How to start your own computer business requires planning and organization. Research and choose a suitable business model before starting your own computer Business. Start by assessing the needs of the market your business is aimed at. Structure your business to offer software products and computer equipment to your customers in an efficient and cost-effective way. Using the resources offered by the Small Business Administration Small Business Planner website, acquire the training necessary to achieve your success.
While your dream may be to start the next Apple or Microsoft from your garage, your desire how to start your own computer Business is more likely to involve dealing with existing systems through sales, service, or support.
How To Start Your Own Computer Business: A Startup Guide for Entrepreneurs
Are you thinking about starting your own computer business? So follow these 10 Steps:
- Assess Your Skill Set
- Analyze The Local Market
- Consider Your Trading Options
- Set Your Goals
- Keep Up Business
- Make Customer Service Your Priority
- Build Your Brand Identity
- Think About The Location Of Your
- Start With A Business Plan
- protect Yourself And Your Business
1. Assess Your Skill Set
It seems reasonable to assume that anyone harboring ideas for starting a computer business is already familiar with computers and related systems. That said, the details of your training and experience, and your willingness to learn more, are vital in determining the type of computer business that best suits your talents.
- Have you ever dissected, reassembled, or repaired a computer? Are you familiar with the major operating systems? Have you worked in the computer science field before? Honestly assess your readiness to start a computer business or ask someone else with industry knowledge to help you conduct the assessment.
- Completing a degree in the field of computer science will certainly help you start a business, but most customers are unlikely to ask to see your diploma. More important is your continued accumulation of experience, whether through education, training, or employment.
- However, certification is a good way to indicate experience. You may want to earn the Computer Technology Industry Association A+ certification (CompTIA), or the related N+ network certification, or become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).
2. Analyze The Local Market
With any small business, you should carefully consider the local demographics, identity, and needs of your target population, and the particular products and services you are likely to want.
- In this so-called “post-PC era,” it’s possible that the demand for sales, service, and/or support for traditional computers will be greatly reduced, especially among a younger, tech-savvy population. However, especially in areas with larger populations and/or rural and small-town areas, you may find a higher percentage of people who need PC repairs and support. Remember, you need to keep up with the latest technology; many of your potential customers don’t and won’t.
3. Consider Your Trading Options
Despite changes in technology and consumer tastes, there are still opportunities to establish a business based on the sale of computers, spare parts, or accessories editing and design services problem solving or training, and repairs or reforms. The key is flexibility and the ability to change along with technology.
- New technology is meant to make life easier, but many consumers consider it just another layer of confusion. General setup and troubleshooting tasks, such as installing printers and wireless networks, recovering and deleting data, and archiving or editing media, can still be a viable component of your business, even if PC repair requests decrease.
- If you can prove that you are an expert in computers and related technology, and you can build a positive reputation, you should be able to find a niche for your computer business.
4. Set Your Goals
Are you looking to start a computer business as a side job or a source of supplemental income? Or do you hope to turn the business into your full-time career? If you’re looking to keep your computer business as a part-time job, then it may be enough to focus on repairs and troubleshooting.
- However, turning your business into a full-time occupation may require greater diversification of the products and services you offer, perhaps selling spare parts, accessories, or complete systems. You will need to attract a loyal customer base and build a positive reputation in the community.
4. Keep Up Business
Even if one of the main goals of your business is to fix outdated desktops for customers who aren’t interested in making a change, you need to maintain your expertise in emerging technologies. Complacency in a field that changes as fast as computer technology can leave you behind before you realize what has happened.
- Even if computers are your focus, expect people to seek help and guidance with all kinds of mobile technology, from phones to tablets to watches. You may or may not want to get into the mobile sales and/or services business, for example, consider increasing inventory demand, but being able to provide general troubleshooting, training, and support on the latest devices can prove quite useful.
- If home service calls are part of your business, the set of essential tools you carry with you will continue to change along with technology. However, you can find a good list of the basic equipment…
6. Make Customer Service Your Priority
If you have a terrible skill with people, it probably doesn’t matter how good you are with machines; your computer business probably won’t succeed. When customers have a need or a computer problem, they expect a fast, efficient, and effective service that is also explained to them in a way that even beginners in computer science can clearly understand.
- You’ll be dealing with panicked customers who think they’ve just lost all their important files and angry customers who want immediate help at 10 p.m. And floating clients who want to monitor and ask about every move you make. You must be able to maintain calm, courtesy, and patience. As a small business, you’re not likely to be able to match the prices of your larger competitors; the personalized service you offer should make up for this disadvantage.
7. Build Your Brand Identity
A new computer company, like any other small business, needs to leave a quick and lasting impression in order to survive. Even (or maybe especially) if you’re running your business from your home office, you need to establish a consistent brand that builds awareness and indicates quality and reliability.
Think about your company name, logos, signage, marketing, etc. Create a professional look that presents your company as legitimate and lasting.
- Referrals will be essential to your business. Always hand out professional-looking business cards to existing customers and consider offering discounts or rewards for referrals. Including some free service or equipment is a small price to pay to increase your customer base.
- Especially if you don’t have a store, make your company’s website and/or social media presence look professional and interconnected with your overall brand.
8. Think About The Location Of Your
A successful computer business can operate primarily from your own home, in customers’ homes, or in an office/store. Evaluate the pros and cons of your options, taking into account your budget and your goals for the business.
- Working from home, for example, offers more flexibility and less overhead, but it also offers less visibility and possibly more distractions. A well-placed storefront increases your visibility and helps legitimize your business in the public’s mind, but it comes at a cost and tends to lock you into a more rigid schedule.
- If you focus on computer repair, working in your own shop can limit distractions and save you travel time and money, but customers may feel more comfortable with you working on the equipment in their homes. (Your potential liability is also likely to be reduced if you don’t take the equipment with you.)
9. Start With A Business Plan
No matter what business you’re getting into, you should always start by developing a detailed business plan. It is the guide to the development of your business and your “selling point” for potential investors or financial contributors.
See How to Write a Business Plan for a good introduction to the process of creating this important document.
10. Protect Yourself And Your Business
Starting a legitimate business isn’t as simple as doing a little advertising and collecting money from customers. To create a business that can succeed and grow, you need to understand the process of starting a business legally, collecting and paying taxes, getting insurance and any permitting, licensing, or certification requirements, and becoming an employer in case you eventually hire help.
You may want to save on taxes by having customers pay in cash “under the table” and not declaring income, but this gives your business an air of illegitimacy (as it should) for your customers. You’d better pay taxes and look and be legitimate.
How to open a small business offers good information about the legal requirements for setting up a business. The U.S. Small Business Administration website is also a great resource.
Conclusion
Become part of the community. Of course, you’ll need the community to support you on how to start your own computer business to succeed. Getting involved and supporting the community with your business can help create a mutually beneficial relationship.
Volunteer some of your time and experience. Be a supporting sponsor at community events (with the necessary public recognition, of course). Use your advertising and branding to develop a sense of stability and permanence for your business, even in a field that changes as rapidly as computers.
No matter the nature of your small business, it must be visible, it must be trustworthy, and it must provide a personalized experience that generates customer loyalty.
If you want to see other Business ideas, we recommend you read the business Ideas, You can also Start Business Plan.
