Starting a pc & tech business??

[omc1jz]

Hi all,

I am considering starting myself a small business, Getting into building and upgrading PC's and also tech support.. I will run it from home..

I have no formal qualifications but always build machines for friends and family and have a good deal going with a local PC shop where i can buy parts at a wholesale price..

I know most of this work comes by word of mouth, But how could I set a good grounding, I was thinking of offering a service of fitting a cd burner and installing the burning software for a fair price, It seems burners are cheap and popular (everyone wants one).. And advertising it in our local paper..

Also doing a mail drop in my local areas with a small flyer, But i am unsure what exactly i should be specifying on the flyer..
I want to grab pplz attention letting them know about the possibilities..TV tuners,DVD,5.1 sound,MP3,Burning and so on.

Any hints or tips for me as it all seems a bit far fetched at the moment, But i will give it time..

Is there any Accreditation that i should get?

I really am a newbie business man , Can you give me some guidelines or thoughts Thanks for your help..

Maty...

[trebor28]

I haved recently set up a pc repair and uograde shop in England.

But I have learnt alot in this time, the following I find helps

1: provide a mobile and landline number on all advertising - it gives people more confidence.

2: Some sort of basic qualificaton is a good idear (I have a A+ and MCP)

3: Provide a written quote before going ahead with the work

4) lastly make sure that you see the PC working beforehand and check inside the case to make sure there isn't any thing strange (I.e no spare IDE connections)

But at the end of the day, everbody learns something new from starting up in business - just remember be upfront with the customer about any problems.

Good luck!

[omc1jz]

Some sort of basic qualificaton is a good idear (I have a A+ and MCP)

What Exactly is A+ and MCP ? Are they Easily Accesible?

Also I am very honest and hate seeing people get the wrong thing for thier needs and being ripped off, wich has given me some of the motorvation to do this...

Good Luck with the business, Id be interested to no how you succeed!!..

Cheers
Maty......


PS: WELCOME TO TECHIMO !!!

[trebor28]

thanks for the welcome!

Ok, a company in America called Comp Tia runs a qualification called the A+. It is a basic qualification covering things like IRQ's and windows start up files. The A+ course is not difficult - you can do it by book quite easly.

An MCP is a Microsoft certified Professional qualification, but is only about the MS operating system you do the test for.

Both are avaible all over the world and you dont need to do a course. Most people find have a small home network helps for practice.

You are right in saying alot of people are ripped off, I charge £30.00 per hour and I am still over £15 pounds per hour cheaper then the other pc repair places locally.

I dont charge a flat hourly fee, if the job should take 30 mins i only charge for 30 mins.

Sometimes I find doing a very quick & easy job for no charge makes people come back if they need something costly doing.

people will not come back if they think they have been overcharged.

[omc1jz]

people will not come back if they think they have been overcharged.

So true!! I intend to be as fair as possible!!!

Cheers
Maty...

Hope you enjoy your stay at techimo, we have a great range of the most talented people around , In all area's of computing..

[RustyGT]

Gday omc, Matt isn't it?
Rusty.

Mate, by all means, if you'd like to have a shot, go for it!
You will only be competing with hundreds of other backyarders.
On the coast.
I see prices at $10/HR being offered.
Why bother.

As for A+ quals etc.
If you want to run your own business.
Get some knowledge of accounting.

The bottom line in any business is: Get Paid!

Too many good mechanics, techos, etc work long hours and go broke.
Why? They are good at what they do.
Why dont they make money?

Because they dont know how to keep their books.
And often they dont sniff a non paying deal.

If you have time to spend on training
Do some business management courses.

Cheers R.

[omc1jz]

Cheers Rusty For your support..

I do see what you mean about cheap labour getting around, But these people are not around for very long because of reasons like leaving the customer unsatisfied.. I would rather work on the theory of giving "THE BEST" support, especially to the older generation of people who cant grasp how fast the IT sector moves.. I have enough patience with them, wich a lot of techies dont and explain things far too technical..

Also Rusty , One of my very good mates is an accountant so i can get help from him with tax and money issues, But i will look into a business management course as well. I am a fully qualified mechanic and had an accident so at the moment i have plenty of time to study hard..

Thanks for your advice Rusty.. Much Appreciated

Maty..