How to Start a Home Based Computer Repair Business

In this day and age of technology, skilled computer repair technicians are always required. Businesses and individuals alike are always in need of repairs, troubleshooting, computer upgrades, and other technology-related advice and assistance, and if you are proficient at working on computer hardware or installing computer software, you can make a nice amount of money operating your own business out of your house.

One of the reasons computer repair makes for a great home business is that you need very little setup on your end. You'll need your tools (a basic screwdriver for the most part, unless you are working on hard drives or other, more advanced parts) and some form of organizing your orders and invoices, and that's about it. You don't even really need a home office or work area if you do most of your work at your clients' homes. If you do bring PCs or other equipment to your home to work, all you really need is a large table and some good lighting.

While many people have picked up computer related skills by simply working on computers, you will probably want to pick up a few certifications. If you're on top of the technology field, you will most likely already know everything these certification tests ask. However, having a Microsoft certification or A+ certification will make your business look that much more professional and will give your clients a since of trust. Also, you can get certified through computer companies to work as an authorized repair service for their products, which can bring in more clients.

There are a few other things you'll want to think about before starting your home based computer repair business. The first is what you will work on. Will you simply handle the CPU unit itself? If so, all you'll need to worry about is working on hard drivers, motherboards, CD drives, and the like. However, if you want more business, you might also work on peripheral devices like printers, monitors, scanners, or faxes. While this will bring in more work, it also means that you will need access to a distributor or other source for parts, plus you'll need to know or learn how to service various brands of devices.

The main concern in working on computers is finding a great source for parts. You don't want to always be buying the top of the line hard drives or printer parts, but at the same time, the technology industry is one in which buying the most generic, cheap part isn't always the best idea. You'll want your clients to know that anything they have you repair is going to last, yet you'll also want to get your parts at a reasonable price so your services are affordable. With this in mind, you might buy your parts off the internet, from a reliable computer store, or even purchase used computers from people you know or from your clients when they upgrade. Just because a computer is used doesn't mean its parts are worthless.

Once you have a nice inventory of parts or a reliable source to purchase them from and your certifications and home based business paperwork in order, all you need are customers. Advertising in your local paper is one good way of getting business, as is putting up flyer's at local colleges (be sure to get permission first, of course). You might even put an ad in the college newspaper since students are very computer-dependent. If you can offer them a discount, you'll have a nearly unlimited customer base. Computer repair businesses also gain a good number of customers from word of mouth. Always leave your clients a few extra business cards to pass along to friends and family who might need your help.

While that's obviously a simplified approach to starting your home computer repair business, it does serve as an outline of the things you'll need to get your business off the ground. If done properly and advertised well, you'll find yourself with more CPUs, printers, and monitors to fix than you ever imagined.

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