[Strange] PC Repair Shop Setup [Question]

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Good to see that works for you. Unfortunately, I can point out MANY examples where the best move is to sit still and make no move at all. I can promise you, heading the wrong direction IS absolutely worse than doing nothing - been there, done that, got the battle scars to prove it.

 

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Not sure how ANY of this is different from a "bog standard PC repair company"...

 

Well teaching programming and other specialised technologies is different from your average PC repair company, i doubt the average PC repair company trains people to make software for the IPhone.

You need class rooms, you need to know more about the areas you plan on teaching. The key to this plan would be to teach specialised areas because colleges dominate the obvious training areas like M$ office training.

It brings a more diverse income.

 

True...

...but people who are candidates to learn how to program iPhones typically have no need for PC repair companies.

On the other hand, perhaps you could charge to teach people how to use the Intarwebs. Or a mouse. Both of which are often taught by "bog standard PC repair companies".

Know your clientele.

 

Well done.

It's working out very well for me thanks very much!

 

Personally, if I were to start up a small computer business at the moment, I'd do it from home and target the "grey pound" market.
I spent 10 minutes the other day helping an ageing friend because he couldn't access his e-mail: the reason why was because he didn't know how to do _ in his ISP provided e-mail address and his ISP couldn't, after several months and repeated calls, help him with this simple task.

 

I know you all may disagree and agree and so forth with me or other people giving there own peice of advice, how about a list of services that would be good to have, i'm considering maybe getting my license and a van if that is the better option.

 

I agree with most of what you say mate, but recognising when you're up against the wall is one of the most difficult, but most important of business decisions.

Refusal to admit it just heaps misery on your staff, customers and suppliers.

 

The services you can provide should include anything and everything you know how to do, mate. Build PCs? Check. Fix PCs? Check. Eliminate malware? Check. Salvage or migrate data? Check. Upgrade OSes? Check. Teach user support classes? Check. Provide Web site hosting advice? Check. Whatever you can do, offer those services.

Not sure why you'd need a van... it's not like you will have to carry a lab around with you. I have a toolbox (actually some old luggage) with cables and tools in my car's trunk... and I carry a USB stick with useful tools on it... and that's pretty much all I need.

 

This kid will go far! He must know more than us already as i dont think any of us could get funding for a business venture in these savage times, especially when your only 17, and its not funded by family!

 

Sarcasm much?

Anyways thanks every one who've contributed, i've managed to get a few things sorted so far, i'll give it everything I can to make this work.

 

It seems you've made your mind up, so all the very best to you. I'll be interested to know how you get on.

 

I had my own business, and i failed.
But that was an other time, other country, many mistakes, bad accountant, ***t bookkeeping, wrong place(town), etcetc.
1 million reason why a business can go wrong.
i run it for 1,5 - t2 years.
And the first year was actually positive, but i made some bad decisions, about using the money i have earned(i spend the money on the business, not for myself), and i even got some loan to improve the shop.(this country has no pcworld and techguys etc).
After i spend 2 years from my life to pay back most of the loans(and i still got some, i failed to finish the Uni, because the shop(even i was so idiot i spend some of the student loan to improve the shop)).
but that was a very nice time in my life.
When you start work somewhere and you start to know how bad is when the boss pick on you, etc It is a very good feeling "cool" you are your own boss.
Never try to do one thing, you have to run multiple services(and the selling does not go well nowadays).
and suggest you should pass your license anyway(i got b,c,e) in case you have to deliver or pick up something. (can you imagine you got a call to do job which can not get done in the costumers place, and you go by bus???) I would not buy a van for start, maybe rent when needed.
The accountant is a very important point. You can lose a hell of a lot of money.
And a good advertisement must placed regularly in the right places.

And one more thing what i would do differently:
If i would start all over again, i would finish the Uni first, than i would think again.
One of my friend started a business 6 months ago(architect engineer).
The way he started:
He finished the Uni, started to work for the local council as a supervisor (he had nothing to do with architect engineering) plus part time worked for company as an architect engineer.
Plus he finished post graduate course, so he got the right to sign plans, he is chartered engineer, etc.
So he got the experience from the part time work (6-7 years now) he got the connections with the council. He runs his own company now, he keep wining EU sponsored tenders, etc etc.
And he still has no "shop", no interface with the public, he run that from his own study room.
Sorry for the novel,
good luck

 

It will be one of these youth enterprise projects.

To be honest at 17 you may have some tech knowledge (although the level is undefined by any of the OPs posts) but the business nous will be missing, ie not getting into contracts which will cost you lots of money etc.

I would check out the local chamber of commerce for business advice and contacts.

 

I think you will find it very difficult to get this off the ground as you may have IT knowledge but how far does that go. You will need to have someone that has alot of business knowledge of setting up companies and making sure you have everything covered so there is no comebacks.

I would try and studying as much as you can on data recovery from dead drives as this is something i always see people needing but have to do without because it costs alot of money to recover the data. Most peoples problems today will be laptop based and if it is a fried motherboard it is sometimes more economical just to buy a new laptop.

Definately start out doing work from home and let your friends know that you are doing this. To keep the cashflow down you may need to start off by doing free estimates on peoples problems. There is a market there but it is getting people to trust you more that what they the bigger companies(tech guys). We have a small repair shop that charges £30 for an 80gb ide hdd, but it seems to be busy as it has been established for a while and it has maplin across the road that would probably choose more. If you got a shop you would need to also sell other stuff like second hand phones and stuff to make extra cash.

Only my thought but i think you would be better trying to get a desktop job or even a job at some repair shop.

I

 

It's actually pretty easy to get funding for new business.
Depends where you live of course, but many cities have some kind of enterprise or redevelopment schemes to attract new business or fill up empty shop windows.

But there are so, so many things that can go wrong - and the first time you even think of them is after they've happened.

At the age of 17, the OP isn't going to have any experience of these problems.
Really, his level of technical ability is going to be the least of his problems. Business won't be great if he keeps telling customers that he can't fix the problem, or has to pay for external expertise to help him out.

It's all the horrible stuff like health & safety, fire regulations, insurance, tax, legal issues etc that make these things such a headache.

When a customer walks in, trips on a loose carpet and smashes his face in a CRT that your problems really start.

But the most important thing to have is a business plan.
Do some research, surveys, write to small businesses, whatever - find out if anyone needs your services.
How many other computer repair shops are in your town? How are they doing?

How much will you charge? What will your cashflow look like? What 'unseen' expenses will you have?

I read a really good book once, I think it was just called 'starting your own computer business' - I really advise the OP to read it.

It covered issues, such as - a customer brings in a laptop for repair. You have to diagnose the fault and order a new part. The part comes from your supplier and you have to pay for the part and for carriage. So you're out of pocket straight away, because your customer hasn't paid you yet. The part takes a few gays to get to you, and the customer starts honking about needing their laptop. Then it turns out that the part doesn't fix the problem. Can you return the part to the supplier and try again? If not, again, you're out of pocket because you can only charge the customer for what you actually did to fix the problem.

Sounds like a nightmare.

 

Does indeed sound like a nightmare!

 

Ha ha - well spotted.
It's just that gays get it there faster, that's why I gave them credit...

 

Hahaha, not right!

 

ROFL, amazing pickup there. rep ;p