Thing about starting my own IT gig any suggestions

Well i'm about to start my pc repair/network technician course to obtain my A+, and Net+ and the way this economy is going jobs are imposible to find. Would repairing computers and removing spyware/adware on the side a bad idea? Any info please help on how to get me started, Please HELP

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Synthros

I personally don't think it's a bad idea. I've been thinking about doing the same thing myself. The biggest obstacle you're going to run into is marketing, which you'll need to do a lot of in order to build a decent customer base. Post ads on Craig's List, have some business cards made so you can hand them out wherever you go, and put together a website to help advertise your services. Some say that going door-to-door to small local businesses is also a big step in the right direction.

I worked for a mom and pop shop for a short time earlier in the year, and found that 90% of their business was removing spyware/malware. With that, I would strongly recommend putting that at the top of your list of services that you provide.

Daniel333

What is your background exactly? A+ and Net+ don't really qualify you for much...

geeksquad09

i just started so i been removing spy ware/ad aware for a long time and repairing PC'S

dynamik

This type of work sucks because people will blame you for anything and everything after you touch their machine. Do it if you need the money, but expect it to be a huge PITA.

msteinhilber

dynamik wrote: »

This type of work sucks because people will blame you for anything and everything after you touch their machine. Do it if you need the money, but expect it to be a huge PITA.

This is the honest truth, you'll fix a PC one day - it needed a new power supply. Two weeks later their teenager in no less than 5 minutes manages to install a dozen various "security" and "optimization" malware programs in their hunt for free music or games. Here's how it goes:

Customer: Yea, you worked on my computer a couple weeks ago - well now the thing has all of these dang pop-ups coming up and EVERY time I search for anything it takes me to some page saying I'm infected and should click here to remove. My computer NEVER did this before I brought it to YOU, you better fix it.

You: Awww shucks, those guy's at TechExams.net were right

All of the negativity and joking aside though, you can earn some good money if you are honest and generally treat people as a person and not just another customer. The big thing you have to be able to master though is to establish your boundaries and adhere to them strictly. That is you decide how much advice you will offer over the phone or e-mail for free before you get the computer in your hands or go to your customer and bill them. I also am very firm with things such as pricing, turn-around times, things I'm willing to do or not do, etc. It can be easy to cave and promise a customer same day turn around for a complex issue when you are already working on a couple machines, all in the name of being fearful of that potential cash not landing in your hand. If I feel like a demand a customer is making isn't one I will likely be able to meet, I never say "sure no problem" and proceed with the work - it's not worth the frustration when you're getting a call or calling your customer with disappointing news and it doesn't go far for repeat business or a good word to their friends or family either.

Determine your terms and pricing and don't be afraid to be firm. I've spent many years running a computer repair and sales shop and the frustration of bending over backwards far outweighs the stress or uncomfortable feelings some might get when being polite but firm with a customer or potential customer.

geeksquad09

I am prepared for all the possibilities all i have to do is create my business cards and set prices

Whats the average price for a PC tune up, defragmentation of hard drive etc. spyware/ad ware removal

dynamik

Our consumer division charges a non-refundable $40 diagnostic fee, and that is applied towards any service if they decide to pursue that (excluding hardware). Spyware/AV "cleaning" is $99.95.

geeksquad09

o ok thanks guys now all i have to do is make my cards and get noticed

msteinhilber

geeksquad09 wrote: »

I am prepared for all the possibilities all i have to do is create my business cards and set prices

Whats the average price for a PC tune up, defragmentation of hard drive etc. spyware/ad ware removal

The best way to gauge this is to check your area and gauge your pricing based on what you find. Obviously you wouldn't want to position yourself with some of the highest rates in your area, but you don't want to give yourself away and undercut everybody else either.

As far as my prices go, when I was managing retail we had a $39.99 fee due immediately (and applied towards the service cost). This was partly in place to prevent the hassle of getting really old computers that once you called with your final estimate never return your calls or come to pickup the heap. Being away from the retail segment and doing on on the side on my own now, I have a verbally agreed upon $40 minimum. I bill flat rates for anything I do on my premise and charge by the hour if I travel to the customer to perform the work.

My rates that work well for me in my region to name a few common ones:

Spyware/AV Cleanup - $75.00
Format and reinstall - $100.00
Backup, format and reinstall - $150.00
Tuneup/Optimization - $75.00
Notebook power jack repair - $150.00
Everything else I just give them an estimate as needed

On-site hourly rates:

Hourly rate - $90
Trip charge (first 25 miles) - $50
Additional miles - $.50 per mile
I bill in 15 minute increments so it's a minimum of $72.50 for me to come out. My on-sites are a bit high for a lot of the competition in my area - that's strictly because I really dislike performing work on-site and much prefer the comforts of my own bench so I ensure it will be worth my while.

WillTech105

This is actually something I've been thinking of starting myself -- I am currently working for a consulting company and its little more demanding than a normal help desk job. You not only have to be technical but be able to establish rapport with the users and be little bold to make recommendations if necessary.

Thanks to everyone for their advice

veritas_libertas

geeksquad09 wrote: »

I am prepared for all the possibilities all i have to do is create my business cards and set prices

Whats the average price for a PC tune up, defragmentation of hard drive etc. spyware/ad ware removal

All possibilities?

I have done it on the side and it is nothing but a pain in the butt. I wish you luck though. You may want to consider some sort of business insurance.

Here are a couple of resources for computer businesses.

Resource for Computer Repair Technicians to Start or Improve their Computer Business - Technibble and Podnutz - Tech Podcast Network

msteinhilber

Here is another resource on a more personal level to communicate with other computer service/sales business owners.

computerbusiness : Start your own computer business

cleanwithit

I've been toying with the idea of starting my own gig. Anyways, here is a site I found about a year ago: Resource for Computer Repair Technicians to Start or Improve their Computer Business - Technibble ---It's computer repair business focused, so it should be of some help. Yes, I would def. recommend getting some type of insurance for protection. It's not overly expensive.

Let us know how it goes.

TheFORCE

You guys make it sound so easy, sure you might have the knowledge to do it but you dont have the clients. $40 for just troubleshooting and $99 to repair? That is crazy! You're clients will most likely be young college students and they dont have the money to pay all that.

I did the same thing for a while it wasnt worth it. One time i replaced this guys lcd screen on his toshiba laptop, i charged him $50 regardless of how long it would take, (took me 1 hour) the particular laptop model you had to remove the motherboard and everything else to be able to replace the LCD screen. Plus not to mention that I had to find which lcd fits on his laptop and send him the info for him to purchase.

So from now on i just tell them what to do and where to find things and do it themselves, its not worth the trouble or the time unless its around the corner or something. The other day i found an ad this guy's laptop had burned and he wanted someone to lend him the same laptop model so he can replace the HD and use a usb HD to get the data off, he wanted to pay at most $50. I send him and email and told him he could buy an adapter fro $20 and he could do it himself.

But anyway if you really want to do this, take a look at craiglist.com they have tons of people asking for service and providing service and trust me, they dont charge more than $30.

msteinhilber

TheFORCE wrote: »

You guys make it sound so easy, sure you might have the knowledge to do it but you dont have the clients. $40 for just troubleshooting and $99 to repair? That is crazy! You're clients will most likely be young college students and they dont have the money to pay all that.

I did the same thing for a while it wasnt worth it. One time i replaced this guys lcd screen on his toshiba laptop, i charged him $50 regardless of how long it would take, (took me 1 hour) the particular laptop model you had to remove the motherboard and everything else to be able to replace the LCD screen. Plus not to mention that I had to find which lcd fits on his laptop and send him the info for him to purchase.

So from now on i just tell them what to do and where to find things and do it themselves, its not worth the trouble or the time unless its around the corner or something. The other day i found an ad this guy's laptop had burned and he wanted someone to lend him the same laptop model so he can replace the HD and use a usb HD to get the data off, he wanted to pay at most $50. I send him and email and told him he could buy an adapter fro $20 and he could do it himself.

But anyway if you really want to do this, take a look at craiglist.com they have tons of people asking for service and providing service and trust me, they dont charge more than $30.

First off, it really depends on your market. You cannot possibly make statements saying all of those who do work on the side are likely to work with college students for the most part, and that they won't be able to charge that much.

The second comment I'll note is the mention of Craigslist. Absolutely do NOT get into a price war on Craigslist - that's what the rest of the people who do that sort of work on the side do, it's a constant battle to undercut everybody else and that is NEVER a sound business decision. Prices should not primarily be set by how much your competition is charging, you can take that into consideration as one variable but you ultimately have to charge what you are worth. IMO, don't even use Craigslist or if you do - don't at all be discouraged to bill your regular set rate even if it's twice as much as the other guy's on there.

If you actually read through the thread, you will see people are not placing the $40 on top of repair costs, it's just there as diags to prevent putting in a lot of time and the client saying no thanks. If you only charged a customer $50 to replace a LCD screen and you had to remove the motherboard as well, that's not his fault or a fault that comes along with running a repair business, it's a fault of not charging accordingly for the work you performed.

dynamik

TheFORCE wrote: »

You guys make it sound so easy, sure you might have the knowledge to do it but you dont have the clients. $40 for just troubleshooting and $99 to repair? That is crazy! You're clients will most likely be young college students and they dont have the money to pay all that.

We have a storefront on a relatively busy road, and we have tons of people willing to pay that.

Plus, if you go any lower than that, is it even worth your time? What's the point? You'd prefer to work for minimum wage fixing PCs instead of being at McD's?

TheFORCE

I'm just saying that there's a lot of competition out there for things like that,of course a store has to charge that amount of money, and of course price wars on craiglist are inevitable but that's what the client is looking for. Someone who will do the job as cheap as possible. If you don't compete with someone else you will lose the client. I charged my client $50 even tho i knew what it would take to replace the lcd, i didnt do it without knowing, that was just extra weekend money for me,(used it to go to the movies) but its not something i do on a daily basis or full time. Basically if you want to do this full time you need to have clients, be good at it, be competitive, friendly and lucky.

rsutton

The problem with this type of service is that it is commodity work so you do have to compete with everyone else. I did this for a few years before learning I hated it. There is very little money in it and the people you often deal with will be frustrating. I now do consulting work for small to medium sized business and that has been a real joy. The main difference is having a reliable infrastructure, group policy, managed AV etc.

msteinhilber

I guess I don't have those problems. I worked 8 years managing a shop where we are not the lowest price in town by a good margin but we had very likely the best customer service in the state which gave us an outstanding reputation and word of mouth brought us lots of clients. Those same philosophies carried over into my own service work and I don't have any problems with competition, once people begin to interact with me feeling out the price I close a deal I would say 95% of the time. I'm just saying that in every market for any field there tends to exist an ability to bring in a good customer base even in "commodity" markets where you think you have to be the lowest price - that simply is false.

Baldeagle79

geeksquad09 wrote: »

Well i'm about to start my pc repair/network technician course to obtain my A+, and Net+ and the way this economy is going jobs are imposible to find. Would repairing computers and removing spyware/adware on the side a bad idea? Any info please help on how to get me started, Please HELP

Do you thing, and don't worry about naysayers, too much. Starting your own business is a very tough endeavor, so don't take it lightly. Obtaining your A+ and Network+ are good first steps, but you need to be able to put that together into a formal business plan (especially if you're seeking investment capital from a bank or something like that). Visit www.sba.gov for a LOT of information on how to start your own small business. I've considered starting my own consulting firm, but I'm waiting until I finish my PhD (not b/c a PhD is necessary for having a firm, but b/c it's a goal that requires a LOT of effort, as well).

For now, you could set up an EID (employer ID #...review the IRS website on how to do that), a trademarked name, and run as a sole proprietorship by moonlighting (if you have a day-job, of course). Advertising and marketing is difficult, but word of mouth travels fast, too. If you can do a good job and perform a good service, at a reasonable price, then people will talk about that, and recommend you.

The successful people in my family who have done well have started their own businesses (e.g., a service station, a concrete business, etc). They all agree that word of mouth, and just doing a good job over time is the best thing for a business.

Don't fear the unknown, and trust your abilities, and you'll be fine. I do recommend the A+ for computer repair, and you should even see if you can talk to other people who have done the same thing.

Baldeagle79

msteinhilber wrote: »

I guess I don't have those problems. I worked 8 years managing a shop where we are not the lowest price in town by a good margin but we had very likely the best customer service in the state which gave us an outstanding reputation and word of mouth brought us lots of clients. Those same philosophies carried over into my own service work and I don't have any problems with competition, once people begin to interact with me feeling out the price I close a deal I would say 95% of the time. I'm just saying that in every market for any field there tends to exist an ability to bring in a good customer base even in "commodity" markets where you think you have to be the lowest price - that simply is false.

Good customer service is a definite must-have...not just a nice-to-have as some companies seem to treat it. You're absolutely right...good word will travel fast.