im a dude with decent computer chops. im actually in the middle of fixing up a couple of old 98's and xp's that i have lying around in the garage. so im thinking of starting up a call-in PC help service. the model basically being "people call me and i come to fix their computer." im still unsure about a few things:
>demand
there are old people in my area and, by natural law, they are going to have problems and the money to spend, but with better known services like geeksquad and customer support im not sure if id be anyone's first choice.
>rates
how much would you pay for a service like this?
>transportation
i have no car and am currently relying on bus service. this definitely limits my ability to do this kind of thing. am i better off waiting until i have my own vehicle or should i go ahead, keeping my restrictions in mind?
>advertisement
i think, if my target demographic is going to be old people, im best off setting up fliers around apartment complexes.
of course, any other questions and advise not related to these topics is welcomed as well
>am currently relying on bus service
You have no business and will not be taken seriously.
>>1267152
do my customers have to know im using the bus?
could i not just show up at their door when we schedule the meeting?
of course, i might have to delay some people a day or so (especially since the bus stops running at 6pm) but couldn't i chalk that up to me being only one person?
>>1267137
Eh, I had the same idea and used my tax refund to establish the exact same side business you're talking about. Here is what I learned:
1) computers are going the way of the dinosaur for home users. Don't believe me? Set up a Google adwords campaign and tell me what your phone to desktop ratio is.
2) there are dozens of other people in your general area who will do the same work much cheaper than you can do it. Don't believe me? Set up an account on Amazon in home services and observe how many people are willing to drive to someone's house on their own buck and install a hard drive for $20 before paying 15% to
Amazon, 16% SECA, and who knows how much federal and state taxes. Can you afford to work for less than $10 an hour while also paying for vehicle expenses?
3) Google Adwords are about the only way you're going to get customers without a top ranking, fully fleshed out website. Lets be honest -- a mobile computer repair service business isn't worth putting forth the effort to do all of the steps necessary to become top ranked on Google. You probably think you can make a quick and easy page from a template, put a few keywords in the same color as your background, and rank on the first page in a week or two. You have no idea how wrong you are. Adwords is going to be the only way you can get customers and each of em is going to cost you $20-30 to acquire.
4) People don't have money to spend these days. I live in the Dallas metroplex and set up my computer business hoping for the best, but the truth is almost no one has extra money to spend on fixing computers. Dallas is the 4th largest metro area in the US, the economy is red hot, and most people are living pay check to pay check. Fixing computers is the least of their concerns. Broke computer? Throw that fucker in the trash and buy a $70 Android tablet instead.
5) Small businesses are still using computers, but they already have their own support contracts with established competitors.
>>1267176
>5) Small businesses are still using computers, but they already have their own support contracts with established competitors.
This might be the one area in which you can succeed with your business. If you figure out how to get some business from small businesses, be sure and let me know because I've yet to figure out how to get business from these guys.
>>1267176
well first off, i live in the sierra nevada mountains. i think we're doing a little better off here than dallas. secondly, my target demographic is old people who don't know what the fuck they're doing. the kind that fall for email scams (yes, they exist around these parts. not sure about their numbers though).
my hope is this demographic would be the kind most likely to read fliers posted around their neighborhood and take them seriously. are my hopes too high here?
>>1267137
The only way I see it working is if you exclusively try to corner the old pensioner market by advertising in the classified section of the newspaper (remember those?) and offering services in explaining how their TV remote and dvd player works in addition to the computer stuff.
Without your own transport though, your business idea is dead on arrival.
>>1267181
ok, so the car IS a must. got it.
i was already thinking i should offer tutorials on popular applications (there's a good number of people here, even those barely older than me, who barely know how to use word and hardly know what excel is), tv/dvd tutorials would be a good thing to tack on as well.
the newspaper idea is not a bad one either, but id rather avoid making any significant investments toward this venture without any data on the demand for it. i think i'd rather start with the fliers and maybe move on to the newspaper if i see value in it. of course, unless you can convince me why that's retarded
