Reply
Wed 14 Nov, 2007 05:20 am
I have a really basic business plan, basically its refurbishing old pc's.
But i would appreciate advice/help or even random suggestions.
Ive been using pc's for years, and im not exactly a "pc-tech" i can easily use the internet to fix any product ive ever had problems with, period. on top of that i should be getting a+ certified anyday now the test is so easy. (this is a backup plan, my true love is art but thats not what i would call 'stable')
Im good at budgeting, planning, record keeping and organization, my pc skills are above average id say, my cousins life is computers so we wont have a problem with fixing repairing or refurbishing the computers, and i have the skills needed to keep record straight and budget everything.
But the problem is, i dont know anything about what is needed to actually "start" a business. And has experience has taught me, laws do NOT follow logic or common sense, and i really dont want to go to prison for overlooking something i had no idea about in the first place.(this is what im mainly concerned with) I just want to know basics and starting a business and anything a first timer would miss or overlook.
Me and my cousin collect pc parts, we had a good collection going and we turned all our parts into about 4 pcs and sold them for 3-500 each, not bad.I said hey if we had parts enought to provide a constant supply, we could start a business!
Basically, i have always known pc's were a hugely tossed out item for some reason. When i found out goodwill had a shredder, just for pc parts, i knew i could easily turn a profit, i mean free stuff, sell it = pure profit (almost 100% but not quite after minor expenses like tools and parts we dont have etc..)
Any advice ideas tips or hints, or even basic knowledge i might not know would be appreciated.any feedback at all would be nice.
Heres the plan so far:
-Cheap PC repair, upgrading, malware removal and networking (no experience with linux = bad but im buying a new laptop and ill be learning linux on it as my desktop is history so i have alot of work to do in that regard, seeing linux grow so quickly)
-refurbishing and collection of old pc's to turn into working pc's( this is basically 100% profit, if the best way to get a bigger bottom line is to cut costs, than im set!)
What are some things i could add?
what are some resources i could use? (i have websites that list pc' parts with their manuals, one that lists compatability issues etc.. anything like that, free also if possible)
Should i even pursure this? i just started and i know i can sell the pc's its the part aquisition that will be hard. Are there any places where i would be able to find a large amount of thrown out computers and parts?
las vegas is the city im in BTW.
One idea i had was to market towards business travellers/conventioneers/tourists for urgent laptop repair, but i doubt the volume is there to provide a viable or steady income. but i know if your about to start a presentation and your laptop fails you might be willing to shed some dollars to have it fixed immediately.
Yeah, thats about it. my cousin can also fix electronics so refurbishing stereos and yadda yadda would be viable, im just looking for ideas while we plan all this out.
I also thought about making custom/gaming pc's but that is played out already. im marketing towards people who want a regular not so laggy working pc that isnt a rip-off.
set this up as a hobby first. do it in your spare time. record every expense. phone calls, time taken to find parts, time spent fixing. Delivery costs. Advertising,once you have sold a computer to all your friends you will need to advertise.
Insuring yourself against damages claims. If a computer you fixed caught fire and someone died because of that.
great idea, starting off with a business might be a little fast.
i think i will just post "i fix pc's cheap and get rid of pop ups!" on my work bulletin board. if i cant do that right theres no way i can make a business out of it.
then i can expand , while keeping track of trends and gaining real experience.
we have a sub that builds our pcs for our network and desktops. We then lease them through our line of credit. Ive found that old pc's get rapidly outdated and for use in something like e-mail, or just ditzing , maybe fixing up old ones is good. I wonder of you could identify your intended end user in your business plan (you should have a detailed analysis of where your different and how you plan to get there. Also, like making donuts, how many pcs would you have to refurb to actually cover you salary , expenses, etc)
i was thinking my market should have 3 zones, budget mid and luxury,
budget would be working pc's for people who use their computer for more "business" and not geared at all towards performance mainly storage and business software, just for people who arent trying to do anything but pics, msword/excel and surf the web and email.
like 300.00
and i am good at building gaming rigs, so i could just build an overall kick ass pc and sell them to this new wave of computer gamers , 1500.00 ish,
quite easily. hardest part would be getting customers before they go to a mainstream or chain store.
but man, customers aqusition is going to be a biiiiatch!
I think every county in America has a small business development office. Look in the blue pages of your phone book or under county offices in general. You can also find out such services by speaking to a librarian. SBD offers free counseling and workshops on how to start a business. Most of the counselors are retired business people who volunteer their time and are serious about helping you become successful.
You need to find out how to become a "DBA" meaning: Doing Business As OGIONIK. You need a tax number. It's very important to learn how you have to collect and pay taxes on your services- it's how most people get in trouble. Individuals might agree to pay you cash, but if you work for a business they will want to pay with a check. Learn about taxes.
I agree you can do this part-time to start. You can run a classified ad or put up posters around grocery stores, senior centers and the library. Make sure your advertising looks professional. Use your artistic skills and have someone proof read your ads before posting them, we all miss things that others will see.
Funny that you mention artistic skills.
i got a really really good book on calligraphy for once, i think its my destiny i swear to god.
but graphic design is so. so flooded?
i posted a bulletin at work "i need more experience fixing computers, free pc repairs, within reason parts not included"
its amazing how many people do not know how to take malware off their computer, the software is free! i dont even have to pull out my library books and dig into the registry or anything.
its like im not running an engine shop, its like im doing oil changes...
which is fine for now. its rather fun trying to start a business, i have to think and be creative.
but yeah thanks for the DBA advice, i need to put that first on the list. im 22 and filed taxes twice, i hope that missed one doesnt send me to prison cuz i frankly dont care and dont know what to do anyways.
OGIONIK wrote:
but yeah thanks for the DBA advice, i need to put that first on the list. im 22 and filed taxes twice, i hope that missed one doesnt send me to prison cuz i frankly dont care and dont know what to do anyways.
No prison time, but maybe a fine. Find a good tax service and have them get it cleaned-up for you, remember tax evasion is how the gangster Al Capone ended up in jail. I'm not a Christian, but I always liked the biblical advice of "render under Caesar what is Caesar's."
rant: why dont they teach how to do taxes in school?
my parents are idiots so i had to look everything up on the internet, 56k to be exact.
same thing with finances in general, the most important part of life and they "forget" to teach it in school? its like school and real life have nothing in common except the social scenes.
dear god, we need some common sense in here. some "real life" knowledge would be nice in a place where they are preparing you, for well uhh.. "real life"
i didnt even know credit cards "rolled" interest, as soon as i realised that i was like what kind of idiots use credit cards? apparently the vast majority.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace