START & RUN A COMPUTER REPAIR SERVICE
Philip Spry and Lynn Spry
Self-Counsel Press
(a division of)
International Self-Counsel Press Ltd.
USA Canada
Copyright © 2012
International Self-Counsel Press
All rights reserved.
Introduction
I love computers and have since I was in my early teens. Over the decades, I’ve watched them develop from giant clunky boxes with green screens to tiny works of art that project photo-realistic games on monitors the size of walls. I eagerly read each new issue of Byte and PC Magazine, waiting for the next breakthrough in hardware and software; it’s probably fair to classify me as a computer enthusiast.
As a hobby, it’s relatively inexpensive. Think about it — the most expensive desktop CPU in existence at any given time is usually a little more than $1,000. That’s it! Imagine having the ability to buy a Formula 1 race car engine and pop it into your car for less than the cost of cable TV for a year! Of course, engines don’t double in power every two years, but the ease and simplicity of computer upgrades have made most of us relative experts in working on our own systems.
Six years ago I was in this position. I had built my own computers for years and was the guy everyone came to for help. I’d been an IT professional for more than a decade so when my wife Lynn and I started looking for business opportunities we saw a computer store as a natural fit. I’d managed people for years and I loved computers. What could be better? I found a profitable store for sale, bought it, and prepared to enjoy my hobby while the money rolled in!
What followed were the most grueling three years of my life. My wife and I received a crash course in retail sales, customer service, follow-up, technical support, marketing, and on-site service. The lessons in this book are the direct result of years of trial and error, and of failing miserably and working through it, to emerge successful, happy, and profitable.
Books, Websites, and Other Resources
This book is focused on giving you the critical information you need to begin on the right foot, but as you grow you will run into situations where additional help is required. As much as we’d love to have a comprehensive collection of answers for every situation you might encounter, it’s just not reasonable or even possible. Fortunately, we live in an age where information is only a few clicks away!
For instance, while we may recommend inexpensive sources of advertising that have been effective for us, there are entire books and websites dedicated to finding the most effective advertising for your business. Therefore, throughout this book, you will find links to websites, books, and resources that can help you find what’s best for you.
That said, we cannot guarantee that the resources listed will be the best for you or your business. Sure, there are others out there and you may find better or worse, but these are the ones we have used successfully and believe have fair prices and good service. We don’t get anything from these sites for mentioning them and they are listed here because they helped us and we hope they can help you.
Forms
Throughout this book, you will find many references to forms and other documents that you can use in your business. Before you create or use any of these documents, you should consult your own attorney or accountant as the laws in your state or province may be different and the documents may need to be worded differently to be applicable in your area.
1
Computer Repair: An Opportunity in Any Economy
Almost six years ago, my wife and I decided we were done being corporate drones and working 70 hours a week climbing the ladder of success. We’d chased the corner office, we’d taken endless flights, and we were tired of our shoulders drooping from carry-ons packed with multiple laptop computers. There was no end in sight and we realized it was time for a change. Fortunately, our timing couldn’t have been better.
In 2006, the economy was booming and people had more money than they knew how to spend. The real estate market was going crazy and houses were appreciating at 30 percent per year. The instant equity created allowed people to take out loans — there was disposable cash everywhere! With this much cash in the economy, new construction and new businesses opened daily. Instead of clawing and scratching for every dollar, many business owners just hung out their shingles and waited for people to show up — and show up they did!
As suited corporate members, we were used to spending years working on projects only to see them abandoned when new leadership came in. We needed a change. We considered opening a consulting firm, but the market was flooded with them and we didn’t know how we could differentiate ourselves. A friend of our suggested we look into purchasing a business instead of starting one from scratch. He said we might be able to save ourselves some time and money by plugging ourselves into a company with a proven revenue stream. It sounded good, but which company? There were thousands!
We began our research. If memory serves, we looked at more than 3,500 businesses in the Phoenix area alone! We checked out everything from coin-operated Laundromats to print shops. There were so many interesting opportunities and as we continued to research, we realized each of them was missing something. During a strong economy, they could make money, but if anything were to happen, they would be in real trouble. For example, selling high-end granite kitchen counters is fine when million-dollar homes are being built faster than people can buy them, but bull markets can’t last forever and we were looking for something long-term. So, what type of business could grow during both economic growth and economic recession?
Just when we were about to give up, we found one business that looked really promising. It was a local computer store and it was selling computers as fast as the staff could build them! The store was packed with people, it was stocked from floor to ceiling, and the employees were happy. This business looked like many of the businesses we’d seen but one thing stood out — it didn’t just sell a particular item, the staff did repairs as well! This, combined with my personal interest in computers made this business a very strong candidate.
When you run any business you can only sell two things: time and components. Computer businesses are no different. If people aren’t buying computers, they better be buying service or you’re out of business. Fortunately, the single greatest reason customers enter our stores is because their computers are malfunctioning. Sure, some customers come to our stores because they want to upgrade or just need a new computer, but let’s be honest, more than 80 percent of the time something’s wrong.
However, the solution to this problem is to repair it or replace it. When people have money, they don’t want to mess with the old system. They shrug like it’s nothing for them and pay $2,000 on a new system. Why should they bother fixing their old system? They are people of means and see no reason to trifle with a dusty old piece of junk. Flash forward a few years; the home equity line of credit has been drained, the real estate bubble has popped, and the dusty piece of junk that will cost $100 to repair starts looking good.
If you don’t have the ability to tap into this type of need, and your only revenue stream is component sales, it is monumentally harder to stay afloat. You might need to adapt to the market conditions, but you can survive. Businesses that don’t have that capability are dying all around us