How to open a computer repair shop

CITY, Country, 2022-Jul-28 — /EPR Network/ —

Do you enjoy repairing computers and think you are ready to devote most of your time to this activity? But you’re afraid you’re going to have a hard time starting a business on your own. Whatever business you start, you can get a lot of benefits, but at the same time, you will face various difficulties.

With this article, we want to help you organize your business in the most efficient way. We have described the advantages and disadvantages of a computer repair business, the skills, and computer repair shop software and hardware you need. You’ll also find detailed instructions to help you get your computer repair business up and running easily.

Pros and Cons of starting a computer repair business

Here we want to tell you about the advantages of a computer repair business as well as the pitfalls you can face.

Advantages

• In demand for services. Today, computers are used for work, communication, education, and entertainment. Therefore, you will be able to find customers among both private users and small companies that do not have their own IT departments.
• You do not need a large investment to start. When starting a business, you do not even need to rent an office. You can work from home or find customers online and do repair work on their side. The most important thing for a start is to have the needed knowledge and experience, as well as a great desire to fix computer-related issues.
• Flexible schedule. Only you decide how many hours a day and when you work. Arrange your schedule based on only two main factors: your clients’ needs and the most convenient working time for you.
• Combinable with other activities. You don’t need to quit your job to start a computer repair business. You can also combine this business with hobbies or other activities. In this way, you can have additional income and thus avoid financial risks in the initial stages of starting a business.

Disadvantages

• In the beginning, it could be difficult to find customers. Despite the fact that such services are quite in demand, you will need to work hard to find customers at the start. You need to have good marketing knowledge, sales and good communication skills.
• High competition. There are plenty of companies and individuals who offer their computer repair services. You will need to fight with them for customers.
• Additional investments may appear. You will need to buy and test equipment and software at your own expense to perform various types of computer repairs.

What do you need for a successful computer repair business?

The following skills help you to start your computer repair business successfully:

• Good understanding of modern technologies
• Analytical skills
• Communication skills

If you are seriously engaged in computer repair, on a daily basis you will have to perform various tasks, such as reinstalling operating systems, testing different computers with diagnostic tools to determine the problem, also learning new technologies. To provide high-quality computer repair services you will need to use different hardware and software tools, such as the following:

• screwdrivers
• multi-tester
• ATX power supply tester
• cable testers
• POST Card
• data recovery software
• USB network adapter

One of the good solutions you can use for providing computer repair services is the SaaS solution from Orderry. This tool will help you automate and speed up various routine operations, such as reports, analytics, repair processing, and others.

7 steps to start a computer repair business

To start a successful computer repair business, follow these guidelines:

• Step 1: Create a business plan
  A good plan is vital to a successful business. When writing a business plan, you should pay attention to important questions such as:Who is your target audience?
  Are they individuals or companies? What problems might your potential customers have? Understanding your target audience will help you focus on certain types of services and choose the necessary tools to solve problems.
  What services will you provide?
  The field of IT and computer repair is pretty extensive. You don’t have to cover every possible service. You can choose a narrow list of services that your company will specialize in. Some of the most common and in-demand computer repair services include the following:
  • hardware repair
  • customization
  • virus removal
  • data recovery
  • troubleshooting errors
    Who are your competitors?
    In the planning stage, it is very important to study those who already provide the same services as you do to your target audience. What are their weaknesses and strengths? What approaches do they use? How successful are they in this area? What mistakes do they make? The answers to these questions will help you look at your business from the outside and plan it more intelligently.
    How will you finance your business?
    You need to think about how you will finance the start-up of your computer repair business. First, you need to calculate how much it costs to run the business. Next, think about where you can get the money from. Your personal savings may be enough. You can also borrow money from friends and relatives. But very often, start-up entrepreneurs take out loans to start a business.
    Where will you work?
    Most companies provide computer repair services in a service center, from home, or on the customer’s side. This will impact your expenses for running the business. You may need to include the extra cost of renting an office or a car for client visits
    
• Step 2: Get the necessary licence
  To provide paid services for repairing electronic devices, you need to get a special permit. Without a license, you run the risk of heavy fines. In addition, your customers may ask you for a license to provide such services. Note that license requirements may vary from state to state in the United States.
• Step 3: Form a legal entity
  There are several types of business structures. Most companies choose one of the following options for their businesses:
  • Sole proprietorship
  • Partnership
  • Limited liability company (LLC)
  • Corporation
    After registering your business you will need to file various federal and state taxes. The type of business structure affects the taxes you will pay.
• Step 4: Set up accounting
  In this section, we want to mention such aspects of organizing a small business as:
  • Record keeping of income and expenses. Regular accounting will allow you to assess the financial performance of your business.
  • Tax accounting. Keep track of when and how many taxes you pay to make sure you haven’t missed anything.
  • Opening a bank account. Your personal assets should be separated from your business assets to avoid various risks. Therefore, it is advisable to open a separate bank account and credit card for your computer repair company. Also with a separate credit card, you can create a credit history for your business.
• Step 5: Set prices for your services
  When starting a business, there’s a temptation to set a low price for your services in order to attract clients faster. But this is a gross mistake. First, you’ll have a hard time raising the cost of your services later, because clients will be counting on the cost you set earlier. You may lose some of your clients, and you will have to search for customers from scratch. Secondly, against the background of your competitors, your services will be seen as cheaper rather than of high quality. And, of course, this is not the best advertising.
  Therefore, the right solution is to conduct a thorough analysis of the cost of competitors’ services and set the average cost of services for your area.
• Step 6: Bring your business to the market
  After you’ve determined your target audience and the services you want to provide, you need to introduce yourself to your potential customers. To do this, you need to think carefully and launch a marketing campaign. For this you can use the following ideas:
  • Website. It should be professional-looking and mobile-friendly. Your website has to give as much information as possible to your prospective customers about your services and their costs.
  • Social media. Create a social media account to communicate with your clients. Your social media profile should also include your contact information and a link to your website.
  • Paid advertising. You can run targeting ads on social networks as well as on Google.
  • Email marketing. Notify your customers about updates in your company as well as share useful information with them through email newsletters.
    We’ve listed some types of online marketing strategies. But also don’t forget about offline methods of promotion. Attend relevant events, run ads in newspapers, on TV, etc.
• Step 7: Protect your business with insurance
  Getting insurance for your business will allow you to protect the financial well-being of your company and avoid significant financial risks. With insurance, you will be able to operate safely and legally without fear of major losses.
  There are several types of business insurance available. To protect your computer repair business, you can choose one or more of the following types of insurance:
  • General liability insurance
  • Commercial property insurance
  • Business owner’s policy
  • Errors and omissions insurance
  • Cyber liability insurance
  • Commercial auto insurance
  • Fidelity bonds
  • Workers’ compensation insurance

Conclusion

Starting your own computer repair business can be quite a challenging task. But with the right tools, the proper business plan, and consideration of all the legal and financial details, you can launch a successful business.