Thinking About IT Consulting. Any Ideas

geeksquad09

Hello im about finish my Pc repair and networking technician course...
and the way the economy is these days i have been looking into IT consulting. I"m going to create my own website and business cards
Can anyone give me some hints and pointers. I'd greatly appreciate it.

broc

The best hint I can give you is to get a job first and some (loads?) of experience. You can't just "walk in" a consulting role. Your client are going to expect loads of knowledge and experience, that's why they hire a consultant.

If you're thinking about doing some small repairs for individual clients then that's different (and it's not consulting), I would recommend you use your network of friends & family to start with so that they can give your details to their contacts. Word of mouth is the best way for this kind of business.

Bl8ckr0uter

geeksquad09 wrote: »

Hello im about finish my Pc repair and networking technician course...
and the way the economy is these days i have been looking into IT consulting. I"m going to create my own website and business cards
Can anyone give me some hints and pointers. I'd greatly appreciate it.

I agree with Broc. Consultants (at their best) have to be some of the most highly skilled individuals in IT because they have to be able to come in very different enviroments and do an excellent job 100% of the time. Consultants are usually the most (diversely) experienced IT pros.

Working on computers on the side, is well just that, and is very doable. I do this and it helps keep me sharp. Just be SURE to get a contract IN WRITING and draw you boundaries. People can get pushy but if it is on paper (and signed by both parties) you have something to lean against.

HTH,
knwminus

geeksquad09

i appreciate that guys/ my business cards are currently being made so is my website. i just havent decided were i should set my prices at. most of the computers i repair need virus and spyware removed i usually charge 50 bucks.. but i feel as if im ripping myself off..BIG TIME

aordal

Get insured (bonded)

Bl8ckr0uter

geeksquad09 wrote: »

i appreciate that guys/ my business cards are currently being made so is my website. i just havent decided were i should set my prices at. most of the computers i repair need virus and spyware removed i usually charge 50 bucks.. but i feel as if im ripping myself off..BIG TIME

I would say find the competition and undercut them. IMO from the way you sound you don't have a whole lot of exp (neither do I) so the way you can win over customers is A: Be better than the competition and B: Be cheaper.
I regularly undercut geek squad by 75% and still make a good profit.

geeksquad09

ya.. but when it comes to repairing pc's is there a good steady income?

VAHokie56

I would say its much like being a real estate agent or a loan officer. It is what you make it. You will have to drive sales and build a client base

remyforbes777

Personally, I would not bank on it becoming your primary source of income. It's more of a hassle if anything. If you do it make sure you have a concrete service agreement and don't do anything on just a handshake. People will come to you with problems, then once you fix it, if anything else occurs they will think you caused it and want free service on the new issue. It can become a nightmare.

Tin_Man

remyforbes777 wrote: »

Personally, I would not bank on it becoming your primary source of income. It's more of a hassle if anything. If you do it make sure you have a concrete service agreement and don't do anything on just a handshake. People will come to you with problems, then once you fix it, if anything else occurs they will think you caused it and want free service on the new issue. It can become a nightmare.

+++1 to this!!

This the whole reason why I only fix family computer issues, too many times have I fixed a Windows problem for someone only to get a call 2wks later about Adobe Reader not working and how it worked "fine" until I was there, then once I left it started screwing up.

BS!!! I got so agitated that I decided to get rid of all my contacts. Just not worth the time.....

veritas_libertas

remyforbes777 wrote: »

Personally, I would not bank on it becoming your primary source of income. It's more of a hassle if anything. If you do it make sure you have a concrete service agreement and don't do anything on just a handshake. People will come to you with problems, then once you fix it, if anything else occurs they will think you caused it and want free service on the new issue. It can become a nightmare.

+1

I absolutely hate repairing computers. After you have fixed it people come back complaining that you caused something, when in reality you were far from the cause

I did it last year for an extra income.

Bl8ckr0uter

remyforbes777 wrote: »

Personally, I would not bank on it becoming your primary source of income. It's more of a hassle if anything. If you do it make sure you have a concrete service agreement and don't do anything on just a handshake. People will come to you with problems, then once you fix it, if anything else occurs they will think you caused it and want free service on the new issue. It can become a nightmare.

Agreed. It only took 1 time for me to realize this. Make your contract firm but fair. Do not deviate from the contract unless something unavoidable comes up (then change your contract to meet your/the customer's current needs). Don't let people work you to death. Take pictures and make excellent notes of what you did/installed/removed. Backups! Backups! Backups!! Make sure to make them of the machine BEFORE you do anything (and I do mean anything).

Also (like someone else mentioned) get some insurance. Possibly form an LLC if you are serious. You gotta cover you arse.

ColbyG

It's very tough. Most of your business will be word of mouth, so you need a lot of contacts and you need to network.