Starting A Computer Support Business

I was doing some research on computer repair business and ran across a forum post from a young man, 18 years old, interested in starting his own computer support business.

I was kind of surprised that so many of the people who responded made a big deal about this kid's age. I think that's crazy!

Take a look at his question:

Hi, I'm 18 and graduated from high school about a month ago. I'm interested in starting up my own computer support and consulting business. I'm fairly knowledgeable about different computer topics and think that I can provide support for primarily small businesses and maybe some private citizens. However, there are a lot of questions I have about starting a small computer support business that I'm not finding answered in the usual "how to start a small business" books and sites. So I thought that maybe some of the people here who have maybe been doing this thing themselves for a while could help me out.

So in no particular order here are some questions I have:

* I'm located in Asheville, NC which is in the south. For the south what are some reasonable price ranges for work that I charge for the hour by? I'm thinking 25 - 40 or 45 USD a hour seems like a reasonable amount.
* I know a lot of businesses have computer problems they need fixed 'Right Now!", and for which I could be on call. I'm wondering what kind of retainer fee, or what kind of pricing system would work for something like being on call.
* For work contracts, what is a good way to word them? I've been trying to write up contracts, but I'm pretty lost. Can anyone suggest some sites or sources or tips for how to write contracts for technical work?
* Does it make sense to get any certifications if I'm working for myself? I know they help in getting a job, but likely none of my clients will understand any certification I show them.
* How do you deal with support afterwards? When whatever I did for them messes up? Should I have it already in my contract that they will need to pay for future work? How much of a "warranty" makes sense?
* For hardware does it make more sense to refer them to a vendor to purchase or just put it down as expenses? Since I'm going to be buying hardware in small quantities does it make sense to stick with a good retailer like NewEgg.com or try and get cheaper prices from a wholesaler or the like?
* Are there any "unions" or the like for IT professionals working on their own? Or other organizations that could be of use to me that I could learn from?
* I've been trying to think of a list of what issues and software that businesses most commonly deal with. One of my biggest fears is that most of my experience has been with troubleshooting and working with either personal computers or with servers. Any suggestions on what kind of work I will most commonly be doing for small businesses? I assume problems with like Windows and Office Word/Exchange/Excel seem obvious, but besides that any other suggestions?
* Are there any books out there about starting computer support business? I've been reading some books on small business, but none that really specifically address the tech industry.

If you want to start your own computer support business and you have a good working knowledge of computers...then it doesn't matter one bit whether 16 or 80 :)

Knowledge will equate to confidence and as you present yourself, telling the customer what the potential problem can be....well....if you know your stuff, it will show in the way you handle yourself.

Understand this...the market exists for computer support and repair business. As a one man operation, you can keep your overhead really low and make a great income. It can be a full time income or part time income...you decide by the amount of time you work.

More people have problems with their computer than you can even begin to imagine. You can market businesses, government agencies, schools and individuals. Some stores have small bulletin boards...stick your business card up and make sure your phone number and email are bold and obvious. Don't forget to have a website up and operating, even if you just have an index page and contact page......it will build credibility in the eyes of your customers or anyone looking to hire you for some basic computer repair.

You could specialize. Maybe you know how to fix a virus, spyware or malware. It might sound simple to you now, but many, many computer users are clueless when it comes to a virus or spyware infection. You can make home or office visits, clean a computer of all spyware or maleware for a set fee. Make it anything you want because I can almost guarantee that you won't have any competition from any other computer repair business.

If you want to learn a little more about how to repair your computer consider reading this book, Do it Yourself Computer Repair and Computer Secrets Unleashed!

[tags]computer support business, computer repair business, diy computer repair, computer secrets unleashed[/tags]

For Successful Marketing Understand Your Target Market

Before you can do any good advertising your product and service or undergo any decent marketing campaign you have to know your target market. In the world of internet marketing you need to be able to know as precisely as possible all the information you can gather so you can custom tailor your marketing mix to be more effective.

You will need to know about their demographics. On any online marketing campaign you need to know who it is that you are reaching out to. What does your ideal customer look like? How old are they? What income bracket are they in? Where do they work? Where do they socialize? What are their buying habits? The marketing strategies that you incorporate are going to use all this information. Fortunately it doesn't take much to find out much of this. If you are targeting a certain geographic area, use the internet to find out as much demographic information as possible. In the US use the chamber of commerce for that area.

For your market targeting you will also need to know about their geographic location. What is the culture there like. Get familiar with ti and find out what things are typical for that region. Make sure you find out not only what marketing strategies are popular but find out also what things are taboo. What may seem harmless to one region may be a death sentence to your marketing strategy if your marketing research doesn't find this information out.

You also need to see what other factors might affect the buying decision and behavior of your target market. What styles are in fashion for your target markets? What type of climate is it? Are they freewith their money? It may seem like a lot of work but if you want your marketing plan to work, all of this research is going to pay off.

The most important part of your marketing research will be understanding your customers needs. The more you understand this, the better able you will be to create an ad campaign. This will help bring about some effective branding of your product and services as a viable part of their buying pattern.

Your best way to find out about your target market, though, is to spend time where they are. If your hope is to have a coffee shop, you are going to want to see first hand what works and doesn't work You will want to know what the atmosphere is like in a successful coffee shop and spend time talking to customers to find out what they like and don't like about it. The same thing is going to be important for any online marketing plan.

Wherever it is that your potential customers go to find out more about what you are trying to offer them, go and spend time there. If there is a forum that is used by those who typically are interested in your product or service, be a member of it or spend time reading what is going on. Get in the shoes of your target market and find out what it is like to be them. The more you can understand them, the more effective you will be a marketing to your target market.

Learn the basics of internet marketing and then take it offline to show brick and mortar stores how to market effectively using internet marketing.

Computer Support Business and Interent Marketing

Have you thought about Starting Your Own Computer Support Business? It's one of the easiest ways to develop extra income provided you have some of the basic knowledge and understanding when it comes to computers.

Some computer owners don't know how to set up an email account in outlook express? Could you start a business that provides computer support for setting up email accounts?

It won't be long before everyone is using a computer and if you only know how to fix a few things on a computer, you have the skills to start a computer support business. I've got some more thoughts on a compputer support business below.

Anyone with some a little training and experience can find themselves among the most valuable assets in the world of computers and small business as a computer support person. Many computer users will find themselves in predicaments that have them on the verge of panic and will think the sky is falling on them. They will have a small computer glitch or problem that can be pretty easily remedied and find themselves wanting to go out and buy another computer. That may not be necessary and you can be instrumental in not only saving their day but creating a loyal customer for years to come. Even the smallest computer repair can seem like a big deal to those without the proper knowledge that you have.

For those who rely on computers to run their own at home business, their computer is their lifeline. Most do not know much about how a computer works. Their greatest fear is having the computer freeze up and lose everything that they need. Most do not do what they need to make sure that everything is backed up on removable hard drives or online storage system. There are so many things that you can do to make their lives easier they will look to you for help first when they do have major computer problems.

I know 2 teenagers that have minimal knowledge of how computers work, they fix things like virus infections, spyware, malware and other parasites. They have a routine and if they can fix the problems, they get paid. They then offer to install the needed antispyware and malware programs that are purchased through their affiliate links.......these dudes make some nice extra cash and can't keep up with the demand.

People don't want to throw their computers away....they would like to fix them, but they don;t know who to take them to. This is one Business Model that will prove very profitable for any ambitious person!

You will most likely want to get started locally so that you can either be called out to take care of on site repairs or so that they can bring their computer in to you to take care of. After you have found a good workspace that is clean and organized you will need to get a business license which will bring about credibility and also seek to get insurance for your business to help cover you in case unforeseen things happen that could cost you your business.

If you need help with a website, call me. Contact me at www.spgraphic.com or www.thexsiteproguide.com and I'd be glad to put a quick website together that will help you sell your services.

Make sure that you have the latest software to help you diagnose problems and make sure they are up to date. Also make sure that you have all the most up to date virus knowledge and scanners available to help keep your computers from being infected but also those you are working on.

Build a website. There is no doubt that having a web presence can help make you known, even in your area. For getting a good start to your computer business look for ways to have your website optimized for local searches on all the major search engines. As someone working with computers this is something that should be an essential par of your business plan.

The most of what it takes to be successful starting and running a computer support business you may already have. What may be the hardest part of it is marketing but if you take care of your customers they will spread the word and bring more business opportunities. People love to have the dilemmas solved and will gladly tell others about their hero that saved their say. It may not seem like that big of a fix or problem to you but in as you start your computer support business you will find it is a big deal for others and your bank account.

Here's a book, Computer Secrets Unleashed ,that will teach you to do some simple repairs. They are the type of computer repairs everyone needs and most common computer users don't know how to do. Read Computer Secrets Unleashed and you'll learn some of the skills needed to start your own computer support business!