24 Ways to Start Corporal PC Repair Business

Corporal pc repair: Starting a PC Repair Business | Are you the person everyone calls when they have a computer problem? Have you considered getting paid for fixing near-fatal errors and turning your PC prowess into a business? According a recent report, sales of computer services are expected to exceed $47 billion this year in the U.S. alone, with PC repair leading the way.

“Almost all small businesses and home offices use computers and depend on them to be working properly,” says Chip Reaves, CEO of Computer Troubleshooters, a franchise network of computer professionals. “They don’t have the skills, the time or the desire to do their own computer service, repair and upgrades, and that puts us right in the middle of one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.”

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But if your only business experience is selling your mom’s friend her first computer, how do you get started? Besides coming up with a business name, getting a business license and obtaining general liability business insurance (which ranges from $300 to $1500 annually and is obtainable through your local city hall), there are a number of things you need to do to get started on the right foot. Here are 10 tips that will help you successfully launch and run your new endeavor.

PC Repair will provide computer and technical consulting (repairs, training, networking and upgrade service) to local small businesses as well as home PC users. The company will focus on marketing, responsiveness, quality, and creating and retaining customer relations.

PC Repair was initially formed as a sole proprietorship, but was reconfigured as an S Corporation in December of 2004. PC Repair will at first be a home office start-up, utilizing one studio room in the owner’s home and serving customers in the local Ramsford-on-Bitstream area. In the third month of our plan, we will move into a leased office space and hire a second technician. As sales increase, we will hire additional personnel.

1. Technical and Manpower Details

It can’t be denied that anyone planning or wanting to venture into this industry must be well knowledge in computer hardware and software. Being a computer literate is far different from being a computer physician. It takes adequate training and concentration to be able to pitch a tent in this industry.

A computer repairer can easily fall into the trap of believing that he/she can pick up new skills on the fly or after quickly reading a manual. But if you fail to partake in continued education and training, your knowledge base may become obsolete.

The size of a computer repair business must surely decide the size of employees you need but always remember to hire smart. The people you hire are going to create an impression about your company with your customers, so be sure to screen candidates on more than just their tech skills and certifications. Your employees should be driven and well-versed in both technical expertise and interpersonal skills.

2.Choosing a Location for your Computer Repair Business

Choosing a location for your computer repair business should be one of your paramount decisions when starting the business. The location you choose for your computer repair business has a direct effect on your operation’s costs as well as your ability to serve customers (and therefore your revenues).  Also, location decisions, once made, are difficult and costly to undo.

A good location for your computer repair business should be a well-travelled street where the shop will be seen by many individuals who can easily pull into the lot and patronize your services. Also consider whether your location can benefit your business if you’re around similar businesses that are already drawing the type of customers that you want. Like starting your repair shop beside a shop that sells computer accessories.

It is also very important that you go for a location where you can easily afford its rent and not going bankrupt. Finally, the location that you choose needs to be legally acceptable for whatever you plan to do there. A certain spot may be good for business, but if it’s not zoned for what you plan to do, you’re asking for trouble.

You should never sign a lease without being sure you’ll be permitted to operate your business in that space. Your city planning or zoning board determines what activities are permissible in a given location. If your zoning board has a problem with any of your business activities, and it’s not willing to work out a way to accommodate your business, you may have to find another space.

3. Possible Threats You Will Face While Starting a Computer Repair Business

No business idea looks simple; it takes courage and Competence to be able to survive. This is why experts will always tell new business owners to do all the necessary homework that is required of them. Every business has its own challenges but what makes you an outstanding entrepreneur is you ability to survive and build your business.

Here are few challenges of Starting a computer repair business. Related image

  • Choosing a computer repair niche
  • Capital and financing your business
  • Finding costumers
  • Dealing with the stress of not having a steady pay check
  • Managing your money, legal protection and taxes
  • Dealing with negative people, loneliness and self doubt
  • Building a reputation
  • Fighting competition
  • Hiring employees

4. Catchy business name ideas for a Computer Repair business 

  • Technocare
  • Infix
  • Hardwarepro
  • Desert repairs
  • ABC technologies
  • Hotrod Computers
  • Technowar
  • Rose link resources
  • Repair palace

5. Cost Analysis for Starting a Computer Repair Business

It is the dream of many computer technicians to start their own computer repair business. This dream is a great one to go for but before starting a business, you will need to face the realities of the business start-up costs. The computer repair business is one of the many businesses you can start from your backyard and expand with time and profits.

6. Financing a Computer Repair Business

Every business known to mankind needs fund and financing to be able to stand firm and grow. There is a popular saying “that money is used to make money”; any business that lacks funding is literally dead and doesn’t exist.

The major problem faced by entrepreneurs is not choosing a business niche but the capital and funding for the business. You need fund to be able start up a computer repair business, buy tools, rent offices and utilities, pay employees, and also build a corporate identity.

Ways of financing a computer repair business may include

  • Personal savings
  • Loans from friends and family
  • Small business loan
  • Partnership
  • Attract investors
  • Crowdfunding
  • Bank overdrafts
  • Community schemes

7. The Service Process of a Computer Repair Business

The computer repair business is known to provide maintenance and repairing of computers and other related appliances. The responsibilities or jobs of a computer physician may also include building or configuring new hardware, installing and updating software packages, and creating and maintaining computer networks. The targeted costumers in this industry are Individuals who use or need the services of a computer.

The service process of a computer repair business is based within the on-site services usually at an hourly rate; off-site services were charges are given based on the level of work. A client can also drop off his gadget that is to be repaired at the repair shop; wait for them to be repaired or picked them up later. Some technicians may also take back old equipment for recycling.

8. The Market

The very nature of the computing industry, with its extraordinary rate of technological development, creates a constant need for businesses skilled in updating and advising customers on computer-related issues. In town, the majority of potential customers are dissatisfied with existing options, creating an attractive niche for an innovative start-up. Small business PC users will provide the majority of our business revenue. Business Week expects the computing industry to grow at a rate of 12% and the processor speeds to continue to expand for years to come, providing a rich resource for sales.

PC Repair has decided to focus mainly on the small business market, as these customers typically don’t have a full-time IT person, but have full-time IT needs. PC Repair will offer an affordable, on-demand service for these customers. We can also offer maintenance agreements that generate additional monthly income. For our residential customers, we will offer a very affordable and helpful service with a very flexible schedule to meet their needs. Our target market will focus on Ramsford-on-Bitstream and the surrounding areas. Market research indicates there is an abundance of business for a small company such as PC Repair.

Proper marketing of your computer repair business can blow your business into great Heights. You can’t just sit idle and expect your business to grow itself, you should be able to expand and promote your services.

Before even thinking of marketing procedures, you need to first and foremost understand yourself and your targeted costumers – What they want and how they think. If you want to market a computer repair business, there are different strategies that you can use. These ways may include

  • Through word of mouth.
  • Social media marketing.
  • Flyers
  • Cold Calling
  • House-to-House
  • local newspaper ads
  • Print some attention-grabbing flyers

9. Well – Known brands in the Computer Repair business

Hardworking indeed is rewarded with success and with success comes class and recognition. Many companies have made their marks and are still dominating the computer repair business in modern America. Only consistency and hardworking could have been able to place them at the helm of the industry.

  • Emerald Computers
  • Smart Addiction
  • Directron
  • A+ Computech
  • Xpress Geeks
  • Geek Squad

10. Start-up Funding and Financials

To get PC Repair started the owner is providing cash and assets. We are also seeking a short-term loan, to be secured with the owner’s home equity, and repaid within three years. Our conservative sales forecasts, based on industry research within the local area, project hefty sales in year one, steadily increasing through year three. To reach these goals, we will use an aggressive advertising campaign to exploit our competitors’ weaknesses. With good cost control, we will see a modest, yet comfortable, net profit the first year, even after moving into a leased space and hiring additional technicians.

11. Niche Ideas Within the Computer Repair Industry

When starting your computer repair business, choosing a niche helps you to know who your future customers will be so that you can target your business offering to their needs with precision. It takes proper research and familiarity to be able to point out what exactly you want to be doing and the particular computer repair niche you want to venture into. Think about the needs of each demographic in your community, put yourself in their shoes, and you’ll come up with a more distinct niche.

Corporal pc repair

Here are few niches in the computer repair business you can choose from.

  • Computer maintenance
  • Networking
  • Repairing health related equipments like dental and surgical equipment
  • General hardware repair
  • Computer upgrading
  • Virus removal
  • Data recovery

12. Possible Threats You Will Face While Starting a Computer Repair Business

No business idea looks simple; it takes courage and Competence to be able to survive. This is why experts will always tell new business owners to do all the necessary homework that is required of them. Every business has its own challenges but what makes you an outstanding entrepreneur is you ability to survive and build your business.

Here are few challenges of Starting a computer repair business.

  • Choosing a computer repair niche
  • Capital and financing your business
  • Finding costumers
  • Dealing with the stress of not having a steady pay check
  • Managing your money, legal protection and taxes
  • Dealing with negative people, loneliness and self doubt
  • Building a reputation
  • Fighting competition
  • Hiring employees

Starting a Computer Repair Business – Legal Aspect

 13. Know your street (and hourly) value.

 In the early 90’s, running a PC repair business centered around selling parts and products, with service on the side. Today, it’s about selling hours. “You’re making money by selling management services [of computers, networks and servers],” says Reaves. “It used to be that you made your money when a virus needed cleaning up or parts broke. Now we’re helping our customers prevent problems before they start by using management technology.”

To determine what your time is worth, investigate what your local competition is charging. While the national average is $100 per hour for computer service billing, it’s much higher in certain regions–$160 an hour in Manhattan, for instance. When you must order new parts, such as modems or motherboards, for a job, you’ll need to make the purchase worth yours and your client’s time, especially if he/she has pre-paid you. So remember to factor in shipping, handling and insurance costs, as well as an “opportunity” cost for ordering parts from lower-priced national vendors vs. a local supplier.

14. Level of Competition in the Computer Repair Business

The very nature of the Computer Repair industry, with its extraordinary rate of technological development, creates a constant need for businesses skilled in updating and advising customers on computer-related issues. With every individual armed with a computer and with almost all valuable information in our daily lives being stored in the computer, the computer selling business is booming and with this booming comes a need for repairers by users.

Everybody with a computer knows that moment of panic when the hard drive crashes–and for businesspeople, it usually happens when they’re staring into the eye of a deadline. The need for computer physicians is growing every day and more people are Venturing into this field, making it a competitive and goal oriented industry.

15.  Determine who your ideal customer is.

 If you’re looking to sell and service computers within your local community and remain a one-person operation, residential clients may suit you best. They’re generally more responsive to advertising and marketing than small-business owners are, according to Reaves. Plus, residential work is less demanding and the market is huge, although the competition is fierce–think Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” and Circuit City’s Firedog services, both of which make house calls to perform installations and upgrades and to troubleshoot. Another downside to residential customers is that your clients will tend to be more budget-conscious than if you target the business owner.

If you decide to target the non-residential market, think small. “Niching is one way to go,” says Reaves. “Look at your existing contacts. Perhaps you know the principal at a school, a banker or the owner of a real estate firm. These folks may lead you in to an area of specialization since the software systems tend to be similar.”

Corporal pc repair

 16. Realize that financial stability doesn’t happen overnight.

 It’s tough to juggle a day job with a side gig, especially if you’re honing in on small-business clients. But if you’re not running your business full time, you run the risk of losing clients, especially if you’re targeting the business market. “If you’re not around to field tech support calls from nine to five, they’ll quickly pick up the Yellow Pages and move on to the next guy.

You’ll need to build up a financial cushion–six to nine months salary is advisable–for when you ultimately do turn in your pink slip and become fully self-employed. “People make better decisions when they’re not worried about their money running out,” Reaves says. “And while it’s hard to relinquish the safety net of a paycheck and downgrade your lifestyle, you have to reach the point where you treat it like a business instead of a hobby.”

16. Know your strengths and weaknesses.

 If your background is strictly technical and you aren’t very business savvy, hire bookkeeping or accounting experts to handle the busywork and keep you at your most productive so you can steadily increase your billable hours. You can also invest in software products to handle administrative tasks. A few of the top software sellers, which can help you manage people, projects and processes more efficiently, include AutoTaskConnectWise and Results.

17. Market your business every day. 

While you don’t have to walk around wearing a sandwich board when you’re out on the street, the phone on your desk isn’t going to ring until people know you exist. And you can’t rest on your past successes either. Whether you choose direct mail, pamphlet drops, telemarketing or web marketing, you need to come up with a marketing mix that works for you. For instance, advertising in your local community coupon book may prove to be a waste of money, while networking at business trade organizations and chamber of commerce meetings may pay off big.

“I easily put in five to 10 hours a week of promotion,” says Jason Kaufman, owner of Computer Troubleshooters of Mamaroneck, New York. “This doesn’t mean just sitting at a desk, punching out press releases. You’ve got to get your face out there, go door to door if you have to, to let people know you exist. If you’re bashful–not comfortable putting yourself out there or handling rejection–you might find this business isn’t for you.”

18. Keep your skills current. 

echies can easily fall into the trap of believing they can pick up new skills on the fly or after quickly reading a manual. But if you fail to partake in continued education and training, your knowledge base may become obsolete. “It’s the nature of the business,” Kaufman says. “You have to find time to see what’s new.” Make time to visit such websites as CNET and ZDNet to update yourself on new software applications and to find out about technology webinars being offered.

Corporal pc repair

19. Reach out if you need assistance. 

“Coming from a 100-person IT department in a large setting where you have colleagues to help you and collaborate with, it can be pretty daunting and isolating if you do run into an issue or problem while out on your own.

Fortunately, there’s great camaraderie in the tech community. There are fantastic web sites out there where you can bounce a question off an “expert” and get a response within a few hours (Microsoft’s Experts Exchange charges $99 per year for this service). Learn what you can and cannot do well, and ask for help when you need it.

20. Customize your workspace.

 Adjusting from an office cubicle to a home office environment takes a commitment to organization. You’ll need a clean, dedicated workspace (not the desk that the family PC rests on) with room for a repair bench area for your tools and easily accessible storage shelves and bins. The area doesn’t have to be too big to start out with, but it should be able to accommodate at least two tower PCs and monitors. A direct entrance to the area is nice, especially if you expect drop-offs or are employing interns or other tech people to work with you. A converted garage is a favorite area of a lot of techies.

21. Don’t sign on the rental line just yet. 

If your ultimate business goal is to open up a PC service center, realize that this type of venture takes more planning and management than you may expect. Service centers must operate regular business hours, so sufficient staffing is essential. Capital requirements are also significantly higher than for a work-from-home business, so a comprehensive business plan is essential. Prepare for the worst-case scenario, insofar as cash flow is concerned and make sure you have enough money or access to it, such as through a line of credit, to carry you through the lean times.

Before committing to a lengthy, expensive storefront lease, you might opt to set a more realistic goal of bringing on technicians within a year and opening up a space where customers can drop off their computers up the road. “The added expense of overhead can be dangerous and backfire, unless you already have steady clientele,” says Jim Greenfield, owner of Computer Troubleshooters’ New York Midtown South franchise location.

Corporal pc repair

22. Hire smart.

 Your first hire is going to make the main impression about your company with your customers, so be sure to screen candidates on more than just their tech skills and certifications. Your first employee should be driven and well-versed in both technical expertise and interpersonal skills. Before hiring anyone, get three relevant, work-related references and written consent that you may perform a background check before hiring. “If you’re uncomfortable conducting an interview on your own, ask a friend or mentor with more experience to join you in the process,” advises Greenfield.

The first step in the hiring process is to get an EIN (Employer Identification Number) by filing Form SS-4 with the IRS. This nine-digit number is for you to use on tax forms specifically where it’s asked for by name–it’s not a substitute for your Social Security number.

23. Possible Strategies for Winning your Competitors in the Computer Repair Business

Competition they say brings about innovation. You should be able to see competition as a fuel that can bring about creativity, success and hope to your business. In order to beat your competitors in the computer repair business, you need to move beyond the computer repair business. You also need a CIO for greater business strategy and direction – without the cost of a full-time salary.

You also need to prepare for the inevitable and strive to stand your business. When you are planning for the future of your business, you need to prepare for the worst, so it won’t happen or you will be prepared for when it does. Your small business needs IT personnel to help you and also construct Internet strategy around your business growth plans.

24. Increasing Customer Retention in the Computer Repair Business

Your customers are the bedrock of your success, without them, there is no need for your business to still stand. In the computer repair business, you must learn to satisfy your customers in other to retain them. Reward loyalty and ask for their suggestions on how to create brand awareness. You also need to develop an established reputation for providing services across a wide range of platforms in order to attract consumers’ confidence. A good reputation also helps attract large outsourcing deals.

Build your credibility and gain your customer’s trust, be friendly, and show hospitality. Also in the bid to retain your customers, try offering them a reasonable discount, offer free delivery services, host a thank you party, and always deal with Customers’ complain immediately.

Build a viable sales base by using your strong knowledge of niche markets, technical expertise and financial resources.

Corporal pc repair

Conclusion

Computers are one of the most basic needs in today’s world. A venture dealing in computer repairs will often succeed if you plan it properly. Running your computer repair business successfully involves you tackling each problem as if it’s your last. The more you satisfy your customers, the more they will keep coming and in the business world, one satisfied customer would sure come with two friends the next time.

Also, learn to repair computers in front of your clients, most people are not comfortable leaving their computer at a repair shop and you’ll gain customer satisfaction immediately if repairs can be performed on-site. You will also be able to talk to the customer – thereby building goodwill, which is the most important component of any business. The customer will not only call you in the future but will also refer you to others. Always remember that one customer is worth ten in the streets

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