Computer Repair Business
With the amount of businesses closing up shop and calling it quits and the staggering number of people on unemployment, more and more people are opening their own business from home.
If you have a knack and a love for tinkering with computers or troubleshooting software problems then starting your own computer repair service may be something you need to look into.
For many of us we don’t have the first clue of where to get started.
I will cover the things you need to know when considering opening your computer repair business.
Naming Your Business & Licensing
The first thing to do is get all the legal stuff out of the way. I would recommend coming up with a business name.
A business name seems way more professional than just using your name.
After coming up with a name for your company you will need to get registered for a D.B.A., which stands for (doing business as).
This will make you legal in your business name and also prevent anyone from using that name.
It is very inexpensive and doesn’t take long at all to get. Once you have done that check to see what license and permits you need to operate if any.
You will want to have some type of certification for computer repair and software troubleshooting. These can be obtained from several places on the internet and from vocational schools.
This will not only give you more knowledge on top of what you already know, but also this will attract customers if they believe you are a professional and serious about your work you perform.
They will trust in the jobs you perform and the word of mouth will get around very quickly.
Advertising & Services
When advertising for your business there are a few things you must do if you want to get off to a good start and get the ball rolling.
I would suggest running ads in the local papers and making sure the ad run constantly to get the ad noticed over and over. You also should put ads on Craigslist.
Many small businesses are getting tons of leads everyday using Craigslist for their small businesses.
Putting out fliers would not hurt matter; just make sure you are placing your ad in relevant places to attract the right customers.
Get business cards made and hand them out every given chance. Put them at stores if allowed and on bulletin boards in places like grocery stores and gas stations.
When it comes to what tools you will need to perform the task you will be facing there are a number of things you will want to keep in mind.
Forms for keeping record of customers and logs for the work you have preformed along with receipts is a must for organization.
You will also need to purchase a tool kit used to assemble and disassemble hardware and other various things on computers.
These kits vary depending on what all types of services you intend on offering and can be found fairly cheap online typically for around $50.
You will also want to have a disk with any software you should need when going to a job. Whatever you do don’t go unprepared.
This is a big no-no, and a huge turn off to the customer.
Make sure to have any anti-virus, anti-spyware, windows service packs, registry cleaners, system utilities, and drivers all on one disk so everything is organized and easy to find and use.
You will want to invest in an external hard drive also to transfer files from one computer to another.
For most jobs 1TB should be sufficient.
And last but not least you need a laptop to keep up with all your business and for downloading freeware for your business needs and other purposes.
Pricing, Staying Focused, and Staying Organized
Once you’re ready for operation you should check around to see how your competitors are running their business and this will give you an idea of what you need to be doing.
Find out what their rates are and services and check to see what type of policies they offer to their customers.
If you want to survive and exist you are going to have to beat their rates, and provide your customers with a better experience when dealing with you and your business.
Always remember to treat your customers well.
Be friendly and helpful. If you have a deadline to be done and you realize you aren’t going to meet it, don’t dodge and avoid them.
Your customers would much rather you contact them ahead of time and let them know, this will help far more than the alternative.
At least they will know and have the confidence in you and your work and be much more likely to use you again in the future for any other needs they may have
Always remember to stay organized and treat it like you were running a large business.
The more serious you take your business the better results are going to produce.
Be responsive to your customers and always take your time to answer any and all questions they might have.
It always helpful for the customer to get a well explained answer, rather than just a blown off response that’s over their head, and that doesn’t make sense.
Customers appreciate when a professional takes the time to make sure they understand as well.
This in turn will also help you with future business with your clients.
If you are a whiz when it comes to computers whether it be setting up PC’s, installing hardware and software, or troubleshooting problems then the computer repair business is calling your name.
So, now you know all the steps needed to start your own computer repair business.
Take the information given to you here and apply it to become the next computer repair service business in your area!
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