Setting up a business

I've decided to take the plunge and make an attempt at running my own business. I plan on repairing, upgrading and building computers, as its something I’ve been doing for a while now with relative ease.
I'm starting small as I have little to no capital, and don’t plan on getting a loan as I don’t want to be in debt if I fall flat on my face.
Attracting interest is my main concern, word of mouth has brought a few people with computer problems to me in the past, but that was before I decided to take this next step.
So if there is anyone reading this that has attempted something like this, well I’d like advice on what I should be considering.

 

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You could print some flyers and pass them around the local uni/school(getting permession can be required), there are some many students with little to none pc skills.

-/+ only expence is the paper and time used.
-/+ target crow is students, notorious for being relatively poor.
-/+ will they take the bait, or ask there friends for help, impact rate unknown.

If there is a billboard at you local supermarket, put up a poster
-/+ only expence is the paper and time used.
-/+ large local target
-/+ does anyone even look at billboards ?

or contact smaller local buisnesses in person(NOT PHONE), anyway its only 3 2 second ideas

 

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You're definetly not getting into a niche market. You should aim for senior citizens and clueless parents. Students usually have many friends to help them out with computers. Print some flyers and hire a kid to drop one in every mailbox in the neighborhood. Or better yet, hire a slightly older kid to put your flyers on the wndsheild of every car in the parking lot full of computer shoppers -- say Circuit City for example.

 

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I've been messing about pricing basic systems and such, and made a company logo or motto 'Simple Computing Solutions For A Complicated World' corny I know, but it sounds professional so I think I’ll keep it for now.
I know I’m not entering a niche market and it not really a get rich quick scheme, really it's something I can do and do well.

A target audience is a good idea, computers for parents that want to help kids with their schoolwork, I could hand out leaflets at school events...
*dsdsds please sign this waver stating that you did not give me this idea*

Thanks for the advice I’ll keep it in mind.

 

You need a specific niche, IMO. There are many places that do homework machines and they'll probably kick your ass with lower margins/higher volume. How about specialising in low-end servers, routers, switches etc. for small businesses? You could add value with instalation and configuration.

 

As a businessman, my advice to you is to concentrate first on establishing an income stream from a job. Sorry if the following sounds harsh, but so is business. You will go nowhere fast with that '"No capital, no risk" approach, which you kid yourself are the only reasons for you starting small.

The primary reason for you starting small is that you doubt your venture. It follows therefore that you have done almost no research on how (long it will take) to build a client base, because if you were convinced of a viable timeline and methodology, you'd beg, borrow and steal to get the operation underway.

In any case, given the current glut of computer resources, I would urge you to look at another form of business. Top tip; in your next job, keep saving, and keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. You would be SHOCKED at how many ventures are started because of niches perceived while in paid employment.

Good luck,


Jaybee.

 

I'm not sure you have thoroughly thought this through (wow, thats a lot of th, ou, abd gh's !!) if you expect this business to work with little to no capitol. Consider all the expenses you will have, especially just starting off:

Advertising: You need to spend a lot of money in this area, if you want to be successful. You are competing against giants like Dell, HP, and Sony. When people consider buying a new computer, who do they think of? I have never bought a Dell product, but I get Dell catalogs in the mail just about every month. Everyone knows them, and everyone knows they have very inexpensive computers. You have to offer them something that Dell cannot. One advantage you have over these giants is home-town service. It is a large selling point for you if you can offer in-home service whenever they need it, instead of having to ship their computer off to Dell when their computer breaks down. People like personal service, this is one thing you can offer over Dell and all the other large companies. It will cost you to advertise in newspapers, the Yellow-Pages, maybe even the radio and TV. You need to get your name out and let people know that they can still buy a computer right in town from someone that knows what he is doing and can give them personal service.

Website: You need a website. Even if it just contains contact information, what you do, and what you offer. When you consider buying something, what do you do? I know I research it to death online before I even consider buying it. I know for a fact that many people will not consider buying a computer from you if they cannot go on a website and look at what you are offering. It will cost you to buy a domain and get hosting for your site. And if you do not know how to create a website yourself, you will have to pay someone to do that for you.

Capitol Hardware: You will need to have a few computers built and ready to go for someone. If someone comes to you looking for a computer, they are not going to want to wait for you to buy the parts, wait for them to ship, wait you to build it, then finally get it. Also, if you want to offer customized systems, you need to have a good stock of parts ready to be built into a system.

Employees: This is not a must at first, but you will eventually need employees to help you out. This also costs money, nobody is going to work for you for free!

Probably your biggest cost in doing this, is time. You will need to put in an exaustingly large number of hours into this business, so be prepared to do so.


That being said, you need a small business loan, or even a home equity loan, if you can. I know you are cautious about doing this, but if you are serious about this business and you want to make ANY money, you have to come out strong. Half-assed attempts at making this work are just not going to cut it. The computer industry is a cut-throat market. If you don't come out bangin' on all cylinders, you will no doubt lose a lot of time and money.