Oh hi there guys.
Fourstaff, no apology needed. It's no big deal.
Ish, my company will have been open five years this November. I was twenty years old when I opened it and have learned a great deal since.
Firstly I learned that it's important to
do what your clients do. If you're building a gaming computer, you should at very least be familiar with the games the client will play. If the client wants a video editing workstation, do some video editing (actually that's something I'm doing and learning more about right now). If the client needs an audio recording rig, get familiar with DAW hardware and software. If you do all the things your clients will do, you will gain invaluable insights into how to build better computers for them.
Secondly,
be constantly learning. Keep up-to-date on the latest products and technology, and
buy and test components all the time. Buy new hard drives, video cards, CPUs, cases, etc. when you can, then test them out as thoroughly as possible (and document your findings), then sell them. You'll usually have to sell at a loss, but this is another thing that will provide invaluable insights. Do not put faith in online product reviews; don't expect anyone to be objective.
Thirdly,
be organized. I built 300 computers one year and at that rate you have got to have a system and infrastructure for organizing your work. This is essential if you don't want to screw up when you have multiple builds in different stages at any given time. It's not as big a deal if you're only doing one or two systems at a time, but you're not likely to earn a sustainable living on that alone.
Fourth and this will be the last point I'll for now unless someone requests more:
find your niche, and don't try to cater to everybody. The big brands are going to be a better choice for some clients and you need not be afraid of that. In fact, if a potential client comes your way and you realize that they would be better off getting a Dell,
tell them to get a Dell. That type of integrity will pay off in the long run. In the case of my business, I don't for example try to compete in the $450 computer market because I'd be deceiving people if I said I could build a better system in that price range than the mass producing big brands.
I could go on about things like support and warranty, marketing etc. But FYI I am shifting the focus of my business away from custom computers and more toward local computer services. I will continue to do both because each offers its own benefits. I find building a new system to be a more rewarding challenge, but servicing systems locally will, I think, be much more profitable once I get the new business web site I'm developing online, as it will have some—well this will sound arrogant but I've been working hard on it and am proud of it—innovative functionality for streamlining local services.
Sorry for writing a book but I do hope it is useful to you. Hopefully others will chime in with more insights.