[christomax]

Hello,

I live in a town that has plenty of computers and only one or two computer repair services. I was hoping that someone could share with me some information on getting certified and things i will need to be able to do this. I'm not the best and business work so i will not know everything that you are talking about but i will do my best to find out. Any and all help will be helpful.


thank you,
Chris Pollock

[lilg1989@gmail.com]

Do you know a lot about computers... Inside Out? I say don't open a shop yet work from home, build clientel and then move up get a name for yourself. Make sure you know about the latest software etc. The whole tthing about this. If you know what you are doing is being known!!!

[christomax]

Yes i know ALOT about computers... and i always stay up to date on hardware and software. Plus i have built custom computers for friends. Yes i plan on working from home too, but any tips for advertising and actually getting a clientel. Plus there has to be some sort of certification i can get to get my name more trusted, so that could help too

[RanksIntl]

Hello!

It's great that you are ready to take this next step to starting your venture! There are certifications that you can get but don't necessarily need. Build some business first and then channel that money into improving upon what you already have. To start make sure that you secure a location whether you are starting a brick-and-mortar location or working from home.

The next step is to register your business. You need to determine the legal structure that you want to go by and then do the research of registering it. If you don't know where to start I would be happy to help.

The first step that you want to take though is to create a business plan which will help you determine your market and therefore the best way to market your services to them. It will help you make the decision of whether you will just do computer repair or also provide people with products. What is and where is your market?

I would like to help. If you can give me some more information we can go from there.

Renee`

[clearlycody]

Great info guys. I have actually thought about doing this myself.

As for marketing, post a craigs list ad promoting your services at a fair price(depending on the problem). There are always people out there that don't know squat about computers/electronics.

Build your client base this way and you could even make little leaflets to put in car windshields around town or something. be creative, grow your client base and try your best to expand your brand/name around town.

Just put in great customer service and people will tell friends. friends will tell other friends, you see where I'm going..

hope this helps bro

cody

[s0me_kid]

Comptia's A+ is a certification that is very easily obtained. I was able to get 50% off the exam fee and since I passed it, my school district reimbursed me another 50% so I was able to get the $244 exam fee down to about $70. It looks very nice on your resume also if you are starting out in the IT field and it's a great way to move on to more reputable certifications if you choose to shoot above the home market and into repairing computers for small to medium seized businesses.

Study for the A+, some of the information on the exam is horribly, horribly outdated and obsolete, but they do have some good stuff on customer service. You can get a second edition "Micheal Myer's A+ Certification" on Ebay for dirt cheap.

Also I would strongly advise that you do research on those shops around your area. They may offer ridiculous prices on services that are easily done and take advantage of their clients. Use that to your advantage. Start out by word of mouth, ask your parents if they have friends that need help with their computers, a never charge them a fee if you were not able to resolve the issue. DO NOT INSTALL PIRATED SOFTWARE ON A CLIENT'S COMPUTER, this is the fastest way to lose your reputation and potentially land yourself, or your parents, in prison.

Best of Luck.

[pboychuk]

I think networking is very important, also, becoming the "computer guy" for a local non-profit or something similar is helpful, you aren't going to want to spend too much on advertising, so being the first one that comes to peoples mind when they have a computer problem is a great asset

[supremevictory]

I applaud some kid on his advice. He knows about A + certification. Your first step is to get a book on A+ certification off ebay or amazon.com. Next study up, locate a certification center. Take and past the test. Get yourself a busines license. Write up a business plan,(who your customers will be, what services you will offer ect) Put your business name and number in the yellow pages for starters, then put up a radio ad, start going around to local businesses and leaving your business card. And you will be off to a great start

[FiredUpNetwork]

Hi Chris,
Since you are starting a business, I thought you might benefit from the entrepreneurship resources on the website I started, FiredUpNetwork.com. You can find information on writing a business plan and marketing your business, and you can even post your launch on our site to gain exposure and feedback for your business. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor, and please let me know if you have any questions.
Best regards

[stott]

Getting certified maybe a good move if you want to gain a strong level of trust. However, Instead of paying certification costs etc. I would maybe work for free or very low rates, offer a quality service. This would gain trust and a solid reputation.

[inexorable]

For the business side of things, technibble.com and virusremovalbusiness.com are two good places to start. I am involved with virusremovalbusiness but am not affiliated with technibble.

[Gatecrasher]

As Mentioned before build your reputation first. Then word of mouth advertising should take over if you provide an excellent service at a reasonable price.

GL