To those that run your own business

[steves85]

Just wanted to ask some people who currently have their own computer business be it home or shop based. Its what i aspire to do when i complete my courses.

What do you do when you cant fix something or dont know something:

1. Hit the forums or "google" to find answers?

2. Ring MS or other company's help desks?

3. How do you tell the customer you cant fix their pc or that its going to take longer? Especially in virus world!

4. Do you charge per hour or per job?

5. Whats the best way to get windows licenses and how many do you obtain at a time?

Any help greatly appreciated

thanks
steve

[steves85]

bump....

[office politics]

1 yes and leverage the network of contacts in the feild. also vendor/manufacturuer support is good help

2 usually not, there's consultant companies that you can contract with by paying a retainer for their services. youd create procedures for escalation. be careful of what you're liable for.

3 being very honest upfront will help the most here. you can say i dont know exactly whats the problem or how long it will take, but it'll look into it for you on these agreed terms. at some point you can determine when its just easier to backup destroy and rebuild. sorry pal, your machine is hosed, this is what i can do to fix.

4 by hour, with two hour minimum. works like cell phone minutes. once you start the next hour, you pay for the whole hour.

5 we usually buy open licenses from MS. purchase as needed, turnaround is usually quick enough. find a good reseller, cdw


also, i'd look into using quickbooks for accounting.

[mikesx4911]

I run a business out of my home repairing computers, and such. I charge by the job as I find it will make you more money, I can usually fix a computer in less than a hour. I am A+ certfied, but Im thinking about trying to get a cert that will allow me to do warranty work on computers such as ie; HP, apple and etc I think someone can make you very good money. Also if I cant figure out a problem I usually search to see if other people are having similar problems first and if I cant find anything I call the malefactor.

[steves85]

thanks for the replies. im on my way for the A+ exam in the next month. ive kind of hit a low patch though, wondering what sort of jobs i could get with an A+, or if i should just go for the home business. to really make money i would need to venture into small business market, but my experience with server 2003 and 2008 is rather limited. my other courses i have signed up for include MCDST, CCENT, N+, ITIL, WIN7.

[iPROTechman]

Originally Posted by steves85

thanks for the replies. im on my way for the A+ exam in the next month. ive kind of hit a low patch though, wondering what sort of jobs i could get with an A+, or if i should just go for the home business. to really make money i would need to venture into small business market, but my experience with server 2003 and 2008 is rather limited. my other courses i have signed up for include MCDST, CCENT, N+, ITIL, WIN7.

You're in the same boat as me, basically. Just take on Jobs and offer services you are comfortable/confident doing. Remember the more you do, the more you learn and your confidence will grow, just like me. Good luck

[steves85]

Thanks for your help techman, encouraging words. So youre still studying or have u got your own business?