Neodude1123201
Bogan
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- 8,474
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^ YES - I Havn't yet but im currently looking into it,until i get insurance i dont do any work onsite (Residential i do,but no commerical onsite work).
Computer Business
- Thread starter JogaBonito1502
- Start date
Teny
(╯°□°）╯︵ â”»â”â”»
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- United States
Its also best to have some extra money around. Just in case a part came DOA, or somehow you broke a part by accident (though the chances are pretty slim). You dont want your customers to be waiting, so its best to buy the new part while the RMA processes. Unless your customer is alright waiting for the RMA to process, then buy the new part and wait for the ship. Unless you have an store like Fry's or Micro Center near you, then you can just go to the store instead of waiting to ship if something goes wrong.
OP
OP
JogaBonito1502
Guru
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- 7,841
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- U.S.
We have $1000 to back us up. What do you mean by insurance?
tom-knox
Fully Optimized
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- 2,451
Insurance incase an incident occurs on site on a job that you are liable for. Residential accidents can normally be resolved between you and them, but if you go into a business and as a result of something you do damage is caused you are liable to pay for it. LAWSUIT. If you take out insurance you'll pay a monthly premium and you can then feel safer about working on site because you're protected against liability.
^ Very poor explanation
Is it Trey you're going into business with? What about Bullzi?
Have you built a website yet? Because i know a cool kid who can build you a site with customisable product listings for your users to build custom systems, and he won't charge you anything at all if you get back to him and he can start on the work this weekend. (Hinty hint hint) lol
PS. Really random tip: When i custom build for people i repackage the finished machine in the packaging that the case came in. Because a case with mobo, RAM, CPU, GPU etc only takes up as much space as the case it's inside.
^ Very poor explanation
Is it Trey you're going into business with? What about Bullzi?
Have you built a website yet? Because i know a cool kid who can build you a site with customisable product listings for your users to build custom systems, and he won't charge you anything at all if you get back to him and he can start on the work this weekend. (Hinty hint hint) lol
PS. Really random tip: When i custom build for people i repackage the finished machine in the packaging that the case came in. Because a case with mobo, RAM, CPU, GPU etc only takes up as much space as the case it's inside.
treythomas123
Baseband Member
- Messages
- 39
Yes.
Random idea, we could always go beyond just local. Shipping isn't that hard, I work with a friend who does it as his job. Just a thought.
OP
OP
JogaBonito1502
Guru
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- 7,841
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- U.S.
Well, I think we ought to start local before we move state-wide and such. One step at a time. First we need to get some profit going and see if business is good. If it is we can try and add more people. We don't want to add too many because then profit is small if we have a bad turn-out. As far as a website, I think we should get one eventually...after we've sold a few. I mean...if the cool kid wants to start it's fine with me. If we get something really going the cool kid might be able to join us...
. What are your thoughts Trey?
. What are your thoughts Trey?Joga, if you guys want to, we can join up. We've already got the main backbone almost completed, being our website. I've got a decent business plan as well.. if we combined ourselves into one, we could seriously get something done.
insanitechpc.com
insanitechpc.com
Hey there,
I, too, am in the PC business, and I could give you suggestions to help you grow. They do work well.
1. If you have not yet come up with a good name, you could do what I did. You could use your town's name and put PC after it. It sounded good enough, as I could not think of anything that was catchy and impressive. So, I called my company Waldorf PC.
2. Get an LLC made up for your business. These come handy just in case you should ever get into any trouble, God forbid. They cost anywhere between two hundred fifty to three hundred bucks depending on the lawyer.
3. Utilize social networking sites for your business growth. Facebook and LinkedIn are two that I use regularly. www.linkedin.com is strictly business, and if you are really good at getting to know people and networking, you'll hit it off great. Join some groups on LinkedIn, and respond to discussions, and people will grow to know you and want to network with you. You could even let people know in the groups that you are an open networker and desire to grow your network with other professionals. Once your network starts to grow, go to the Q and A and answer as many of their questions as you can. The key is to build trust in your expertise. Facebook consists of people of all types, but remember that anyone could be your customer. Just grow your friends list as big as you can, not doing it in the way of spam but getting to know the people for real, and you could make a special event twice a year or so to allow people to take advantage of good sales. For ideas to grow your list without spamming people, use the friend finder and add everyone you can that goes to your school or college. This way, you are not spamming, as you already have something in common in that you attended the same school or college. Once you add these people, stay in touch with them regularly. It is important that you build a repore with them. Comment on their status, send messages periodically, write on their walls, take a personal interest, and grow into great friendships. You'll be surprised how this helps your company grow. You can also gain friendships on FaceBook by joining business related groups, as well as other interest groups.
4. It is definitely good to have a legal service to back you and contracts written up that all of your customers will have to sign before you will even touch their computers. for fifty dollars a month, there is a service that you could take advantage of. It works to assist small businesses in that they help with taxes, provide legal aide, give you marketing and strategizing advice, write up contracts, and several other things. To get started, visit Steven Wilson's page on LinkedIn. You can find him at http://www.linkedin.com/profile?vie...pe=name&goback=.mcr_false_1_DATE.mid_89620883 These services are something that will definitely aide you. Tell him that Reina Brown from Waldorf PC sent you, and I promise he will take care of you.
5. Make sure you have a paymet gateway set up, and have more than one to offer a selection of choices for your customers, as some may prefer one over another. I currently use Paypal and Google Checkout. I'm also working on setting up a merchant account with the bank to take credit cards over the phone. You can Do this with Google Checkout but the customer has to open the emailed invoice and pay for the product himself. If he does not have a computer, wll, he will have to go to the library, and he could lose interest in your sale, which you do not want.
6. To figure out pricing, here is a strategy you can use to help you out.
a. For parts, tack on thirty percent to the cost you've paid. For instance, if you paid $6 for a jump drive, then add on thirty percent of $6, and this is the profit you will keep for yourself.
B. for custom builds, tack on thirty percent to everything you buy for the system and charge one hundred dollars flat for labor.
C. For services, watch your competitors closely, such as the Geek Squad or any other computer place local to you. Always go lower than they do but still make enough to put money in your pocket. i do not use Geek Squad to gage my prices so much since they charge an arm and a leg. I use the other local shops, and I will charge five or ten dollars less. Do you get it?
D. For name brand or off brand computers, get in touch with a wholeseller and charge slightly lower than other stores. You'll keep a handle on your competitors this way. Two wholesellers that are small business friendly are www.outletpc.com and www.tigerdirect.com Make sure that when you contact them, you let them know you need to deal with the wholesellers because you are in the business.
I hope I've helped out. If I can answer any more questions or provide any knowledge, please let me know.
I, too, am in the PC business, and I could give you suggestions to help you grow. They do work well.
1. If you have not yet come up with a good name, you could do what I did. You could use your town's name and put PC after it. It sounded good enough, as I could not think of anything that was catchy and impressive. So, I called my company Waldorf PC.
2. Get an LLC made up for your business. These come handy just in case you should ever get into any trouble, God forbid. They cost anywhere between two hundred fifty to three hundred bucks depending on the lawyer.
3. Utilize social networking sites for your business growth. Facebook and LinkedIn are two that I use regularly. www.linkedin.com is strictly business, and if you are really good at getting to know people and networking, you'll hit it off great. Join some groups on LinkedIn, and respond to discussions, and people will grow to know you and want to network with you. You could even let people know in the groups that you are an open networker and desire to grow your network with other professionals. Once your network starts to grow, go to the Q and A and answer as many of their questions as you can. The key is to build trust in your expertise. Facebook consists of people of all types, but remember that anyone could be your customer. Just grow your friends list as big as you can, not doing it in the way of spam but getting to know the people for real, and you could make a special event twice a year or so to allow people to take advantage of good sales. For ideas to grow your list without spamming people, use the friend finder and add everyone you can that goes to your school or college. This way, you are not spamming, as you already have something in common in that you attended the same school or college. Once you add these people, stay in touch with them regularly. It is important that you build a repore with them. Comment on their status, send messages periodically, write on their walls, take a personal interest, and grow into great friendships. You'll be surprised how this helps your company grow. You can also gain friendships on FaceBook by joining business related groups, as well as other interest groups.
4. It is definitely good to have a legal service to back you and contracts written up that all of your customers will have to sign before you will even touch their computers. for fifty dollars a month, there is a service that you could take advantage of. It works to assist small businesses in that they help with taxes, provide legal aide, give you marketing and strategizing advice, write up contracts, and several other things. To get started, visit Steven Wilson's page on LinkedIn. You can find him at http://www.linkedin.com/profile?vie...pe=name&goback=.mcr_false_1_DATE.mid_89620883 These services are something that will definitely aide you. Tell him that Reina Brown from Waldorf PC sent you, and I promise he will take care of you.
5. Make sure you have a paymet gateway set up, and have more than one to offer a selection of choices for your customers, as some may prefer one over another. I currently use Paypal and Google Checkout. I'm also working on setting up a merchant account with the bank to take credit cards over the phone. You can Do this with Google Checkout but the customer has to open the emailed invoice and pay for the product himself. If he does not have a computer, wll, he will have to go to the library, and he could lose interest in your sale, which you do not want.
6. To figure out pricing, here is a strategy you can use to help you out.
a. For parts, tack on thirty percent to the cost you've paid. For instance, if you paid $6 for a jump drive, then add on thirty percent of $6, and this is the profit you will keep for yourself.
B. for custom builds, tack on thirty percent to everything you buy for the system and charge one hundred dollars flat for labor.
C. For services, watch your competitors closely, such as the Geek Squad or any other computer place local to you. Always go lower than they do but still make enough to put money in your pocket. i do not use Geek Squad to gage my prices so much since they charge an arm and a leg. I use the other local shops, and I will charge five or ten dollars less. Do you get it?
D. For name brand or off brand computers, get in touch with a wholeseller and charge slightly lower than other stores. You'll keep a handle on your competitors this way. Two wholesellers that are small business friendly are www.outletpc.com and www.tigerdirect.com Make sure that when you contact them, you let them know you need to deal with the wholesellers because you are in the business.
I hope I've helped out. If I can answer any more questions or provide any knowledge, please let me know.
OP
OP
JogaBonito1502
Guru
- Messages
- 7,841
- Location
- U.S.
I really have to talk to Trey about this. We still need to sit down and talk all the details. We did so last weekend, but that was after a party...so you have an idea of what we got done...