If you have significant computer skills and experience, and can work with people to provide good customer service, a home PC repair business can be started easily and with very little start-up cost. You will be competing with well known brands such as Best Buy's Geek Squad, but with good rates and personalized service, you can carve out a niche for yourself. People skills and business savvy are as important as technical skills.
Instructions
1. Determine what services you will offer, and how you will deliver them to your customers. You may choose to travel to customers' homes, offer technical support subscriptions via telephone, open a small storefront, or partner with another business, such as offering a percentage of your profits to a local mailing store for space in which to work and get walk-in customers. Your specialty may be in rebuilding old machines with new hardware, removing viruses and updating operating systems or fixing broken laptop screens.
2. Obtain financing for your business. Though it is an easy business to start, you will still have marketing and advertising costs, store rent or gas and vehicle maintenance costs, as well as filing fees for setting up your business. You may also need professional insurance, and a small supply of common replacement parts and tools. You may apply for a small business loan or borrow from friends and family. Ensure you have enough money to live on while your business is getting started.
3. Market your business. You may advertise in the local Yellow Pages or Google ads, through local radio or newspapers, or by teaching local classes and workshops in computer repair. Customers will probably trust you more with their computers if they are confident that you are an expert. Offer newsletters or e-mailed information about maintaining a healthy computer, or tips on choosing a good virus-scanning software.
4. Price your services appropriately. Check your competition to see what they charge per hour or per project, and calculate your costs of doing business to make sure you are charging enough to make a profit. Many small business owners undercharge, so make sure you are getting a good market rate for your service. If you can get a contract for maintaining computers a school or business, you may be able to lower your hourly rate in exchange for the guarantee of more hours.
Tags: your business, make sure, small business
