New/Old Job

Recently, I divulged here that I was getting out of the computer business, but by the popular demand of my customers, I went back into business full time this week, so I am here more, as I am nearly always online at work.

Basically, I am a troubleshooting and repair guy. I do some upgrading, but I don't like building computers (boring), so I just let them know that I will support whatever they buy. One local company makes very good machines, so I usually send them there, as I once worked there, and know of a certainty that they build them right.

I guess it is back to the old spyware/virus removal grind, for the most part, though. I was never cut out to run a shoe store. One thing I have learned is this, however:
If you have been self-employed for any significant lenght of time, you become increasingly less employable. I know that for me, I am just less willing to take foolishness from people for so little money.

But fixing computers is what I do best these days, and is what I enjoy the most.

So you found out that you can check out, but never leave heh?

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Originally Posted by 3fingersalute

So you found out that you can check out, but never leave heh?

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That may be true! I know I haven't been this relaxed in months.

"Just when I thought I was out...They pull me back in!!"
-Al Pacino, Godfather III

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Recently, I divulged here that I was getting out of the computer business, but by the popular demand of my customers, I went back into business full time this week, so I am here more, as I am nearly always online at work.

Basically, I am a troubleshooting and repair guy. I do some upgrading, but I don't like building computers (boring), so I just let them know that I will support whatever they buy. One local company makes very good machines, so I usually send them there, as I once worked there, and know of a certainty that they build them right.

I guess it is back to the old spyware/virus removal grind, for the most part, though. I was never cut out to run a shoe store. One thing I have learned is this, however:
If you have been self-employed for any significant lenght of time, you become increasingly less employable. I know that for me, I am just less willing to take foolishness from people for so little money.

But fixing computers is what I do best these days, and is what I enjoy the most.

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Got any tips for a fellow tech who is interested in doing something similar to what you are doing? I don't care how much money I make,.. I'm just tired of answering to "the man".

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Recently, I divulged here that I was getting out of the computer business, but by the popular demand of my customers, I went back into business full time this week, so I am here more, as I am nearly always online at work.

Basically, I am a troubleshooting and repair guy. I do some upgrading, but I don't like building computers (boring), so I just let them know that I will support whatever they buy. One local company makes very good machines, so I usually send them there, as I once worked there, and know of a certainty that they build them right.

I guess it is back to the old spyware/virus removal grind, for the most part, though. I was never cut out to run a shoe store. One thing I have learned is this, however:
If you have been self-employed for any significant lenght of time, you become increasingly less employable. I know that for me, I am just less willing to take foolishness from people for so little money.

But fixing computers is what I do best these days, and is what I enjoy the most.

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So the short of it is that you enjoy a challenge and working unsupervised. Don't we all!

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Originally Posted by WebHead

Got any tips for a fellow tech who is interested in doing something similar to what you are doing? I don't care how much money I make,.. I'm just tired of answering to "the man".

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Best advice I can give to someone going into this business for themselves?

Be good at what you do, be fair, and be reliable.

If you don't stand behind what you do, you will soon be doing nothing.

And remember this: You are broke! You have no money! I don't care what your balance says, you are broke!

Pay your bills as soon as they arrive. Smile. Spend AT LEAST 5 hours per week studying the latest trends in the business. Find out the part of all this you are best at, and do that.

There are all kinds of people doing really neat things with computers.
My job is keep their machines in such a state as to be able to keep doing it.
Your job may end up different. But if I tried to learn how to use all the stuff in all those programs, I would go insane (short trip, anyway) pretty quickly.
So I focus on hardware and operating systems.

I have been told by techs who have been in the business longer than myself that I am a gifted troubleshooter.

At any rate, know your strengths, and your weaknesses. Be honest with your customers, and unflinchingly honest with yourself.

HTH,

http://www.thecomputermechanic.com

Glad to hear you are back doing what you enjoy....its always good to love what you do!

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Best advice I can give to someone going into this business for themselves?

Be good at what you do, be fair, and be reliable.

If you don't stand behind what you do, you will soon be doing nothing.

And remember this: You are broke! You have no money! I don't care what your balance says, you are broke!

Pay your bills as soon as they arrive. Smile. Spend AT LEAST 5 hours per week studying the latest trends in the business. Find out the part of all this you are best at, and do that.

There are all kinds of people doing really neat things with computers.
My job is keep their machines in such a state as to be able to keep doing it.
Your job may end up different. But if I tried to learn how to use all the stuff in all those programs, I would go insane (short trip, anyway) pretty quickly.
So I focus on hardware and operating systems.

I have been told by techs who have been in the business longer than myself that I am a gifted troubleshooter.

At any rate, know your strengths, and your weaknesses. Be honest with your customers, and unflinchingly honest with yourself.

HTH,

http://www.thecomputermechanic.com

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That is excellent advice. Thanks! :)
I guess what I am having trouble with is how to even start up a business of my own. Maybe I should to talk with a financial advisor? Create a business plan? Hmmm.

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Originally Posted by WebHead

That is excellent advice. Thanks! :)
I guess what I am having trouble with is how to even start up a business of my own. Maybe I should to talk with a financial advisor? Create a business plan? Hmmm.

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You can do that if you wish. I don't sell hardware, so I am not into retail here. There are enough retailers here to keep the price reasonable. Besides, shipping just kills you here in Alaska.

Retail AND service is a good combination if you can attract enough customers to not only recap your investment, but turn a profit. The handiest part of that is that usually, any replacement parts your service department needs are already on hand. The bad part is when your hardware becomes rapidly outdated, and you either lose money, or do not make a profit.

I keep my costs down with no retail, and my customers seem to like the fact that I have no vested interest in selling hardware.

Customer trust is of utmost importance, as has been discussed in another thread.

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Recently, I divulged here that I was getting out of the computer business, but by the popular demand of my customers, I went back into business full time this week, so I am here more, as I am nearly always online at work.

Basically, I am a troubleshooting and repair guy. I do some upgrading, but I don't like building computers (boring), so I just let them know that I will support whatever they buy. One local company makes very good machines, so I usually send them there, as I once worked there, and know of a certainty that they build them right.

I guess it is back to the old spyware/virus removal grind, for the most part, though. I was never cut out to run a shoe store. One thing I have learned is this, however:
If you have been self-employed for any significant lenght of time, you become increasingly less employable. I know that for me, I am just less willing to take foolishness from people for so little money.

But fixing computers is what I do best these days, and is what I enjoy the most.

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Our stories are EXACTLY alike.
Welcome back to self-employment.

As for you Webby I may have a copy of my business plan from when I started 7 years ago. Let me know if you want it.

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Originally Posted by WebHead

That is excellent advice. Thanks! :)
I guess what I am having trouble with is how to even start up a business of my own. Maybe I should to talk with a financial advisor? Create a business plan? Hmmm.

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Good idea's. Also think about contracts for customers i.e. discount for upfront pay for the repedative work.

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

You can do that if you wish. I don't sell hardware, so I am not into retail here. There are enough retailers here to keep the price reasonable. Besides, shipping just kills you here in Alaska.

Retail AND service is a good combination if you can attract enough customers to not only recap your investment, but turn a profit. The handiest part of that is that usually, any replacement parts your service department needs are already on hand. The bad part is when your hardware becomes rapidly outdated, and you either lose money, or do not make a profit.

I keep my costs down with no retail, and my customers seem to like the fact that I have no vested interest in selling hardware.

Customer trust is of utmost importance, as has been discussed in another thread.

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I guess what I'm saying is that I would like to start a "service only" type of business such as what you have. Possibly some "goods" as well. My main weakness is that I do not understand the process of starting a business. I.e.,.. whether it's shoes, computers, coffee,.. etc. Do I need to have capital? If so, how do I get it? Maybe I should get a book on this and do some reading. :)

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Originally Posted by techs

Our stories are EXACTLY alike.
Welcome back to self-employment.

As for you Webby I may have a copy of my business plan from when I started 7 years ago. Let me know if you want it.

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Yeah,.. that's what I'm looking for. Like a sample of something jsut to get the wheels turning. That would be great techs. Thanks! Should I pm you about this?

You might have to leave the mask at home though.
;)

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Originally Posted by iceman

You might have to leave the mask at home though.
;)

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Yeah, you may be right, Iceman.

On another note, I do a lot of housecalls. You absolutely MUST have good people skills to do housecalls, and you have to know when the machine has to be pulled to the shop. Anything not trivial to you should not be done under the nervous eyes of the customer.

Totally! And communication is everything. If you scoop the pc(take it back to the shop) and it takes longer than you think, don't ever think the customer will be ok with the delay!

For me I have a bit of an advantage in terms of people skills based on my work at AT&T Wireless. Always set a customers expectations. Overcome objections. Etc. My job there was to sell voice and data plans to people. Imagine that! :D

Dude get out! Get out now! AT&T is about to go under! Hacked off their channel sales and now wrote off a few billion. Sounds to me like they are setting themselves up for a takeover(or buyout). Also the CIO said "We will be the Microsoft of the telecom industry". :confused: Run away while you can!:eek2:

One thing you can do is start working some evenings, in your spare time, and save ALL of that money to get started.

You need a workbench, basic troubleshooting stuff, and some reference parts, such as PSU units, CDROM drive. Things like a good usb pendrive, and usb NIC are always handy, and have bailed me out on numerous occasions.

I keep reference copies of Operating Systems in my kit, along with a Knoppix CD. People have been known to treat discs just horribly, and their product key works just fine with my disk. However, no license, no OS. I do not need that sort of grief. I MUST see a COA with any Windows install, or no deal. It would be even worse for you to do so in the Bay Area.

I got started with less than $1000.00 in 1996. I am unsure what that equates to in todays inflated economy, but it can be done pretty reasonably.

Best of luck, Wrbby. I think you can pull it off. :)

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Originally Posted by iceman

Dude get out! Get out now! AT&T is about to go under! Hacked off their channel sales and now wrote off a few billion. Sounds to me like they are setting themselves up for a takeover(or buyout). Also the CIO said "We will be the Microsoft of the telecom industry". :confused: Run away while you can!:eek2:

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1> I don't work there anymore.

b> Cingular aquired them. It was for the best as they are now the number one celluar service provider in the country. The new Cingular is basically the shear size and resources of Cingular, but being run by the good people of AT%T Wireless. Nice! :thumbs:

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

One thing you can do is start working some evenings, in your spare time, and save ALL of that money to get started.

You need a workbench, basic troubleshooting stuff, and some reference parts, such as PSU units, CDROM drive. Things like a good usb pendrive, and usb NIC are always handy, and have bailed me out on numerous occasions.

I keep reference copies of Operating Systems in my kit, along with a Knoppix CD. People have been known to treat discs just horribly, and their product key works just fine with my disk. However, no license, no OS. I do not need that sort of grief. I MUST see a COA with any Windows install, or no deal. It would be even worse for you to do so in the Bay Area.

I got started with less than $1000.00 in 1996. I am unsure what that equates to in todays inflated economy, but it can be done pretty reasonably.

Best of luck, Wrbby. I think you can pull it off. :)

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Thanks Tekboy. I will try my best. And thanks for all the advice. That helped me understand it a bit more.

Crap! Why didn't I see the wireless at the end of AT&T? Just me
:guns: off my big mouth!

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Originally Posted by WebHead

That is excellent advice. Thanks! :)
I guess what I am having trouble with is how to even start up a business of my own. Maybe I should to talk with a financial advisor? Create a business plan? Hmmm.

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You may want to look up the SBA in the US. They have lots of programs to assist a budding small business. except money you will have to have some to get a loan. (if you plan on going with a storefront and selling components)

I personally have a stack of business cards and I do in home support and trouble shooting. Rates of $25 a hour with a free service call. also if the problem comes back due to my error Ill fix it for free. ( including another free service call)

My objective is to undercut the best buy geeks and still make a nice amount of side money while building a customer base to support a shop with a storefront.

Untill that happens Ill keep the 9-5 and scedule side jobs for the evenings and weekends.

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Originally Posted by thorian

You may want to look up the SBA in the US. They have lots of programs to assist a budding small business. except money you will have to have some to get a loan.

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I guess that's my biggest problem. I need to have a good solid plan and money to get started.

Kinda like starting a trip without a map or a car! :p

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Originally Posted by WebHead

I guess that's my biggest problem. I need to have a good solid plan and money to get started.

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You never know one of my best clients is a guy I met who was to be an advisor in helping me write my business plan. I installed a wireless network at his place and he refered me to a small private school to do the same. (wired/wireless network) connecting 8 computers to the 25 in a wired lan in the computer lab.

See I am opposite, I need to find a way to get away from the customer. While, as a shock to most of you, I can BS with the best and get customer(ie the people in the offices I work in) to trust me and appreciate the work I do, I hate the customer. I really hate people and it is what gives me such a headache while at work and I won't even discuss IT outside of work, unless the person knows what they are talking about. I really need to find an aspect of the job away from the people.

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Originally Posted by Cleetus

See I am opposite, I need to find a way to get away from the customer. While, as a shock to most of you, I can BS with the best and get customer(ie the people in the offices I work in) to trust me and appreciate the work I do, I hate the customer. I really hate people and it is what gives me such a headache while at work and I won't even discuss IT outside of work, unless the person knows what they are talking about. I really need to find an aspect of the job away from the people.

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As a service provider, you will ALWAYS have customers though. Even working in an office,.. your co-workers are your customers. It's just the nature of this business we have chosen.

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Yeah, you may be right, Iceman.

On another note, I do a lot of housecalls. You absolutely MUST have good people skills to do housecalls, and you have to know when the machine has to be pulled to the shop. Anything not trivial to you should not be done under the nervous eyes of the customer.

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Do you need an assistant? :wave:

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Originally Posted by amyb

Do you need an assistant? :wave:

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If I get any calls from your neck of the woods, I will pass them on, Amy.

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

Yeah, you may be right, Iceman.

On another note, I do a lot of housecalls. You absolutely MUST have good people skills to do housecalls, and you have to know when the machine has to be pulled to the shop. Anything not trivial to you should not be done under the nervous eyes of the customer.

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I don't do housecalls because I can not absolutely do a proper job at someone's house without being there forever. if I get a spyware cleanup, I'm also doing windows updates, scandisks, defrag, cleaning temp files etc. routine maintainence stuff which I know gets neglected in the hands of the user. I also install free software that may help prevent furthur infection etc. it usually takes me a couple of hours with a high speed connection, but while updates are downloading or the disk is defragging etc I am home doing something else playing with the kid, screwing around on my computer or working on someone else's if I have more than one at the time.

I don't charge hourly when I bring things home. but I do have to charge hourly if I go to someone's house so it's a waste for both them and me. if they give it to me they get a flat fee, and I can do other stuff in the downtime (downloading updates etc) of fixing the machine.

I don't think I could ever go to someones house and just remove the offending spyware / virus and leave not doing the routine and preventive maintainence.

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Originally Posted by Tekboy

If I get any calls from your neck of the woods, I will pass them on, Amy.

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cool, I'll be waiting..