Entrepreneurship...ing

Hello gentlemen of SRP!

I was hoping that some of you guys might be able to help me out. I'm currently in college and looking for a way to earn money to go to school. However, with my certain set of skills and resources I'm not quite convinced that flipping burgers at my local diner is the way to go. I currently work with my dad on computers and I have done so since I was 13 years old. I always enjoyed working with him when I can, but I need a more steady (better paying) source of income.

Which leads me to my goal. Ultimately, I want to start my own computer fixing business as a steady source of income for school. A business for the customers where, if I can't fix your computer, you don't pay a dollar. Good and honest work unlike "the geek squad" that I hear people complaining constantly about. Most importantly, I believe that you shouldn't have to give your first born child up to fix your computer. So the prices will be reasonable.

My problem is that I'm really not sure how to go about marketing this business in ways that don't involve technology. I though about making a website and a facebook page to spread it around but the only issue with that is, if your computer's broken, you're not going to be able to access the internet. :boohoo:

So, to any of you business owners out there, how do you market your business sucessfully?

back in college, I had an old economics professor that said something that always stuck in my head.

"If you have a bag of chicken sh*t, you aren't just going to throw it in a bag, label it, and go on with business. You have to make people believe that this will be the best damn bag of chicken sh*t you can buy"

An excellent read Amazon.com: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? (9781591843160): Seth Godin: Books

A ton of this stuff in this is about business and marketing

Seth Godin has a blog as well.

Since you're already in college, you can use a dual approach. First, get all the certs you can in regards to computer repair. Secondly, try getting an unpaid internship at a local fix-it shop...just walk in and tell them that you will do anything they want, sweep floors, answer phones, etc. in exchange for skills that you can take with you for life.

Guerrilla marketing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Word of mouth will be your best friend once you get started. But, in the meantime... Look for non-traditional ways of getting the word out. Maybe flyers in the dorms, maybe something else.
It's hard to say without knowing the environment you're in... But, you have a niche service and you can do well!
Be sure to focus on the benefits, not the features of your service...

Thanks guys :) I'll definitely give everything a good read. Keep the advice coming please.

red96ta,I see what you're saying about the credentials, but it's not the skills I'm after, it's the money. I have the skills to fix computers I've just got to get the word around ;)

This college must be based in a town or something?

I dunno about in the states but over here, people would put signs up in shop windows and cafe's.Fix their mates stuff at cost or for small profit in the hope their mates recommend them to other people - little things like that.

From what I understand you're not really trying to develop a business, just do a bit of PC work on the side for beer tokens. I did a bit of that a few years ago.

If you are in the states, i would bang out the A+ cert real quick. People like to see certs.

But yeah.. off the top of my head. Setup a website, it could just be something on wordpress even.

Then maybe advertise in your schools classifieds?

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Originally Posted by McShaverson

Thanks guys :) I'll definitely give everything a good read. Keep the advice coming please.

red96ta,I see what you're saying about the credentials, but it's not the skills I'm after, it's the money. I have the skills to fix computers I've just got to get the word around ;)

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I think word of mouth would serve you well. You might also post something on Craigslist aside from the sites that were already mentioned. Don't assume that people can't get to the internet -- I'm sure there's a good market for cleaning up malware/spyware and "speeding up" computers. Everybody says that their computer is slow. lol.

I'm not sure what your range of services will be, but be aware that there is always the ethical question about licensing when dealing with Windows computers, should you ever need to rebuild the OS or reinstall any other licensed software. Be prepared to hear "I lost the license" or "my buddy installed it for me", or see that the sticker on the computer says Windows XP Home and they're running XP Pro or Win7.

If you're feeling brave then there's also value in offering support. Have your one-time fix rate and then see if people would be interested in future support for whatever you want to change.

Just some more comments and ideas. I started with computers as a hobby a long time ago and now I get paid for it. :)

EDIT: Some more tips from my experiences -- data backup is something else you could offer, because everybody knows they should backup their stuff but never seem to do it until after a disaster. If you don't already have a live CD then I'd suggest Bart PE for Windows or Knoppix for Linux. Bart PE has saved me so many times.

I'm told that aside from work of mouth (good words, of course) the best marketing tool is a good business card. Plaster the town with them!

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Originally Posted by McShaverson

So, to any of you business owners out there, how do you market your business sucessfully?

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My company repairs vehicles. By far the best form of advertising over 40 yrs has been 'word of mouth' ie customer recommendation.
If you are good at your job word will soon spread.

Was it George Bush Jr. who said that the French don't have a word for entrepreneur?

Ok, so it seems like word of mouth is the best way to go.

gregs656, yes I'm looking for sidework right now, but there is always a chance in the future that it will turn into a buisness. ;)

Slartibartfast, I completely agree with you when you say that people like to see certs, but I don't have the time to get them. This is not what I plan on pursuing as a full time career (yet) so I will use peoples word as my certification rather than a piece of paper.

commiecat, it never occured to me to use craigslist as a form of advertisement. I will definitely put that on the list. My services will be whatever the client needs fixed. If I don't know how to do it I'll find the answer, and if I can't then I won't take the job. Pretty simple. If there are any "my buddy did blahblahblah" issues I'll either ask them to purchase another license or provide the key. If they don't I can't really do anything for them. Data backups are something else I hadn't thought of. That would be very simple to offer which means I'll look into the BartPE disc. Thanks! :)

leadduck, buisness cards, another wonderful idea! Thank you :)

So, here's my marketing list so far...

word of mouth
simple website
facebook page/group
craigslist
flyers around school/town
buisness cards
good service

That should be a pretty good start in marketing a buisness. Thank you guy so much for your help. Hopefully I can get all of this going so I won't be stuck flipping burgers and cleaning tables.

Now off to work.

Kevin

All really good replies. I want to add the best piece of sage advice I have every received. Sit down and write your business plan if you have not already done so. The business plan IS the business. A marketing plan is a subset of the business plan, along with your proforma, cash flow plan, business ratios, break even analysis etc.

Additionally, start networking at your local chamber of commerce. You can also join leads groups.

David

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Originally Posted by Alembic

... Sit down and write your business plan if you have not already done so. The business plan IS the business.
David

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Will do.

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Originally Posted by Alembic

... along with your proforma, cash flow plan, business ratios, break even analysis etc...
David

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It looks like I have some googling to do :mace:

Thank you for the advice.

My advice in terms of marketing is that make sure you target the right audience. Someone mentioned coffee shops and dorms, I for one think that is the OPPOSITE audience you should target. Coffee shops and dorms are full of tech savvy people these days. Geek Squad makes Best Buy tons of money because they've got the non-tech savvy people in the store, scared out of their pants wondering how they're going to make this thing do what they want when they get home.

You should concentrate your marketing where non-tech savvy people hang out. For example apartment buildings known to have lots of elderly people living in them, banks and other office buildings full of accountants and other "business" type guys, areas like that.

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Originally Posted by RobertH

My advice in terms of marketing is that make sure you target the right audience. Someone mentioned coffee shops and dorms, I for one think that is the OPPOSITE audience you should target. Coffee shops and dorms are full of tech savvy people these days. Geek Squad makes Best Buy tons of money because they've got the non-tech savvy people in the store, scared out of their pants wondering how they're going to make this thing do what they want when they get home.

You should concentrate your marketing where non-tech savvy people hang out. For example apartment buildings known to have lots of elderly people living in them, banks and other office buildings full of accountants and other "business" type guys, areas like that.

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Point taken.

Don't even get me started on the fail squad. :soapbox:
I'm just going to look on the brightside because they're going to make me lots of money. :angel: