How to start a computer repair business

Installing an operating system, setting up software, replacing a failed part of a desktop computer or laptop – these are just some of the tasks for which ordinary users need the help of specialists. Therefore, the development of a computer repair business plan is considered quite promising and profitable. However, organizing your own service involves taking into account a number of nuances that should be considered in more detail.

Where to look for a computer repair shop

There are several ways to start a computer repair business. One of them involves visiting the client at home. Otherwise, you need to rent a service. When searching, there are several factors to consider:

• area of ​​the city;
• convenience location;
• presence of competitors.

At the first experience in this area of ​​business, you should not strive to place the service close to the city center, since the rent prices there are much higher.

For the service, it will be enough to be located in a relatively large area of ​​the city, where many potential customers live.

At the same time, it is worth choosing premises that will not be difficult to find. Suitable streets with names familiar to many. At the same time, you should not place the service near large business centers. Such organizations have their own masters, so they are not interested in hiring specialists from outside. And if there are already several PC repair offices nearby, it will be more difficult to expand your business.

To search, you can use ads from newspapers and Internet sites. Moreover, the choice of resource will depend on the size of the city. In large metropolitan areas, people are more likely to use electronic resources to find tenants. And in small towns, it is better to focus on print publications. In some cases, it makes sense to walk around the area where a computer repair service is planned to be located and look at the rental ads posted on the facade of the building.

Computer repair business plan personnel search

This issue is required to be resolved if the business organizer does not have sufficient skills to repair the computer on his own or the scale of the project requires assistance in:

• taking orders;
• performance of repair work, software maintenance;
• Communication with suppliers of spare parts or licensed programs.

If capital allows, it makes sense to hire a professional with references and work experience, assigning him an appropriate fee. If you want to save on salaries at the initial stage of doing business, you can attract students to the project by offering them an internship, including part-time work. However, their skills should be tested to ensure the competence of the staff.

How to start a computer repair business

After renting and purchasing equipment, it is necessary to attract the first customers. Since the new institution has not yet acquired a reputation, it must be created by:

• optimal prices;
• the quality and quantity of services provided;
• speed in order fulfillment;
• responsible attitude to work.

Even after the client base has been built, it is not worth lowering the bar of working standards. On the contrary, generating income will allow you to purchase additional equipment that will expand the range of services or improve their quality.

Advertising is the backbone of any business

Due to the high pace of life, people rarely pay attention to the opening of a new store or office. Therefore, when a computer breaks down, they can not immediately find out where to turn for help.

You can focus attention on a new computer repair service with the help of advertising. It starts with the right design of the sign. It includes several banners. One of them should attract attention due to the appropriate design theme.

The other usually contains a short list of services provided. The list is formed from the problems that computer users most often face. In addition, you should indicate the schedule of the service, as well as the mobile phone of the master, if a house call service is available. After the service is open, you can move on to other types of advertising.

Costs and potential income of this business

The initial list of expenses is associated with the purchase of equipment for the workroom. It includes:

• computers (according to the number of employees);
• tables and chairs;
• closet;
• showcase.

The cost of a computer or laptop today starts from 15,000 rubles. A new table can cost 4,000 rubles or more. Mirrored showcases will cost from 5000. If you want to make payments by bank transfer, you should purchase the appropriate device. Its cost starts from 3000. If you order all this via the Internet or buy it from your hands, there is an opportunity to reduce costs.

Among the fixed costs of this business are the rent of the premises and the salaries of employees. Ideally, the starting capital of a novice businessman should allow him to rent a room for a couple of months, equip it, and pay hired employees for the work. A separate item of expenses will be the advertising campaign of the service.

If you pay attention to the price list of computer services in Moscow, you can see the following prices:

1. Services for working with a computer hard drive can cost from 300 rubles.
2. The price of cleaning from viruses is in the range of 500-800 rubles.
3. Computer diagnostics is estimated at 500-1500 rubles, depending on the duration of the process.

Since most of the services provided in the service do not require large expenditures on materials, the profit is made up of the number of customers and the complexity of the services they order.

Service list

Computer repair service often involves the provision of a wide range of services. This list includes:

• installing or replacing an operating system;
• setting up the device’s connection to the Internet;
• working with a hard disk;
• cleaning of antiviruses, including the installation of programs that protect against virus activity;
• data recovery;
• cleaning the system unit;
• troubleshooting;
• replacement parts.

In addition to desktop computers, the list of services offered by the service can be expanded by working with laptops. But you need to do this if you have a master who can competently cope with the order.

Organizational matters

At the initial stage, many work without opening a business. They advertise the service in newspapers or electronic boards, and also register on freelance exchanges. However, plans to hire other people involve formalization. A computer repair business can take several forms.

One of them is individual entrepreneurship. This type of organization is convenient when opening a business with a room of up to 80 square meters and a staff of up to three people. For paperwork, you will need a notarized application, an application for choosing the form of taxation, a copy of the passport (all pages), as well as a receipt for payment of the state duty.

A larger service should be in the form of a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This method of registering a business should be resorted to if you plan to create an enterprise using credit money. The list of documents for registering the service includes an application, a charter, a decision to open, which can be replaced by a protocol indicating the founders, copies of passports, an application for switching to one of the forms of taxation, a document confirming the payment of state duty.

Recruitment

The most convenient way to start a computer repair business involves partnering with a friend, relative, or family member. However, if it is not possible to find a technically savvy employee among the inner circle, he will have to be looked for from outside.

For this, passive or active methods are used. The first category involves posting an ad and waiting for interested parties to contact themselves. The second method is associated with an independent search for prospective candidates by responding to ads left or through acquaintances. Regardless of the method chosen, the candidate must be assessed against the following criteria:

• availability of knowledge in the required field (a diploma or the fact of training in a specialty is welcome);
• experience;
• references from the previous place of employment;
• performance;
• efficiency;
• honesty;
• Desire to learn and fulfill orders with high quality.

At the same time, personal qualities are no less important than professional skills.

Requirements for premises and equipment

For the service, a room with one or two rooms may be enough. In the first case, there will be enough space for several tables, appliances and a closet. The second option makes it possible to separate the place of repair and reception of customers. Some businessmen rent one relatively large room (about 30-35 square meters), which is divided into two parts using a showcase with an opaque back wall. In this way, it is possible to save on fees, as well as get a place to sell goods required by computer users.

For work, it is worth choosing computers that have average technical characteristics, but sufficient speed to record and process orders. An important condition will be a properly working Internet. If you want to fix technical malfunctions in computers, you will need to work:

• fault tester;
• good quality digital multimeter;
• soldering station, preferably professional;
• digital microscope;
• process simulators;
• consumables;
• screwdrivers;
• compresses to clean the unit from dust.

When working on installing software, a novice businessman faces one difficulty. It consists in the reluctance of users to purchase licensed software for installation due to its high cost. And offering software in a pirated version can be held liable for violation of intellectual property law.

There are several ways to get out of the situation. One of them is the ability to convince the client to use licensed versions of programs by paying full price for them. You can also offer them free analogues for download, if they are available on the service. And at the initial stage, you should not buy disks with software without making sure that this product will be in demand.

Profitability

Starting a business is invariably associated with costs. And a prudent entrepreneur, before opening a business, will definitely determine the period for which the expenses will pay off. When working in the field of computer repair, the amount of investment will depend on the list of equipment, the size of the premises and the number of employees. The total amount of expenses starts from 100,000 rubles, but can be higher.

If the business began to make a profit, then each employee can generate up to 70,000 rubles of income per month, which will significantly exceed the payment for his work. Based on such statistics, the expenses incurred at the start of the business will fully pay for themselves within a few months of the service.