A Computer Consultant’s Guide to Craigslist

November 06, 2012 By 5 Comments

Computer Business CraigslistI’ve been getting some good results from Craigslist lately.  Yes, you heard right…Craigslist.  It’s ugly, scary, and yet it’s BUSY!  In fact, Craigslist is the second biggest referrer of new customers for my business right behind word of mouth referrals.

I’ve been using this service a lot lately because, well, it’s free.  I’ve been trying to take advantage of as many free sources of advertising as possible since my business is still relatively new (less than two years old as a full-time business) and I’m still trying to grow my customers and income.
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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Growing a Computer Business

How Much Should I Charge?

August 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Starting a Computer Business - How Much Should I Charge?How much should I charge?

That’s a big question many new computer consultants face and it is a question that is tough to answer.

There are many factors involved.  What services are you offering? What is your competition charging?

Before you take all that into consideration, however, you first must figure out how much you NEED to charge to stay afloat as a business.

This is a good exercise to perform before you start your computer business, or even after you’ve been in business for a while.

I put together the calculator below to help you quickly figure out how much you SHOULD be charging, at a minimum, to sustain yourself and your business. Try it out and then make sure you charge what you’re worth!
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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box

National IT Service Provider Showdown

August 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of “showdown” type posts where I compare similar services to see which one ends up being the best for my business needs.

Do you need to get more computer repair experience before starting your own business?  Not getting enough work for your current business?  Want to get some experience in an unfamiliar niche?

When I first started my computer consulting business, one of the best ways I found to get my feet wet with computer repair was to sign up for a national IT service provider.  These services basically provide IT support to customers all over the country (or world-wide) by contracting with local techs to complete the work.  Each service provider may have dozens or hundreds of techs in any given area in its database that it can call on to service any particular client.

Over the last few years I’ve signed up for a bunch of these service providers and had the opportunity to work for a few of them.  My results have been mixed, but they have provided great learning opportunities, especially when I was first starting out.

Below is a list of all of the national IT service providers that I’ve signed up for, along with my experiences with each.  All of these services provide voluntary work, meaning you do not have to take any of the service calls they offer you.

Please note that my experiences are based on my education, background, and location and are not to be taken as endorsements or rejections of any one service.  Your mileage WILL vary!

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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Stories from the Trenches Tagged With:

How to Build A Website In 30 Minutes or Less

April 30, 2012 By 6 Comments

30 Minute WebsiteI’ve been getting a lot of requests for web design work lately.  I can’t complain because I enjoy doing the work and it seems to be as in demand as ever.  It’s something I’ve done on my own for a long time, but never for money, so it’s been nice to start getting more and more work in this niche.

When I got my first few requests for webdesign late last year, I found that it was easy for the work to suck up a lot of my time, and my customers (small business owners or organizations) don’t have a huge budget to pay me for hours of work.

So I’ve been looking for a way to streamline the webdesign process.  By saving time I’ll be delivering a more affordable product to my customers while freeing myself up to do more work, since webdesign is only one of many computer-related services I’m offering.  Yet I don’t want the quality to suffer.

Over the last couple of months I’ve developed a system for building websites that allows me to provide a clean, professional, unique website for my clients in about 30 minutes, and my customers have been loving the outcome.
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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Growing a Computer Business Tagged With: , , , ,

20 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Computer Business

January 12, 2012 By 10 Comments

Improve Your Computer BusinessOver the three plus years that I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve experimented with many strategies for growing my fledgling computer consulting business. Some have worked well while others have fallen flat and turned out to be nothing but hype.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I only present topics about things that I have personally tried and experienced as I start and grow my computer repair business.  Yet, for new readers, it may be hard to find the best information among the hundreds of blogs posts on this site.

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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Growing a Computer Business, YFNCG Tagged With: , , ,

Computer Guy’s Toolbox: Techibble’s Computer Business Kit Version 2

October 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

technibble computer business kit v2In the “Computer Guy’s Toolbox” series, I highlight a product or service that I think will benefit the independent computer tech.

A couple years ago I reviewed Technibble’s Computer Business Kit here on the blog.  I gave it a modest review, noting how it provided some good document templates most appropriate for new computer business owners.  I felt, however, that it lacked in certain areas and it felt a bit incomplete.

Well, Bryce Whitty over at Technibble.com, has released the next version of the kit and let me tell you, it is a HUGE improvement over the original.  I’ve had a chance to really dig deeply into this version of the kit, so without further ado, here is my review.
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10 Essential iPad Apps for Computer Consultants

July 11, 2011 By 7 Comments

Apple’s iPad can be used for more than just casual game play and video watching.  It can also be a powerful tool in your computer repair business toolbox.  With other competing tablets emerging in the market, I still feel the iPad has an advantage over them because of one key factor: apps.  iPad has been in the game for over a year now and has wooed developers with a large passionate user base.  As such, tons of apps are being developed on this platform that aren’t on the others.

I’ve had a 1st generation iPad for almost a year now and I’ve been looking for ways to utilize it for my business. It’s perfect for situations where you need a quick and ultra-portable way to connect to the web and get things done when you’re on-site with a customer.

Now that it has been out for a while, there are plenty of business productivity apps that have emerged as great tools for the consultant on-the-go.  Although a lot of these apps are also available on the iPhone, for business purposes, they are much easier to use and manage on the larger screen of the iPad.  Here are my top picks, all of which I have been using in my business with great success.
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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Growing a Computer Business Tagged With: ,

Computer Guy’s Toolbox: Payment Collection

May 16, 2011 By 3 Comments

In the “Computer Guy’s Toolbox” series, I highlight a product or service that I think will benefit the independent computer tech, with an emphasis on simplicity, reliability, and affordability.

In my previous post, I discussed the pros and cons of accepting payment immediately after service versus invoicing customers later. It turns out that both methods of payment collection have their place. If you want to provide superior customer service, you should offer both.

I’m a big believer in simplicity and interconnectedness, that’s what I look for in products that will help make my job easier.  With that said, I have found two great tools to make each method of payment collection as hassle free as possible. Each are cutting edge services, with good reviews, that I have used myself with great success.
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Computer Guy’s Toolbox: Techibble’s Computer Business Kit

May 21, 2009 By 3 Comments

UPDATE: An updated version of the Computer Business Kit has been released! It’s a major overhaul of the original and therefore requires a new review.  

In the “Computer Guy’s Toolbox” series, I highlight a product or service that I think will benefit the independent computer tech, with an emphasis on affordability.

One of the unfortunate aspects of running a computer consulting business is the paperwork. Like it or not, if you want to run a legitimate operation and protect yourself, you’ll want to document everything. Work orders, contracts, service plans, waivers, advertisements, customer and vendor tracking, it can all be a bit overwhelming, especially when first starting out.

That’s where the Computer Business Toolkit comes in. Created by Bryce Whitty over at Technibble.com, the kit is simply a collection of useful document templates that a computer consultant can customize and implement in order to run a successful business. It’s available for purchase and download at Technibble.com.  I recently got my hands on the kit and had the opportunity to check out all the goodies it contains.  Being a wet-behind-the-ears newbie computer business owner,  I was curious to find out how useful the kit would be.

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I CAN Hear You Now!: My Pick For VoIP Phone Service

March 23, 2009 By 10 Comments

This is the final article in the Can You Hear Me Now? Series of blog posts in which I embark on a journey to find the most cost effective home office VoIP plan for my computer repair business.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been looking for a low cost VoIP solution for my home office based computer consulting business. You can catch up on the series by reading the last two articles here and here.

After much consideration, I finally settled on a provider that I think will fit my needs as my business grows.

And the winner is…

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Filed Under: Computer Guys Tool Box, Starting a Computer Business Tagged With: , , ,
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