[ARock84]

Hey I decided that I may try to open my own business up. I have been getting a lot of side jobs lately and figured that it may be a good idea to open a business. Im not looking to open a store or anything but just like home computer repair. Wether I would go to their house or do the work at mine. This is something I already have been doing for a number of years. But I was thinking of making it Official so I would have my own company name and cards etc. Any input you guys and gals may have would be very appreciated, such has how to start and where to go to get everything official! :)



Thanks

Adam

[Flashorn]

Hey Arock !!



I can only give a site to visit and interact with more Techs in the

business. They have lots of info. and their forum is helpful.Give it a shot.

Technibble Forums .

If you take a look on the left hand side of the screen , you will see :

The Tech Biz

Have fun and good luck !



FLASHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
1!

[ARock84]

Hey thanks Flashorn this will be a big help in deciding what to do. :)

[Flashorn]

Hey ARock !!



I think MPH might have a thing or two to say. He has his

own and I don't think you'd have to ask twice to get some

help .



FLASHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
1!

[Adama]

Hi ARock,

Let me know if you'd like me to make a graphic for you, for your new business, or a sig. I'd be glad to. :D

[mphenterprises]

Hi ARock. First, let me congratulate you on this decision. :D Believe me, it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made. Now, let's get down to business, pun intended.

- First and foremost, you need a business plan. If you ever want to get a loan, apply for credit, or anything like that, no one will take you seriously without a business plan.

- Contact your local SBA (Small Business Association). They can help you create a business plan, give you advice on how to best reach your customer base, and even the best way to start the business.

- Your business idea is similar to mine, in-home computer repair. This is an incredible niche that most technical small business owners have not reached. If you are serious about the in-home business, make sure that you do not deviate from that. Your home base (office) should be for research as well as any off-site troubleshooting you may do.

- Contact your local state agency to register your business. As before, banks and other creditors will not take you seriously if you do not have a Tax Identification. If you plan on selling merchandise, make sure you get a Sales Tax Identification number.

- Create a website. The website does not have to be fancy or flashy. Unless your business will include web design, the website really only has to show your services, your prices, and your contact information.

- Advertise. The best advertising is word of mouth. The vast majority of my clients are from referrals. You can also use sites like craigslist and backpage. Again, the advertisement does not have to be fancy or flashy. It just has to attract people to your company. You can also use creative means of advertising such as door hangers and flyers. These are not traditional methods of advertising but these are some of the things I used when I first started my business.





The most important thing you have to realize is that starting a business is very hard, but very rewarding. Up to 80% of small businesses fail within the first three to five years. Be patient but be proactive in your approach. The more people you reach, the better your chances.

[ARock84]

Hey Adama thanks for the offer I may take you up on it a little bit down the road. First get everything together and what not. Such as what MPH said and the name of the company! :) But yes thanks I will let you know :)

[Evildave]

Look up and visit your local Rotary Club. It's all small business people. They will give you invaluable advice. Maybe even become regular customers.

RULE #1: BE CHEAP.

It's always easier to get rid of money than to get more of it.

Resist the urge to spend money.

Some spending you'll HAVE to do. If there's any question about necessity, live without it until you are sure.

Better to have a lawn chair and a folding table work bench than have a posh set-up and owe more on taxes than you have in the bank.

Oh, and think twice about remaining an 'under the table' cash-only referral enterprise and being an 'official' one that pays taxes. Examine everything from every angle you can think of. Don't file anything 'official' until you are truly ready to start keeping track of expenses and setting aside 25~33% of your incoming cash to be stolen by the man. Get tax advice.

[ARock84]

I Thank you to no end for your help and info. I will definitely take some of this advise and use it. And thanks for the congrats!

I am currently working and want to do this as a side job and see where it goes. The jobs I have been getting is family and friends so far, but they said that they know other people who do need help with their computers as well. I feel save and comfortable that I won't mess up a computer. :) But I do want to have insurance for replacement just incase for those computers I work on. Mainly and for all clients I personally don't know. ( Referrals)

I figured by having a true company name and insurance, it will allow me to get more clients, and have them trust me. Since I would no longer be just some kid that is trying to fix a computer. But a person who has a company that will try and fix the computer. I have made a couple $$$ on the side so far and on my way to buy a laptop that I would be able to use for the business. I can see this growing into a very nice side job for now.

I'm not sure I would need a loan of any sorts for now since I am just planing on fixing computers and would just buy the parts for the clients to fix the machines. I'm not looking to sell any products, but may in the future, so this is good to know. I also figured by having a registered name now I could always use it in the future. Since I have not started out with any money invested so far, except for parts which the clients pay for, plus my time, I figured I wouldbe able to take advantage of this and turn this into the real deal. My nights and weekends are free and I like to stay up late. So it seems like a good idea. As i type this I have three computers already lined up for this weekend. :)

All of my advertising so far has been word of mouth, but it does seem like it may be a good idea to make a website, and defiantly have business cards to hand out. And I'm sure that I will take ADAMA up on that graphic since the more you have the better! I do plan on growing this side job into a real growing business in the end. I'm sure it will take a lot longer then just a few years. I'm looking to start small like I am doing and go on to the future from there.



Once again I want to thank you and everyone else who has so far contributed to this discussion. It is greatly appreciated for an IT Professional to get this help to start a local business. :)

[mphenterprises]

With pleasure. :D



Take heed to what EvilDave suggested. If you are not fully ready to pay quarterly taxes on all of your earnings, hold off on registering your business right now. If you do hold off on registering your business, remember to report any of your business earnings as Other Income on your personal tax filing.

Also, scope out your competition. I remember when I started, I faked like I had a computer that I could not fix and called various companies I found in several different sources. I used that information to map the way I would do my business. I also used the prices I heard to figure what the standard rates are in this area.

If you want to really hit a niche, my advice on pricing would be set it lower than the competition. The average in-home fee I heard was $99. Therefore, I set my in-home fee at $75. Sure there will be some competitors who set there initial fee lower than yours but the average consumer knows the difference between a smart business owner and a desperate business owner.

If you have any other questions, please ask and I will do my best to answer.

[ARock84]

Yeah I will take everything said into consideration. I don't want to pay taxes :( Who does? But it is part of the process. The main reason I figured I would go fourth and start it up was for the fact that I already have a base clientele, and want to expand into some more if possible. Like I said I feel safe and with my know how to work on computers. But its getting over that hump of the trust with the client. So I figured if it was a true business, with insurance, they would feel safer with their personal info!

I don't believe that there is any true competeition around me to be worried about... Besides Geek Squad. (HAahahhaha what a joke) I looked at geek squads pricing and its outrageous, by the time you fix up an old computer it would cost the same to get a new one. I ws thinking of charging 15 an hr for labor and hve it max out at like 75... So that way even if it took longer then 5 hrs to fix the computer you would never spend more then 75. Compare this to 200 for intore virus removal from geek squad. If you havent already check them out and their PRICES!

But I do want to stay small at first and see where it goes.

:)

Thanks again ! ! !

Adam

[mphenterprises]

Hi ARock. I was going back through some of my older Discussions and found something that may give you even more information:




{thread:id=16478}

[ARock84]

Ok Thanks !!! :)