I actually wrote an article about this. I haven't published it anywhere yet. And I understand this is an old thread but I feel if anyone wants an answer still then you should hear it from someone who actually owns a computer repair store.
Read my article below.
So, you want to start your own computer repair business?
We should become aware of the importance of having your own
company first, and that is this. A
company can serve as the foundation for an impactful event that can benefit you in numerous ways. It can
affect you financially, bring personal growth, and affect other facets of your life for the greater good. No
matter what kind of company niche you are looking to invest your time in. One thing is certain. Starting
a company is going to cost you sweat, blood, and tears. And here is the truth. Not everyone is ready nor
is everyone going to succeed in this endeavor. Keep reading to find out if you got what it takes to start
your own computer repair business as a veteran from a veteran perspective and keep it running.
My name is Irvin I am the owner of 702pcrepair, I served in the 82nd airborne division 2-501 as your
typical E-4 paratrooper. I got out after having deployed to Afghanistan having accomplished what I
wanted from my career, and that was receiving my combat infantry badge and my 82 nd deployment
patch. When I got home, I ended working various jobs, while attending college. None of those jobs
seemed to bring a form of internal fulfillment or belonging to a higher calling. A feeling a lot of veterans
get when we separate from the military. On top of that, I noticed that most entry-level positions where
low paying jobs and most required a higher level of education I did not have as I was a part-time
the student still and of course my MOS was infantry so the progression for career advancement ended for
the most part right there in the civilian sector. So, I sat down and looked at my options. One of these
options happened to be starting a computer repair business. I have always been very passionate about
computers, and everything to do with them. And this is critical to starting any form of business. You
have to be passionate about what you are doing because passion is what brings progression when you have
nothing coming in at the start of your journey or when you have stale moments. And I promise you, they
are going to be countless days no clients, no money coming in, nothing. It does take time, and
sometimes it can feel very unmotivating! It was also an option because I have been collecting a large
sum of money in the case, I ever decided to purchase a house. The total amount I had in my savings was
around 15.000 dollars. And you can probably guess what the crazy E-4 did. That’s right I invested it into a
dream, that I did not know would cost me greatly. The idea alone seemed good enough for me not
knowing what was to come. Luckily for you I'm going to give you some insightful information from my
experience going down this rabbit hole.
Who are your clients?
Look here is the reality of the situation of starting a computer repair shop. It is a very hard field to
survive in longer than a couple of months let alone years. Any business is, but if you have passion,
determination, and commitment. There is no company niche that you can’t fulfill if you are willing to
stick around enough. The demand is there, but it is very marginal. Take a look at who your clients are
going to be. They are going to be
- Older people.
- Very young.
- And people looking to save money
So, this three demography of people is important. Let's break it down even further. Yes, you’ll get a
lot of not tech-savvy people who are looking for help. It is very bare-bones with them, you perform the
service, and you get paid. Young people can either be problematic or very easy to work with. It’s no
secret that younger people are already equipped to handle most computer problems. So, when you
market make sure to stick with the older people, and people who are looking to save money. Our third
demographic group is people looking to save money. When you market your company makes sure to
have a payment plan that balances what they want, and what you need to stay in business. There are
going to be times, where they may be a little too cheap, and where you are going to be overcharging.
You can find the sweet spot with practice, and time. One thing that I will add to this is never underselling
yourself. No matter the task you are still performing a task that deserves compensation no matter how
small it is In regards to your knowledge as a technician. This brings me to another point.
What education training do you need to start a computer business?
You should try and get certified in CompTIA A+ at a minimum. Even though you could be tech-savvy in
the long run you are going to meet with people who want to see how creditable, or just want to see that
you are component enough to handle a computer repair. This is a major step in the right direction
especially if you are running a mobile computer repair service. The certification gives all your clients
proof of your knowledge. You can go for a degree, but I would recommend going to a trade school
instead as most trade schools are based around certifications. In all actuality, however, you can squeeze
by with just knowing your stuff. But as I mentioned before you are going to run into someone who
wants to see how smart you are. So, get the certification to shut them down.
How much money do you need to start a computer repair company?
The answer is a lot. To this day, I still invest in my company. This is a breakdown of where my initial
investment of 15,000 dollars went towards.
- Store deposit.
- Store sign.
- Store furniture.
- Rent.
- Utility bills.
- Equipment.
The store deposit was around 3,000$ alone. Some locations require more, some locations require less. I
recommend doing research and digging to find a good location. Ask the stores next to the spot you
want to lease how much they pay for rent and what the current situation is with the landlord. There is
no need sign to a lease right away. In fact, this was my first mistake! Take your time. The reality is this.
You don’t need a storefront to start a business or specifically a computer repair service. There is such a
thing as mobile computer repair. Start small, and build upwards. Don’t build into a computer super
repair store with a storefront that has all the bells and whistles just because other people have it. You
can generate just as much as storefront would if you put in just as much money into your marketing
then you would in one month's rent. I promise you that. The reason why this is important is simple.
Overhead. If you sign that lease, you’ll realize that you’ll now be committed to paying a monthly bill of
insert monthly amount here. That’s right, when you start a business you don’t become rich instantly.
You get into debt if you aren’t generating enough income already or have means of paying for it. A
typical store monthly bill is around 800 (in the poor part of town.) up to 1,500 (in a nicer part of town.)
This mixes into my next piece of information. And that is if you get a storefront some landlords require
you to purchase a store sign. It is in the leasing agreement typically, and let me be the first to tell you
this. They are not CHEAP. Get the most minimal number of letters you need for your store and don’t
make the same mistake I did that was being the E-4, I was at heart ended up purchasing the biggest sign
possible that set me back around 6,000$. So, to sum it up for this portion of the article. You should keep
your overhead as low as possible, when you are ready to move into a storefront make sure to get a sign
that is as simple as possible. With that money, you save to use it to generate clients by marketing properly.
Focus on your marketing, equipment, and quality of work. Everything else will come into place.
I haven't finished it yet as you can see. But if you have any questions you want to ask just message me.
Overall though It's a very tough profession...But if you want to do it, and you want to give it a go. You can succeed in almost anything.
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