Turn your business idea into reality using this step-by-step guide.
Starting a computer repair business is a great way to earn extra income or build a profitable venture with multiple offices — it only depends on your ambitions and recourses. If you like repairing electronics and want to become your own boss, follow the simple steps below.
Choose the type of business you want to run
At this point, think about your dream and describe how you see your future computer repair business startup. But be realistic and consider your available recourses, market demand, and industry trends. Here are some critical questions to ask yourself:
- Would you like to create your personal brand or use a franchise opportunity?
- Are you going to rent a town office or operate from home? Or maybe start a mobile computer repair business?
- What brands of computers will you specialize in?
- Will you offer corporate or personal computer repair?
- Will you keep your repair business small and local or expand to other locations?
- Will it be a one-man shop or a team of computer repair specialists?
Answers to these questions will help you picture your business in more detail and get an idea of startup costs and growth potential. Take time to research the current market situation, read analyses from reliable industry experts and study your competitors to understand how challenging it can be to start a new business from the ground up.
Assess what tools are needed at the start
Besides business property expenses, you will also need to take into account the cost of equipment and hard- and software involved in repairing different types of computers, running major computer updates, and keeping track of daily business activities like processing jobs, invoicing, or stock management.
If you have all the needed technical skills to repair computers, you probably have the essential tools and diagnostics equipment that should be enough initially. Later on, as your company grows and you hire more techs, you can invest more budget in purchasing additional equipment.
What you shouldn’t be saving on when starting your own company is a repair business software program that allows you to manage processes, finances, sales, and marketing effectively. The significant advantage of tools like Orderry is routine automation which means you can do more repairs in less time. This solution runs in the cloud, so you don’t need to buy expensive software or pay for installation and maintenance. You just create an account to use the program functions at an affordable monthly or annual fee. With this solution, you can control and streamline your workflows with minimal effort:
- Processing of work orders via the web and mobile applications
- Deadlines, status chains, and status time limits
- Digital warehouses for effective inventory management of parts and devices
- Automated sales tax computing
- Workforce management and payroll calculations of daily wages and hourly rates
- Insightful reporting on the company’s performance
- Instant synchronization of invoices with QuickBooks and Xero
- Direct integrations with popular tools and platforms
- And more features specially designed for repair businesses
What range of services to offer
At this step, you should consider how your business will make money and at what rates. Research your competitors in the area to get an idea of what type of services they offer and what the average rates are. Do they do only in-store repairs? Are there on-site or delivery options? What are the reviews from customers?
In addition to repairing broken PCs and laptops, you can offer regular maintenance or consulting services for small businesses without IT departments at affordable rates. Another option is to sell repaired devices or participate in an e-waste management program. This way, you will create an additional income source and help the environment.
Be careful when setting up prices for your services, as they can impact long-term customer relationships. Focus on quality of services rather than low prices, so people come to you as a reliable professional and not “the cheapest option.”
Make your business official
After you take the steps above, you should form all your thoughts and objectives into a business plan. If you never prepared this kind of document, it’s better to consult a specialist to help you create helpful guidance for your first business.
Next, you have to do all the required paperwork:
- Choose a business structure: sole proprietorship, limited liability company, partnership, or corporation. The most common business entity for computer repair shops is LLC.
- Check out the required taxes in your area and register your business. Please note that if you plan to sell repaired products or parts, you should also investigate sales tax requirements.
- Get a business license or permit to provide computer repair services without fines or other penalties.
- Protect yourself with small business insurance.
To show your business to the world, you should create a website, and social media accounts, add your location to Google maps, and print out business cards and other marketing materials.
Ensure your company has financial ground
When starting any business, one of the most critical questions is how to finance it. Many options are available: personal savings, friends and family support, business loans for small business owners, crowdfunding, etc. Study each option carefully, as they all have their pros and cons. Choose the one with minimal risk for you and try to run your business at a low cost from the beginning so you can cut unnecessary expenses, pay debts on time, and grow your company.
Final thoughts
If you want to start a computer repair business, you’ll need to consider several things before launching your venture. Look at your idea from different angles, research the pros and cons of different options, assess your resources and ambitions, find the startup budget, and consult specialists on legal requirements. Dream big but don’t lose the connection with reality to keep your motivation positive for a long time. If you do your preparation work well, your business will have better chances to grow and succeed quickly.
