) you would invest that $300,000 into some high yield savings so you make the most bang out of your buck. Try your hardest to minimize costs and use only the interest for the first semester... The true beauty of this idea is that a major selling point to this to Universities would be employment of their computer science students... Maybe for credit if possible or just cash.

Truthfully, I hope this doesnt work out for you. Otherwise, once again I would be kicking myself in the ass for telling someone else about one of my brainchilds :321GFY

IF you blow up like the world trade, cut me in for 10% as a consultant.

sounds all good but i dont think itll be easy to convince schools to start charging their students a fee. especially if my business isnt that big..

plus who do you even talk to in the universities?

Future advice costs $10 per minute.

lol come on matty :)

ill give ya 10% of all future profits

A raise in tuition like that would most likely go in front of not only an advisor board but also a student board. One of the students would catch on to the scam and it would go nowhere.

You don't seriously think a school is just going to hand over a $300,000 contract, do you? Even if they did go with your plan, odds are very high that an alumnus or donator has a tech company... they get the contract.

The kids will pay it. Put up fliers. Talk to the hot-but-stupid chicks. Setup their printer. Ass, grass, or gas, man. :pimp

I honestly think it'd be tough to sell people at that price. Why would they pay you $30 per month in case their computer has a problem and that's only for one hour of work. I think that for the "plan", you'd have to either give out more time or make it cheaper per month. You figure that computers rarely have problems, so who's gonna pay $360 per year for that ??

One business that I thought about getting into is dog poop removal. I think that'd be a great business to get into, seriously. You can charge $25-$30 per month to clean up dog shit. Just go out once a week and scoop up 7 piles of shit from each house and you're done, ha ha

I'm serious about that. I myself hate cleaning it up and I'm sure there's many others that don't like it, including older people.

The price would be the tough thing though, you figure once a week to clean up, that's only $5 per week, however, good pay to clean up 7 piles of shit and leave IF you get enough customers and they're not too far apart.

yeah i meant $30/month and ur pc fixed.. as long as its not hardware related Ill spend all time needed to fix it.

Im really sure i can sell the $30/month plan

Ill just tell my customers that ALL of my other customers have it, and itll save them hundreds per year..

Laptop Sales, Accessories and Repair. Stick to a niche and dominate.

You can charge higher rates. (Laptops owners are affluent and often in need of "rush service"). you will sell pcmcia lan cards, modems, routers, bags, hard drive adapters, car chargers, ac adapters, batteries, and all those little made in China high margin accessories like crazy. Learn Hard drive repair and backup and encryption, there's some cash.

Big up front investment, you better know what a soldering iron is. You need to know all the "OEM manufactures) and how to get parts.

You won't make $2500 a month your first year. Very few businesses make money their first year, so you will be on track.

Location, Location, Location.

Beware of the holdup. Nothing sucks more than to wake up to the alarm to find out burglars sledge-hammered through the block wall at the rear of your store and made out with ten laptops.

PS: You need to charge a minimum fee for your time, if you can fix it or not.
You can apply the fee to future goods if you ike, but you need to charge a touch fee.

I love you Mr. Matty :) You dream real big and in Technicolor too!

Why not? If that's something you have a passion for and you love to do, then go for it.

That's how Michael Dell got started.
Read this http://www.amazon.com/Direct-Dell-St.../dp/0887309151
He pretty much mapped out how he got built Dell from scratch. If it inspires you then do it.

One thing I learned in life is to do something you fucking love to do, and forget about the money. And then the money will come.

Just have a good and professional attitude in your business. So many tech support guys treat their customers like shit. If you give good service with a smile you'll build a big business in no time.

All this might work if the OP wasn't after a way to get rich quickly. :winkwink: :2 cents:

im not after a way to get rich quickly.. i just wanna do something i love

ive said it X10 i rather be out fixing pcs and be making minimum wage, than be working for someone in a cubicle making X3 income

bump........

Final bump i think

Status update ;)

$10 says failed and living in parents basement fixing computers when he can ;)

OR just took a $2500/mnth job after realizing ANY job is better than no job...

or maybe went back to the internet and making enough money and moving to panama in a month, then gonna travel all around Caribbean/south east asia to relax and enjoy life..

;)

never worked 9-5.. was gonna do compute repair biz cuz its my passion but i rather just make sites and make way more money..