How to Start a Computer Repair Business

These days with companies shutting down and others not hiring people, it’s very tough to discover a job and earn a decent living. The good thing is, if you’re knowledgeable in computer repair, networking, or building custom computers, then you could turn your understanding into money. Well that sounds great, but you might not know where to even start with making an at house computer repair business. It’s really pretty simple to do, but demands a lot of time, tough work, along with a small bit of money to get started. I will go through the basics which will teach you how to get started and what you’ll need.
Making a name and logo
First of all, you can choose to use just your name if you do not wish to produce a catchy business name. The only thing is that when advertising, you will not seem like a business and it may not look as professional. Sometimes business names appeal more to clients. If you determine to produce a name (example: Cool Cats Computer Repair), then you will have to register for a DBA (performing business as). Registering a DBA for your company name makes it to ensure that you legally have that exact name in your region and to ensure that someone else can’t take the name. It’s also helpful for when you want to open a company savings/checking account and want to use your registered name. This way when a customer wants to pay you, they can write their check payable to your business name. A DBA is very inexpensive and doesn’t take lengthy at all to get. I paid $15 for mine, filled out a 1 page form, and it was done the very first day. Easy and extremely well worth the $15. Plus “Cool Cats Computer Repair” sounds much better than saying “John Smith”.
A logo is not needed but is great to have for when you decide to make company cards. Something simple, clean, and creative to give your company name an image. Once it gets passed around enough, individuals will recognize your company just by the logo. You are able to either produce your own logo or have someone do it for a little price. There are lots of logo design web sites on-line that work very well, but in the event you can do it your self then I would recommend that. Free is always much better.
Equipment and supplies required
When it comes to computer repair, there are a couple of important tools that you will require. Not just tools for putting things together, but software tools and business forms. Here is really a list of a few of the issues you need to have.
 
Forms – for legal purposes, organizing, providing receipts, and keeping track of your customers. Forms such as maintenance logs, receipts, contracts, etc. will be needed to ensure that you are able to maintain track of your work and provide a copy to the customer of what has been carried out. Contracts are a great method to remain legally safe when it comes to repairing or creating computers. You don’t want to be at fault for damages you didn’t even cause. You are able to choose to kind up many different forms your self, get ideas from other people online and make your own, or purchase kits. I chose to buy the Computer Business Kit from Technibble.com simply because it consists of every form you need, saves you a TON of time, and is priced reasonably at $49.
Tool kit – these are essential for removing and adding hardware along with other various parts within a computer. There is a wide variety of tool kits, and they all are about the exact same except for some consist of much more tools. So depending on how in depth you’re going to go with computer repair, the kits will vary. They all include a nice carrying case to make it portable. Tool kits begin out at around $10 on Amazon. Fantastic investment for any computer repair business.
Company cards – you’ll need company cards to hand out to your clients and to make use of for advertising purposes. Make sure to include your company name, brief description, contact number, website, e-mail, and any other information you believe could be useful for the customer. This is where your logo is needed. Make certain you add it to the company card. I prefer Vista Print for making business cards online simply because it saves you the time, paper, and ink. Plus the costs are reasonable and you’ll receive them in the mail rapidly.
Software program – when showing up to a customer’s house, you cannot go unprepared because it will kill your business quickly. What I suggest would be to create a CD that includes software program tools utilized for fixing problems and other helpful files. Put these on a CD-R and NOT a DVD-R disc because you by no means know if the customer has an old computer without a DVD drive. Keep the files on the CD organized so that you are able to quickly discover what you are looking for. I create various folders for the kinds of tools, like Anti-Spyware, Anti-Virus, etc. Be sure that your tools are legal and are compatible with all Windows Operating Systems. Tools that will be useful are Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Program Utilities, Registry Cleaners, Drivers, Windows Service Packs, and any other helpful software. You can go to Downloads.com and browse via the categories to discover freeware you would like to make use of.
Optional but handy tools – Laptop pc for storing all of your software program, customer info, and forms. Even though a laptop is not required, it’s useful in the event you need to get on the internet to download drivers/software or in the event you need information/files off it. External drive/USB drive will be helpful to transfer files between computers, or you are able to use these to store software program and tools. Blank CDs/DVDs, just in case you need to burn some files and give them to a customer.
 
Advertising
Advertising is among the most essential steps with regards to starting a computer repair business. You need to get customers but at the exact same time you should save on spending, so these are the best and cheapest ways to advertise.
 
Nearby newspaper – you can put an ad inside your local newspaper and have it run for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Costs vary depending on the newspaper, but some of them will work out a deal with you in the event you advertise for a lengthy time period. I have observed ads begin at $10 a day but go up to $30 per day. Call your local newspapers and get some cost quotes. Maintain your ad short, descriptive, and Don’t forget your phone number.
Craigslist.org is a superb free classifieds web site that gets large amounts of visits per day. Location your ad within the Services/Computers section and explain what you’re performing, the cost rates, and how you can be contacted.
Local bulletin boards – place fliers or business cards at bulletin boards in your nearby towns/cities. These boards can usually be found at town halls, grocery stores, gas stations, post offices, laundry mats, and lots of other places.
Hand out business cards – carry business cards in your wallet to ensure that every time you meet a potential customer you are able to just pull 1 out and hand it to them. Leave a company card with your customer following the job is done, and tell them if they’ve discovered your services useful to please recommend you to their friends/family.
Word of mouth – the very best way to get your name out there is to tell everybody you know. Tell your friends, family, Facebook buddies, and anybody else you know to ensure that they will spread the word around for you. You will be surprised as to how numerous customers you are able to get just by word of mouth and not spending a single penny.
 
A few extra tips
The basics have fairly a lot been covered but there are a couple of much more helpful ideas that I would use if you’re interested in starting a computer repair company.
 
Know your competition and do some research on your local computer repair companies if you will find some already in your region. Check out their costs, services, return policies, and everything else. This will provide you with an thought as to what you need to charge (keep it below the competition’s costs) and what you need to offer your customers. Plus you may believe of methods to improve your business just by searching at their website.
Creating a web site will give you a expert look, provide you with much more customers, give you more advertising opportunities, and make it easier for customers to get info on your company and prices.
If your region already has a lot of repair companies, then it’ll be harder for you to generate clients. That does not mean it’s impossible and you shouldn’t at least try. Make your company stand out from the other people by creating an appealing name, affordable prices, much more services, along with a better personal expertise for your clients.
Remember that it’s about your clients and making them happy. In the event you treat your clients badly or merely just want cash and do not give them a friendly experience, then you will lose those customers. Be yourself but expert so that the customer feels comfy with having you work on their computer. Without happy clients, you will have a business going nowhere soon.
Remain in control, organized, and treat this as in the event you had been running a large company because some day it might turn into 1.
 
I will be posting more guides and tips for starting/running your own computer repair company. If you have found this post helpful, please share it with other people!