If you’re good at repairing computers, then you may have considered opening your own computer repair business one day. Whether you’re a computer genius or not, running your own computer repair business can be a rewarding and profitable experience.
However, before you start looking for customers, ask yourself some of the following questions.
Are you offering remote computer repairs over the internet, or are you travelling to your clients’ homes and offices?
Are you catering to corporate clients or private individuals, or both?
Are you going to repair all kinds of computers? Or just desktops or laptops?
Are you going to specialize in a certain operating system like Apple, Windows, or Linux?
Are you going to offer corporate networking services to your clients?
What kind of computer repair packages are you going to offer? How are you going to reward repeat clients?
Are you able to repair complicated hardware problems? Or will you have to occasionally call in some extra help?
From the business side of things, you should also consider some of the following:
Are you going to register a company name, or operate a business under your own name?
What kind of regulations does my state/province impose upon the computer repair industry? What kind of documentation do I need to get?
Are you going to do your own taxes, or pay somebody to do it for you? Who is going to manage your bookkeeping?
What kind of insurance will I need?
How much will you charge your clients? Will you charge based on the number of repairs performed, or on an hourly basis? How will you factor in things like hardware or software upgrades into the cost?
What kind of advertising will you do? How are you going to spread the word about your business?
What kind of tools do you need to invest in? Do you need special screwdrivers, computer optimization software licenses, transportation, or a retail space, for example?
Should you start up a website? (This is always a good idea)
The bottom line
All of these questions aren’t meant to discourage you from opening your own computer repair business. While you may seem unprepared at first, it’s important to answer these questions as soon as possible. That way, if you do choose to start up your own computer repair business, you’re going to be adequately prepared to serve customers with professionalism from day one.