Getting myself a Job

Hey,

Well i have always been good at fixing peoples computers. I was wondering if It would be possible to start a little reapair buisiness, operating out of my basement. I am only 15, and i do not know what laws, if any, that may prohibit me from doing so. All i am looking for is to make some profit, i would charge the best prices in town to get service. I have repaired a few peoples computers before, ordered them parts and whatnot. Maybe i can put an ad in the paper and start from there. What do you think? could i even do it because of my age?

pops

#219627

haha, every now and then, a techie teenager comes along and says he wants to start a computer business.

if you want to, and have a plan, kudos to you, but most people just go in without any idea, and just think that since they know a little bit about computers, they can start a repair business. there's a lot of planning and organization that has to go into it. you have to do lots of research on prices, business strategy, etc. you'll need to market yourself and compete with others. and what if a client comes along with a problem you can't fix? does he get compensation for wasting his time? will you work alone or will you hire? how do you plan on compensating those workers? will you be getting a business license? have you figured out how you'll do your taxes on your newfound income?

if you can come up with answers to all these questions (and many more unasked ones), then you're on your way.

#219629

Well im a smart shooter, i remember when i was 8 years old i had a fake buisiness and i sold a newspaper. i even paid the work!(fake money of course). I have a vast knowledge of computers and hardware. over this past year i have had about a million problems, some i couldnt solve, some i could. I like to be fair, if the guy has a problem and brings his computer in i wouldnt charge for looking at it the first time, giving it a quick check of what he says is the problem. if the problem is a real big one like i check and see that lightning hit it and the mobo is fried, then i would ask him if he wanted me to buy a new mobo and install it for him, which then i would charge for labor and the mobo. If the computer the guy brings in is an old windows 95 1992 computer, and he wants me to upgrade i would have to tell him that its nearly impossible. As for marketing myself, my grandfather was self employed and he knows all the little tricks of the trade and rules to having a buisiness. I would probably work alone, unless one of my friends helped me and then they would get paid. as for taxes and licenses, im in the dark on that. this is only like a side hobby job, not a full on buisiness. but thank you for your help, and maybe this info explains more of what i would offer.

pops

#219635

The only thing that I would be leary of in a situation like that, is liability.

If something happens to a persons computer whilst in your posession, you are responsible for replacement.

Also, people have been known to drop stuff off at a repair shop and "claim" it was damaged.

Just be careful, lots of bad people out there.

#219707

another thing you have to consider is how you can market yourself. you're going to have to distinguish yourself more than any other local repair biz as knowledgable and reliable since there is an age hurdle that many people may not want to trust with their computer investments.

i really can't give you advice on how to do that, though, since i can't think of any ways you could do it.

#219713

well in maine (and i dont know if its anywhere else) theres the saying amongst older people, "these kids know so much about computers". but would they trust me to fix it? that is the only problem that i can see. so i think im going to make a list of things ican do, and people i know that are into this that i can talk to. then i can start small.

#219794

My friend actually has a mini buisness like this, he fixes peoples comps for 75$ per visit, and people actually pay him. I didn't believe him until he bought a 20 inch lcd with his own money, because his parents blatantly refused to get him one.

Now and then his mother schedules his appointments with customers and i'm pretty sure they even have a site with a repair form for things such as what is damaged, name, street etc.

Its possible if you know what you're doing.

#219804

Make sure you have personal liability insurance. If something goes wrong, and someone takes you to court, and you have no insurance... You would be in deep brown sticky.

#219815

My friend actually has a mini buisness like this, he fixes peoples comps for 75$ per visit, and people actually pay him. I didn't believe him until he bought a 20 inch lcd with his own money, because his parents blatantly refused to get him one.

Now and then his mother schedules his appointments with customers and i'm pretty sure they even have a site with a repair form for things such as what is damaged, name, street etc.

Its possible if you know what you're doing.

do you know what the site address is?

#220436