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Building Up a Small Computer Business?

Posted by Cliff on from the many-of-us-have-been-here-before dept.

Hogg asks: "I'm a senior in high school, and feeling very industrious over the summer, I started a home business. Basically, I go onsite and service computers and charge far less than what the 'pros' with the MCSEs and so on do. It's been going fairly well so far, but I wonder if Slashdot has tips, advice, or pitfalls to avoid?"

9 of 111 comments (clear)

  1. Get it in Writing by darkkewulf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Always have a disclaimer form that releases you from liability should something go wrong. If my customer won't sign the form, I won't touch the PC. That way, the user can't blame you if he screws up and loses everything from his drive a few weeks after you've done your thing.

    --

    "All universal moral principles are idle fantasies." -The Marquis de Sade
    1. Re:Get it in Writing by pbrammer · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Be careful though, if it's your fault, it's your fault.

      A disclaimer does not legally remove the burdon off of your shoulders. If you are responsible for damages to a computer, you are responsible for those damages regardless of said disclaimer sheet.

      Liability release forms also do not hold their water in court. Take a place that has a climbing wall that also rents out equipment for that wall. You sign a liability release form that states if something you do is reckless [and to your point above], you cannot sue them, but if they haven't kept up on checking their harnesses and one breaks and you fall two stories to the ground - breaking your neck - you can sue them for negligence.

      Phil

  2. Business & Trust by Wade+Tregaskis · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I'm not speaking from personal experience - so take some salt - but from talking with friends [who do tech support consulting] your best bet is to target small to medium business', rather than consumers. That's if you're going primarily for money - it may be more personally rewarding to work with consumers (especially if you believe some of the posts here, although no one I've talked to has had the opportunity to mix business and pleasure to that extent).

    With business', you can build up a really good regular customer base by demonstrating that you trust and care for them. Carry a set of spare components (hard disks, ram, maybe an optical drive or two, etc) with you all the time. If some hardware is acting flaky - and you can't fix it immediately - lend them a replacement and/or substitute. Most business' will be used to lazy, pushy & expensive IT guys, and the mere act of lending them a replacement stick of ram for a week or two will boggle their brains.

  3. Don't be too nice by gregRowe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I know it sounds strange but be very strict about billing. Many small businesses are too trusting and too nice and allow other businesses to walk all over them.

    Make sure you bill promptly and accurately and be sure to charge late charges on accounts. If a customer becomes past due do not perform further work for them. You can't work for free and make a living.

    Also, don't charge *too much* below what the MCSEs charge. It's stupid but people will automatically think that you are of lesser quality. You have to have an air of confidence, and charging "high" prices shows that you feel you are worth that much.

    Greg

    --
    There\'s no place like ~
  4. A few tips by mnmn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have been doing this for the past 2 years as a part time job, assembling PCs for people, repairing, antivirus use, spyware removal, windows reinstall, Internet software install and the likes.

    Tip # 1: On slashdot NEVER call MCSEs pros. I know many people who got their MCSEs during the Windows NT4 days and dont know how to use MS excel. Maybe you meant A+

    Tip # 2: Never provide a warranty, and make sure they understand that. They cannot come back 6 months later with a bad driver and ask for free service because you didnt fix it right.

    Tip # 3: Do not service Pentium1 and lower computers.

    Tip # 4: Do not hand out drivers and ghost images of the users data. Let them come back to you with future problems. Learn something from microsoft.

    Tip # 5: Build a reputation. When you have to install firewalls and servers in office locations, use Linux or BSD. You can put that on your resume.

    Tip # 6: Dont rely on it as a major source of income. Get a degree, get the real certifications and years of experience, then tell all your clients you no longer work for them.

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
  5. Re:Let me understand this... by mnmn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Youre an MCSE calling yourself a 'pro' and feeling threatened by a high school PC repair kid who calls MCSEs 'pros'. And you're I presume trying to feed mouths with your MCSE. I admire that.

    I'm an MCSE + MCSD + CCNA + LCA getting an RHCE soon, and still looking for work. And I'm barely a 'pro'. So if you're threatened by a high-schooler, take that as a message.

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
  6. Re:Avoid burnout! by zulux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    He will need something to read NTFS when a system won't boot. Winternals AdminPak is the only decent tool that works as well as it does

    Knoppix (the bootable, CD-ROM Linux) - will read NTFS file-systems and allow you to ftp, rsync, or scp the contents over to another computer.

    1) Insert Knoppix CD
    2) Boot
    3) Wait a few momoents
    4) You now have a desktoip with the NTFS partition(s) as little icons.
    5) Browse them.
    6) Copy files over network.

    The best thing is that the NTFS file-system is mounted read only - so you can't do any more damage than there already has been done.

    (yes 'NTFS file-system' is redundant, excuse me while I go to the ATM machine)

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  7. Re:Let me understand this... by kungfooswade · · Score: 3, Insightful

    We live in a captalist society and so you must expect someone to undercut you whether they do the job better or not. It's simply called competition.

    Besides, this guy has shown some moxy putting forth an effort to learn more and get some experience all on his own. And now he would like some business tips. We should be supportive of any person like this.

    What if this were your son?

    --
    At midnight, all the butchers And the cafeteria crew Go out and chop up all the cows For beef & guinness stew...
  8. Two Words by v_1matst · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Forget It.

    If you're in high school, go and do high school things. I'm not saying to go out and get some shitty job flipping burgers, but if you are planning on doing this stuff for the rest of your life (until retirement anyway), keep it as a hobby for now, do open source development, etc, enjoy your life. Then after college worry about getting a job in the industry. Believe me, rushing to sit at a desk all day under artificial light isn't a good idea...