You may want to take out some sort of insurance policy to cover yourself against any s****y clients. It may cost you a bit to get, but will be worth it incase anything goes wrong.
I always see adverts in the local paper for 'no fix - no fee' PC repair people. I'm sure they wouldn't keep advertising if they didn't get the business. I was thinking, as a way to differentiate yourself, you could offer to repair the PCs in front of the owners and even offer to talk them through what you're doing for an added fee. I know that there can be a lack of trust when someone you don't know is looking at your PC etc. By being willing to talk them through what you're doing, it may well win you more business and rep+ for word of mouth advertising. Fire a few ads in the paper, what's the worst that could happen? : Good luck!
i worked as a repair tech for a small local shop this summer. our service for home users was treated basically as a loss leader to get our name out there; the real money is in IT support for small businesses that can't afford to hire a dedicated IT person. they're willing to pay the extra for quick turnaround and data security, and if you can get on a contract to come by once a month to blow out the dust and check that all their backups are running smoothly then you can start making some real money.
Thank you everyone, this is all fantastic info. On the networking and business servicing end end, what sort of course would I need to be qualified for this type of work?
For the basics, one of the '+' certificates such as Network+ or A+. Ideally (for more business orientated customers) CCNA for networking and MS qualifications for software.
I dun it all on google innit? The courses are just willy waving to clients - you're better off getting out there and learning the hard way. SO much better. Then when you have the moolah you could get yourself onto some of the certification - it's friggin expensive man. As long as you have internet access wherever you are - you're fine. Google WILL tell you everything if you ask the right question, and chances are at least 10 people will have had the same problem you have at the time. The MS KB is actually not too bad for the rudimentary stuff.
All sounds good guys, but I don't even know the first thing about networking tbh. When you don't know anything about it it seems impossible especially all the abreveations. Thanks guys this has been a really helpful. I'll keep you all updated on my progress. Thank you everyone Gareth
In that case gar I'd recommend getting a "Trial" copy of a few Server OSs and playing around with a small network at home to get to grips with Active Directory and the Linux equivalents, just so you don't throw yourself in the deep end. If you quote a fairly large amount of time to do any server work, that will give you time to read up as you go. It could be worth buying a few books on the various technologies and having a good read if you really want to make a good effort at this - I did it when I started and it was a big help, even just to open up the terminology a bit and stuff.
you can get businesses making you the go to guy, all gotta do is tell them you work on computers and ask how much their regular fixer charges.. then undercut him XD like when you go to the dentist, they always have secretaries botching up a machine instead of the gay squad charging them 60 dollars an hour (they do).. you could look at what's wrong and charge 20-30 for your time.. sometimes you'll just laugh, it'll be like a broken monitor and you'll get this diagnosis- it boots up but there's no picture! businesses like to help out the little guy, and you cost less than the dingle working for a chain who took his a+ 10 times and finally passed
So much negativity here!! I done pretty much the same as you are thinking about nearly 5 years ago now, and I earn a good living from it now. I did go and get some qualifications and work experience first though with a local IT support firm. When I started on my own, I was using the local press small ads and doing flyer drops in local offices, factories warehouses etc. I get most of my work from word of mouth now, or from my website. In my first year I showed a loss on my tax return, but since then I have managed to earn some very good money from my business. At the end of the day, if you are 100% committed to the plan (assuming you have a good one), stick to your guns and don't let the sheep talk you back into line. It will be very hard work, and there will always be peeps who will say you are doomed, but if you put the effort in, you will succeed. What have you got to lose by trying? It bugs me when people say don't bother, because if everyone thought like that there would be no businesses. Go for it, just make sure you take a good while to think things through, and try to find an edge over your competitors.
@julianmartin, thanks @gar I would also suggest that you visit your local Chambers of Commerce, or give them a call. Business Link are also an excellent source of information for those considering starting out in business. Your local tax office should do free, short 1/2 and 1 day courses to help you get your head around the tax legislation for a sole trader, and they are very good too. Never be afraid to ask for, or accept, help when starting out too, I was too proud to ask when I started out, and had to do things the hard way. I soon learned that if help or advice is available, to snatch it up while it's there.
Might be worth getting in touch with your local council as well as they often have 'start-up' seminars etc (try Business Link) where you can get good advice on legal stuff, and meet others who are starting up as well (who may well be useful potential customers). Word of mouth is probably your biggest ally. Might be worth getting yourself set up with data recovery tools as well - people tend to be prepared to pay over the odds to recover their accidentally deleted essay / coursework / best selling novel in my experience. Edit: Just seen stuartpb's post - that'll teach me to read the thread properly!
I was in your shoes a while ago, i just asked all the local technicians for job and i eventually got one. Now i have the experiance and go do work for myself on the side!
